The island's Esplanade Mall houses a number of waterfront restaurants and stalls with good views of the towering financial district in the distance.
2 Hot
Colours by the Bay, Esplanade, 8 Raffles Avenue, Singapore
This is a casual restaurant devoted to halal food, most of which tends to be spicy. A bright red counter, glass walls and simple cafe-like furnishings form the backdrop for twists on old favourites. The marsala fish and chips, at S$14.90 (HK$74) is 2 Hot's best-seller, a creamy dory fillet in parsley, chilli and cumin seed-battered flour served with fries and coleslaw. Start with a dozen satays marinated in seven kinds of herbs and spices, a snip at S$15.90.
Aria
Esplanade, 8 Raffles Avenue
The swish Aria bistro and wine bar is kitted out with chain-mail curtains and cooling, mosaic stone floors. Its outdoor section comes equipped with dark leather armchairs under white outsized umbrellas. As with most Esplanade establishments, the captivating views are of the distant city skyscrapers. The select Modern European menu features four seafood and four meat appetisers, including poached ox tongue served with pesto mash in a thyme jus, and caramelised codfish with steamed autumn leaves on a lemon and caper dressing (S$24 each).