Cover Aqua Gastronomy (Image: Resorts World Sentosa)

The pop-up restaurant at the SEA Aquarium combines delicious menu and immersive entertainment to create a unique dining experience

This story was updated on October 9, 2020

Many of us are still not able to go on holidays due to the coronavirus pandemic, and we can’t help but dream of our next great escape—whether it’s exploring the deep blue in the Maldives or going on an exciting food trip along the coasts of the Mediterranean. While waiting for that moment when we can finally travel again, we continue to look for unique local experiences to tide us over for the time being.

This brings us to Aqua Gastronomy, Resorts World Sentosa’s latest dining pop-up dining concept at the S.E.A. Aquarium that recreates the feeling of dining under the sea. Scott Peterson, assistant vice president of entertainment, explains: “We wanted to create a brand new experience for families, friends and couples to enjoy and discover together by combining dining and immersive entertainment against our dramatic underwater backdrop of beautiful marine life for the first time.”

To start, you’ll get to dine in these dreamy, molecular-inspired private pods that give you a front-row view of the massive Open Ocean Habitat—home to over 100,000 marine creatures including hammerhead sharks, giant groupers and reef manta rays.

(Related: How to Have a ‘Singapoliday’ in Sentosa: Universal Studios, Hotel Staycations and More)

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Above Misty Morning Sea
Tatler Asia
Above Shining Seas

Of course, you can also look forward to the delicious four-course menu crafted by Marvas Huang and Tony Choo, chefs de cuisine at Ocean Restaurant and Forest, respectively. Inspired by the underwater theme, their modern Asian dishes are prepared using sustainably-sourced seafood and local produce—and served in a theatrical way too.

A good example is Huang’s cold starter of Misty Morning Sea. The refreshing ensemble of hand-dived scallop, Asian-style glass noodle salad and pearls of trout caviar are served in a glass bowl complete with smoke effects from the dry ice. But perhaps the most eye-catching dish of them all is Huang’s main course, Shining Seas. The Kühlbarra sea bass sits in a shiitake sauce mixed with Vitamin B, which gives the liquid its luminous green colour when it’s exposed to UV light. So, the staff will dim the lights before the dish arrives.

(Related: 9 Ways To Minimise Food Waste As You Stay Home)

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Above Treasures of the Ocean dessert, created by pastry chef Kenny Kong

Due to popular demand, the Aqua Gastronomy pop-up restaurant has been extended until the end of the year. The new festive menu is available from November and will showcase new signatures such as Snowy Morning, an ensemble of braised "yumbah" abalone, French sea whelk, Shaoxing snow and tsukemono, and Holiday Lights. The latter is a delectable creation of miso cod "yu xiang" cherry aubergine, doubanjiang and luminous pearl.

There will be more surprises throughout the meal that will captivate the sight, smell and sound. To simply put it, Peterson says: “Never before has dining in Singapore been elevated in such an extraordinary setting in one of the world’s largest aquariums.”

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Resorts World Sentosa

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