If you are driving, drop off your vehicle with the valet and take the lift up to the second floor, where you'll find Moonstone. This Japanese restaurant (or some say bar) has a scenery to die for. It overlooks Sentosa Island and the view has no blockages, which also means you get natural wind throughout your meal apart from the view. The place only opens in the evening so you need not worry about the sun or humidity.
There are nine sofa seats (which will fit about two to four people each) with this view. Reservation is recommended if you specifically want the sofa seats. Of course, the restaurant also has proper tables and a bar counter should you prefer. They also feature a wide range of Japanese beer and alcohol alongside their food. And of course if you are driving, please remember to keep within the alcohol limit.
When it comes to Japanese food, appetizers is a must. Appetizers are normally the common Cold Tofu or Edamame but this time we decided to go for something different. The Aigamo Tataki, which is smoked duck in sweet sauce and bean sprouts was one of my favorite dishes. The crunchy bean sprouts on top of the chilled slices of smoked duck together with the mild and not too salty sauce jumped off to a great start. Despite being served chilled, the duck was tender and soft and had a very distinct smoked taste.
I was a bit apprehensive at first when recommended the Momotaro - tomato in wasabi puree. But i immediately swallowed my words back down when i had my first slice of this unstated dish. Firstly, the tomato was without a doubt fresh, which also means was is crunchy and sweet. Paired along with the wasabi puree, which wasn't spicy at all, the duo came off really well.
The Chasu Udon had tender chunks of pork belly which was very soft and melted in my mouth. The udon was cooked al dente as well but i would have liked the broth a bit saltier. The portion was huge and the noodles were aplenty so i recommend this to share if you are going with your partner.
I declare this a must if you go to Moonstone. The Garlic Fried Rice is out of this world. I love how they were generous with the spring onions on the top because it added a lot of texture and crunch when eaten with the rice. The rice on the other hand was mind blowing because the garlic fragrance was not too overpowering and each grain of it was fried perfectly. In fact, i think no amount of words i type would be able to do justice to this bowl of rice.
Moving on to the seafood, we had the Ika - squid with salt or sweet sauce. We decided on the sweet sauce after recommendations from the manager. The squid was no doubt fresh and tender, but i would have preferred if it was a bit softer. And because the squid was grilled, it gave off a very pleasant smoky taste, which i especially liked. I would have wished for the sweet sauce to be a bit thicker but nevertheless it complimented the squid and was given a thumbs up.
An impromptu decision to order the Shishamo left me wanting more. I love how smelt fish has heaps of roe in it so when i saw this on the menu, i knew it had to order it. Grilled with just a bit of salt, the fish was fresh (yes everything is fresh at Moonstone, this i can guarantee). I was surprised it wasn't served with salt and pepper, like how some Japanese restaurants serve it but it was still good with lemon or on its own.
The menu at Moonstone is pretty simple, in a good way. Most grilled items go with either salt or sweet sauce. If you do not know which to pick, feel free to ask. I was expecting the Gindara (cod fish) with salt to be a bit fishy but it wasn't. The skin of the fish was a bit burnt hence i skipped the skin, but then again it was grilled and the meat perfectly cooked. It went better with the lemon, which emphasized the sweetness of the fish more since lemon juice is sour.
The Shake (salmon) with sweet sauce is something i also recommend. This time the skin was not burnt (i suppose salmon have thicker skin compared to cod) and the outer layer of the salmon was crispy. Again, we had a choice of salt or sweet sauce but went for the latter and wasn't disappointed.
When all was done, i had to pause before Yakitori was served. I knew it had to try them before leaving given Moonstone is well known for their Yakitori. We had a few sticks to share, but instead of going through what we had, i thought i'll pick out the ones i especially liked.
Hotate (scallop) paired with the sweet sauce - the scallops were huge and juicy. Kinoko Shake (salmon and mushroom topped with cheese) - something interesting, the cheese on the salmon was a tad too salty but when eaten together it was just nice. Gyutan (ox tongue) - an accquired taste but extremely chewy and grilled well. My favorite was the Tsukune (chicken ball) - Moonstone makes their own chicken ball with spices and fresh chicken meat, the taste of the chicken malls were amazeballs (sorry if i sound a bit vulgar here), but it is something that you will definetely like.
Of course, if you are intending to just hang out with a couple of beer and sake, the Yakitori menu will definitely be essential. Moonstone closes late (please call to enquire or make reservations). For the quality of food you are getting, and of course the scenic view, i'll say Moonstone is a place one should visit at least once. Prices are pretty reasonable (please refer to their website for prices) and you get free parking with a minimum of SGD 50 spent. This place has been added on to my list of favorite "chill out places", and of course it will probably work out as well if you were looking for a place to have a date.
Moonstone - Yakitori . Sake . Bar
109 Mount Faber Road
Level 2, The Jewel Box
Singapore 099196
+65 6276 0609
This was an invited media tasting.
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