WAKANUI Grill Dining @ Marina One - The Restaurant That Redefined Steak Experience In Tokyo Now Opens In Marina One

It seems like there is a new trend of grill houses opening in Singapore and one of them is WAKANUI Grill Dining located on the level 4 of the new Marina One complex. The restaurant is situated in a stunning glass structure on the fourth floor of the West Tower offering New Zealand Ocean Beef and Wakanui Spring Lamb which are grilled over Japan-sourced Binchotan charcoal. It also offers New Zealand seafood, such as Ora King salmon, New Zealand-sourced sashimi-quality fresh fish and green lip mussels, and other seasonal produce and dairy products imported from New Zealand.

WAKANUI Spring Lamb Chop 4.8/5

Wakanui is not only known for their beef but they are also popular with their lamb. It is so popular that it opens a lamb specialty restaurant in Japan. The WAKANUI Spring Lamb Chop ($8/pc) uses lamb that is born in late winter/early spring, raises for 4-6 months and aged for around 4 weeks. The lamb chop was very tender and juicy. The flavour and texture was really top notch. This is probably one the best lamp chop I have eaten and you don't get that gaminess at all.

Kikorangi Blue Cheese Caesar Salad 4/5

The Kikorangi Blue Cheese Caesar Salad ($22) comes with a medley of New Zealand Romaine lettuce, jazz apple, walnuts tossed with Kikorangi blue cheese. It is then topped with shaved parmasen and walnuts. For those that is worried about the strong flavour of blue cheese, you will not get it here as the blue cheese dressing is made of a blend of Italian anchovies, whipped cream, a touch of salt and extra virgin olive oil.

Hot Smoked Salmon 3.5/5

Mentioned earlier the restaurant also offers seafood on the menu such as the Hot Smoked Salmon ($24) topped with diced fresh tomatoes. While I love the smokiness from the cherrywood chips but I thought the texture was a bit dry due to the cooking. I still prefer my piece of the salmon to be more pink in colour. for that moister texture.

Seasonal Hassun 3.5/5

Giving a feminine touch to the restaurant is the Seasonal Hassun ($32), a traditional kaiseki style starter using seasonal ingredients. On the plate, we have Japanese Tomatoes with Plum Sauce, Lotus Root Tempura topped with Bonito Flakes and Unagi on Daikon and Beetroot Puree. Beautifully plated and thoughtfully put together for guest to enjoy a combination of flavorus and textures.

What is actually Ocean Beef? It is started by ANZCO Foods, a New Zealand-based meat company specializing in premium-quality New Zealand beef and lamb. The concept behind Ocean Beef was to develop beef that achieves the perfect balance between marbling and leanness, while retaining natural juiciness and an intense beef flavour. The cattle are grass-fed for 18 months on the lush green, high-protein pastures in a stress-free environment to develop a muscular form, and then finished on specially formulated wheat, barley and maize-based feed for 4 months.

Bone-in Ribeye 4.2/5, Ribeye Cut 4.5/5, Canterbury Grass-fed Fillet 4/5

To taste the difference of the different beef, we had the Ocean Beef Bone-in Ribeye ($199 for 1Kg), Ocean Beef Ribeye Cut ($79 for 350gram/ $109 for 500gram) and Canterbury Grass-fed Fillet ($78 for 250gram/ $138 for 500gram). Among us we have our own preference and I prefer the Ocean Beef Ribeye Cut for its sweeter flavour. For those that likes a stronger beefy and earthy flavour, then the Canterbury Grass-fed fillet will be your choice.

WAKANUI Spring Lamb 4.2/5

Earlier we had the lamb chop and you think it is not sufficient, you can go for the WAKANUI Spring Lamb ($42 half rack/ $82 full rack). Wow the lamb rack is nicely cooked, I would preferred the lamb chop because I will get the sear on both sides and I also find that there is lesser fats.

Hokey Pokey Ice Cream 3.8/5

Moving to the dessert, we started with the Hokey Pokey Ice Cream ($14) which consists of housemade vanilla ice cream with caramel brittle. For those that is not familiar, hokey pokey is a flavour of ice cream from New Zealand. It actually means honeycomb toffee in New Zealand.

Pavlova 3.5/5

Unfortunately I am not a big fan of Pavlova ($14) as I find the dessert itself is too sweet for me. If you have a sweet tooth, then you will enjoy the pavlova with chantilly cream, passion fruit sauce and mixed fruits.

Baked Rare Chocolate Cake 4/5

I actually enjoyed the Baked Rare Chocolate Cake ($14) most among the 3 desserts. The richness of the bake chocolate cake is perfectly balanced with the tang from the strawberry ice cream.

WAKANUI Grill Dining is a culinary experience enjoyed in a quiet oasis, where the views of the lush central gardens of Marina One provide a welcome respite from the bustle of city life. Pricing maybe a bit on the steep side but the dry-aged beef and lamb here are top quality and well executed.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


WAKANUI Grill Dining
Marina One The Heart
5 Straits View
#04-02
Singapore 018935
Tel: +65 63842665
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Downtown (DT Line), Marina Bay (CC Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 3pm, 530pm - 11pm
Sat: 530pm - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Downtown MRT station. Take Exit D. What to Straits View road. Turn right on Straits View road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Marina Bay MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Marina Way road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

The Bank Bar + Bistro @ One Shenton

At One Shenton, it is not difficult to spot the The Bank Bar + Bistro, standing tall with its beautiful full height glass façade. It's been 6 years since it started building its presence in the business district and has established quite a few classic favourites among the CBD crowd. It has recently launched a brand new menu, with 20 brand new items up on board while retaining some classic favourites.

We ordered a couple of The Bank's signature cocktails to pique our tastebuds. The Millionaires Espresso is indeed an ideal post 9-5 perk me up drink.The concoction is quite simple but I really enjoy its bitter-sweetness. I was surprised that no one really orders this drink. Whereas for the seemingly more exciting Godfather's Offer, the alcohol is simply too overpowering.

Spicy Prawn Salad 3/5 

Spicing up your regular light and healthy option is the Spicy Prawn Salad ($18). The consistency of the dressing is surprisingly light on the palate as it isn't too starchy and thick like those Thai chilli sauces. I love the crunch and nuttiness from the roasted cashew nuts which is necessary to make it a more satisfying salad. There could be more variety of greens mixed in, rather than just plain lettuce.

Butter Chicken 4/5

One of the latest Mains is Chef’s secret recipe Butter Chicken ($22) using chicken thigh in butter and rich tomato gravy served with warm pita bread and crispy corn chips. This is not your usual pub-style food but it's way better than one. It's India style butter chicken but a lot more appetizing with the tang lent from tomato. Although it doesn't carry the heat, the kick of eating this curry is nothing less with its aromatic spices. The chicken cubes are extremely tender. It's definitely less oily than the original, you might be hoping there are more corn chips to clean up the gravy.

BBQ Baby Back Pork Ribs 2.8/5

Ribs is always ideal for sharing which makes the BBQ Baby Back Pork Ribs ($24) a mainstayer. The meat is tender but not the fall-off-the-bones kind.

Oriental Seabass Pasta 3.8/5

Pasta – Oriental Seabass Pasta ($20) is like an Asian alio olio with pasta dry tossed in spicy XO sauce. This is a much better thought through Asian fusion pasta which I have tried. The seabass has a layer of torched soybean glaze. It tastes a bit like miso mayonnaise which reminds me of the mentaiko glaze of aburi sushi. The best part is the charred portion which is sweet and savoury, with a tinge of smokiness. The fish fillet could be thicker so as to better support the strong flavours of the glaze.

Salted Egg Prawn Sandwich 2.8/5

Riding on the trend is the Salted Egg Prawn Sandwich ($18). Given that there are so many exuberant sandwich joints in this area, this somewhat pales in comparison and lacks appeal.

Homemade Fruity Plum Yogurt Popsicle 3.5 and Oreo Baileys Cheesecake 3.5

The new desserts here are a bonus. I had both Homemade Fruity Plum Yogurt Popsicle ($4.50) and Oreo Baileys Cheesecake in Jar ($5). The popsicle is packed with berries and fruits and I wouldn't hesitate to choose this over a Magnum. For something more indulgent, the cheesecake has baileys embedded in it, elevating its X-factor.

For an introductory period, you get to enjoy selected new menu items (main course, pasta, sandwich and salad) with The Bank Bar’s 1-for-1 dinner promotion from Saturday to Tuesday including public holidays from 5 p.m.


Words and photos by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


[CLOSED]
The Bank Bar + Bistro
One Shenton
1 Shenton Way
#01-01
Singapore 068803
Tel: +65 66362188
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Downtown (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon: 11am - 11pm
Tue-Sun & PH: 11am - 12midnight

Direction:
1) Alight at Downtown MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk to junction of Commerce Street and Marina View. Cross the road and turn right on Commerce Street. Walk down Commerce Street towards Shenton Way. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]