A Non Sponsored Review of Wakuda Singapore, Marina Bay Sands (i.e. totally impartial), with recommendations on what to order and senior citizen friendly travel tips. (I've dined there several times, last in April 2024.)
Eating at Singapore's best Japanese restaurant, 2 Michelin stars Waku Ghin, by celebrity Chef Tetsuya Wakuda is on many foodies' Singapore itinerary but alas we can't all afford it.
If you fall in that category, try Wakuda, its more affordable cousin instead! It's Chef Tetsuya’s second restaurant in Singapore and one of the 5 Japanese restaurants you can find at Marina Bay Sands (click for a review of all of them.) (The concept is by Tetsuya but it's run by Executive Chef sufian zain and Chef de Cuisine suzuki masaya.)
Google Rating (as of March 2024): 4.1 stars out of 209 reviews. I do feel it deserves more than 4.1 stars for lunch, if Koma restaurant has 4.3!
Note: I last dined at Wakuda in MBS in April 2024. I have always paid for my own meal here, so you know that my review is impartial and honest! (Click the link for a review of MBS Hotel.)
Recommended For
- A meal in a child-free environment (Children under 10 are not allowed)
- Picturesque views of the outdoor garden
- go for Lunch and not Dinner. (Love the Bara Chirashi and Chawanmushi during lunch.) Lunch is no longer value-for-money, due to several consecutive price increases, but it's definitely more worth it than dinner.
- Wheelchair Accessible
Note: if you're looking to dine with a view from the top/ 57th floor, try the Californian-meets-local SPAGO Dining Room. Or for Chinese food at Marina Bay Sands, click the link for a review of all the outlets!
Location & Opening Hours
Located at the lobby of Marina Bay Sands Hotel (one of the 4 hotel lobby restuarants- 5, if you include the deli Origin + Bloom), Wakuda melds French culinary techniques and seasonal ingredients (based on the Japanese philosophy 'Shun.') Besides Singapore, there's an outlet in Las Vegas too.
Address: Marina Bay Sands Hotel (NOT shopping Mall), Tower 2, Lobby, 10 Bayfront Avenue, 018972, Singapore
Dress Code: Smart Casual (applies to kids, although children under 10 are not allowed)
Closest MRT: Bayfront
Nearest carpark: Central (Orange zone) Complimentary parking is available, if you meet a minimum spend.
Opening Hours: daily for lunch (11.30 am to 2.30 pm (last seating)) and dinner (5 pm to 930 p.m. (last seating for Sunday to Wednesday) or 1030 p.m. (last seating for Thursday to Saturday)
The Bar is open from 11.30 a.m. to 12 a.m. (last seating) every day.
On Tuesdays to Saturdays, there's also Sushi Experience from 5 p.m., where you can experience a 13-course Sushi Dinner for S$128 per person. (More if you add on some of the rare sakes that Wakuda offers.)
Seniors' Tip: although there are 3-4 steps leading up to the main entrance of Wakuda, the restaurant is wheelchair accessible. There's a ramp entrance at the back, near where the toilets are located.
Decor/ Ambience
The restuarant is designed by Japanese artists, Shohei Otomo, Jun Inoue, and Hiroyasu Tsuri. It's not luxurious, but it's a very comfortable place to dine. The interiors use traditional Japanese wood joinery but, thanks to the setting and music, everything feels very contemporary in spite of the rich wood tones.
The highlight, of course, is the huge glass window to the right when one enters the main dining room, behind which one has a view of a beautiful lush Japanese garden and Japanese maple tree. (They're apparently floor-to-ceiling windows but partially hiden by the sushi counter.)
There's also the Omakase Room where you find comfortable banquette booths that are separated by embossed metal privacy screens.
The music is a tad too loud, but still tolerable- not headache-inducing levels. (Neither myself nor the seniors I dined with were a fan of the type of music.)
Seating
Tables and chairs in the centre rows, and banquette style dining for the corner tables. (If you sit at the banquette seats on the sides, you won't be facing the maple tree. You need to sit in the centre tables to directly face the red tree.)
Seniors' Tip: Ask to be seated at the side tables if you need more space- the spacing there is more generous compared to the tables in the centre. However, note that the bench seating was not well planned- it's much too low for the height of the tables.
Note: The restaurant does not have its own restroom. Instead you can use the wheelchair ramp and you'll arrive straight at one of the Hotel's Public Restrooms. Personally, I think it's a travesty that a restaurant like this doens't have private toilets! Added to the fact that there are only 2-3 cubicles in the public restroom, you often have to queue to use it.
Menu, Pricing & Value for Money
The menu features modern Japanese classics made using quality ingredients that are sourced from around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and different parts of Japan.
There is a different menu for lunch and dinner.
Lunch
Wakuda has recently revamped its lunch offering.
Besides its signature lunch sets, it now offers ala carte as well. You can now order some of its famous specialties such as Yuba (Fresh Beancurd Skin From Kyoto with Hokkaido Sea Urchin, Mountain Caviar) S$38 and Japanese Musk Melon (S$28 per slice) during lunch.
The number of appetizers for the set meal has also been decreased- it used to be a VERY filling meal, and the perfect way to refuel after a morning at the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool. (On my last visit, I felt the quality of the appetizers- except for the chawanmushi, which is still delicious, had deteriorated as well.)
Lunch Sets
In addition, Wakuda has added and removed some offerings (such as the Sweet & Sour Chicken- it didn't last long) from the lunch set.
These are the options you can choose from:
- Bara Chirashi $88++: I eat this the most frequently. It has a wide range of very fresh seafood and is one of the best bara chirashis I've had in Singapore (though, as mentioned, the standard has gone down.)
- Tempura Udon $68++: both myself and my Mom found this terribly bland and not something we want to try again. (And my Mom actually LIKES bland food!)
- Steak: Wasn't super impressed. To be honest, the beef at Blosso Chinese Restaurant is better! (Ambience nowhere as nice as Wakuda though.) I guess others weren't too as this has been removed from the menu and is now a Wagyu Beef Rice Set (S$98++)
- Miso Cod $86++: Tasted not bad but the plating could have been improved.
- Sashimi $$88++: yet to try as the waiters told me the Bara Chirashi is MUCH better 😛
- Unagi $82++: relatively new to the menu. I have yet to try.
Note: there used to be a $10 discount for MBS card holders (which is free to apply for), but no longer i.e. prices have effectively increased by $10. (This happened in March 2024.)
Green tea used to be included in the set- it was in March- but when I returned in April you are now charged S$8 for (refillable) green tea. I understand that there's inflation, but it seems like every month Wakuda is raising its prices/ reducing its value..
What the Lunch Set Includes
All the lunch sets comprise of green tea, 4 small plates (chawanmushi/ flan with Avruga Caviar, Homemade Egg Tofu, Mixed Salad, Grilled Eggplant), the main course (see above + rice, miso soup, radish and burdock pickles ), followed by dessert.
Price
You can expect to spend around S$100 per person if you have a lunch set, which includes green tea (not an alcoholic drink.)
Is the Wakuda Lunch Set Worth the Money?
I would say the Bara Chirashi Set offers good value for money, even if the quantity has gone down recently. (The quality went down for a while, but it's back up now, although the quantity has now gone down. LOL)
The Chawanmushi is also the best I've ever tried. (They call it Flan on the menu.) It's served with caviar, olive oil, and cream.
On the fence about the other sets: I wouldn't go down to Marina Bay Sands Hotel specifically to eat the non-bars-chirashi-don sets.
Dinner
Dinner is obviously much more expensive than lunch. Wakuda's menu also has a wider selection of dishes during dinner, but note that the sizes of the dishes run small.
My friend dined here and spent about S$400 per person- they had alcohol- and did not recommend it, so I've actually not been.
However, some of Wakuda's signature dishes are only available during dinner service, such as the Cold Soba with Botan Shrimp, the famous Botan Ebi, sea urchin and fresh Oscietra Caviar starter, and Carabineros Prawn (Roasted Carabineros with Shellfish & Miso Risotto) S$78
So I may try it the next time I am back at Marina Bay Sands! Let me know if you want a review of that. (I have to plan out the budget for all my reviews, since they're not sponsored and this travel blog is still monetized.)
Service
The service is generally pretty good. The staff makes an effort to try to be personal, and greet you by name. It's usually quite efficient and your tea cup, for example, never stays empty for long.
However, on my visit in December 2023, I'm not sure whether they were short staffed but service was pretty slow and generally not as good. It took quite a while before someone came to take our order- the waitress was new and didn't seem very sure what to do- or to bring our bill (after it was requested.)
In fact, the Korean lady sitting next to us actually ended up complaining (and she arrived after we did!)
Update: in March 2024, the service was back to being very attentive again, so much so that 2 people would sometimes say the same thing to me (e.g. explain a dish or offer me more tea.)
Expert Tips
Tip #1: Between 9 pm and 12 am (midnight) every Tuesday, you can enjoy 50% off Japanese-Inspired Highballs (U.P. $25++) (But check before you go, because the restaurant changes things up often.)
Tip #2: There's a charge for tapwater here.
Any questions about Japanese dining at Marina Bay Sands integrated resort or Wakuda Singapore, let me know in the comments!
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