Satay by the Bay

One of the most fragrant n tasty wok hey char kway teow I have ever eaten!

Could totally see how some people might try to steer clear and away from Satay by the Bay considering how it does seem like a place of a touristy nature, but the folks whom are quite the fan of City Satay just couldn’t resist walking in after spotting their existence as a hawker stall in the hawker centre whilst walking within Gardens by the Bay — and this was how we found ourselves sitting in this food centre just to enjoy the satay. Better known for being more of a wholesaler with a retail outlet situated around Ghim Moh Market, the Satay by the Bay outlet is the only spot where one will be able to savour their satays without having prepare them on your own. The stall at Satay by the Bay does offer meat variants of the satay which includes pork, chicken, mutton, beef at a flat rate of 80 cents a piece (minimum order 10 pcs) — pork belly satay is priced at $1.60 per piece, whilst also offering grilled prawns for those looking for an alternative option. They also do serve up Satay Combo Sets where one can order specific numbers of their usual satays to be paired with their grilled prawns and pork belly satays alongside Nasi Impit as well — a pretty convenient way to try all the items that they have to offer.

Opting solely for their Pork Belly variant since the folks are absolute fans of these, we thought that the satay here had totally hit the spot for us — there is no denying of how well-marinated the skewered meat here is; the strong note of turmeric punches through in terms of both in aromatic and in flavour. Being charred slightly on the grill, we also liked how there is this distinct smoky note that accompanies all that flavour going on whilst the meat didn’t carry much of an undesirable porky stench — the meat being decently tender overall with a good bite; much of the fats giving a chewiness without being particularly tough. Can’t speak about the sauce since it is something that I can’t have, but I would say that the satay is good enough to have as-is — the only disappointment probably coming from the accompanying bits of onions and cucumber that seemed to have lost much of their usual juiciness and lacked freshness.

I think it is easy to just brush off Satay by the Bay as a tourist trap considering how it is intended as a spot to introduce local cuisine to tourists keen to experience a slice of local dining culture style in the form of the Satay Club in the past. Whilst I do feel that those vibes of the early days are lost with just limited stalls serving up satay here (one halal stall, and one non-halal stall) with quite a mix of other new stalls serving up steamboat, Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine, and bistro-esque Western offerings taking up different stalls within a place styled like a hawker centre, City Satay does offer some pretty decent satay that goes beyond merely just satisfying the taste buds — one that I would think that is representative of the true spirit of the dish to showcase to tourists, as well as for those looking for a good rendition of satay to try out. I guess the folks would probably want to be back for more — though I guess I would give the Mutton satay a go then too!

Don’t be fooled by the name- Satay by the Bay offers more than just satays. In fact, you can find a wide variety of local delights such as oyster omelette, BBQ chicken wings and seafood. You also get to enjoy the food against the backdrop of Marina Bay which definitely elevates the dining experience.

Food was average 6.5. Was quite disappointed by the $10 beans （四季豆）dish coz the portion was just so small. Uncle why u liddat one ... :(

It feel so different as you coming here on weekdays lunch time now, so quiet and less people without the usual tourists crowd.

There are a few stalls still remain to open during lunch time, including the Huat Huat BBQ Chicken Wing stall.

If you don’t want to just have the chicken wings for your lunch, you can actually order this proper lunch meal.

Grill the same way as their chicken wing, then they will slide them so you could enjoy the chicken cutlet boneless. $7

Good and decent selection of halal food!

Really enjoyed the gong-gong - huge and fresh! Sambal stingray was a bit disappointing - sambal was good, but fish was too rubbery. Satays were decent and I really enjoyed the prawn satay.

Good place to go to if you’re looking for hawker eats and you’re in the area I guess.