A Gastronomic Journey at Marina Bay Sands: Set Lunches $20 and under

PUBLISHED July 29th, 2016 02:14 pm

Think of The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands (MBS), and an image of luxury is justifiably conjured. After all, the place is chock-full of celebrity chef restaurants.

Therefore, it would surprise you that there are less pricy options, and the best deal to be had would be their value-for-money, $20 and under set lunches. With a wide array of restaurants under this umbrella, you can have lunch at The Shoppes at MBS every day of the work week (twice!) while sampling cuisines from across the globe. Here are our top picks:

Monday: Long Chim & Trung Nguyen Café

Spice up your Monday at David Thompson’s Long Chim with their $20++ two-course set lunch. The lunch menu features starters like chive cake and pork & prawn spring rolls while you can pick from a bevy of Thai noodle and rice dishes for your main. The set also includes their signature Thai iced milk tea (or coffee) to beat the heat.

The set lunch menu is available from Mon-Fri 12pm – 4pm. Long Chim is located at  L2-02 Level 2 Dining, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Too much Monday, not enough coffee? Have a fragrant, buttery, dark roast Trung Nguyen coffee with a croissant or bánh mì (Vietnamese bread) filled with ham & cheese, roasted beef, or grilled chicken for $14.90.

The set lunch menu is available from Mon-Fri 12pm – 3pm. Trung Nguyen Café is located at L1-71 Bay Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Tuesday: Bay Sushi & Sen of Japan

Experience the land of the rising sun on Tuesday. There are few things as iconic in Japanese culture as the bento lunchbox. Take your pick of Bay Sushi’s bento lunch sets ($15++ to $19++), with beef, chicken, pork, and fish dishes to choose from.

The set lunch menu is available from Mon-Sun 11.30am – 3pm. Bay Sushi is located at B2-01B Canal Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Sen of Japan also offers an array of bento sets for their lunch specials. Choose from the long standing favourites of pork and chicken ($17.95 to $19.95) or fork out a little more for fish or beef ($20.95 to $29.95).

The set lunch menu is available from Mon-Fri 11am – 3pm. Sen of Japan is located at L1-86 Bay Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Wednesday: 9Goubuli & Jin Shan

On Wednesday, journey to the northeastern coast of China, where 9Goubuli originated in Tianjin. Making its name off the restaurant’s renowned pork-filled Goubuli Baozi (steamed buns), their $20++ lunch set rightly features the signature bun, a choice of noodle, and osmanthus jelly or herbal jelly for dessert. Wash everything down with free-flow Chinese tea.

The set lunch menu is available from Mon-Fri 11am – 3pm. 9Goubuli is located at B2-02 Canal Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Inspired by cuisines in southern China, the 3-course set lunch menu at Jin Shan features items like barbecued pork buns and fried rice along with dessert. Do bring a friend along because the communal dining style of the restaurants requires a minimum of two diners.

The set menu is available from Mon-Fri 11.30am – 3pm. Jin Shan is located at L1-05 Hotel Lobby, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Thursday: Hide Yamamoto & Caffé B

It’s Throwback Thursday so we return to Japan for some fine Japanese food at Hide Yamamoto. You won’t find any bento set lunches here, though we reckon the 9-course set lunch ($18++) will more than satisfy.

The set lunch menu is available from Mon-Fri 12pm – 3pm. Hide Yamamoto is located at L2-05 Level 2 Dining, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Alternatively, go fusion with Italian-Japanese cuisine at Caffé B. Their $20++ set lunch is a steal with a Mesclun salad to start, and either the Penne Pasta with Fan Scallops or Beef Shank in Red Wine Sauce for the main course. Dessert is a delightful homemade White Chocolate Cheesecake.

The set lunch menu is available from Mon-Sun 12pm – 3pm. Caffé B is located at L1-83 Bay Level & B1-15 Galleria Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Friday: Punjab Grill & DC Comics Super Heroes Café

Go west to the Punjab region, shared by India and Pakistan, where the diverse cultures within have inspired the food at Punjab Grill. Their $20++ take-away lunch set for the extremely busy includes the chef special appetizer, a butter chicken or vegetable of the day with daal tadka (cooked lentils) accompanied by aromatic basmati rice.

The takeaway set lunch menu is available from Mon-Fri 11.30am – 2pm. Punjab Grill is located at B1-01A Galleria Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

For cuisine from an entirely different universe, visit the DC Comics Super Heroes Café.  Save Gotham and Metropolis with the Batman and Superman themed set lunch menu ($17.90++ to $19.90++), with a takeaway option for the hero on the go. The set comes with Caesar salad, lavosh cheese and a soup of the Daily Planet with optional top-ups for dessert or a drink.

The set lunch menu is available from  Mon-Fri 11am – 3pm. DC Comics Super Heroes Café is located at L1-03 Bay Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

For more information and the full list of restaurants, please see here.

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands are located at 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956.

This article is sponsored by The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.