Spend a lazy afternoon with a splendid view of Quayside Isle at Schmear, located in the heart of Sentosa Cove on Sentosa Island.
This dining spot serves up hearty all-day breakfast bagels, to-die-for sandwiches and more; and is the perfect place for casual brunch with your girlfriends or a relaxing lunch with the fam and kids.
I’d recommend taking a seat at the breezy alfresco area, overlooking the beautiful yachts by the pier. The place is decked out with nautical blue and mesh wire chairs, along with wooden tables, complementing the surrounding grey hues and interior.
One of the friendly servers showed us to a table by the panelled doors that were situated right where the air-con draft was directed, giving us the best of the breeze and views.
Our first order of business was to order a pint of their speciality draft beer to cool ourselves down from the sweltering heat outside. The Longboard ($12) is a wonderfully light beer from Hawaii, and tasted pretty similar to a lager with its fresh and fruity notes.
I definitely recommend trying this if you are coming down for brunch, and it’s sure to whet your appetite for the meal ahead.
We also got the Hydrate ($8) and an Oreo Milkshake ($11). The Hydrate is a refreshing concoction of Schmear’s popular cold-pressed juices, made up of watermelon, cucumber, coconut water and mint. It mostly tasted like fresh watermelon, minus the pulp for that extra smoothness.
The Oreo Milkshake was a hit with both my dining partner and I. The sweet drink was light and not overpoweringly creamy –perfect if you’re looking to treat yourself on a cheat day.
We started with a round of Jalapeño Poppers ($14) which were fried to a crispy golden brown, and served with a cool ranch dip to balance out the heat.
The peppers were deseeded and generously stuffed with savoury cheese. Packing on the heat with just the right amount of tartness, these nifty little nibbles were deliciously addictive and paired really well with the Longboard draft.
We also got the Fried Chicken Wings ($10), generously dressed in a tangy buffalo sauce, and accompanied with a side of blue cheese sauce. We couldn’t get enough of this dish – with the freshly-fried chicken wings burning our fingers ever so slightly while we chowed down on them.
The flavour of the tangy sauce was balanced with the richness of the blue cheese dip, and we concluded: there is no glam way of eating these wings without getting sauce all over your fingers and mouth. So get your serviettes ready!
The highlight of our meal arrived at our table in the form of the New Yorker ($8), which featured a dense sesame bagel, filled generously with fried eggs and cheese. To top off our authentic bagel experience, we decided to treat ourselves and added on some Crispy Bacon ($3). No regrets there!
We went for the original, un-toasted sesame bagel, which had a very dense bite to it. The New Yorker proved itself to be authentic deli-style fare, similar to the ones I had in the States. The portion may look rather small but it will definitely fill you up, especially if you’re finishing one by yourself.
The creaminess of the yolks, the saltiness of the bacon and the cheese to tie everything together – I’ll be back for this!
Our dining experience at Schmear hit its peak with the utterly satisfying and scrumptious Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich ($18), served with curly fries.
Each bite was chock-full of pillowy bread, super cheesy meat and crunchy peppers. This was an immensely satisfying sandwich, with meat that was deeply flavoured and had a nice smokiness from the grill. It went really well with the sweetness of the peppers and onions, and it got two thumbs up from both my dining partner and I.
It’s pretty difficult to find authentic New York-style deli fare in Singapore, with the only other alternative being Sacha’s at Mandarin Gallery, so I’m glad I found Schmear.
What made my trip down to Sentosa completely worthwhile was the honest food that was served up, coupled with the friendly service staff and laidback vibe of the place. It’s definitely worth the trek!
Expected damage: $12 – $22 per pax
