WOK°15 Kitchen, Sentosa: “Cantonese restaurant with a parade of the best and freshest seafood you will ever have.”

It was lunchtime on a sunny Thursday afternoon as I made my way to Sentosa Cove for a meal at WOK°15 Kitchen. Having not been on the island for more than six months, it felt like the right place to be—walking on a sparsely populated boardwalk under the rays of sunshine whilst enjoying the panoramic view of the marina, home to some of Singapore’s most luxurious yachts. 

Located within the premise of ONE°15 Marina Club, WOK°15 Kitchen is a casual fine-dining restaurant with an extensive menu that focuses on seafood and authentic Cantonese cuisine, while offering a curated selection of Shanghainese delights.

The dining options here are almost endless; Dim Sum Buffet (S$38++ per adult, S$19++ per child), À La Carte Buffet Dinner (S$58.80++ per adult, S$28.80++ per child) and even Set Dinners (S$118++ for two pax, S$468++ for five pax). Name it, and you will have the menus brought to your table by their attentive service staff in no time. 

Like most Chinese restaurants, the sleek and elegant interior of WOK°15 Kitchen welcomed me with open arms. Brown velvet chairs and white crisp linen tablecloths set the tone. What made this space extra special were the floor to ceiling windows that led to an open display of the gorgeous view of the marina—a sight we don’t come across often back in the city.

Through the doorway to your right is the showcase of sea bass, grouper, tiger prawns, and lobsters swimming in tanks bubbling furiously, courtesy to their superb filtration systems. Ladies and gentlemen, meet your lunch or dinner—a parade of the best and (obviously) freshest seafood you will ever have placed before you.

What I tried

First to arrive from WOK°15 Kitchen was the Peking Duck (Half: S$38, Whole: S$70), a boisterous crowd-pleaser that has its place on almost every other dining table in the restaurant. Served tableside, I watched as the waitress skillfully de-skinned the bronzed, shiny roasted duck with her magnificent knife skills.

Each piece of egg crepe was paper-thin, with a layer of fatless duck skin rolled up alongside a slice of fresh cucumber, shredded spring onions and hoisin sauce. A sucker for Peking Duck, I have no complaints. Freshness from the cucumbers, caramel-crunchy skin together with a kick of umami from the hoisin—glorious.

Chinese herbal soups have long been well-known for their ‘power’ of rejuvenation. At WOK°15 Kitchen, our bowl of nourishment came in the form of the Double-boiled Chicken Soup With Tian Shan Snow Lotus (S$48). At the age of 33, I’ve had my fair share of herbal soups but never have I come across the use of Tian Shan snow lotus in any dishes I’ve tried. This was indeed an eye-opener. 

Found living above 3,500m altitude in the snow mountains of China, this rare herb is semi-translucent and has a jelly-like texture when cooked. When eaten alone, there wasn’t any distinct taste but the sweetness from the use of red dates and goji berries in the chicken soup. At times, when I was convinced nobody was looking, I lifted the bowl to my lips and drank from it as if it was a teacup. Yes, it was so good that I didn’t want to leave even a drip behind.

Our second tableside dish at WOK°15 Kitchen, Live Tiger Prawns Flambé With Shaoxing Wine and Herbs (available only for À La Carte Buffet Dinner), arrives still very much alive, jumping in a covered glass bowl. Witness a breathtaking fire-show take place before your eyes as the live flambé demonstration will bestow upon you a 4D dining experience satisfying your sense of sight, smell, sound and touch. 

Whiffs of aroma filled the air the moment that the garlic and prawns were added to the claypot. The restaurant manager then skillfully adds the wine ladle by ladle conjuring up flames of passion whilst releasing aromatic scents of the shaoxing wine. Before you know it, you will have a beautifully plated serving of tiger prawns dressed in an unapologetic triumphant orange sitting in front of you. 

A fillet of Deep-fried Marble Goby With Deluxe Soy Sauce (Seasonal price) arrived all propped up looking like it just jumped out of the waters. Fried to an alluring golden-brown, the goby sits on a sea of soy, topped with freshly shredded spring onions.  

Every inch of the fish was fried to perfection, cracking under tension as I drove my knife into it. The subtlety of the fish was highlighted by the savouriness of the soya sauce and the pungency of the spring onions. It was so good I was snatching up big chunks for myself. “I need to consume enough for me and my baby”, is usually the excuse I give for my greed these days. 

Elsewhere, there was the Stewed Sea Cucumber With Foxtail Millet and Snow Lotus (S$12), a dish that I won’t normally order but was curious to try. I’m not a fan of sea cucumber for its slick texture but to my surprise, this dish did not leave a gooey, uncomfortable mouthfeel.

Although the stewed sea cucumber did not convert me, I truly enjoyed the foxtail millet and snow lotus. It was a hearty, rich and flavourful broth lying bed to the collagen-filled piece of priceless seafood here at WOK°15 Kitchen. 

The Stewed Beef Brisket (from S$30) was a dependable and savoury claypot of gravy-laden beef served with stems of bok choy. Slow-cooked for hours, the meat was so tender it fell apart with a nudge only to be dragged through its thick, luscious sauce.

If digging through the dish is allowed amongst your company, be sure to go for those precious pieces of tendons for its soft and sensuous texture will hit your tongue with utmost pleasure; the kind you will never expect to experience in a Chinese restaurant. 

How can I leave WOK°15 Kitchen without trying any of the staples on their menu? Crowning the top of my Braised Ee-fu Noodles With Baby Lobster, Spring Onions and Ginger (S$98) were two halves of flawlessly cooked lobsters with its thick ivory-coloured flesh peeking through.

There are unfathomable depths of flavour here from both the seafood and the braised ee-fu noodles. A mixture of delicate sweetness followed by hits of umami unfolding continuously onto my palate. Whilst the noodles slid smoothly down my throat, the lobster contrasted with more of a springy bite often found only in seafood that is alive until that unlucky moment they are sacrificed for a meal.

Drawing a full-stop to my meal at WOK°15 Kitchen was the Green Apple and Chrysanthemum-flavoured Tea Jelly (S$10). By this point, my belly was filled to its brim and there was nothing else I thought I could stomach. 

Fortunately, the jelly was light and refreshing. Instead of drinking your chrysanthemum tea in gulps, imagine taking bites of it. That same floral fragrance elevated by the fruitiness from the green apple juice mixed within. A beautifully sweetened ending with no complaints.

Final thoughts

Even with eight dishes done and dusted, I leave with a sense that I have barely scratched the surface of what the chefs at WOK°15 Kitchen can do. More pleasingly, I leave knowing that I have a good reason to come back to this site at Sentosa Cove. 

Now that eight diners are allowed to share a table during Phase 3, I will come with my family for a quaint and intimate reunion dinner to celebrate Chinese New Year, for I know that they will surely be pleased with the food and dining environment here at WOK°15 Kitchen. 

Expected Damage: S$30 – S$50 per pax

*This post is brought to you in partnership with WOK°15 Kitchen.