db Bistro & Oyster Bar @ MBS

There’re a few places that I really enjoyed oysters – Hong Kong’s Island Seafood and Oyster Bar, and the oyster bars in Paris. And then there’s db Bistro & Oyster Bar at MBS.

db Bistro and Oyster Bar is the Singapore offshoot of celebrity chef Daniel Boulud’s Bistro Moderne in New York City. It was db Bistro Moderne when it opened together with Marina Bay Sands in 2010, but it got reimagined in 2015. Don’t worry, the famous db Burger is still available on the menu.

Located in the luxury retail and dining atrium of the Marina Bay Sands Resort & Casino, just across from the Sands Theatre, the casual dining room includes a stylish 24-seat bar and a private room seating up to 20 guests.

Signature Seafood Platters

Market Oysters, Maine Lobster, Prawns & Tartares

If you do not want to see your guest sitting opposite you, this IS the seafood tower to order, the “Royal” no less. It came with two lobsters, 25 freshly shucked oysters, 12 locally farmed mussels, 12 tiger prawns chilled and shelled, and 6 fish tartares (yellowtail, salmon, tuna with a horseradish mayo dressing), served with three condiments (cocktail, shallot vinaigrette, horseradish cream) and plenty of lemon wedges.

But it was oysters that were the highlight of db Bistro every time.

They used to offer Singapore’s largest and freshest selection of oysters, but since the pandemic, this would be overtaken by others in the business. But they are still the freshest I have to give it to you. This night we had some really nice, briny oysters from Ireland and France.

And they don’t just serve chilled seafood, they also enhance the natural umami flavours in the seafood with other sauces and condiments. Like the little mussels, they were sweet and delicious, but the chives and lemon mayo just lifted it. It also came with six cups of tartare, all dressed differently. Only the chilled tiger prawns came out naked.

Lobster Bisque

After all those cold, chilled seafood, you need something warm in your tummy. And a bowl of lobster bisque will definitely hit the spot. Their version is not as thick and creamy as the usual bisque, but the flavours of all the component of the bisque came through perfectly. It was a good bowl of bisque.

Afterthoughts

Oysters are heavy in term of weight consumed in carbon footprints as you need to fly them with their shells and water while they are still alive to different places around the world. But they are so delicious we cannot get enough. And I am glad we can still afford them these days when inflation and supply chain disruption have made many of my favourite food less accessible.

Others sell oysters but db Bistro remained one of the best place in Singapore for fresh oysters. And the chill seafood is as good as the ones in Paris. Service will need an upgrade as the waitress did not seemed to be well versed of what was served and their origins, which was really important when you were selling oysters.

db Bistro & Oyster Bar Singapore
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
B1-48, Galleria Level (Across from the Theaters)
2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
Tel : +65 6688 8525

Visited Oct 2022

Michelin Singapore Guide Recommends since 2018