One lazy Sunday afternoon, my husband, 4-year-old son and I decided to take a stroll down East Coast Park and stop by Mana Mana Beach Club for a spot of lunch.
We've often noticed the entrance to Mana Mana on our East Coast Park walks so we thought it would be the ideal day to try their food... the weather was also perfect for a beach club lunch — not too hot, with a refreshing sea breeze caressing our faces.
The ambience
Total beach club atmosphere is all I have to say! The setting at Mana Mana is awesome — chilled, laid-back and relaxed.
Their al fresco restaurant area opens up to a strip of beach, with the ocean and blue sky providing a perfect backdrop to your meals.
There's no need to dress up if you are heading to Mana Mana... go in your comfy best!
The menu and cuisine
Mana Mana's menu is pretty comprehensive. They have everything from cocktails, mocktails and fresh juices to soups and salads, and a good kids' menu too.
Some of the items on their menu include:
- Crispy Crust Soft Shell Crab, Braised Blue Mussels (starters),
- Lamb Shank, Chicken Cordon Bleu, and Fish and Chips (mains),
- Antipasto and French Onion Soup (off the Soups and Salads menu),
- and a good selection of sandwiches (well, 'burwiches' really — a cross between a sandwich and a burger!) and pizzas.
Dishes are priced between $7-$25.
The kids' menu includes favourites such as Fish and Chips, Chicken Nuggets and Spaghetti Bolognese. All dishes on this menu are quite reasonably priced at $8 or less.
The Food!
In general, everything we ate was tasty and fresh. Have a look at the drinks and dishes we selected and what we thought about them.
Cocktail: Blue Hawaiian (left in photo above; $16) and Mocktail: Shirley Temple (right in photo above; $8)
Perfect to sip on while enjoying the cool ocean air, the cocktail packed a punch and the mocktail was light and refreshing. A great way to start our afternoon at Mana Mana Beach Club!
Braised Blue Mussels with Bird's Eye Chili, Basil Pesto, Butter and White Wine served with Grilled Baguette — $12.80
I have to say I'm not usually a big fan of mussels, especially if they are overcooked. But I'm happy to say that these were perfectly braised and, when dipped in the herby, buttery white wine sauce, were little morsels of delight.
I gladly mopped up the remainder of the sauce with bite-sized chunks of baguette. Both my husband and I really enjoyed this dish!
Insalata Caprese: Sliced Buffalo Mozzarella with Ripened Roma Tomatoes, Fresh Basil and drizzled with Olive Oil — $12.80
A light, fresh salad that I thought was quite tasty even though it was missing the basil. I really enjoyed the combination of the the tangy balsamic dressing, the creamy mozzarella and sweet tomatoes.
Egg Truffle Pizza with Tomato Pesto Sauce, Wild Mushrooms, Egg and Black Truffle — $18.80
Both my husband and I agreed that this was our dish of the day.
The pizza base was paper thin. The truffle was rich, earthy and intense, and the egg yolk runny when pierced with a fork.
A mouthful of these treats combined with the tomato pesto sauce, wild mushrooms and salad will make you think that you're in gourmet pizza heaven! A must-try if you visit Mana Mana!
Lamb Shank au Ratatouille: Slow-Braised Baby Lamb Shank in Red Wine and Tomato, served with Garlic Mashed Potato — $21.80
This dish was a visual treat. The meat was falling off the bone — tender, moist and cooked to perfection.
However, we felt that the ratatouille lacked a bit in those intense flavours that are synonymous with this tomato-based preparation. I would have liked to taste some rosemary — the perfect partner to lamb — in this dish.
I would have also liked the mashed potato to be a tad creamier. But overall, it was a good dish.
Grilled Norwegian Salmon: Grill-baked Salmon Fillet, Cognac Lobster Bisque & Anti Pasti — $20.80
I am a lover of seafood and this dish had me ticking a lot of boxes off my "what to look for in a seafood dish" list. The portion of salmon was generous and the lobster bisque was to die for, as was the antipasti.
I did find the salmon a tad overcooked (although I've been told many people do like their salmon 'well done') and this dish would have been perfect had the mash been a bit creamier.
Spaghetti Bolognese — $8.00
My son's favourite food these days is this all-time kids' favourite meal, Spaghetti Bolognese.
He scoffed down the whole plate and when I tasted it, I could see why. It was super yummy!
The tomato sauce was not overly rich (suiting little tummies) but still full of flavour and meaty goodness. A great dish for the little ones!
Warm Lava Cake — $8.50
This was a chocolate lover's dream! Warm, crumbly chocolate cake surrounds a rich, molten stream of chocolatey goodness.
The warmth of the cake contrasted beautifully with the cold, creamy ice cream. The strawberry flavour of both the fresh fruit and the ice cream was the perfect compliment to this decadent dessert.
A big thumbs up and a must-try item off their menu!
Espresso Tiramisu — $7.50
By the time this sweet treat came out, we were well and truly stuffed! But that didn't stop me from digging into this dessert.
Tiramisu is one of my favourite sweets and the one served at Mana Mana didn't disappoint me one bit.
Layers of creamy marscapone, soft but not soggy lady fingers spiked with strong espresso flavours and topped with chocolate flakes — this was a great ending to our meal at Mana Mana Beach Club!
Service
We experienced great service from start to end. The staff were very attentive and super kid-friendly, striking up conversations with my chatty 4-year-old son and even making him a dish of scrambled eggs just because he requested it!
Is Mana Mana Beach Club kid-friendly?
I would say yes, definitely! While they didn't have colourful plastic cutlery and crockery, they obligingly brought out disposable plastic plates and cutlery for my son.
The beach area just in front of Mana Mana is safe and perfect for kids to play on and build a sandcastle or 2 while you sit back and relax. You can easily keep an eye on them at the same time.
Getting there and opening hours
Mana Mana Beach Club is located at:
1212 East Coast Parkway
Area E
Singapore 449886
Parking is available at the public car park adjacent to the East Coast Food Centre, as well as the car park near the cable ski lagoon.
Opening hours:
Monday: 5pm - 11pm
Wednesday: Noon - Midnight
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: Noon - 11pm
Saturday: 9am - 11pm
Sunday: 10am - 11pm
Last food order by 9.45pm
Head on down to Mana Mana Beach Club and let us know what you think about it... leave a comment below!
*Prices of food featured in this review correct at the time of publishing.