After skipping last week’s date night thanks to illness (boo), and with the boys being extra during school holidays (double boo), this week’s date night was not only back on— it was much needed. And we started early.
Where?
📍 L’Entrecôte Customs House, Marina Bay
📍Caffé Fernet (post-dinner drinks), Marina Bay
What?
Parisian charm at the Bay
Customs House is one of those spots that feels built for a date. By day, L’Entrecôte has a chic Parisian vibe—sunlight flooding through floor-to-ceiling windows, sweeping views of Marina Bay Sands, and décor that’s classic French brasserie: elegant, simple, with a hint of romance. Add the French music softly playing, and you almost forget you’re in Singapore.
Happy hour promises… with hiccups
We arrived at 3:30pm, fully ready to take advantage of happy hour (advertised 3-6pm):
🥂 Buy one drink, get the second for $1
🍟 Free-flow fries for $6
Except… surprise! They don’t serve food until 5pm. Excuse me?! Fries on the happy hour menu but not in reality? I’d been saving my stomach all day and there was no way I was starting on wine without food. Cue: one small (ok, big) hangry tantrum.
So, we flipped the script. If steak wasn’t happening yet, we’d just start backwards—with dessert first.
Enter Starbucks:
🍰 New York cheesecake
🍋 Lemon meringue cheesecake
🥐 And a croissant, purely for wine-soaking purposes.
Not quite the Parisian starter I’d envisioned, but surprisingly satisfying.
By 5pm, we were back at L’Entrecôte. Rain had dashed our outdoor booking, but the staff moved us to a high bar table inside, looking directly at Marina Bay Sands. Honestly? Not a bad trade.
- Drinks: Rosé for both of us—light, crisp, and perfect. At $16 a glass plus the second for just $1, it felt like a proper happy hour win.
- Food: We went for the picanha special ($39.90): free-flow steak and fries, with salad and bread on the side. The steak itself? Decent, but a bit chewy (medium might not have been the wisest choice). The real star was their signature sauce—rich, tangy, and the kind of thing you want to mop up with fries. Luckily, there were unlimited fries.
Overall: tasty enough, fair value, unbeatable views. But in terms of atmosphere, it didn’t quite top its neighbours — Kinki and Super Loco are still our Customs House favourites.
Bonus round: Caffé Fernet
Not ready to end the night, we slid next door to Caffé Fernet. A prosecco for me, a red wine for him, and instantly the vibe felt different—buzzy, open-air, and fun. We even started plotting a future date night here for National Day fireworks 2026 (already scouting for next year, for our 2025 fireworks experience see this blog post). Caffé Fernet is an absolute contender!
WOW Tips
⭐️ Don’t bank on food before 5pm — even if happy hour starts earlier. Eat first, or be ready for dessert-before-dinner.
⭐️ Sit inside if it rains — the bar-height seats still give amazing views of Marina Bay Sands.
⭐️ The picanha special is good value if you’re in the mood for steak + fries.
⭐️ Caffé Fernet is a strong contender for fireworks-viewing next year—bookmark it.
⭐️ Go with an open mind: sometimes the best dates are the ones that veer off plan.
Worth it?
Me: 7/10
Not a life-changing meal, but tasty, easy, and exactly the mid-week reset I needed. Plus, a couple of glasses of wine in and we were having those slightly tipsy, silly conversations that make date nights golden—including an impromptu “Top 3 reasons you still love me” list. (Always nice to hear, even if wine-fuelled.)
What HE said…
“Not a bad deal for the price—wine and steak. But next time I’ll order steak above medium; medium was a bit chewy. Wine was good value. Something lacking in the atmosphere of the place… but luckily my beautiful wife made up for it.” (Safe to say, the rosé was talking.)
7/10.
Wrap-Up
Date Night #32 was a little messy at the start (me + hunger + no fries = danger zone), but it ended up being fun, easygoing and full of laughter. The food wasn’t mind-blowing, but the wine was good, the company better, and the views unbeatable. Sometimes the best date nights aren’t the perfectly planned ones, but the ones where you just roll with it—dessert before dinner, wine before sense, and conversations that leave you smiling long after the night ends.
Not every date night needs to be five-star. Sometimes even a medium evening feels well-done when you’re with the right person.
Have you had a date night that went off track? Tell me about it in the comments, and stay tuned for our next date night (which hopefully goes according to plan!).
Wanna see?
📸 For photos from the night, check out Instagram.
