Good Old Days Sentosa brings tradition to the table with Chef Bob’s modern take on Singaporean classics
There’s something quietly revolutionary happening at Sentosa’s Siloso Beach—and it’s coming from a wok.
In a culinary collaboration that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking, beloved local chef and television personality Chef Bob has joined forces with Good Old Days Sentosa- an MUIS Halal-certified dining destination, to present a seven-month showcase of dishes that pay homage to Singapore’s food heritage—by reimagining it.
Launching just in time for SG60, this partnership is more than a menu refresh. It’s a meditation on identity, memory, and what it means to eat “local” in a city constantly in flux.
The chef as storyteller: When food becomes memoir
Chef Bob—aka Shahrizal Salleh—is not your average celebrity chef. With stints at the Ritz-Carlton and Grand Hyatt, and a CV that includes cooking for royalty and TV audiences alike, he is best known today for his affable charm, viral wok-tossing videos, and an earnest devotion to culinary storytelling.
“Without tradition, we lose our identity,” he says, and the menu at Good Old Days Sentosa echoes this philosophy with an evocative trio of dishes that feel less like food court fare and more like chapters from his autobiography.
Take the Nasi Lemak Goreng ($12.80), for example. Frying nasi lemak rice—already rich with coconut milk and fat—is a technical feat. But the result? A smoky, wok-kissed reinvention of a breakfast staple, elevated with crispy turmeric chicken and a sunshine-perfect egg. It’s a dish that demands respect for both tradition and technique.
The Ginger Fish Horfun ($10.80), meanwhile, offers comfort with a touch of refinement: wok-charred rice noodles, a ginger-garlic egg gravy, and slices of tender fish. It’s a dish that once defined Chef Bob’s early culinary career—and now makes a triumphant return.
But perhaps the boldest offering is the Assam Pedas Pasta ($12.80). Marrying Malay spice with Italian form, the pappardelle is slicked in tangy tamarind heat, softened by evaporated milk and lifted by laksa leaf. It’s fusion done with heart, not gimmick—and a loving nod to his son’s preference for Western flavours.
A food court with soul
It’s easy to think of food courts as transient places: a quick bite before a beach day, a stopover between tourist attractions. But Good Old Days Sentosa is doing something quietly subversive—it’s inviting us to pause. To reflect. To taste, deeply.
Level 1 serves a smorgasbord of Asian favourites—from Bakmi Goreng to Vietnamese Pho—but it’s Level 2, where Chef Bob’s menu resides, that feels like the soul of the space. Here, the spirit of Singapore’s hawker heritage is distilled and gently modernised for families, food lovers, and the simply curious.
This is halal local food that’s both accessible and adventurous. Kids can still get their Mac & Cheese. But parents? They’re treated to a flavour journey with roots.
A dish for every generation at Good Old Days Sentosa
In many ways, this collaboration is a bridge. It connects generations—those who remember hawker centres of the past, and those who’ve grown up in a digitised, globalised food world. Chef Bob’s dishes are designed to speak to both: familiar enough to comfort, novel enough to surprise.
There’s also something deeply democratic about this culinary experiment. With prices from $10.80 to $12.80, and a setting that welcomes sandy flip-flops and squirmy toddlers, Good Old Days Sentosa is making “elevated local food” not a fine dining concept, but an everyday pleasure.
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Come for the beach, stay for the wok hei
So, next time you’re at Sentosa, take a detour from the usual beachside burgers and smoothies. Follow the scent of sambal and sizzling garlic to the second floor of Good Old Days, and order one of Chef Bob’s creations.
In an age of fast content and fleeting tastes, this collaboration reminds us that food can be an anchor. A love letter to where we come from. And sometimes, all it takes to taste history is a spoonful of nasi lemak—fried just right.
VISIT GOOD OLD DAYS SENTOSA
📍 60 Siloso Beach, Singapore 098997
🕙 Level 2 open daily from 10AM to 10PM (last order 9PM)
💻 Menu and updates: mountfaberleisure.com/restaurant/good-old-days
📷 @MountFaberLeisure | #ChefBobSentosa #WokThisWay
