From Palette to Palate

FOC Sentosa shines as a sleek and airy beachfront destination serving quintessentially Spanish food with Mediterranean spirit, discovers Tang Wen Li

he sentosa of yesteryear is vastly different from the Sentosa of today—transformed from a sleepy hollow to a vibrant islet with an exuberant beach culture, amusement parks and Michelinstarred restaurants. Heading towards Tanjong Beach, a tall blue-and-white-striped twin structure marks the spot—foc Sentosa (tel: 6100 1102). Upon entering through the heart of this restaurant, you are greeted by an expanse of beach and outdoor dining space that includes the pool deck with sunbeds and plenty of space to lounge. To the right, a cosmopolitan indoor-outdoor bar and to the left, a sophisticated dining room. And above, on the second floor, two breezy event spaces with panoramic views of the South China Sea. Taking delight in the one constant of Sentosa—a gorgeous sunset—were Clifford and Stephanie Cheah, and Michael Koh and Lim Chi Wen, my dining companions for the evening. We started at the bar first, with cocktail hour taking off on a jocular note. In between tapas of crisp bread brushed liberally with olive oil and topped with anchovies and fresh tomatoes, the ladies discussed the programme of the inaugural Bessa (The British Education and Schools Show in Asia) event that was held in October and was organised by Stephanie,, the educational consultant and founder of consultancy Waypoints, which specialisess in British boarding schools. The convivial mood continued as we settled into the main dining room, where gigantic papier mache heads resembling that of the co-owners and executive chef Pau Eche Garcia welcomed us. Chef Garcia got busy in the open kitchen preparing a tasting menu for us. The ingredients, as director of operations Juan Alvarez told us, are either flown in from Spain two to three times a week or sourced from local suppliers. Arriving first at our table was the king crab cannelloni. Reminiscent of the coloursurs of the spectacular sunset earlier, cold Alaskanskan king crab is wrapped in delicate ribbons of gold zucchini with green edges, and flecked with chopped tomatoes. For Chi Wen, there was something about the cold crisp zucchini and crab painted with a spicy sriracha and sriracha mayonnaise that she found irresistibly delicious. Later, when her husband Michael, who is a fellow with the Ministry of National Development think tank, Centre For

BRIGHT IDEA Sunlight showers the main dining room, which overlooks an open-kitchen and a large display of wine bottles and papier mache heads of the restaurant’s management team

HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST Conversations never died down with the writer (above) and company, and flowed from architecture to cars, to family

RAISE YOUR GLASSES Cheers to a good meal at FOC Sentosa, where dishes are cooked with love and beautifully plated