Cuisine: Spanish / European
Address: 110 Tanjong Beach Walk, 098943
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront (Northeast / Circle Line), followed by Sentosa Monorail

FOC Sentosa brings a taste of the Mediterranean spirit to Singapore’s premier beach destination, with a cosmopolitan and exuberant beach restaurant and bar. Inspired by Barcelona’s vibrant beach culture, FOC Sentosa delights with an elegant, yet relaxed atmosphere, combined with exquisitely prepared Mediterranean cuisine focusing on fresh and delectable grilled produce from the sea and soil, paellas, summery signature cocktails and carefully selected sunny wines.

The resplendent interiors are completed by breezy beach hammocks, plush cabanas, a pool deck and plenty of space to lounge. FOC Sentosa is the new destination for effortless beachside living and events. It was a rainy morning when we arrived, so we could not use the sunbed immediately. The waiter sat us at the restaurant, and served still water in colourful glass bottles.

The menu at the restaurant was slightly different than that at the bar. Over at the bar, there was a combo of 4 tapas for $50, but it was not available at the restaurant here.

For starters, we ordered the 4 pieces mushroom croquettes ($10). It was served hot and crispy, but not too deep fried. The mushrooms had been minced in a batter and they tasted really yummy.

Feeling hungry, we further ordered the 5 pieces tomatoes with bread ($12) and Deep fried calamari Andalusian style ($16), which was served with Chipotle mayo. The tomato bread was really delicious, as the tomato salsa had a special seasoning and the bread was toasted till it’s crispy. As for the calamari, they were crispy too and did not have an overbearing seafood smell.

For the main course, we ordered a variety for sharing. This is the FOC Fish & Chips ($22). The fish was lightly battered and served with hand-cut fries. This is a typical British dish and met our expectations.

Another main dish is the ‘Huevos Rotos’ with Iberico Ham ($14). It was served with Spanish scrambled eggs and the topping of Iberico ham. The bottom layer was a series of fried potatoes. This dish was a bit too oily as many of the items are fried, but having Iberico and potatoes paired along well with one another.

Lastly, one of their specialties is the Paella, of which we ordered the Scampi & Chicken ‘Caldoso’ Rice ($60 for 3 pax). This Spanish dish took a longer time to prepare as it had to be cooked in a ceramic dish. The ingredients were generous, with scampi being somewhere in between a lobster and a prawn. The rice had soaked up the delicious broth used to cook the seafood, so it was rich and bursting with flavours. The rice given was not much, which is good for those who want to reduce their intake of carbohydrates. This dish was just right to share among 4 people, on top of the other main dishes that we had ordered.

After dinner, we went out to the sunbeds. The staff had cleaned up all the water after the heavy downpour in the morning. More people slowly started to stream in around 3pm, and each group of patrons was only limited to 5 people.

The annoying thing about safe management measures was that we could not mingle between tables. While we understand that this policy is a government directive, but there were already 5 children and one adult was needed at the pool for supervision, in case of accidental drowning. The restaurant does not have a lifeguard on duty. However, the staff kept iterated that the group of adults should stay in the restaurant while the group of children play in the swimming pool. It was not the best arrangement and the group of adults also could not got out to enjoy the sunbeds, which led to much displeasure.

This would definitely be our first and last time visiting FOC Sentosa. While the food was up to standard and had a variety of flavours, we were ultimately discontented with the way the staff handled our group of patrons made up of 14 people. Due to the government’s strict restrictions implemented during phase 2, I would recommend that people with big families just stay at home. It is really too much of a trouble to go outdoors, to enjoy a meal at a restaurant or at the attractions without being subjected to constant scrutiny.