Café del Mar, Sentosa

FW and I went to Café del Mar a few weekends ago to check out the food and the ambience. We were pretty early so we managed to get 2 sunbeds which were very comfortable to tan on. It was a hot and sunny day, which was a welcome reprieve to the gloomy weather that seemed to plague Singapore. We started the day on a healthy note...ordering bottles of mineral water instead of sugar-filled soft drinks. It was also meant to assuage any guilt we felt about ordering fish and chips for breakfast. Before long, it was time for lunch.

We shared the Hamachi (Yellowtail fish) Salad which was tossed in a Ponzu Dressing. I love Ponzu dressing as its light and the citrusy taste adds a refreshing tartness to the salad. The salad that we had was just a little too sweet for my taste but was interesting nonetheless.

We also shared some Tapas and first up was Aubergines with melted cheese on a bed of tomato sauce. FW and I didn't like this dish as we felt that there wasn't sufficient cheese and the aubergines were bland despite adding the tomato sauce.

The next tapas dish was listed as Salmon Tataki on the menu but we were surprised when the above dish arrived. It looked more like a Salmon Roulade. It was not too bad but not something that we would develop a craving for. I'm no culinary expert but as far as I know, "Tataki" is usually used to describe pan-seared pieces of sashimi-grade fish or beef with raw centres. Perhaps there was a typographical error when the menu was printed but the end product looked more like a "Roulade" which is usually used to describe a roll consisting of a thin slice of meat with a filling of cheese or vegetables and then cooked. The salmon wasn't cooked so I guess it was meant to be an interpretation of California Maki? Hmm, this would be a good question to ask my culinary instructors.

The third tapas dish was Prosciutto wrapped around Asparagus Spears, grilled, then served with sliced rock melon and drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar. This dish was delicious as we loved the smoky flavour of the ham in contrast with the delicate flavour of the asparagus spears, accented by the fruity tartness of the Balsamic Vinegar. Prosciutto goes perfectly with rock melon aka cantaloupe and so we enjoyed this dish immensely.

Our next tapas dish was that of Champignons aka Button Mushrooms topped with Escargot Fricassée and Mozarella Cheese. It was pretty tasty as we love mushrooms and cheese however it was not particularly outstanding.

Our fifth tapas dish was that of skewers of Manchego Cheese, Cherry Tomatoes and Marinated Sardines wrapped around Kalamata Olives. This was the best tapas of the five that we had. I love Manchego Cheese, Kalamata Olives and Marinated Sardines! I love Manchego Cheese as its not too mild and not too salty. It went perfectly with the salty Kalamata Olives, which complemented the marinated sardines. I love savoury food and this dish was a showcase of saltiness in different degrees and with different textures. This is a Must-Try should hunger pangs ever hit you while chilling at Café del Mar.

We were getting pretty stuffed by the time the Paella Valenciana arrived. I absolutely love Paella! When the pan first arrived, I was expecting that it might be a disappointment because I've never had any paella topped with long beans. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the paella was rich in flavour and the rice was al dente. I love Paella Valenciana as its richly flavoured with the sweetness of the chicken pieces, the irreplaceable flavour of saffron and the robustness of the chorizo sausage slices. Saffron is one of my favourite spices! Like truffles, the flavour of saffron is distinctive and there is just no substituting it! The chicken pieces in this dish were still tender and moist which was a pleasure to bite into. The mild spiciness of the chorizo danced on the tastebuds and added an interesting dimension to the overall flavour of the dish. Though both of us were getting pretty stuffed (a salad, 5 tapas dishes and paella is alot of food for two gals), we enjoyed this dish. We resolved that if we should return for a meal, we'd drop a few of the tapas dishes so that we could enjoy the paella more fully.

Café del Mar
40 Siloso Beach Walk
Sentosa Island,
Singapore 098996
Tel: +65 6235 1296

Operating Hours:
Mondays to Thursdays : 11 am to 1 am
Weekends (24 Hours) : Friday, 11 am to Monday, 1 am