Café del Mar: Party with Paella

Reviewed by : Deyana

Life's a bed of roses in the beautiful illusion that is Café del Mar. Best known for being Singapore's latest hotspot for coast clubbing and beachside partying, the least advertised aspect of Café del Mar is probably its excellent food. Feast on this, and you no longer have to worry about throwing up on an empty stomach or even falling asleep from an overdose of alcohol - the cabanas, beds and sofas in Café del Mar give you ample comfort to recuperate from the helicopters spinning in your head.

Combining the romanticism of the beach with the hypnotism of music and dancing, the Singaporean Café del Mar mimics the original in Ibiza. During the day, tan yourself on the sand or one of the outdoor beds. At night, heat things up as you enjoy cool midnight splashes in the pool. Café del Mar's patrons are beautiful men and women from all over the world, who embolden the bright pink and blue rattan chairs spread across the restaurant and club. Those willing to pay homage to more indulgent luxury are admitted into private cabanas or VIP rooms with exclusive Jacuzzis. Too hot to handle? Chill out indoors instead, in the air-conditioned interior of Café del Mar, self-contained with its own bar (aside from the outdoor, poolside one) and plenty of beds, which seems to be the trademark of this beach paradise.

The food at Café del Mar fits with the Mediterranean ambience of the place - meaning lots of salsa, feta cheese and olive oil. Hearty yet refreshing, even salads at the restaurant come with a twist. Try the Greek Salad with Ahi Tuna ($14), a toss of lettuce, feta cheese and, surprisingly, tuna belly. With a slightly sour, oily tinge, the lemon dressing teases your tongue to prepare you for the rest of your meal.

Soups at Café del Mar are an intricate affair, with the Red Crab & Lobster Bisque ($12) presenting the finest in distilled seafood. A full-bodied thickness is achieved because of the soup's vintage Armagnac, adding flavour to the strong lobster taste of the soup. The crab, shredded so finely that it is barely noticeable, swirls around the creamy soup and adds texture to it. Emphasizing the essence of the soup - the lobster - a skewer of barbequed lobster comes dipped in the soup, spiced up with black pepper marinate.

The Grilled Succulent Lamb Chops ($38), which uses prime Australian rack of lamb, is substantial without being nauseatingly filling. An appetizing sight, the dish presents you with two chunky pieces of lamb chops balancing acrobatically on each other with a colourful tent of vegetable compote on the side. The meat is fabulous: thick, juicy and soft with the dish's salsa sauce exuding sweet, spicy and sour juices on the meat. In true Mediterranean style, the vegetable compote is fiery in both aesthetics and taste.

Move over, Greece, and make way for Spain. Competing with Café del Mar's lamb chops is another main, this time a rice variety - the Spanish Marisco Paella ($32), served not just fresh from the pan, but fresh in the pan. The saffron rice of this dish is baked with seafood morsels and fresh capsicums and tomatoes. Yellow and red characterize the paella, with a perky lobster sitting atop the bed of rice. Firm and sweet, just like the prawns and scallops in the dish, the seafood moderate the salty and moist thick-grain rice.

For dessert, try the Pistachio Cheese Cake ($12), made of pistachio puree, Oreo desserts and cheese. Green with layers of brown, the dessert is as colourful as the rest of Café del Mar's offerings, especially since it is lightly dripped with red raspberry compote. For flamboyant embellishment, a twirled soft cracker is displayed on top of the cake. A little too sweet with a fascinating musky aftertaste, the cheesecake is unique and not to be missed.

Service here is exemplary. The management, in particular, takes extra care to make your experience in Café del Mar as luxurious as possible. Polite yet not awkwardly so, the friendliness of the management staff alone helps to relax you. However, not all the service staff are as meticulous - this aspect of the restaurant could be improved on.

The location is a little inaccessible if your only intention is to have an excellent lunch or dinner. However, if you desire not only a good meal but the good life, go to Café del Mar for the works; and stay there. For a little while, anyway. Be sure you haven't exceeded your credit card limit yet, since that may very well happen here. This may not be something you regret, though - excellent food, the beach, all night long partying…why not?

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