Museo Tapas Bar and Restaurant: An artsy dinner place

Museo (pronounced Moo-zay-o) is a cool and modern tapas bar and restaurant situated in the posh Sentosa Cove area. It comes with a magnificent view of the marina and dozens of docked yachts.

Although just relatively new, Museo has been making waves for pioneering the "dining-in-a-cup" concept, serving its food in delicate glass bowls.

It also presents diners with a unique mix of food and art, with easels set up in the middle of the restaurant for 'art jamming' sessions. The restaurant's name means museum in Spanish after all.

The ambience

The atmosphere at Museo will make you feel relaxed almost instantly. The huge glass walls provide diners a calming view of the marina - a perfect backdrop while sipping one of their specialty cocktails.

The interior is decorated in sophisticated shades of black and grey, and you can choose to sit at one of the sofa seats or at a regular table. Take note that you have to wear pants if you plan to take a sofa seat so that you can fold your legs and be comfortably seated.

The food: drinks, starters, mains and dessert

A 4 or 5 dinner course at Museo, which serves Asian-fusion cuisine, starts at $65++. You can also just choose a la carte from their regular menu, which is quite extensive and could get a bit confusing.

The drinks list is also quite long, consisting of classic cocktails, beers, teas and infusions. Their unique 'dietary cocktails' are low-calorie drinks for those concerned about their weight.

For those who are not in the mood to diet, the Passion Fruit Sling ($18) from their Signature Cocktails range is a good choice. This is a very fruity and refreshingly delicious cocktail that comes with a bruleed slice of passion fruit. The brulee lends a beautiful caramel flavour and a slight crunch to this slightly tart drink.

Museo's fruit and floral teas come highly recommended, too. Pictured below is their Pomelo Tea ($11), which is presented in a lovely glass pot.

Ready to start eating? For starters, you can select 4 items from their Mezzanine range, all for $40. These are served in small bowls.

Check out these delicious starters: (clockwise from top left-hand) A Sunday Afternoon on the Island (chicken satay served with a peanut sauce), Picasso's Blues (deep fried prawns flavoured with lavender), Three Musicians (soft-shell crab served with a sweet and spicy sauce), and Joys Of Life (smoked roast pork belly served with hot sauce).

What's great about these starters is that each comes with its own distinct flavour. The pork is juicy with a crunch, the prawns are succulent with a floral hint of lavender, the soft-shell crab is spicy and crispy, and the chicken satay is tender and juicy. However, hands down, the standout among these four is  Picasso's Blues.

For your entree, the Pan Roasted Cod Fillet ($35) comes highly recommended! The fillet of cod is accompanied by a baked scallop in its shell, an onion relish, and a truffle mushroom risotto. Cooked to perfection, the fish is flaky and moist, the onion relish is sweet and crunchy, and the truffle mushroom risotto is creamy and not chalky.

If you're up for some red meat, try the Two Way Lamb ($35), which is a deliciously marinated rack of lamb. The dish includes a mini shepherd's pie, sauteed rocket leaves, and a cherry tomato chutney.

Now, for almost everybody's favourite part of any meal - dessert! With only 6 desserts on offer, the dessert selection at Museo is a bit limited compared to the extensive savoury food selection.

The Vodka Chocolate Lava Cake ($13), though not the best lava cake out there, is definitely good too. The cake uses high quality chocolate and is baked to perfection. It is presented in a visually stunning glass bowl, adorned with a scoop of champagne-vanilla ice cream.

Another dessert option is a dish of Mini Profiteroles ($13), which are soft and golden pastries filled with delicately-flavoured whipped cream. A little bit more of chocolate ganache can make this more moist, though.

Location, contact information, and operating hours

Quayside Isle (Next to W Hotel)
31 Ocean Way, #01-22 (Access available via Level 1 & 2 )
Sentosa Cove, Singapore 098375

Operating hours - Sunday to Thursday 11:30am to 10:00pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30am to 1:00am. The restaurant is open on the eve of public holidays  until 1:00am.

Telephone number - 6734 8066

Have you been to Museo restaurant before you read our review? We'd love to hear your thoughts on the restaurant and the food, so please leave a comment below.