Mod Oz in Sentosa

Universal Studios opened to the public at Resorts World Sentosa yesterday to great fanfare and sell-out crowds. To be honest I’m not all that fussed by rollercoasters and movie-themed rides. Nor am I partial to a spot of gambling, so the casino doesn’t really hold much draw for me either. What does excite me, of course, is the new batch of restaurants due to open within the complex.

So impatient am I, that I took a walk around the resort a couple of weeks ago to check on progress and was delighted to see that one of these hotly anticipated restaurants – Osia – was due to open the very next day. So I wasted no time in booking a table for lunch and went along this week to check it out.

Osia is the new enterprise for Aussie chef Scott Webster, proprietor of the famous restaurant in London of the same name. Due to family commitments, Webster was forced to close his London venue, and now three years later he is setting up again – this time here in sunny Sentosa.

Osia offers a welcome contrast to the madness (and lets be honest – tackiness) of its external surroundings. The muted tones, cool marble flooring and shimmering tiled bar all ooze Melbourne chic, whilst the large wall-length windows allow plenty of sunlight to spill through.



The menu is equally pleasing on the eye, epitomising what I believe is referred to as ‘Mod Oz’ these days – Australian ingredients presented with a contemporary twist and a hint of fusion for good measure.

Considering the choices on offer, the lunch menu is astoundingly good value – 2 courses for $35.00, 3 courses for $45.00, or 4 courses for $55.00. What I particularly like is that the customer can choose which courses to opt into – if you just want to go for the dessert and cheese, then that’s ok with Osia…

We instead started at the beginning, with the bread, which is actually an additional $8.00 on top. But it was certainly worth it. With two types of Stonearth Flatbread on offer, we opted for the Red Centre Spice version. This was warm, soft, chewy and beautifully seasoned – but even more excitingly was served with a baby toothpaste tube full of Pistachio Cream Cheese. Delicious and dainty - what a promising start to the meal.



Moving on to the set menu, I kicked off with the Australian Veal Tenderloin Carpaccio, served with Olive Raisin Tapenade and Cabernet Mustard. This was a very generous serving of the thinly sliced melt-in-your-mouth veal, the tapenade and mustard combo providing a fabulous sweet and sour contrast.



My lunch date opted for the Mandagery Creek Venison, served with Polenta Crumbed Foie Gras, Poached Daikon and Caramelised Banana, Rum & Raisin. The Venison was sensational – perfectly cooked and tender, the accompaniments giving an interesting range of textures and tastes. Particularly noteworthy was the foie gras, which melted beneath its crunchy polenta coating.



So far so good, on to the main courses. This time I chose the Line Caught Sea Bass, served with Preserved Lemon, Vine Tomato, Whipped Parmesan Potato and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Again this was a generous portion, the sea bass beautifully cooked and the accompanying salsa giving perfect balance to the dish.



I have to confess to being slightly envious of my lunch date’s main course however – the Spiced Braised Pork Cheeks served with Capellini and Snow Peas. This was heavenly, the super-soft pork smothered in a tangy Asian-influenced sauce, the soft capellini melting under the crisp snap of the peas.

We were really feeling pretty full by now, but we couldn’t leave without sampling the desserts, so we ordered one of each choice from the set menu: the Golden Apple Tart with King Island Double Cream and Nougat Ice Cream.



And the ridiculously decadent, smotheringly scrumptious Valrhona Hot Chocloate Soup with Black Pepper Ice Cream and Sesame Crisp. Yes, it really is as wicked as it sounds…



There’s nothing not to love about Osia (if you don’t look out the window to the garish buidings that surround it) and all the dishes we sampled were nothing short of sensational. The menu is inventive without being pretentious, the flavours and textures are so well paired and balanced that every mouthful was a pure pleasure. On top of this, the wait staff were friendly, knowledgeable and attentive.

All too often, supposedly good-value set lunches at fine-dining restaurants can leave you feeling slightly short changed, with the measly portions that they dish up. We certainly didn’t feel that way as we waddled out of Osia, vowing to return another day soon.