Room With A View - San Marco, aka The Lighthouse

As I stood on the scales the other day it occurred to me that of all the, ahem, sacrifices we've been called on to make in order to leave our home and come to live in Singapore, perhaps the largest (and most rapidly expanding) has been my waistline. However, I've never been one to shirk my responsibilities, so purely in the interests of research, I found a new restaurant to try out last weekend with hubby. It's a tough job, but someones' got to do it.

San Marco is located on top of the Fullerton Hotel, down town on the river. The Fullerton is an iconic building in Singapore and was originally the General Post Office. It is an absolutely beautiful building and at night it looks stunning, bathed in light and reflected in the river. A pedestrian bridge links it with the opposite bank from where you can get a wonderful view. You can choose to either eat inside or on the terrace, although you do run the risk of being ogled by tourists as they walk along the river bank, which I think would be a little off-putting.

One of my favourite things about the Fullerton is the HUGE fresh flower arrangement they have on display in the main lobby. Each time we go we are stunned by the gorgeous display which is right at home in the opulent surroundings, which boast a towering atrium hung with chandeliers, large carp pools, waterfalls, and sweeping marble staircases. Living in Holland we always had fresh flowers in the house, as they are cheap, plentiful, and of excellent quality. In Singapore however they are a luxury item; too expensive for us to buy often plus between the heat and the rigours of air-conditioning they die very quickly. So I stand next to the huge bunch at the Fullerton, breathe deeply, and think of home instead.

We've tried the Saturday night buffet at the Fullerton before. However until last weekend we hadn't explored any of its other restaurants. San Marco is an Italian restaurant located on the roof. From the eighth floor you take a private lift to the restaurant which is on about the 10th floor I guess. Quite small with an intimate atmosphere, the 360 degree view of the city is simply stunning. It would be easy to rely on the view to bring in customers but fortunately the food was also superb. I won't bore you with the details but our starters (for me a warm sardine tart with a fabulously crispy base topped with a sundried tomato concoction, and hubby's lobster and crab stuffed cannelloni) were to die for.

To finish we opted for a cheese board and I have to say it is the BEST cheese board you will get in Singapore. It's worth going up there just for that. Honestly.

Topped off with great service from knowledgeable staff who took the time to discuss the food - and knew what they were talking about - it was an excellent meal. After we paid the bill we were about to head off when our waiter asked "would you like to take a look upstairs?".

Intrigued, we walked out into the warm night air, climbed a metal staircase, and were treated to a breath-taking view of the city - the photo above was taken up there. It was an unexpected treat which topped off a most enjoyable night. In fact I'd love to take a picnic up there some day. You may recognise the view if you watched the night time Formula 1 race as the cars whizzed past the hotel on the stretch of road you can see.

If you're looking for somewhere a bit special in the heart of the city, San Marco is definitely worth a visit. We'll be taking my Dad there when he passes through next week because this secret is just too good to keep to ourselves.