I was invited by the Spain Tourism Board , in collaboration with Alimentos de España , to Spain Gastro , an evening of Spanish gastronomy held at FOC Restauran…
I was invited by the Spain Tourism Board, in collaboration with Alimentos de España, to Spain Gastro, an evening of Spanish gastronomy held at FOC Restaurant on Keong Saik Road on 27 October 2026. The event is part of their promotion of Spanish food and produce across the region. It also launched a book created with Spanish chefs showcasing authentic Spanish cuisine in Southeast Asia, including FOC’s head chef Juanjo Carrillo, who hosted us for the night.
We were asked to take a personality quiz before the event, which then gave us a table to seat at. Apparently I am a Patatas Bravas personality! Hahah, this was really a fun way to mix people together and more organisers should try it.
The restaurant had been completed renovated since my memory of it from long-time back, and it looks way more classy and intimate now with the orange hued lighting. There is of course, no offending food smells as well despite a pleasant AC temperature everywhere, except when the paella was being cooked and our noses were given a preview of what's to come.
The head of the Spanish Tourism Board first gave a welcome address and it was heartwarming that they wanted to really showcase the best of Spanish gastronomy to a tiny city state like Singapore.
The head chef, Juanjo Carrillo, then came on to explain a bit about his philosophy for Spanish cooking. At FOC's start they served up classic Spanish food but they have since evolved it now and given it their own twist, which I appreciated. Food, like culture, is live, and should be given a chance to evolve (like Pokemon!)
We started with hot and cold tapas, or snacks, which was perfect to go with the Spanish wine that generously flowed that night. The Porcini mushroom croquetas with black truffle sauce was the first to arrive, piping hot and fresh. It was earthy and creamy with a satisfying crunch. So good it was hard not to have seconds! 5/5.
Next was the classic Iberico Jamon on Toasted Bread with tomatoes, which one does not need to reinvent. This was again great because the bread was crispy but soft so it was easy to bite into, and jamon iberico needs no further lavishing. So good I had to get a second one! 5/5.
The favourite dish of that night was also the name of our personality/table - the FOC Patatas Bravas with garlic aioli and spicy bravas sauce. The dots of aioli and sauce was on a long fried potato stick instead of cubes of potatoes which was an interesting twist which I felt added to the dish's charm. I even had a silly idea that people should be given the sauce bottles to play Tic-Tac-Toe on the potato grid, haha but of course one should not play with food. Anyhoo this was fantastic and a must-order. 5/5.
The Iberico ham croquetas with mushroom cream sauce was also very yummy. You cannot go wrong with these ingredients. 5/5.
The next one surprised me a bit. It was the Smoked Cantabrico anchovies on charcoal brioche with salted caramel butter. The anchovy was not too strong tasting but had a minerally fish taste to complement the sweet salty caramel butter on the crunchy charcoal toast. The sweet and salty combi works, and it was extremely moreish. 5/5
We also tried the Spanish charcoal-grilled octopus that was "scared" 3 times aka dunked in hot water for a sec x3 first. This was the first ok dish. The octopus was cleverly chopped to this size to make it easier to chew through (it wasn't rubbery at all!) but I felt like it wasn't outstanding when combined with the pork jowl. There's also only a hint of smokiness. 3/5.
I did enjoy the Padron peppers with togarashi and maldon salt, though this is a very common dish in Spanish restaurants that is difficult to get wrong. Perhaps I wished for a bit more innovation like they did on the patatas bravas. 4/5.
This King Prawns 'al ajillo' with spicy white beans emulsion was so damn good though. The prawns were bouncy and fresh and chock full of that sweet prawny goodness, that was further accentuated with the emulsion and the garlic oil was soaked up with bread for additional enjoyment. A great rendition of the gambas al ajillo! I would reorder this when I come back. 5/5.
The next two were less remarkable and more experimental. The Foie gras terrine and Ahrenka caviar in crispy phyllo is like a savoury ice cream sandwich, as the terrine inside the crispy phyllo was cold. The caviar could have been a tad saltier to fight against the foie. Was an interesting few bites, but not something I would immediately associate with the hearty Spanish fare. 3.5/5
This Sea Urchin King Crab and tarragon butter on toast sadly did not deliver as well. The sea urchin and the king crab was lost amongst everything and whilst it was a big amount of flavours, I would have preferred a different treatment. Maybe skip the uni, and focus on the freshness of the king crab. 2/5.
That was the tapas! We then adjourned to watch Chef cook a fresh paella, and he shared that 2.5 litres of lobster broth is used, and the rice and ingredients are left to simmer for 40 mins to reduce that broth down. The smell when he was cooking was incredible! Also fun fact, Spanish people do not eat paella every day - maybe once a few months, just like us Chinese people and our Buddha Jump Over the Wall dish maybe.
Here's the finished paella (they cooked one beforehand, TV magic). Looks so good.
This is the Boston lobster paella with 'salmorreta' which we each had a small portion of. I'm glad for the portion size because this was such an intense flavour bomb! A tad too salty too, probably from the rich stock reduction. But undeniable great flavours and textures from the rice. 3/5
Next was the 'Sanchoku' wagyu and mushrooms paella. Again a bit pan of rice that was simmered with bone broth.
This was less salty and thus more enjoyable with the earthy mushrooms complimenting the tender wagyu perfectly. The only slight gripe I have was this was a bit, like 10%, oily. Maybe it is unavoidable with all the wagyu fats and Spanish olive oil. But very delicious. 4/5
To end the night, we had the FOC Lemon Pie, which was too sour for me but acted as a great palate cleanser. I was also very full from all the snacks! This didn't feel very Spanish either, can probably skip. 2/5.
I preferred the Spanish 'torrija' with mascarpone foam, which felt like a super airy flan. Very tasty but this portion is enough. 4/5
We also had the Basque cheesecake tartlet, which was a decent rendition, though it cannot beat the ones in San Sebastian! I felt like the tart shell was a bit too dry and the cheesecake could be cheesier. But it did bring back those Basque country vibes. 3.5/5
I had a really good time over great Spanish food and wine at FOC and am reminded of how awesome Spanish food can taste. This is a restaurant I would highly recommend for their tapas especially and it is perfect for date nights or special occasions, or just visit Spain without taking a flight!
🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if you are in the area
💁 Bookmark this ✔️
🤷 Try if you are in the area
💁 Bookmark this ✔️
FOC Restaurant
32 Keong Saik Rd, Singapore 089139
Mon to Thu 12pm to 11.30pm, Fri-Sat 12pm to 12am
Sundays 6pm to 11.30pm
Reserve on Chope
Thank you Spain Tourism Board, Alimentos de España and FOC for the invite!
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