Most of the eateries in the East Coast Park cater to the families-in-flip-flops crowd rather than fashionistas. But with the opening of 1 TwentySix at the newly redeveloped Playground @ Big Splash, we have a soon-to-be-trendy exception. Outside, a series of decks amid tropical plants and seductively lit fountains forms a chic setting for your bar bites and cocktails. You can almost imagine the barge lights out at sea as the skyline of Monaco.

Inside, the restaurant maintains its fun, modern style – the perfect setting for its equally playful, modern take on continental cuisine. The intimate, glassenclosed space features a mix of geometric shapes: chair backs that look like haphazardly stacked eggs, bar stools that resemble mini Indonesian gongs. The colour palette is warm, unlike the air-con that can get annoyingly aggressive.

This, fortunately, is not the case with the staff. They are friendly but not smothering and seem well-trained and well-timed in that subtle European style. Such service does come at a price, but combined with generous portions, incredibly fresh ingredients and the swish surroundings, the prices soon take a back seat to the pleasure of dining here.

Starters were nearly always a success and highlighted the kitchen’s creativity. A particularly striking soup had chunks of crab meat set afloat in a pleasantly salty dashi broth, covered by a sizeable dome of flaky, buttery pastry. You could almost taste the colour green in the fresh arugula salad spiked with a fruity, fantastic shaved parmesan – reason enough to go to this restaurant. The seared scallops were tender and blended surprisingly well with a fried egg and corn purée, whose sweetness played well against a tuft of bitter greens.

Mains were more hit and miss. The sea bass was sealed in a perfectly charred crust that preserved the moist flesh for dredging in a light and fl avourful cepe velouté. The beef shin ragout over pasta featured ultra-tender meat and pleasantly chewy pasta, yet the entire dish boasted only a dull earthy flavour that could have benefi ted from garlic, a dash of herbs or a shake of burgundy. The lamb two-ways came as a succulent tenderloin and gamey dry chop, and a nicely roasted quail was perched atop linguine bathed in an over-salted mushroom sauce.

Desserts, which looked like mini modern-art sculptures, were ultimately a let-down. On one occasion, the ambitious Dome Symphony – featuring more ingredients than an ice chendol, including champagne jelly, peach foam and lavender granite – was served with cake-like croutons that were clearly spoiled. The staff responded immediately, though, offering to fix us another and, when we refused (because we were truly full), removing it from the bill. It is the staff’s sincere interest in your dining experience that will ultimately turn this ambitious start-up into a true gem.