REVIEW: Restaurant Matera – Modern Italian Cuisine With Asian Elements in Fullerton Waterboat House

Matera, an Italian restaurant helmed by Chef Bjoern Alexander, has recently opened in the historic Fullerton Waterboat House. Named after the ancient city in Italy, Restaurant Matera offers modern Italian cuisine, interpreted thru Chef Bjoern’s fusion with Asian influences. 

Update: Restaurant Matera received a Michelin Star during the announcement in June 2024.

Chef Bjoern Alexander hails from Octavium, a 2 Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong. His culinary career has taken him to places such as the Middle East, Hong Kong and Shanghai before arriving in Singapore. He began his career in Germany, where he originally comes from.

Matera occupies the ground floor of the Fullerton Waterboat House. The dining room is a picturesque affair with floor-to-ceiling windows spanning the entire width of the dining area. There is also a private room that’s still being developed at the time of my visit. This same space was most recently occupied by Basque Kitchen by Aitor which closed sometime in the first half of 2023. Restaurant Matera has retained roughly the same interiors and even furnishings, with some re-painting and upholstering here and there.

Matera offers lunch with set menus starting from S$78. The more elaborate dinner menu starts from S$138 for 3 courses. During my visit, I tried their 6-course dinner menu which is priced at S$268++.

A series of 2 canapes and 2 amuse bouche precedes the 6-courses and serve to set the tone for the dinner. Chef Bjoern’s penchant for infusing Asian elements in the cuisine is evident even from the very first canapes. We got Mala-style Olives. Olives are of course a standard part of Italian cuisine. Here, the mixed Kalamanta olives are lent a subtle punch with a marinade of chili, Szechuan pepper, garlic and bay leaves. The other canape is the Fried Spicy and Sour Beef Chips served with anchovies cream.

Among the amuse bouche, one can expect a contrast of flavors – from the zesty and refreshing notes of the shredded pomelo, anchovies and pine nuts Tartlet to the savory Puff Pastry which pays homage to the egg custard bun – one of the staples of Hong Kong dimsum. Here, the custard is made from savory duck sausage and egg yolk.

For the next course, Scallops are sliced paper thin to make for a bed of raw tartare. The natural sweetness of the scallops sashimi is enhanced with creamy buffalo burrata jelly and contrasted with a dollop of caviar on top.

The Foie Gras was smooth and buttery and possessed a hint of sweetness. It goes perfectly with the side serving of brioche made with a 40-year-old recipe.

The Gnocchi course is actually beef tendon cut into small pieces resembling the dumplings then cooked until it evokes a similar texture. This was quite a novelty to me as it still very much felt like a beef dish in the mouth rather than gnocchi. While the beef tendon was well cooked and possessed a bouncy texture, the gnocchi concept was just something I could not reconcile in my head. 

My favorite dish of the night has got to be the Smoked Red Prawn. Served with prawn toast studded with sesame seeds on the side, the massive piece of prawn was definitely one of the richest tasting I have had as of late with the prawn having been cold-smoked for 6 minutes. The meat was supple and the head was brimming with juices when I separated it from the body. For a bit of a Chinese tinge, the prawn also came with XO sauce on the side. 

The main dish, French Pigeon, is a multi-layered affair. It is grilled and served with butter mushrooms, truffles and a rich Cantonese jus of star anise, chilli, ginger, cardamom and cinnamon. The pigeon meat was tender and possessed a fine, sous-vide quality to it. 

The dessert course takes one to the tradition of elaborate omakase meals where the sweet ending is usually a serving of sweet fruit from Japan. Here, Japanese Melon is served with limoncello jelly, granita, and snow. On the side, tofu ice cream with burrata sauce and tapioca awaits as a sweet and savoury palate cleanser.

The petit fours were quite substantial with tangy limoncello jelly balanced with chocolate ganache with Szechuan peppercorn for a bold chocolatey punch. On the other end of the profile is a full-sized Chinese-style pineapple tart that brings something sweet and sour into the mix.

Matera makes for an exciting addition in Singapore’s dining scene. With Chef Bjoern’s international background, there’s no other Italian restaurant in the country that offers something similar and it’d be interesting to see how the public reacts to it. Those planning a visit and expecting the usual Italian staples should come with a more open mind though the more conventional pasta and meat dishes are expected to grace the ala carte menu as well.   

Restaurant Matera
3 Fullerton Rd
#02-01/02/03
The Fullerton Waterboat House
Singapore 049215

+65 6224 2232

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 6PM to 10:45PM

Bino

Hi, my name is Bino and I started I Wander around 15 years ago with the aim of sharing about some of my personal journeys and experiences, hoping that the information may benefit readers like yourselves. Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below. Alternatively, you can also email me at b i n o (at) iwandered.net. You can follow I Wander on Facebook, Telegram, or Instagram. Also, if you liked this article, please feel free to SHARE or RETWEET

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