The Place Located at the iconic Fullerton Waterboat House in Singapore, Matera is one new exciting addition to the culinary scene, especially in the CBD area of Singapore. Matera is Chef Bjoern Alexander latest manifestation of modern Italian cuisine with a touch of Asian influences of Japanese and Chinese elements. Chef Bjoern draws from his deep well of experience from his time at Octavium, a 2 Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong, as well as a culinary career that started in Germany and stretched across the Middle East, Hong Kong and Shanghai before arriving in Singapore. In a nutshell, he is a German chef who enjoys Japanese and Chinese flavours, and is cooking Italian in Asia. 

The space of Matera is elegant from the moment I stepped past the entrance. There is a huge holding area for guests to relax or wait for their fellow diners, followed by a fully mirrored walkway to the main dining space which overlooks some of the key landmarks in Singapore such as the Esplanade and Singapore Flyer.

The best seats for couples are tables beside the window which has the most privacy.

For larger groups, there are longer tables nearer to the open kitchen, as well as a glasshouse designed private room. 

The Food There are only set menus at Matera where lunch menu starts from S$78++ for two courses and dinner menu from S$138++ for three courses. In terms of the menu design for a fine-dining restaurant, there is huge flexibility in terms of how hungry you are and how you want to customise your meal in my opinion. In addition, there are also 6-courses (S$268++) or 8-courses (S$308++) menus for dinner. Beverage pairing options start from S$88++ and the restaurant carries a good mix of old and new world wines across different regions.

I had the 8-course dinner menu and my meal started off with a series of Canapés which is quite unique.

First up is the Olives Mala-style where the mixed Kalamanta olives are lent a subtle punch with a marinade of chilli, Szechuan pepper, garlic, and bay leaves. 

The second canapé is really addictive – Fried Spicy Sour Beef Chips. You get a crispy spicy and sour beef chips which are fried and served with anchovies cream and a sprinkle of coriander.

The third canapé is a delicious Parmesan Cheese Ball along with citrus mayonnaise sauce. 

Amuse Bouche is up next after the Canapés, which showcase a Tartlet of contrasting flavours – bittersweet shredded pomelo, briney anchovies and earthy pine nuts; and a Puff Pastry which is quite an oriental take as it uses savoury duck sausage with egg yolk. 

Next up is a complimentary bread course where I had Sourdough Bread. Served with butter which is anything but ordinary, the butter contains elements like toasted rice and anchovies. It is further elaborated with three types of olive oil to go with the bread course, which showcases a mix of Spanish and French olive oil. One of the olive oil even contained Chinese glutinous sweet rice vinegar which is quite unique! 

The first course proper is a showcase of Tuna with Burrata Sauce, Daikon and Caviar. Three parts of tuna are used here – Akami, Chutoro and Otoro, where you get a creamy burrata sauce in the middle and the tuna is finished off with pearls of Oscietra caviar. A fresh and luxe start to the meal proper! 

The second course is Foie Gras with Amalfi Lemon, Cocoa and Brioche. You get a beautiful thin strip of foie gras which is marinated for three weeks with a secret house-made concoction with a base of miso, sweet sake, Hokkaido brown sugar and mirin. Right before serving, it is coated with Callebaut 100% pure cocoa powder to draw out its butteriness and served with Amalfi lemon jam and pepper to cut through the remaining fattiness. The accompanying brioche is delicious as well where you can spread the foie gras on, with the brioche made from a 40-year-old family recipe. 

The third course is an Abalone with Charred Corn, Comte and Black Pepper. Hokkaido abalone is paired with Japanese corn where for added sweetness, and I thought the sauce is the best bit here – a blend of parmesan and 30-month-old comte. There are also scallops within the dish, along with black and white truffle shavings which add to the earthiness. 

The fourth course is a choice between the Red Prawn Ravioli or Whole Red Prawn (supplement of S$48++). If you love seafood, go for the Whole Red Prawn with Prawn Toast and XO Sauce where you can expect a sweet serving of smoked prawn in almond or litchee wood of your choice, before it is served on a toast finished with sesame seeds.

The way to enjoy this dish fully is to remove the head and bite into the prawn, or you can pour the jus from the prawn head onto the prawn body and have it with the XO sauce and prawn toast – the resulting flavour is full of umami. 

If you opt for the Red Prawn Ravioli with XO Sauce, Dried Scallops and Prawn Jus, you will not be disappointed too. Shaped like a dumpling instead of the typical flat ravioli shape, you get sweet red prawns in a ravioli of German recipe made with no eggs, along with housemade spring onion and chilli oil. 

The fifth course is also a pasta course where I had Spaghettini with Hanasaki Crab, Chili and Garlic. Cooked to a very al dente texture, this dish has a strong chilli element which makes it very flavourful for me. The spaghettini is tossed in brown butter jus and topped with some bits of crispy spring onion as well for some added texture. 

For mains, there are two protein dishes on the 8-course dinner menu. First up is the Pigeon with Black Truffle which features a lean pigeon breast. I am usually not a big fan of pigeon but this is not gamy at all, and I am surprised by how tender it is. The pigeon is also quite flavourful, prepared in a glaze of honey, miso, brown sugar, and sake. To luxe it up, there are also shaved black truffle, and white butter mushroom embellished atop the breast, served with a side of baked sweet onions that are marinated with smoked anchovies and chives oil. 

The last savoury and seventh course is a Wagyu Beef with Veal Tendons, Anchovies and Spring Onion. I am a huge Wagyu lover, and the beef here served with crispy spring onions is succulent and delicious as expected. 

For dessert, I had the Japanese Melon with Limoncello, Tofu Ice Cream and Burrata. Personally, I thought it is more like a palate cleanser than a typical dessert course. The portion is huge though and overall, the flavours are not too heavy for a last course.  

Last but not least, Petit Four is a trio. A tangy Limoncello jelly with black sesame; Chocolate ganache with Szechuan peppercorn has a bold flavour; and a Chinese-style pineapple tart which is sweet and sour.  

Rants The full-on dinner experience – be it the 6-courses or 8-courses menu – is relatively on the higher end in terms of price for a new restaurant.

Will I Return Again? Matera adds to the list of beautiful restaurants to dine in Singapore, and this is one spot to save for your next celebratory meal. I like how the Asian elements and flavours are imparted to Italian cuisine which is definitely one unique aspect of dining at Matera. Expect consistent good quality dishes across the courses, a good beverage menu and service. And to sum it up, it is a case of watching out for the Michelin Star next for Matera.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Matera 
3 Fullerton Road 
#02-01/02/03 The Fullerton Waterboat House 
Singapore 049215 
Tel: +65 6224 2232 

Opening Hours 
Tuesday & Wednesday: 6pm to 10:45pm 
Thursday to Saturday: 11:45am to 2pm; 6pm to 10:45pm 
Closed on Monday & Sunday 
 
Ranted by The Ranter