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The Fullerton Waterboat House – Dining Onboard the Boathouse

Rating:

By Veron Ang

Fancy dining on a boat? On this boat, you won’t get seasick.

Welcome to The Fullerton Waterboat House.

The Fullerton Waterboat House, Singapore
Credit

The building structure resembles the circular stern of a ship.

It is hard to miss this iconic building due to its eye-catching shape. Built in 1919, the Waterboat House was once occupied by the Port of Singapore Authorities to supply fresh water to ships anchored offshore. Today it is home to a few restaurants, including Boathouse, which serves modern European cuisine.

The Fullerton Waterboat House, Singapore

On invitation, we come by for a food-tasting session at this promising new restaurant. The dining area is small and cosy, perfect for an intimate meal. Being the history aficionados that we are, we find the old photographs of Singapore hanging on the walls, some which are browned with age, particularly intriguing.

Amuse-bouche

Amuse-bouche
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We start with the amuse-bouche — a shot of sweet fruity blend with a dash of mint. It is the first time we have something this refreshing to start a meal. While it tastes very good in the thirst-quenching sort of way, it does not do much in prepping the taste buds. I personally feel that this works better as a dessert to end the meal on a sweet note.

Fish chowder served over sea bass carpaccio

Fish chowder
S$15++
Rating:

The signature fish chowder is one dramatic dish.

A striking white bowl arrives with a morsel of sea bass carpaccio at the centrum; the hot chowder is then administered by the server, cooking the fish right before our eyes.

Tagliatelle wild mushroom

Tagliatelle wild mushroom
S$19++
Rating:

While the tagliatelle wild mushroom is also a signature dish, we’re not too wild about this pasta. The portion is ample, with assorted wild mushrooms tossed in truffle cream sauce. It will probably appeal to mushroom fans. But for us, the salty flavour is a tad monotonous and gets tiresome after a while. Give us a plate of Aglio Olio over this anytime!

Braised Wagyu beef ribs with aged red wine jus & poached pear

Braised Wagyu beef ribs
S$33++
Rating:

What impresses is the braised beef ribs, soaked in a flavoursome aged red wine jus that complements the meat very well. The ribs are juicy, meaty and saucy, while the slices of poached pear on the side provide a nice reprieve.

White chocolate semifreddo

White chocolate semifreddo
S$15++
Rating:

Our dessert arrives as a duo of white chocolate semifreddo and fruit compote. We are fans of white chocolate AND gelato, so it is easy to like this semi-frozen dessert. The fruit, not so much though.

The Fullerton Waterboat House, Singapore

While there are some hits and misses with this meal, the unique location of Boathouse is a clear winner.

Rooftop bar

The Boathouse operates a rooftop bar that goes by the name Prelude.

The Fullerton Waterboat House, Singapore

The bar opens only at night. At this prime location, you get a magnificent view of the river and the surrounding landmarks. Another place that offers an equally spectacular view is Forlino, the Italian restaurant across the road.

Have Your Say!

Where is the most unique place you have ever dined at? Share with us in the comments!

Boathouse
The Fullerton Waterboat House
3 Fullerton Road #03-01
Singapore 049215
Tel: +65 6538 9038 | Website
Service:

Opening hours:
Lunch – Monday to Friday, 12noon – 2pm
Dinner – Monday to Saturday, 6:30pm – 11pm
Brunch – Sunday, 11am – 3pm

Tags: Boat Quay, dinner, European, fine dining, Fullerton, lunch, pasta, restaurant, waterfront, western

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About the Editor

Veron Ang is the Founder and Chief Editor of Sparklette, a Singapore restaurants guide, lifestyle and travel blog. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and runs a web design firm at Sparklette Studio. To get in touch, head on over to the contact page or follow @Sparklette and @VeronSG on Twitter.

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Responses Leave a comment

Melissa
133 comments

Hey, I know this place! Walk past it all the time but don’t dare to venture in because the restaurants all seem obscenely expensive! The pasta looks delish though.
Reply
Posted March 31, 2010 at 7:37 pm
- Veron
  3438 comments
  
  That’s what I thought at first, but the prices at Boathouse restaurant are much lower than what I expected. Not to say it’s cheap, but certainly not scary expensive as I initially thought, especially for this one-of-a-kind location.
  Reply
  Posted April 1, 2010 at 9:15 am
- Crystal
  20 comments
  
  I think you are referring to the Saint Julien French Restaurant next door where oysters cost $14 EACH and a bowl of soup can easily come up to 40-50 dollars.
  Reply
  Posted April 3, 2010 at 4:19 pm
  - Veron
    3438 comments
    
    Hope the food is worth the price!
    Reply
    Posted April 5, 2010 at 6:51 pm
linjie
19 comments

Hmm..fish chowder. First time i’ve heard of this. Wonder if there’s a fishy smell
Reply
Posted April 15, 2010 at 9:53 pm
- Veron
  3438 comments
  
  Just a little but hardly detectable, otherwise I would have hated it!
  Reply
  Posted April 16, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Serene Tan
1 comment

Just went to the Boathouse with my bf on Mon to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We ordered their Valentine set dinner. But my bf had diarrhoea after taking their oysters and soup. I had diarrhoea after leaving the restaurant that night. Took MC the following day to see doctor when the diarrhoea continued. Doctor prescribed pills for my condition. Went back to work on Wed but still did not feel well. Went to see another doctor that night and was given antibiotics. Took MC on Thursday, finally felt better after taking the antibiotics. Just wondering is it got to do with the oysters that we ate at the Boathouse? Called the Manager (who claims that he is the boss as well) about this matter. He said that so far none of the other customers who took the same set dinner as us had complained about the oysters or food poisoning. In fact, we are (unfortunately) the first case to happen at the restaurant. Not going back there again. Unless they change their Manager-cum-Boss (whom I feel is not very sincere in looking into the matter even when he says that he will handle it personally).
Reply
Posted February 19, 2011 at 4:48 pm
1 for 1 dining
1 comment

Beasutiful pictures. I’m surprised at the price. It has this super upmarket feel. Was wondering if there was any dress code? I tend to go out in jeans and snickers but with a proper collared shirt. I wonder if that is an issue in this place
Reply
Posted May 25, 2011 at 2:28 pm
- Veron
  3438 comments
  
  Yes, the prices are very good for the upmarket Fullerton district :) Their dress code is smart casual, hence I’m not so sure about the jeans.
  Reply
  Posted May 25, 2011 at 7:35 pm