When you think of dining in Marina South, what comes to mind immediately would likely be cheap steamboat buffets. But did you know there is also a fine-dining restaurant in the same area?
Welcome to Pier Eleven, a fusion Mediterranean seafood restaurant at the pier.
Marina South Pier opened last year to replace the formerly functioning clifford pier. From here, you can take ferry rides to the Southern islands of Singapore such as kusu island and saint john’s island.
In the photo above (taken at low tide, such a shame!), the brightly lit ground floor is where people would buy their tickets and wait to board the ferry. Pier Eleven sits just above it! Notice the striking white wavelike structure on the rooftop? They have a bar up there too! More on that later.
Pier Eleven opened last December. When you first enter the restaurant, you would find yourself walking through a curtain of translucent black veil at the main entrance. It gives the place a very romantic feel. Pretty, pretty!
What I find rather odd though, is the seemingly random decor. Every single painting hanging on the walls looks to be of a completely different genre from the next. I know the restaurant also functions as a art gallery… But still! There are even a couple of trishaws that seem to look completely out of place. It’s a highly eclectic mix.
But small oddities like these can be set aside. Most people would prefer dining outdoor anyway, overlooking the shimmering sea! This brings to mind another place – Brotzeit at VivoCity. Waterfront dining sure is getting increasingly common these days! (about time too. We are, after all, surrounded by water!)
You can even opt to sit at (or lie down on) these daybeds!
We had soup for starters. The Mediterranean seafood soup, as indicated by the red round icon, is part of the Health Promotion Board’s Healthier Diningprogram. This means that it would be cooked in a healthier way with less oil, salt and sugar. It didn’t taste particularly like a health dish (and I mean that in a good way), and fared much better than the crunchy mix mushroom cream soup.
S$30+++
Rating:
I generally stay off red meat. But somehow, every guy I know loves his steak! (you do too, don’t you?) each time, I would get to try a little bit of it when someone orders.
I found this particular steak extra chewy and not too tender. It reminds me a little of the chewy steak sandwiches they give away free during happy hour at Morton’s Steakhouse. My friend remarked that it was a little raw towards the centre (it was done medium rare) although overall, he still considered it pretty decent.
S$32+++
Rating:
As for me, I had been hungering for lobster ever since having that excellent lobster thermidor at the Tanglin club. Out of the three lobster items on the menu, my pick was the baked lobster with a medley of seafood. And by “medley”, they mean mussels, prawns and scallops – two of each – with half a stick of burnt bread thrown in for good measure. It’s not a lot, but that’s what you get at a place like this.
The tomato fennel broth was slurpilicious! I found myself enjoying it very much. The lobster flesh was expectedly lacking in quantity because as far as lobster dishes go, that’s usually the case. The flesh didn’t separate easily from the shell too. But overall, I liked what I had.
As for dessert, no prizes for guessing what we had!
S$12+++
Rating:
Chocolate lava cake! Haha! It is made from scratch and must be ordered 15 minutes in advance. Anyhow, it was marvellous and well worth the wait. ’nuff said. It made me a happy girl :)
Oh, and before I forget, the service here is friendly and excellent. The waiters are always around but never intrusive. Of course, it helped that there was only a handful of customers on a weekday evening. Yay!
Marina South Pier
31 Marina Coastal Drive #02-07
Singapore 018988
Tel: +65 6532 6950
Service:
The Edge Bar & Bistro
After dinner, a great place to chill out would be at the rooftop bar, The Edge Bar & Bistro.
Up there, you can sip on a nice cocktail, enjoy the night scenery with the sea breeze gently blowing in your face, and bask in the blue fairy lights on the wooden deck.
Sounds nice? It really is.
Marina South Pier
31 Marina Coastal Drive
Roof Garden
Singapore 018988
Tel: +65 6423 0283
I just realised that both restaurant and bar are run by Singapore explorer, the same folks behind the unforgettable Olive Ristorante at Labrador Park. They share these common traits – good food, great lava cake, excellent service and ambience.
Oct 31, 2007
6
hey.. din know theres fine-dining til u upload here.
thanks for the intro. thot of bringin my date for a little getaway treat since her bday is round e corner.
Oct 31, 2007
14
The presentation of the food doesn’t look that good huh? Your main courses (if you haven’t tuck in when you took the photos!) look kinda messy…esp the sides on the steak dish. Anyway, I’m a carnivore as well….I love my meat medium rare and I’m proud to say I can complete almost one Morton’s double cut fillet mignon!
Oct 31, 2007
4
wow it seems like a really good place to dine in with the nice-looking ambience and outdoor seating..would love to go there one day..haha..
Oct 31, 2007
3
Yes, indeed its a nice place to dine at! The daybed area can commodate a large group of friends, the downside is that all have to take off shoes. U never took pics of the inside, i find the indoor decoration nice too.
Oct 31, 2007
4
i love the pier. its so peaceful and a nice place to chill.
Nov 1, 2007
3472
BERN: That’s an excellent idea. Be sure to book the best seat in advance. That’s along the row facing the sea in the outdoor dining area.
Joyz: I thought the aesthetics of the food was alright, though not fantastic. Funny you should mention it. I didn’t notice that until you brought it up.
damien: You would love it!
ByPassing: Ahhh… I didn’t really fancy the indoor decor. I wrote a whole paragraph about it.
yanni: Definitely! I like it best when there aren’t too many people. VivoCity is way too crowded most of the time.
Nov 6, 2007
9
Wow, their Baked Chocolate with Vanilla Gelati looks refined! I’ll go get that!
Nov 6, 2007
1
Hey sweetie, I’m happy I found your post regarding this place because I am intending to being my bf there for our anni but I would like to know more about the pricing over there. It seems like fine dining so will you be able to tell me the pricing range (rough gauge) for the main course?
Thanks!
Nov 13, 2007
7
Hi Veron
i’ve been a long time avid reader of your blog – it definitely helps me on my research for my social enterprise media/advertising company. keep up the great reviews.
Anyway, i’ve been invited to Pier Eleven by the marketing manager (Ms. Lusi) – its under the Singapore Explorer group.
Not sure if you’ve got wind of it, but this might interest you. See below:
“For the past first year, Pier Eleven has become a conscious restaurant that inspires camaraderie with meaningful conversation, business with pleasure.
As our gratitude to you, for the period of 1st – 15th December, you will receive a complementary RainTree Resort Spa Body Scrub Voucher worth $70 when you order the first anniversary menu.”
there you go! Not only can you salivate over the delicious dishes and indulge in all your wildest gastronomic fantasies (hehe), but you can get a massage at their spa as well :)
By the way, it’ll really be great if you could check out my website, would love to get the support Veron- the celebrity blogger! Its for a good cause, giving back to the community by ‘giving forward’. Kinda like the movement you started with the $2 Pledge.
p.s: i’ve sent an email to Ms. Lusi with a direct link to your blog post. Hmm.. she may contact you soon ;)
Jul 26, 2008
1
Hey, do you know how to get to pier eleven? Cuz i need help getting there uirgently! Is there any other way besides taking a cab aft alligthign from marina bay mrt?
Jul 26, 2008
1
hi…recentl my sis frenz went there but they say pier eleven has close down..izzit true?
Jul 27, 2008
3472
rachel: You can take a bus service from the MRT station.
genie: The restaurant listing is no longer available on the Singapore Explorer website. There’s a chance it may have closed down. What a pity!
May 19, 2009
1
Did a search and it seems like the Singapore Explorer website is no longer active. Looks like many of its businesses had shut down.