THE MISUNDERSTOOD GENIUS OF MATERA

Matera is luxuriously weird, weirdly creative and creatively gourmand, giving it the impetus to boldly go where not many restaurants dare

- SUFFIAN HAKIM

REVIEWING FOOD, I’ve only used “flavourful” twice in my life, both times early in my career. I hate the word. It’s bland, generic – vanilla. Heck, even “vanilla” is a better flavour descriptor than “flavourful” because the latter describes everything yet nothing. Media colleagues tell me I’m being a linguistic snob for dismissing a perfectly valid word but I point out that it’s prone to misuse, and a convenient out for when writers can’t adequately capture the experience they’ve had upon their palates.

But I will use the word flavourful here – not to describe any specific dish, but the overall experience at Matera, the new mod Italian restaurant at Fullerton Waterboat House. Because what German Chef Bjoern Alexander has done here is to emphasise sensations – the experience in which our senses are engaged in a powerful, visceral way.

A lot about Matera is sensational. The spectacular panorama of the waters of our grand Singapore River and the greenery at the outskirts of the Civic District dominates the view out the floor-to-ceiling windows. The restaurant itself is cavernous, an impression further emphasised by its spacious layout as well as white and neutral-toned furnishings, and wooden floor. Columns give both luxuriousness as well as, in certain areas, privacy. Food is presented upon exquisite works of ceramics and glass.