Dinner at Santa Fe Tex-Mex Grill (Stewords Riverboat) @ Marina South Pier

31 Marina Coastal Drive, Berth 1, Marina South Pier, Singapore 018988

Tel: 6278 5775

Website: http://riverboat.com.sg/santafe

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/santafetexmexsg

The appeal of by-the-sea dining has never failed to appeal to me, that was why Santa Fe tex-Mex Mexican Restaurant, located right on Stewords Riverboat, permanently docked at Marina South Pier, drew me like a magnet.

*Nadine and I visited the restaurant for dinner one evening (thankful for her adventuresome spirit). The stationary boathouse is three-storey high; and specious in its wood and nautical settings. Our seat gave a good view of the sunset over open waters. For service, there is much room for improvement.

Anyway, a round of drinks kickstarted our evening, and we opted for House Sangria (SGD$16.00 for half carafe / SGD$30.00 full carafe) and Strawberry Margarita (SGD$11.00) - traditional Mexican restaurant drinks. Sadly, the drinks were very diluted and it felt like we were sipping syrups.

Moving on, food! The serving crew strongly recommended the Chicken Chimichanga (SGD$11.00) - diced chicken, black beans, spinach and cheese rolled in flour tortillas and deep fried to a golden brown. Avocado ranch dressing was served on the side. Pretty good recommendation for us, except that this appetiser dish waa served last.

For mains, I had the Avocado Prawns Tacos (SGD$21.00) - fresh avocado cubes and springy prawns tossed in spiced mayonnaise, with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and sprinkling of sunflower seeds, all in hardshell tacos. The result was a tasty mix of flavours and textures together.

Ribeye Steak (SGD$34.00) with black pepper sauce was grilled over open flame and served on a chopping board with mashed potato (choice of fries available) and salad. This was tender, with smokey hints and was a delightful choice for us.

Finally, we concluded the evening with a Walnut Brownie Sundae (SGD$10.00), generously portioned and served warm so every walnut-studded bite was inviting and delish. The huge scoop of vanilla ice-cream was a lovely complement.

Overall dining experience at Santa-Fe Tex-Mex Restaurant was good, major scorers being the external and internal ambience - take heed that during high tides, the boathouse tends to rock so if you have seasick-ness, this may not be a good dining venue for you. Other than that, food was pretty decent so yes, I would return.