Waterfront Restaurant 水灣餐廳: On the Riverside

You may find a familiar aesthetic at the Waterfront Restaurant 水灣餐廳.

Most people who visit Tamsui hang around the old street and fill up on snacks and other vendor food.  It’s hard to make it fifty yards past the MRT station before you find yourself waiting in line for some fried mushrooms or a-gei.  If you do manage to fend off the temptations, you’ll find restaurants trying to take advantage of Tamsui’s riverside by offering clear views of scenery.  One of these is the Waterfront Restaurant 水灣餐廳, a Bali-themed restaurant located so close to the river that the crashing waves may drown out your conversation.  Check out more photos after the jump.

There are a few riverside restaurants, but Waterfront looks the most luxurious and is arguably the most famous.  This restaurant reminded me of The Top.  Both have great views and a Bali-inspired look.  Waterfront is noticeably more expensive though, and the menu is less diverse.  There are quite a few options though, ranging from duck to lamb to shrimp, but there is typically just one main set for each type of meat.  Sets include an appetizer, bread, an entree, drink, and dessert.  Each set is about 800-900NT, so it is certainly pricy compared to a lot of places.

Most people of course come here for the view.  The restaurant is a bit elevated from the sidewalk, so you can get a clear view of the river.  Unfortunately, I was not in the best seat and didn’t see the river at all from my position!  There are some comfy chairs that are right at the edge of the restaurant that lets you have a relaxing or romantic moment, but I didn’t get to try.  The restaurant does have a pleasant atmosphere, including live music.  Certainly this trumps the food in the eyes of many and is the reason people come here.

One thing I have to note is the service.  Perhaps it was just a one-time ordeal, but I found everything to be quite slow.  They simply forgot to bring the tea and dessert!  I was in the restaurant waiting far longer than expected.

I am a bit disappointed by the restaurant.  Perhaps a lot of it relies on bad luck though, as I didn’t get a good seat and the service was glacial.  I did like the food, but I didn’t feel like it was worth the money.  There are a few other riverside restaurants in Tamsui, so maybe in the future I can try my luck there.  Enjoy some pictures.

The restaurant gives you a view of the river and the neighboring Bali Island.

Soft neon lights give the restaurant an ambiance.

A look inside one of the seating areas.

A sleepy statue.

The menu has large pictures and English explanations.

A small roll of salmon serves as an appetizer.

Bread is a common part of set menus in Taiwan, but I don’t think I’ve had some quite like this since I’ve been here.

When in doubt, get duck. It was a bit tough, but I highly enjoyed the steak.

Another shot of the duck steak.

There aren’t a whole lot of vegetarian options as it mostly focuses on steak and seafood.

This sweet potato matcha tea was an oddity. The potato flavor is very strong. Perhaps I couldn’t get used to the idea of drinking a potato.

The silky mango mousse was quite good, though it took a while to get.

 

Location

Take the MRT to Tamsui Station, and walk along the riverside to your left.  The restaurant is right next to the river after about 15 minutes of walking.  It is also known as Rong-Ti.

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