Beaulieu House

 

I first heard of Beaulieu House when my wife and I were sourcing for ROM venues back in 2008. It was in our shortlist and we even did a recce of the place, coming away impressed by the architecture and ambience of the venue. But we eventually decided against it after assessing that it was too inconvenient for our guests - it is after all right at the tail-end of Sembawang Road, along the coast of the northernmost part of the island facing the Straits of Johore.

Beaulieu (French for beautiful place) House was built way back in the 1910s as a holiday residence of a Jewish businessman Joseph Brooke David.

During the Japanese Occupation, it was said to be used by the Japanese as a Headquarters, and there were even watch towers built behind the building overlooking the Naval Base.

After the War, Beaulieu House was occupied by British naval forces. Subsequently in 1971, the British forces left Singapore and the area around Beaulieu House was redeveloped into Sembawang Park. Since 1981, Beaulieu House has served as a restaurant managed by Sembawang Seafood Paradise. In fact, the building was accorded conservation status in 2005.

When you are here, do take time to admire the architecture of the house it once was, and the special ornaments that have been preserved from times of old - an iconic orange public coin phone and a Singer sewing machine are just some items on display here. Then take a relaxing stroll after your meal along Sembawang Park or walk along Beaulieu Jetty to take in the therapeutic sounds of the waves. 

The Food

My visit here was a dinner in celebration of Mother's Day with our extended family, and the group size meant we could try out a wide variety of the food available for order.

Claypot Braised Mutton ($25)

The Claypot Braised Mutton arrived bubbling hot with much promise. It was a little too gamey for some, but I do prefer my mutton to have that gaminess. The parts were tender, and the braise was not overladen with salt and an ideal complement with white rice. 

Specialty Curry Fish Head ($38)

For a "specialty" item, this was a bit of an anti-climax. The size of the snapper fish head was small for this price, and the curry was rich in coconut but lacking in fragrance of spices. I did not appreciate that the skin wasn't de-scaled cleanly either.

Yakitori Pork Ribs ($18)

This was good. The pork ribs had a glazed crust on the exterior that was enveloped by a sweet & savory yakitori sauce. The meat was tender yet had the right chewiness too. Well done on this one.

Homemade Beancurd with Shimeji Mushrooms ($15)

The homemade beancurd was wobbly soft but relatively flavorless, in spite of the minced spinach spread across the top. I felt it needed a stronger sauce from the Shimeiji mushrooms, which didn't come through.

Lala with Ginger & Spring Onions ($18)

The lala was pretty much run-of-the-mill. It lacked the fragrance of the ginger and spring onions it was stir-fried in. I was also hoping for the sauce to be more viscous and way more savory than it was. 

Pipa Duck (Half) ($30)

Typically, pipa duck is splayed open before it is roasted, to spread out the surface area in order to produce a crispier exterior. The pipa duck here is exactly that, with light hints of chinese spices and the natural flavor of the duck coming through nicely. It comes with sweet hoisin sauce slathered on the side, but I felt it tastes much better on its own.

Claypot Eggplant with Salted Fish ($23)

This arrived bubbling, and the eggplants were stewed till soft but not mushy. But where was the aroma of salted fish? Pretty much the story of the night - the sauces just didn't come through strong enough.

Marmite Chicken ($14)

Marmite is an interesting ingredient to use in a sauce as it has a balance of sweet and savory. I've had versions of Marmite Chicken where it's umami and just slightly tangy to cut through the richness. The sauce this time was good but the chicken pieces were too tough and dry for me. 

Braised Pork Knuckle ($32)

If there is one thing you must order here, I'd think this is it. This was braised till the meat was tender-soft and the skin gelatinous. I think the cut they used had an almost perfect ratio of meat to fat to skin. Such a pleasure to eat - my only grouse was that it wasn't big enough for everyone at the table to fully enjoy it.

Hainanese Pork Chop ($22)

We ordered western fare for the kids, which were competent enough as they all enjoyed it. Hainanese pork chop was on-point - nicely breaded with a tangy sweet-sour sauce. But for $22, I felt it was a little pricy.

Spaghetti Chicken Bolognese ($14)

Spaghetti Chicken Mushroom Alfredo ($15)

The spaghetti was on the soft side & for most of us who prefer al-dente pasta, this didn't work. I prefer the creamy chicken mushroom alfredo version as I felt the Bolognese sauce was too thin for me.

You can check out the reel below to have a closer look at both the venue and food.

Finally, here's my night shot of Beaulieu House. It's a different kind of beauty compared to the one you see above that I captured before sunset - which is why I would recommend that you head here early to soak in the vibes of this heritage site.

With a view that overlooks the blue waters of the Johore Straits, plus a cosy interior with quaint decorations, Beaulieu House is an ideal dining location that is also popular as a solemnization venue or private gatherings. The food is admittedly not outstanding - there are a lot of areas to improve, in my humble opinion, such that you may feel it is a letdown if you travel all the way here expecting top-notch zi char. But the place does have a unique ambience, with its long and eventful history making it an intriguing place that you ought to visit for its novelty. 

Address: 117 Beaulieu Road, #1 Sembawang Park Carpark, Singapore 759837

Opening Hours: 11am to 2.30pm, 5.30pm to 10.30pm daily

Weekend brunch from 10am to 12 noon

Date of Last Visit: 14th May 2023