You walk up a gangplank and suddenly you are in a restaurant. Not as a gimmick, but simply because the boat is there and the kitchen has been working in it for years. Ferry is located on a former municipal ferry, built about a hundred years ago, now moored in the Houthavens. It is one of the few places in the city where the water is not a backdrop but part of your evening.
Tomoharu Fujioka is the man behind Ferry. He owns, he cooks himself, and he also put together the wine list. The latter is not surprising when you know he is a trained sommelier. The menu is special, carefully put together, and you can tell there is someone with knowledge behind it. Fujioka works with seasonal dishes that combine Mediterranean, South American and Asian influences on one menu. Three cuisines, one menu, and it adds up.
On board, you have a choice. The restaurant itself for a full meal, the intimate wine and cocktail bar if you prefer to start with a glass, or the outdoor terrace if the weather cooperates. That terrace is spacious, sits well in the sun, and overlooks the water in the Houthavens. In summer it is one of the nicest outdoor spots in this neighborhood, quiet too, because the Houthavens is not a busy tourist area. It's light, space and water combined with a nautical atmosphere that suits the boat.
Tomoharu Fujioka has built a restaurant on a hundred-year-old ferry that simply offers good food in a place that was already there.
Ferry is open to the public year-round. The boat is also available for exclusive private events, for those seeking a venue beyond the usual venues. The Houthavens hospitality community is part of the environment, with neighborhood partners and local vendors Fujioka works with. Tomoharu Fujioka has built a restaurant on a hundred-year-old ferry that simply offers good food in a place that was already there.