Dancing Crab



There's been this massive influx of this Louisiana seafood restaurants. I haven't been to any of them till recently. Actually, if it wasn't a department dinner, I would definitely not have chosen this restaurant (not to say that it wasn't good).  It's just that the whole eat with your hands concept isn't my kind of thing. I hate not using cutlery and getting my hands dirty in sauce (especially since I cannot answer my phone or touch my camera after that).

 

I personally feel that this whole hyped up eat with your hands, no cutlery or plates, is so that they save money on dishes. No need to spend detergent, soap and water washing anything (saves a few staff - no need to employ dishwashers)  - since there is such a dire shortage of labor. Also, the plastic tablecloth is disposables, so it saves the effort in wiping the table. Efficiency FTW.

We had the cornbread which was pretty ok - I somehow think that all cornbread should be like Kenny Rogers, but this ones were more uniformed and cake like. Slightly sweetish, moist and crumbly, went well with the whipped butter.

I really liked the crab cakes - partly because it involves very little effort and yet you get mouthfuls of succulent crab flesh, and also because they were juicy and well seasoned.

The bag of seafood - which has crab, prawns, mussels, potatoes, corn and carrot all cooked together in a mildly spicy Cajun sauce. I don't know why they can't just put everything into a nice bowl(like below) but have to pour it all over the table.

The whole no plates concept also bugs me to no end cos the menu (which I doubt has been cleaned in recent times) and other dirty fomites (i.e. my hand phone) have just been sitting on the same surface that I'm going to eat off . Ok I think this is OCD max and I bet that the other 99.9% of the others diners don't think of this kind of thing, so I shall stop and carry on about the food (which is pretty good).

I must say that the service is not too bad. Not the most attentive but then when I told them that one of the crabs wasn't too fresh, they offered to change it (but then the other half was already devoured by someone else) - which still counted as pretty good service to me.

The clams in this creamy white sauce was also pretty good - just that I really cannot see how you can eat it without cutlery or plates for that matter. It's such a messy and stressful affair.

I really liked their butter garlic prawns. Minimal sauce and flavoring so that the prawny taste can be fully appreciated. I think I'm deprived but I haven't eaten such big prawns for a real long time (rather spend my cholesterol quota on salted egg sotong - shucks I have a massive craving now).

These prawns were freaking huge and I really don't have small hands (that's my thumb btw).  My fingers also continued to smell like sauce the whole night after that (thankfully the sauce smell went away the next day).

 

I thought that their service was really strange - apparently they refused to let us make a booking for anything earlier than 7pm but when the punctual people reached earlier, the restaurant was empty - not like they are having two seatings or anything. Don't see why they can't let patrons sit down earlier (and earn money from drinks/snacks).

 

Dancing Crab

200 Turf Club Road

Singapore 287994

Phone 64663303

Closed Mondays

Where MAD used to be, and near Valentinos

(free parking!!!)





Platypus Lobster Shack

 The year's nearly over and I've realised that I've been pretty slack - lots of restaurants that I haven't blogged about! I shall be doing a few quick reviews in the next few days, for those which I think are worth a mention... I tried this somewhere in October, so not sure if they prices/dishes are still the same...

So there was a whole lobster roll craze - and in my attempt to find a lobster roll comparable to but more affordable than Lobster Pince and Pints, I did make an effort to try a new place (rather than be my boring old 80-year old self). So I dragged myself to China Square (urgh the ERP - bane of my life) - and tried 2 of their lobster rolls.

Since I've tried Platypus Kitchen and Platypus Food Bar, and both were promising experiences, we settled on Platypus Lobster Shack.

This is the original lobster roll, with mayo, butter and chives, served with potato chips and a side salad. At $22.90++ for the set, its  nearly half price compared to that from Pince and Pints. I felt that the meat was diced too small and it didn't give me enough bite when I ate the roll.

Would I come back? If I'm on a budget, definitely. But then, I think to make my calories and cholesterol count, I would go back to Pince and Pints. Think Brunos and Valentinos.

The very worthy mention, however, was not their lobster rolls but the Crustacean Bowl ($19 for starter, $26 for main).
I would order it instead of the roll the next time I go. It consists of the cholesterol laden good stuff - ume creme, butter poached lobster, char-grilled cheddar cheese, and Caviar, on top of Japonica rice, and topped with sesame and chervil. Super duper awesome. Strongly suggest that you order it in the main size - cos it's so darn tasty that starter size will definitely not be enough.

Platypus Lobster Shack
3 Pickering Street
#01-31 Nankin Row 
Singapore 048660

The Naked Finn Revisited

So the last time I went to Naked Finn, I liked it so much that I must have gone back at least 3 times after that. And then after, my goldfish brain conveniently forgot about it! Until recently, when I happened to remember how deliciously mind-blowing their food was. 

 Their simple menu - my recommendation is to go for the set  if it's your first time there so you can get a broad overview of what they have to offer. And don't forget to add on the die-die-must-try kangkong - you'll never view kangkong in the same light again...

If there's 3 pax or 5 pax, I'll go for the 2 or 4 person set respectively, and top up a few other dishes along the way so that everyone will be comfortably full. They're not very flexible with changing dishes in the menu, so you will still have to eat the mesclun salad with oranges (which I really don't like), if you're going for the menu. They should totally change it to the kangkong instead.

Naked Finn - Chilled Kangkong, kalamansi and shallot oil

Their totally awesome chilled blanched kangkong with kalamansi and shallot oil. I must really find out how to recreate this dish at home or my wallet will be weeping. I think it's brilliant how this is chilled like a salad, and yet uses the very humble kangkong.

It's now served with a side of sea salt, I suppose, for people who would like a bit more flavour, but I find it perfect the way it is.

 I must totally find out their secret recipe for this beehoon. I'm really not a fan of beehoon, but this really give me hunger pangs and massive cravings. My wallet bleeds.

The condiments at the side - which I never feel the need to use.

 My peach cocktail - white peach sorbet (made in house, so that the cocktail remains undiluted and yet chilled) with Prosecco. It's always a dilemma for me if I should spend my money on a cocktail, or on their desserts (the coconut sorbet with chendol and gulamelaka looks so delicious, and everyone was eating it!) but cocktails won that day.

 Grilled baby indian squid with sea salt and olive oil. As good as I remembered them to be, but I think they didn't come as blackened as previously. Not that they needed any more help in the flavours department.

 Some people find the squid bone a bit annoying to eat, but it didn't particularly bother me this time - happily crunched the whole thing.

 Little neck clams in soup - light broth sweetened by the clams and a bit of fennel and chives.

 The lightly grilled razor shell clams with shallot oil - decided to try this cos I've tried the Vietnamese style one on the set menu.

It wasn't as impressive as I hoped it to be but nonetheless, it was still tasty.

 I remembered the scallops to be extremely good, but somehow my scallop was a bit too soggy for my liking. I'm not sure why but it was definitely much better the last time I was there. Perhaps it was the scallops off day?

 Decided to splurge $55 on the grilled lingcod cos I didn't want to eat the barramundi again. Basically,  a lingcod is a whitefish with large white flakes. It has the texture of a not-very-oily cod, and I can imagine how delicious it would taste battered in vodka and served with chips (see their lunch menu!)

Simple clean, light flavours, and minimally dressed with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was really delicious but I don't think I'll pay $55 for this again. Perhaps I'll try it in the fish and chips form for lunch

There's been some debate online regarding the pricing for seafood that's so lightly cooked with minimal flavourings. Some people believe that with ingredients so fresh, every dish should taste good and there's little skill in cooking such fresh seafood.

However, I belong to the camp that thinks otherwise. Firstly, it's so incredibly hard to find seafood this fresh. And secondly, it's really an art cooking with minimal spices/seasoning and I am sure I won't be able to cook it as well at home.

I'm going back real soon for the lunch! Hae mee teng and lobster roll! I cannot wait.

The Naked Finn
Lunch Mon-Friday 12-2pm
Brunch Sat 12-3pm
Dinner Mon-Thurs 6-10pm, Friday- Sat 6-8pm (first seating) and 8.15-10.15pm (second seating)
Closed on Sunday
Please make a reservation - the place is really tiny and you'll likely be disappointed if you don't 

Lobster Pince and Pints - my Pre-dinner snack

I was tasked to find a place for dinner on Friday, had spent the earlier part of the day checking out numerous (it's really numerous for such a new restaurant) blogs/articles about the Pince and Pints online, and salivating over my laptop and being hungry in general. If you've heard of Burger and Lobster, the dishes here are really similar, with a local twist.

However, I deemed it impossible to drag another 3 working adults over, especially since no reservations were allowed and there was so much buzz online, surely it would be crowded?

Being hungry and having to queue makes one even more hangry (no this is not a typo) - so that's why I really hate queueing for my food. Just as well that it was my pre-dinner snack or I would have been really grumpy. Rushed down like an aunty from work, and can you beat it? I was there at about 515 and there was a queue. Waited about 20 min before we got a seat.

I think their kitchen is too overwhelmed, and they refused to let us take a seat even though the restaurant was partially full - as their kitchen couldn't cope. Ordinarily I would have been quite pissed cos they have perfectly good and empty seats, and yet wouldn't let anyone sit. But since there was lots of other food places to explore nearby, we went on a short walk and picked up some cakes from Flor.

The lobster roll is nothing short of fantastic. Crispy buttered bun, with chunks of lobster in mayonnaise. Double and triple that serving of cholesterol. No need to struggle and dirty your fingers. I wasn't particularly fond of the sauce at the side, and thought the lobster roll tasted great the way it was. I can't wait to go back and try their grilled and steamed lobster. The fries on the side were forgettable (cos the lobster outshone everything else, and so was the salad.

The chilli lobster comes in a huge claypot bowl, and 5 deep fried mini-mantous. The sauce isn't too spicy (good for low chilli tolerance ppl like me), and is more sweet and ketchup-y. And there's lots of it. I wonder if there's an option of adding more mantous?

I would skip the chilli lobster next time (even though I really like the sauce) because it's just too damn difficult (and I am inherently lazy) to crack the shell especially since it's all covered in sauce, and risk splattering yourself with the sauce. Wear something dark if you intend to order this so you don't create a mess over your chest.

We sat at the bar counter cos we were too impatient to wait for normal seating, and anyway, we had to hurry off for our real dinner (more on that later...)

Well, I actually made a second trip back within the week just cos I was dying to try the grilled lobster.  The best way to taste the lobster in all its glory - completely unadulterated, and just served simply with a side of herbed butter.

Currently, they're opened at 5pm for dinner, and there isn't lunch yet. Hopefully, they start a lunch service soon! The lobster dishes are each $48++, and our 2 lobster dishes cost about $112 altogether. Not bad for such a lot of lobster. Next time I end at 430 you know where I'll be rushing off too...

Lobster Pince and Pints
33 Duxton Road
62257558
Monday - Saturday 5pm -11pm

I would suggest putting your name down in the queue then going over to one of the many many bars for a drink if the waiting time is >30 min, that way you won't be killing yourself in standing in the heat, and salivating over other people's food. At least, they're nice enough to not let you waste your life standing in the queue... 

Btw, if you're wondering how they humanely kill a lobster - they use a sharp knife and slice it into half - I suppose it's a much nicer way to die than being boiled alive or have the tail ripped out from the head (like how they do it when they make lobster sashimi). 

F.I.S.H.

This restaurant run by the people behind fish and co has the same name as my cg mate's nickname, so when I walked past, I had to try it. And even more so cos I was nearby (not going to trudge all the way back to the far east to try the restaurant). So I ended up going there for lunch 2 days in a row, and I snitched one of the disposable coasters so I could give it to.

Their lunch sets are pretty affordable, and on Mondays, 4 of their main courses go for $12++. The 4 choices char-grilled codfish fillet, Barramundi with cheddar cheese crust, and Prawns Fettuccine.
The Codfish Fillet (usual price $15.90++), which is rather small. Then again, at $12++ is pretty reasonable for cod. The cod's pretty fresh, and is quite well done - nice and flaky, drizzled with a creamy lemon sauce. Completely not filling if you're eating this alone. Prawns Fettuccine ($13.90++) comes with a herb based cream sauce, and is really heavy, especially if you're eating it by yourself. Quite a few prawns (I think there were at least 6-7 pieces), but they're the bicarbonated/crystal kind which aren't really that tasty.
The Mediterranean Fried Fish ($9.90++) is a good-sized portion Mediterranean fish (not sure what kind of fish cos I forgot to ask) coated in a light, crispy golden batter. This was quite nice, and the creamy cheese sauce went really well with the fish.


All the mains come with new potatoes and grilled tomatoes. The portion of new potatoes is rather small, and I think most people will not be full from the meal. Not that I'm complaining, cos I prefer new potatoes to fries anytime.

They also have a salad bar buffet (lunch price is quite reasonable). Although they're Fish and Co's sister restaurant, their menu is quite different. The service was quite slow on the 2 days I went, and it took painfully long (about 30min) for our dishes to arrive on the 2 occasions I went there, even though the restaurant was 1/4 full. So don't come here if you're rushing cos you'll definitely be frustrated by the slow service.

F.I.S.H
10 Tampines Central 1

#04-11 Tampines 1

Tel: +65 6260 0183

No Signboard Seafood Restaurant (Vivo)

I think I'm super sua koo cos I've never been to Jumbo or No Signboard Seafood before. My usual seafood repertoire is usually limited to Eng Seng and Mellben and Uncle Leong's. Somehow my family doesn't eat much seafood outside?

The restaurant didn't have big Sri Lanken crabs when we went (the waitress said each crab was less than 1kg) and she was quite insistent on us getting one of the angmoh crabs (Alaskan and Australian). Angmoh crabs are very leggy, and have v small bodies.

No Signboard does crab in 5 ways - the boring garlic ginger steamed crab, white pepper, butter, and chili (can't remember what's the 5th one, but it sounds boring). They don't have the salted egg yolk crab (which is very yummy! feel like eating it now).

Butter Crab
I think this was the Australian snow crab, and it looked like an albino crab cos the shell was very pale.

White Pepper Crab
This is No Signboard's signature crab dish, whic is also very spicy. It's quite dry, and the sauce looks like silt (but doesn't taste grainy at all). It's an interesting change from the usual black pepper crab.
Chilli Crab
Don't care if its Singaporean or Malaysian, just as long as Msia doesn't patent it. My fave crab dish ever. It was quite spicy (for my pathetic chilli tolerance, but for everyone else it was fine) - it's very sweet and syrupy sauce.
The restaurant is very atas, even dissects out the crab. Good for people who have just done manicures and want to eat crab.

After eating these 2 kinds of angmoh crab, I think I prefer the Sri Lanken crabs cos they have so much more body. Don't particularly like the hard leg meat. If I ever come back, I'll be sure to call and reserve some big Sri Lanken crabs for myself.

Mushroom and Asparagus, Drunken prawns with herbs, Yang Zhou Fried Rice with Prawn, Mango Pomelo Sago
I particularly liked the drunken prawns with herbs - never had my drunken prawns this way before, and although I don't eat the herbs (the wierd roots and ginseng lookalike things), the soup tasted really nice.

Mango Pomelo Sago ($8++)

It's not the milky kind, but it's more like mango nectar with sago, some pomelo and a little scoop of diced mango. The bowl was only half full, and it's really quite a small portion for $8 (and very little mango too). They really shouldn't be so stingy with the dessert - maybe they're trying to use a bigger bowl so the dessert appears bigger?

I forgot to take a photo of the interior of the restaurant, but it looks quite posh (aquariums, pillars with dragon carvings etc etc), looks very clean, and there's a decent amount of space in between tables.

The best part of the meal - listening to all the interesting stories and 'sharing information'. Lol. Will miss the time spent during SIP, but definitely not the rushing to get equipment every morning. Thanks for the dinner - it was a good ending to SIP :D

No Signboard Seafood Restaurant

1 Harbourfront Walk

#03-02 VivoCity

Tel: +65 6376 9959

Hooked (Thomson)

I've read about Hooked on hungrygowhere, and it seems to be getting pretty good reviews. There's one near my house at Rail Mall, but I've never been there because if I go to Rail Mall, it either means that I'm going to takeaway subway sandwiches or going to Gabialti. Also, I thought it was just like another Fish and Co wannabe, so I've not made an effort to visit them. Just as well that my friend organized dinner at the Thomson Branch, or I'll be missing out on a really good restaurant.


Hooked was having a Super Saver dinner set promotion, where you can choose from about 10 different main courses and get a drink free. Not really a dinner set, but it was pretty cheap. For example, my Aloha Salmon and Prawns which usually costs $19.90 ala carte now costs $16.90, with a free drink (soft drink, coffee or tea) thrown in. My main, the Aloha Flame-Grilled Salmon and Prawns
They use Norweigian salmon and it's served with rice pilaf and grilled pineapple. I requested for the salmon to be rare in the middle. The salmon fillet was very fresh, juicy and really exceeded my expectations (even though I already had quite high expectations for this place). The prawns were coated in a slightly salty and creamy sauce (reminds me a bit of miso paste), not the freshest but the marinade was pretty good.

The rice pilaf is very fragrant and not oily at all. I think there's a bit of tomato inside, as well as onions and some other spices. I prefer this to the usual potatoes, fries or butter rice. The pineapples on the skewer weren't exactly grilled (like the menu said) but nevertheless, I enjoyed my main.
Steamed Red Snapper in White wine (Dinner Set B, $16.90) served with linguine (if I'm not wrong you can choose your type of carbo)
The snapper was also very fresh - this is probably the best dish to test for the freshness of the fish. Though I thought the linguine was too oily for my liking.

The Red Groupa ($16.90), which was also coated in a tasty crust, very fresh and served on top of pilaf rice.

The Salmon page in the menu - the menu groups the dishes according to what kind of fish is used. Personally, I'll just get the Super Saver set - it's really very value for money.Here's a picture of the dinner set menu - there's quite alot of choices, but they're all fish.
Hooked proves that good fish dishes doesn't have to come with a high price tag. I'm very impressed by the freshness of the fish and the affordable pricing, I'm definitely going to try the one at Rail Mall sometime soon. Bonus points cos they also serve iced water.

They don't have the 10% service charge here, and only charge extra for GST.

Hooked
203 Upper Thomson Road

Tel: 6256 9005

Free valet service provided by the restaurant

(Its along the row of Tong Shui and Miss Clarity Cafe)

Vancouver - Go Fish and Grandville Island Market

Go Fish is a very popular seafood shack in Vancouver. It's literally a container - and the que for lunch is total madness. I found out about this place from one of the visitor guides, which had a rave review on the place. We were there for lunch on Saturday - they open at 12noon (and not a second earlier) and even before they opened, there was a que of about 10 people. I thought that such mad queueing only existed in kiasu Singapore...I got their daily special seafood, which was salmon with teriyaki sauce on a bed of salad. Cod fish and chips. There's a choice of cod, salmon or halibut. I thought that the portions would be very large, but retrospectively, I should have ordered 2 pieces of fish. The fish was really very measley and I felt very cheated cos I queued so long for my miserable amount of food.

Go Fish overlooks a small dock - but it was very hot the day I went so I didn't enjoy sitting under the sun (it's al fresco and doesn't have a roof/shade).This dog's owners were queueing up infront of me and the poor dog was so hot it was panting and salivating all over the pavement. Random cakeshop in Grandville Island market. I didn't get any cakes, but I did get some almond butter (it's peanut butter made with almonds) and halva.