Seafood International

Happy New Year Everyone! :)

As a tradition that I've started and have since so faithfully followed, I made sure that the family shared the first meal of the brand new year together. This year we had our lunch at Seafood International, a popular seafood restaurant along East Coast Parkway and at the newly-launched Playground @ Big Splash. What I appreciated about Seafood International was not just it's à la carte buffet lunch, but more so it's "no pork - no lard" menu that is pretty much a rarity in the Singapore seafood scene.

Braised Mini Whole Abalone with Oyster Sauce


We decided to go along with the à la carte buffet lunch (menu available here) because of its decent variety - forty dishes - and amazingly affordable price. The day's appetiser, the Braised Mini Whole Abalone with Oyster Sauce, got the lunch off on a good start. While small, it was sweet, fresh and succulent.

Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat


The Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat served at this buffet was at its most basic (well, what do you expect from a $25.80++ buffet right?) and I found it far too starchy for my liking.

Sautéed Scallop with Asparagus


Nothing spectacular on the Sautéed Scallop with Asparagus either, and at most parts it was quite bland. I'm sure it started out as a big and juicy scallop but was sliced into much smaller pieces for this light dish.

Deep Fried Rock Garoupa with Soya Sauce


I liked the Deep Fried Rock Garoupa with Soya Sauce. It was crisp from the deep fry but was still sweet and tender inside. Although limited to only one serving, this is still something worth the money for what you're paying for in the buffet.

Steamed Sea Bass with Yellow Bean Sauce


Another one that is limited to a single serving. For a buffet item, the Steamed Sea Bass with Yellow Bean Sauce was fresh, quality stuff.

Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Garlic and Seven Spices Salt


The Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Garlic and Seven Spices Salt was delicious and one of the best items on the buffet menu. Crisp and sweet with a slightly spicy marinate. Munch munch.

Beef Steak with Black Pepper Sauce


I thought the Beef Steak with Black Pepper Sauce was good, but some may find it a tad too chewy because of its thickness. Commendable black pepper sauce.

Crayfish with Sichuan Dry Pepper Sauce


The Crayfish with Sichuan Dry Pepper Sauce was tasty and came out more meaty than I had expected it to be. Lip-smacking.

Deep Fried Beancurd with Conpoy and Mushroom


From here on all the items on a free-flow basis, and they would prove more than enough to fill you up. If you've got the young ones at the table, I'm sure they would love the Deep Fried Beancurd with Conpoy and Mushroom for its sweet sauce and soft fried beancurd.

Sautéed Mixed Vegetable


Only have the Sautéed Mixed Vegetable if you really must have your one serving of greens. Else, why waste space? Haha...

Roasted Duck with Hot Sesame and Garlic Sauce


The Roasted Duck with Hot Sesame and Garlic Sauce was really good. I liked the way it was fried, crispy on the top with the meat still tender underneath, and how the spicy sesame and garlic sauce worked its way with the duck and tantalised the tastebuds.

Crispy Roasted Chicken


In contrast, the Crispy Roasted Chicken was dull, dry and terribly boring. I wouldn't recommend ordering this.

Deep Fried Chicken Mid Joint with Prawn Paste


Have the Deep Fried Chicken Mid Joint with Prawn Paste instead. In fact, have many orders of this, it's pretty awesome. Crispy and juicy chicken mid-joints to please that fried food lover in you ;)

Steamed Crystal Prawn Dumpling


We ordered all five dim sum items on the menu, but only three managed to pass the taste test. The Steamed Crystal Prawn Dumpling was one of the three, but it was also the one that narrowly scrapped through. While it didn't scrimp on the prawn filling, I thought the skin was a bit too hard and chewy.

Steamed Chicken Siew Mai


The Steamed Chicken Siew Mai tasted a tad off, and like the har gow (above), the skin was tough and dry.

Pan Fried Carrot Cake


I like my carrot cake crisp (and even, flaky) on the outside, but the Pan Fried Carrot Cake here was just too smooth and soft. I suppose this depends on your personal preference really.

Pan Fried Prawn Meat Beancurd Sheet Roll


The tasty Pan Fried Prawn Meat Beancurd Sheet Roll was worth multiple orders. The juicy prawn filling went very well with the crisp beancurd skin, even more with the mayo dip. The third decent item (not pictured) was the Steamed BBQ Chicken Bun, which was quite pleasant really - soft pau surrounding a sweet and tender core.

Seafood Beancurd


We had to leave our initial plans to have chilli crabs for next time as we were too full, but somehow my sister insisted on ordering the Seafood Beancurd from the à la carte menu for herself. Don't ask me why. It looks good, but I suppose the only bonus is having the same fried beancurd with prawns and squids.

Stewed E-Fu Noodles with Chives


The all-typical noodles that you would normally find at seafood restaurants, the Stewed E-Fu Noodles with Chives was done satisfyingly enough, with a lightness that helped to go with the other items on the table.

Olive Fried Rice


Even better perhaps was the Olive Fried Rice, which was quite flavourful and aromatic. Have a serving or two for yourself, I liked this quite a bit as well.

Desserts


There's a Desserts buffet line at the main restaurant area with a small variety of Malay kuih, fruits and jellies.


If space permits, have some Green Bean Soup for dessert. Something warm and refreshing after all that seafood.

All-in-all, a very decent buffet lunch that's worth its price tag. You get what you pay for, and a bit more. I would choose this over similarly priced buffets at places like Sakura International Buffet, even if they may have a wider variety of items on offer. Not the greatest, but not too shabby either :)

Service
Very good. It was full-house on a public holiday weekend but the staff still tried to oblige as much as they possibly could.

Price
$25.80++ (weekend) for adults, minimum two to dine.

Place
902 East Coast Parkway
Blk A #01-01 Playground @ Big Splash.

Additional Comments
1. No pork, no lard menu.
2. Lunch buffet timing: 11.30am - 2.30pm.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

Manhattan Fish Market II

Get crabby this Christmas, because we're gonna save some turkeys! Manhattan Fish Market gives a seafood-take on the traditional Christmas feast with a crab-filled menu featuring items like crab bisque, chilli crab spaghetti and even a crab platter. Alaskan King Crab, anyone? :)

Crabilicious Crab Bisque


The Crabilicious Crab Bisque was thick and creamy without being overwhelming. Not much crabmeat detected though, but I wasn't expecting too much for the price I was paying. Some at the table commented that there was a very slight sourish aftertaste but I didn't quite notice it since I spent most of the time dipping the fried mushrooms (below) in the soup. Thoughtful addition of croutons for the added texture.

Fried Country Mushrooms


I liked the Fried Country Mushrooms. These came fried to a crisp golden brown, and were all juicy and succulent inside. Nom nom.

Alaskan King Crab Platter


My favourite item at Manhattan Fish Market is actually the Flaming Platter for One, but I thought I should give the "dish of the month" a try. The Alaskan King Crab Platter comes with fried calamari, fried crab pincers (fishcake-like), chilli crab salad and of course, Alaskan King Crab legs. I thought this was okay, the crab legs especially, but the fried calamari and crab pincers were too... close on taste that it got quite monotonous after a while. My recommendation? Give an option to have your calamari grilled; I'm sure the staff would have obliged if you asked anyway.


Personally, I'm not a fan of having a cold dish side by side the other hot items, but this is what you get with the chilli crab salad right in the middle. I did feedback that MFM may like to consider having a hot salad option (same thing, just served hot instead of cold), but I was told it was really meant to be this way.

Grilled Gala Platter for Two


The table also had the Grilled Gala Platter for Two, which I thought fared much better than the other deep-fried platter - the Manhattan Seafood Platter for Two. I suppose it does come down a lot to personal preference, but grilled fish, prawns, calamari and mussels seem to go better with the (delicious) garlic-butter rice and fries. Hate to compare, but I prefer the rice here as compared to Fish & Co's.

Grilled Salmon Fillet


It's usually served with garlic herb sauce, but we asked for sambal instead and I thought it came out quite well actually. The thick slab of Grilled Salmon Fillet was sweet, fresh and very tender indeed.

Baked Fish in Garden Herbs


I'm afraid you will never find me eating something so healthy as this. Turned out to be a little too salty for the palate.


She's not meant for eating, but I couldn't resist posting a picture of my adorable niece Lucia here. Carrying her around made me want to be a Daddy as well haha!

*****

Thank you to Manhattan Fish Market for the earlier invite to a tasting session. As I (i) was leaving for Beijing when the email came, and (ii) had long quit the (free) food tasting scene, I left a note to say that I would be back in future. Of course you wouldn't expect me to have MFM honour its previous invite (and for me to bring more people now too!) and as much as they offered in all generosity to take the tab for all six of us I insisted otherwise. It's nice enough to have early info on their promotional menu, and for that I'm grateful :)

The Alaskan King Crab Platter may not have blown my mind away, but I'm sure I'm heading back to try that chilli crab spaghetti. The Pasta Shop's rendition of this is quite decent actually, but I'm curious to see what MFM comes up with. Look out for an update on this on my food-only Twitter.

Price
$55.90 for an Alaskan King Crab Platter Set (comes with two crab bisques, soft drinks and two servings of ice-cream)
$46.90 for the Alaskan King Crab Platter
$4.90 for the Crabilicious Crab Bisque
$7.90 for the Fried Country Mushrooms
$35.90 for the Grilled Gala Platter for Two
$17.90 for the Grilled Salmon Fillet
$14.90 for the Baked Fish in Garden Herbs

* Prices subject to the usual 7% GST and 10% service charge.

Place
Marina Square, #02-182.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

Seafood Paradise

An evening retreat saw the directorate make its way to the Singapore Flyer, where many of us experienced our maiden flight on-board the giant observation wheel. With our "VIP Signature Cocktail Flight" passes, we were given "full VIP treatment" (which really means a short wait at the lounge and an escorted walk to the capsule) as well as a "unique cocktail" (very much a mocktail, to the dismay of many colleagues) to savour during our short, thirty-minute ride.


I can't say I found the ride particularly exciting, but maybe it's just because I'm too familiar with the sights of Singapore. I suppose it was the view of the gentle sunset upon the city's skyscrapers that made the ride somewhat worthwhile, a pretty and even calming scene indeed that no camera can really capture in its entirety.


Dinner at Seafood Paradise was nothing impressive really, but at least I had the good company of my colleagues to thank for. I think many of the dishes here have been somewhat diluted in their flavours to cater to the tourists, which made quite a few of us feel that there was "something missing" in them. If I had to make a quick comparison, a quick thought from the tip of my fingers, I would say a place like Mellben serves up way better dishes than Seafood Paradise. I must add that I like the tea here though, nicely flavoured and aromatic Rose Tea to accompany the meal. Call me conventional, but it's always tea for me for such Chinese-themed dinners rather than wines or beers.

Steamed Scottish Bamboo Clam
With Golden Mushroom and Minced Garlic


The bamboo clams were an interesting sight to behold, but truth be told, they tasted more like scallops to me. Very strong hint of garlic, but it clears up your airwaves and gets your appetite going.

Braised Whole Baby Shark's Fin Broth
With Crab Roe and Dried Scallop


This soup appears to promise much more than it can deliver - on taste it was terribly ordinary and some even described it as tasteless or flat. Wasteful use of the endangered species then.

Steamed Live Seabass "Medan" Style


The seabass was fresh and tasted sweet on its own. The "Medan" style sauce was a mix of sweet, sour and spicy, but I personally didn't like it that much. I would prefer a simple deep-fried fish actually, but that's just me.

Boiled Live Ocean Prawns


Prawns, like the fish, were fresh. Only problem is that this dish turned out to be as monotonous as the shark's fin soup.

Renowned Crispy Roast Chicken


The roast chicken was not too bad actually, and I remember the skin to be as crisp as it would be for roast ducks. The meat wasn't too dry, so that's good too.

Imperial Spare Ribs with Mocha Sauce


Or otherwise better known as "coffee pork ribs". No idea how these tasted, but the colleagues were rolling off various other places that serve good coffee ribs so I gather these didn't quite make the mark.

There were also some E-fu noodles and simple desserts (the all typical almond jelly with longan) to round off this "Corporate Value Set Menu", but these were at best predictable and ordinary.

Chilli Crabs


A staple at every seafood dinner surely. Both of our tables had two large servings of chilli crabs (with accompanying deep-fried mantou buns) to make sure our dinner was complete. I can't say the chilli crabs were fantastic; in fact it was the most "touristic" (for the lack of a better word or description) of the dishes we had for the night, in large part because it wasn't as spicy as many of us would have liked it to be. Gravy could have been a bit smoother and less clumpy too.

Service
Good. Language barrier though.

Price
$398++ for the corporate set menu
$100++ for each large serving of chilli crabs

Place
Singapore Flyer, #01-01.

Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.

Carousel @ Royal Plaza on Scotts

The last time I was here at Carousel at the Royal Plaza on Scotts, it was for high tea. While it was quite good, it wasn't mind-blowing either. Dinner however, was another thing altogether and I must say I was pretty impressed by the array of food set out for the evening. Admittedly I didn't go around snapping away at all the different buffet stations, and instead I settled with taking pictures of the various plates and bowls of food on the table. I'm quite sure this wouldn't be as enticing as it actually is, but take my word that it's definitely one of the better buffets in Singapore, and certainly the best Halal-certified one here as well.


The cold seafood section is probably where you would spend the longest time at if you're really looking to make your dinner well worth the money you are forking out. Other than the sashimi at the Japanese corner, here you get a good variety of (expensive) seafood delicacies on free flow - poached maine lobsters, spanner crabs, snow crabs, scallops, tiger prawns etc etc. The high turnover rate also means that they are fresh, which is always good to hear.


If you are into Asian soups, there's things like tom yum soup as well and you get a free rein of the ingredients you want to scoop out. Don't ask me why there's so many mussels in this bowl of soup, I'm amused as well.


My sister liked the oyster noodles quite a bit, but pity they use the ordinary thin vermicelli instead of slightly thicker mee suah. The soup base here was quite good and not too diluted. If you want something non-Asian, there's a small range of pastas and ingredients that you can put together for the chef to prepare for you.


The roasted meats section definitely satisfied the red-blooded carnivore in me. The roasted beef ribs for one were quite well done and turned out pretty tasty. The roasted chicken meanwhile was tender but a tad dry, but at least the kebab chicken was much better with that bit of marinate, herbs and spices.


On the "Western" side of the hot food section, simple pleasures like grilled salmon and pan fried spring chicken are clear favourites, especially for the young ones. I wasn't too thrilled with the beef "bourguignon" though, because it was nothing close to that of a French stew.


A few steps away would be the "Asian" part of things, with a selection of popular dishes like chicken curry, stewed beef, deep-fried seabass, Thai-style crab, nasi kunyit and even Chinese herbal braised mutton. This was probably the most average part of the buffet, and I'm quite sure it's because I've already been too Hyatt's Straits Kitchen (just across the road) and that has a far better Asian-themed buffet.


One thing I was quite fond of, more than I expected to be, was the chicken rice! It's not just because of the adorable (some may say, gimmicky) balls of rice but more of how good the roasted duck, "char siew" chicken and steamed chicken tasted. If you can spy at the back of the picture there's also a couple of dim sum items like siew mai and har gow, but these aren't exactly worth your calories. Deep-fried food like the squid you char kway fritters however are worth a bite or two because they're quite a delight to munch on.


A trip to Carousel would never be complete if you don't load up on their sweet desserts. I fancied the little saucers of creme brûlée and also helped myself to multiple servings of deliciously light bread and butter pudding.


The mini-cakes meanwhile were a favourite amongst the little ones, as they went to and fro grabbing the little pieces sneakily with their tiny fingers. I didn't get all the names of all of them but at least here you can see the chocolate almond daquiose and New York cheesecake near the front.


The dessert shooters were a bit more interesting, and I must admit that I really really liked the chocolate mousse shooter because it had both tiny crushed peanuts and hazelnut feuilletine buried deep in the middle. It's like striking gold. The strawberry and caipirinha verrine shooters on the other hand paled in comparison.


Finally, there's always ice-cream, and I'm more than happy to announce that Carousel has stopped serving terribly boring and plain chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice-creams and instead have come up with flavours like "vanilla cashew", "pecan almond" and "chocolate obsession". They were all really good and I was glad to end it all on a sugar high.

Service
Excellent.

Price
About $80 per person after taxes.

Place
Royal Plaza on Scotts Hotel, Scotts Road.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.