On our recent trip to Asia I ate and ate and ate, in no country more than Singapore (which F. affectionately calls, Singapork). Though, mostly that was because of the sumptuous buffet breakfasts daily, other than those, we really had only a few memorable meals here, with our Chinese New Year Reunion dinner* at no signboard seafood being one of them.
Weird baby cabbage/brussels sprout greens with garlic
Our Reunion dinner was unplanned, I just knew I wanted crab, so in fancy hotel style, I called the concierge and made them organise it for us. Wonderful!
No signboard seafood has made its way from a simple hawker stall to a fancy seafood restaurant with outlets dotted around the city. We visit the brach at The Esplanade where the surroundings are beautiful and new, but the service is haphazard which I don’t really mind. We sit outside in the warm night air and people watch, it is New Years Eve, after all. Our dishes arrive piecemeal, with the greens coming out first. I honestly have no idea what plant this is, but I love it. Ever so slightly bitter, redolent with garlic and just a little crisp, I have to stop myself from eating them all before the rest of the meal arrives.
Next is the fish steamed with sesame, soy and coriander. Head and tail intact for good New Year tidings. Tender and tasty, fishy but not overly so, we pick all the meat off the bones.
Cornflake Prawns
Next is the cornflake prawns. Seriously. House specialty apparently. These are deep fried with a thin batter covering their shells, the cornflake accompaniment is strangely sweetened, but so moreish I find myself nibbling the remainder long after the prawns are gone. To be honest though, how the hell are you supposed to eat this? Does anyone know? Our finger bowls are soon turned to murky soup, our requests for more seem to fall on deaf ears.
Singapore Chilli Crab
Next up is the Chilli Crab. Delicious. Spicy. Really really spicy. Within minutes noses are running and this is looking to be a tough gig. Maybe they are punishing us for asking for too many finger bowls? Conversation dies as we work hard to extract the sweet tender flesh, breathing deeply to ensure the chilli doesn’t overwhelm. It is a little while before I realise that the lights on the walkway in front of me are dancing, the trees and doing strange things and that this chilli is quite possibly making me hallucinate.
Piles of crab shell and other detritus little the table, the food has been all but demolished, and I think my sanity is creeping back, along with feeling in my lips. We ask for another finger bowl, pay, and wander back to the loving embrace of our fancy hotel home.
* There was no reunion about it, just F. and I. But I felt really left out with the newspapers, TV and restaurants being full of news of families reunion dinner-ing.
No Signboard Seafood
The Esplanade,
8 Raffles Ave,
Singapore.
5 Comments
gee whiz look at the sauce on the crab, looks delicious. Did you try black pepper crab when you were there ? I saw alot of restaurants offer it.
Ooh the cornflake prawns sound so good, what an interesting idea to use it with prawns. Haha I love the name Singapork, how appropriate!
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Cornflake prawns! I have no idea how to eat them, but I’m kinda inspired to try make a version at home, I like the thought of crunchy nibbles with my prawns..
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Howard: Gee whiz indeed! The sauce was so so so spicy. I wish that we had ordered the black pepper crab instead, might have enjoyed it more!
Steph: Yeah, those prawns were really moreish.
Miss Honey: The prawns were delicious, but I still don’t know how to eat them. Maybe you need some sort of liquid to stick the cornflake to the batter, or something. Speaking of cornflakes, time for breakfast
hello, just passed by your blog while searching for no signboard seafood on google. regarding the cereal prawns, you are supposed to just stuff everything into your mouth! as what one of my mum’s old boss says. the shells provide extra crunch!