Operating Hours: Mon-Fri 11.30 am to 2.00pm, 5.30pm to 10.30pm
Sat, Sun & PH 11.30am to 10.30pm
WADA rating: 34+ 17 = 51pts
QPI: 3+ ($25-$45 per pax for dinner)
WFI: C (Free corkage if youu order beer or know the lady boss who is kinda an oenophile too)
Tasted twice, most recent with DBF's extended family of 20 pax in mid Apr 08.
Situated in a very ulu location near the old punggol cluster of original chilli / pepper crab restaurants in Singapore, this restaurant used to be one of the original gang of four (or five? can't remember). The journey to this place is itself ....a journey...it really reminds me of the good ole days when my dad drove the family deep into the punggol jungle on dusty dirt tracks all the way to the end near the waterfront to have our monthly dose of chilli crab. They had redone the whole area into a country club but there still exists a whisker of that old world charm in the area.
This place is really deep in and out of the way so don't even try to come if you don't drive...although I did see an LRT station nearby but heard its not operational yet.What's Good
Stirfry Nai Bai Vegetables
A pleasant suprise for a seafood restaurant, this had clean fresh flavours. It was well fried just at the right doneness and displayed good fire control by the chef. Tasty and refreshing as a first dish.
Fish Maw Soup
I was again suprised by this dish that I was expecting to be an expensive filler on their menu which would most probably be a starchy tastless "shark fin soup" imitation. However, this was a simple yet tasty broth of seafood flavours with very good consistency that doesn't feel starchy at all. Hints of vinegary sourness helps to cut through any remaining cloying starchiness too. The highlight is the fish maw, which bursts out with the wonderful stock in th e mouth. Pleasantly suprised.What's Not
Crabs (both Chilli and Pepper)
Given the provenance of the dish and how crabs ARE the main selling point as can be seen from their signboard, it is only fair that expectations are at least marginally high. However, echoes of disappointment from DBF's extended family echo my own sentiments. The quality of the crabs were deplorable with loose meat that feels more like those supermarket crabsticks. The seafood freshness is not evident at all. I did hear some explanations of seasonalilty from DBF's family being used to justify the poorer quality of the crab meat but I am not buying it.
The chili crab used to taste better when I first tasted it last year but this time round it just tastes plain and unexciting. Its not even spicy! It maybe passes off as average stuff that you can get easily from any seafood zhi char all over Singapore.
The pepper crab, though faring better, is just slightly a feather above average with some hot white pepper action on the palate.Other Dishes Tasted
The Mee Goreng was decent with good tomatoey sweet & sour flavours working through...but could do with more "wok hei". The sweet and sour pork and hot plate deer meat were of average zhi char quality. The steamed prawns were very fresh and sweet...a good consolation.
Comments
One phrase sums it all...living on past glories. This place needs to pick itself up, dust away the cobwebs and re-invent themselves. With such a unique location and a strong brand name , it should have been able to deliver a mind-blowing dining experience...but sadly...it did not.
Service-wise, it is just keeping its head above water with too many tables (interesting to say it is usually quite a full house at least during weekends) and too few staff. They seem to be in a daze ..probably overwhelmed.
All in all, come here for reminiscing sake and I suspect this is also the prevalent reason for the crowds on weekends.
Wine Pairing Suggestions
Definitely a white....say a viognier or new world riesling.
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