Flight UA1 landed SIN (Changi airport) 20 minutes early this past Wednesday at 5:50 am. Hit the airport ATM, topped up our EZ Link cards and hopped on the MRT to town.
Checked bags at our hotel and were advised our room may be ready as soon as noon. Ok, five hours to fill. First order of the day, breakfast:
First dinner was to be somewhere in the vicinity of Chinatown. We usually go out with a vague short list of foods/restaurants, and let our feet instinct decide what and where.
The throngs and heat pretty much unchanged since our last visit. Like our C-town in San Francisco, the percentage of the masked were higher than general population.
So many goodies beckon, we decided dinner at Tiang Shian Claypot Porridge. TS shared a space and tables with a Hainan chicken shop and a stall that sold beer and beverages.
Although the crocodile was tempting, we opted for the namesake Frog Congee. This did not disappoint, dear say the best frog in recent memory , maybe ever. Tender tasty frog morsels simmered w/Jook in a clay pot scented with ginger and scallion. Clay pot imparted a nice smokey earthiness.
Almost ordered curry fish head, but decided to save this favorite dish for another day and venue. Instead, we had steamed fish head slathered with a ginger garlic purée. Fish itself was very good with a nice feel. Flavor was very subtle but the ginger spread didn’t really bring much to the party. Greens and rice rounded out the meal.
We’d avoided crab on previous trips, too messy! We decided we have to go for it this time. We brought lots of gloves. I know most crab restaurants will provide, but we suspect we may need quantity.
Of course, we had the pig tail. Delicious!! Tinier than what we’d gotten elsewhere, almost suckling size, maybe a few weeks older. Per usual, constant refills of the broth upon request.
Whole steamed fish, a barramundi this time. Chunky and meaty, nicely steamed and scented with lime and cilantro. Added a touch of chile infused soya and stripped the fish to the bone. Not a flake of fish was wasted.
I know what you mean - but I wouldn’t want it any other way!
If you order black or white pepper crab it would be less messy than with chilli crab. Already decided where to go? I’ve always been partial to the original location of No Signboard Seafood in Geylang, also because of the typical SE Asian (non-Singaporean) location.
Looks good! We had something similar in Kaohsiung a few years back, a good sized specimen prepped 4 ways. Wonder if same species? Will ask wife, once she stop sawing logs. We fish eaters, game to try any suggestions.
Suspected it may be durian time. Saw quite a few vendors and smelled quite a few more. Even saw trays prepackaged in CS (cold storage) this afternoon. Wife commented she didn’t notice any NO DURIAN signs back at the hotel.
Have tried maybe a couple of times before, not yet a fan. May have to revisit.
Besides black pepper, marmite crabs are good too. Yep that marmite. The go-to crabs are the excellent Sri Lankan mud crabs. Not sure if they have Australian mud crabs too… anyway get the mud crabs
Since you mentioned fish. Another local specialty at Cze char places is a shark cartilage dish. Haven’t had it myself but comes highly recommended.
Lastly if you have a hankering for HK quality dim sum without the 3 week quarantine. Singapore dim sum houses are worth a visit.
Assam style fish head is another good prep if you’d like to try something different. Has a sour backdrop from the use of tamarind
Hmmmmm. We may have passed this restaurant on the way to frog porridge on last trip. Interesting seemingly local neighborhood. Was puzzled why a large somewhat fancy facade didn’t seem to have any obvious signage.
First sit down in restaurant Dim Sum in over two years. First carts in probably twice as long.
Huge Hong Kong style bustling with all the happy din and hustle of a good dim sum house. The captain promptly brought our Pu-erh and Chrysanthemum tea, let the carts roll!
My wife has difficulty with FOMO (fear of missing out). I gently reminded her to only take what we can enjoy while still at optimal temperature and freshness. Rinse/repeat. Was somewhat successful in this endeavor.
Had most of the usual suspects. Ha Gau, Siu Mai, Pork Spareribs, Cheong Fun, Jook, Choy Sum, Yuba (bean curd) roll and Phoenix Claw (chicken feet).
Great to see the pics of an actual dim sum place again, it has been over 4 years for me since I last went to a proper one! In my hometown in Europe a lot of good Chinese chefs left when the pandemic struck, and the best restaurants are still closed.
Re location No Signboard Seafood. It’s not for everyone I guess. I like it because it is so different from all the shiny malls/streets where you will already be spending a lot of time. There are lots of other options for crab - you can also go to Jumbo seafood. Whenever I go for crab I will also get la la clams, my favourite.
Planning to go to Marina Bay Sands? Just for drinks maybe? Best view in Sin.
Already losing my ass on LVS (Las Vegas Sands) stock, so no plans to contribute further. Should have went only for the view las night though. For whatever occasion, there were fighting jets, helicopter formations, fireworks and laser show with the Sands as the focal point.
Partner just told me we have plans for the Red House Seafood for crab tonight. Oh, ok. Never heard of RH, but she is rarely if ever wrong when it comes to food. Should be good.
Think slimmer cousin of manila clams, on an aggressive Weightwatchers program. Also thinner shell. Agreed chili garlic is a good prep. I also enjoy prepped “Kam Heong (金香)” (dried shrimps, curry powder, shallots and garlic) style.
Gonna shoot for crab tomorrow, looking forward to trying the lala as well. I see the clams can be prepped with sambal, which intrigues me. Have only had sambal once, and would like more.
I caught Mark’s crab video before we left. I’ve watched just about every single one of his videos since before Micah came onboard.
I knew Mark had made it, when I caught his in-house segment on the IHG infotainment channel during our stay at the Bankok Intercontinental in 2017. He deserves the success. For basically a one man production, he cranks out the product.
We fish eaters, game to try any suggestions.
