Scaled by Ah Huat Kelong - Local Seafood Delights with Modern Twists

A local restaurant specialising in seafood produced by a local kelong? I’m totally on it! Actually, I had tried dishes made with Ah Hua Kelong’s produce in some excellent local fusion restaurants and I was really impressed. So when I found out Ah Hua Kelong has its own restaurant, I knew I have to come here to get the full experience of savouring local produce made with local sensibility, presented in local style, topped with modern flair.

Reservation is a must because this place is full house on the day I pop over and quite a number of walk-ins got turned away.

The seafood there is undeniably fresh and sweet. And to topped it off, the excellent preparation makes the seafood tastes even more delectable. And with the dishes presented in Asian, local style guarantees that lots of familiar beloved robust flavours and nostalgia. The modern chic influences infused into the dishes excites the tastebuds, making dining here an unique one.

The place has that nostalgia of kelong due to the traditional hanging kerosene lamp lookalikes, the jalousie windows commonly seen in heritage buildings, cement floor and yes, the light lovely scent of roasting seafood. Service is good, attentive and helpful. This is a great place to enjoy curated local fare with local flair.

Sambal Lala is filled with so many goodies, such as sake sambal belacan, garlic confit and lots of sweet fresh lala, with some toasts dunked in to absorb the incredibly flavourful soup. The resulting broth is ultimate spicy umami. I totally love this. Due to the sheer number of lalas added, it is great for sharing. I do prefer savouring the toast while it is still crunchy and coated with a layer of the delicious broth, over it being soaked soggy with the broth. I suggest to try both ways of eating the toast.

Three Egg Chawamushi is made from Lala broth (yes! Lala broth is the sweetest!), egg and squid ink and topped with century egg and ikura. The creamy, lovely briny sweetness is pronounced, thus delighting the palates. The pickled ginger will make the briny sweetness taste even sweeter!

Fresh Roasted Prawn with Seaweed Butter and Braised Kelp is epitome of unbridled briny sweetness, made even more exciting with the hints of char. This is oh-so good! And amazingly, the firm, bouncy prawns taste even sweeter when lemon juice is splashed over them.

Raspberry Clafoutis is a lovely story of textures. Crunchy ginger snap and fluffy raspberry cake is infused with Southeast Asian influences from the bouncy lime jellies and smooth coconut cream to yield an unique dessert that hit all the check boxes for varied taste profile. I’m pleasantly surprised by how good and interesting the dessert is since I had assumed that dessert was just an add-on in a seafood restaurant.

Recommend to get the white wine here because the food actually tastes better with it.

Thoughts: Exciting Local Seafood Delights

8 Hamilton Road

Nearest MRT: Bendemeer

Luke's Lobster - Luxurious Fast Food

This place is no longer in operation

Despite always reminding myself to avoid lobster since lobster is very hard to be prepared well, The word "Lobster" in Luke's Lobster's signboard simply catches my attention. I'm hesitant to try it because I'm not sure if a fast food restaurant can prepare this hard-to-prepare seafood well. But as someone who wants to try new but safe experiences in the world of food, plus the fact that this restaurant uses sustainable seafood (I'm all for green practices), I decide to take the plunge.

And Luke's Lobster surprises me, in a good way.

The Wasabi Mayo Lobster Bun features toasted, super fluffy bun stuffed with lots and lots of real tender, yummy lobster meat. There are even the highly coveted lobster's claw meat in there! And they are very generous with the amount of wasabi added for that shiok feeling. Yes, this is real good.

If one can't take the simulating flavour of wasabi, go for the normal Lobster bun instead.

For add-on of $16, I get soup of the day and a drink of my choice. The soup is chock full of ingredients, which is good. But the ala-carte soup costs around $10? I didn't remember the actual price. While the drinks costs about $8 each. So I feel the add-on is not really worth it in price if you are not looking to get drink and soup in the first place.

Update: This is like the only fast food restaurant that I keep going back to, and yes, I try other items on the menu.

Truffle Butter Lobster Roll has more nuanced flavour profile and the truffle paste slathered on top of the buttered toasty bun adds an exotic earthy aroma. I love this too.

Despite my meh experience with the top-up of drink and clam chowder, I opt to try it again with my options as Homemade Lemonade and Lobster Bisque. And these are good! Lobster bisque has bites of lobster meat hidden within, and it is so full of light buttery umami of lobster. The zesty lemonade is a nice contrast to the richness of the lobster roll and lobster bisque.

The Crab Roll is stuffed full of silky, moist shredded crab meat that features the nuanced flavour of the sea. It tastes especially good with the sweet, light mayo slathered on the interior of the soft fluffy bun. I like this too! For easier bite, crab is the choice.

Though higher in price as compared to other fast food restaurant, I feel the Lobster Bun here is very value-for-money due to the sheer amount of delicious lobster meat packed into the bun. Definitely worth a try.

Thoughts: Fast Food Restaurant can serve quality food too.

350 Orchard Road Shaw House #01-K4

Nearest MRT: Orchard

Poisson Restaurant - Seafood Feast for Seafood Lovers

Closed

This place is like the ultimate gastronomical dream come true for seafood lovers, which includes me, of course. Before Poisson, Japanese omasake restaurants are the places I go to for seafood exclusive feasts. So when I found out about Poisson from TOP: The Ordinary Patrons, I immediately marked a date to visit this place because not only it is seafood exclusive, the preparation of food is of European style, which is something different from the Japanese restaurants I love. The Saturday Brunch is like a seafood feast where I get to try ten signature dishes.

Smoked Uno is very impressively presented as seen in the video. Shrouded in vapour, this beautiful creation is revealed when the bell jar is lifted up. Caviar perching on top of tongues of vibrant orange uni that is sitting on a bed of negitoro, which is minced tuna belly, adorned by the ikura that looks like orange crystal balls. And the taste is sublime, it is like the sweetness of ocean. The crispy cereal crunch adds a nice dimension in texture. This is so good that it is worth it to specially come to Poisson to try this.

The oysters are very fresh, mild and creamy in flavours, nicely perked up in taste by the vinaigrette and ikura. 

The whelk is perfectly prepared, being chewy yet easy to bite. The honey and soy sauce accentuate the briny taste of the whelk. I love this.

Grilled Squid is one of the main dishes of Poisson and i know why after trying this. Like the whelk, it is very well-prepared, having the chewy yet easy to bite texture. The smoky flavour of the char adds a layer of dimension to the overall taste. A very hearty treat. This is the first time I totally enjoy eating a squid, not counting in calamari.

Grey Shrimp Croquette is creamy and yummy with crispy exterior. The parsley coulis adds a hint of pungent herb flavour to spice things up.

Lobster Dumpling is one of those dishes that makes one feels warm and fuzzy when savouring it. The rich lobster broth is warm and full of light umami. The dumpling is filled with firm but still easy to bite lobster meat. A well-executed dish.

Catch of Day is what I feel unsure about, before I eat it, since I'm not really into cooked fish. But it turns out to be the surprise of day because I'm wowed by how good it is. Absolutely no fishy smell, the threadfin flesh is pliable and moist, unlike the fishes, especially threadfins, that I had elsewhere. In addition, the crispy skin of the fish has this delightful char. I love the rice here, it is starchy, smooth and has an iota of chewiness. Lastly, the spiciness of the sauce adds lots of excitement to this dish, and it works.

I have never see Yuzu Sake anywhere, so I'm glad to have tried it here. Sweet and alcoholic, it is also very refreshing due the zest from Yuzu. I like this so much. Recommended to give it a try if dining at here. Apple sorbet with Reviseur Cognac is very intense in taste, great to alternate with the sweet earthy flavour of the macarons. The chef is very generous with the Cognac.

A nice cup of lemongrass tea to sip while relaxing. I need this after a glass of champagne, a glass of yuzu sake and loads of Reviseur Cognac lol

The blue, turquoise, dreamy interior of the place makes one feel like dining in an underwater restaurant. And the long panel of glass across the open kitchen adds on to this underwater restaurant vibe by giving a feel of an aquarium. The service is outstanding, being observant, prompt to respond to requests and do their bests to make the guests feel comfortable. The guys there are really great conversationists who can connect with the patrons.

I love the Saturday Brunch here where I get to try so many different types of seafood in small bites. A prefect place to enjoy seafood, and a perfect place to chill out with friends over great food and lots of alcohol. I definitely want to be back here soon.

Thoughts: Lovely under-the-sea-like restaurant to have seafood feasts at.

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Gattopardo Ristorante Di Mare - Awesome Sicilian Cuisine

Note: Temporary closed to be moved to new location

I had always wanted to go to Gattopardo since this is the only place to get Sicilian food, and it is always exciting and sometimes very rewarding to try out a new type of cuisine. Since Sicily is an autonomous island near Italy, the cuisine has noticeable Italian and Mediterranean influences, okay, this looks really promising. After a Sicilian Journey here, I can say I'm now a fan of Sicilian cuisine.

A taste of Sea Scallop Ceviche, Smoked Caviar makes one feels like he or she is dining in a beautiful seaside town. This is such a beautiful dish, in terms of both aesthetic and taste. The fresh, plump, juicy scallops is so full of briny sweetness, accentuated by the intense umami of smoked caviar, zest of the tomato and clear sauce. I love this so much.

Bunny Kombucha of Passion Fruit flavour is very refreshing, slightly sweet and sour. Great for the health of the guts and really whets the appetite. Very good recommendation by the friendly and helpful service staff.

Amuse Bouche of Truffle with Ricotta Cheese has the super creaminess and mild nutty flavour of ricotta cheese paired with the earthy aroma of truffle. The thin wafer adds a nice crunch to the dish. A well-executed starter that explores the combination of various tastes and textures.

Sourdough bread is served warm and has a nice fluffy texture Very wholesome treat, and the olive is very interesting in taste, having a slight astringent bitter taste with planty notes. I like this unique taste.

Sicilian Rice Balls, Fresh Black Truffle, Ragusano Cheese Fondue comes after Scallop Ceviche, and this is like trip from the seaside to the deep woods. More mellow, features the nuanced flavours of the earth and woods, this dish is a nice transition in taste profile. The fluffy, starchy rice packed with molten cheese, peppered with truffle, is so wholesome in taste.

Risone Pasta, Baby Octopus, Bone Marrow Butter is another great surprise served. The baby octopus is springy in texture and yet easy to bite, I definitely prefer this over the regular tough octopus. I love the Risone Pasta. It has the wholesomeness of quality rice, and its grain-like shape allows the rich sauce to fully coat each grain, so each bite of this is bursting with flavours. The texture of this paste is unique and unbelievably good, having smooth exterior with starchy interior. First time to try to kind of pasta, and I'm lovin' it already.

The service staff is very nice to change my mains to Citrus Glazed Iberico Pork Belly, Parsnip, Wild Spinach from the lunch menu since I prefer pork and seafood over beef, lamb and fish. This has nice tender pork with rich gamey flavours, and mustard and special sauce to cut through the gamey flavours for the balance in taste. Very favourful and hearty.

Palate Cleanser of sorbet before the dessert.

Tiramisu, Noto Almonds, Amaretti Crumble is a indulgent treat with lots of creaminess, hints of alcohol and nutty goodness of almonds. This nicely round up the whole exciting trip of a meal.

Nice cute little Petit Fours served.

The place is so beautiful. The exterior looks like a well-furnished bungalow with a courtyard. The first floor is seeped in idyllic theme, like the backyard patio of a mansion, perfect to chill out. The second floor is posh and fancy, like the main dining hall of the very same mansion. Lots of instagram-worthy pictures can be taken of the place. The service is excellent, being friendly, enthusiastic and attentive, and they have very good knowledge of the food. Now I can add another favourite type of cuisine into my Favourites List, and it is Sicilian. Since it is in my Favourites List, of course, I will come back for more.

Thoughts: I love all dishes here. Must-try for foodies.