315. Banana Leaf BBQ Seafood

Otah

The otah they are selling was made ready and packed in boxes but when it was not served as it was seen. Ah...they flattened the otah. Hmm, I felt the flattened otah tasted nicer than it was in a rectangular size.

BBQ Stingray

Many said their BBQ is good. My friend has been craving for BBQ stingray for some time so I suggested trying out Banana Leaf's. Business was quite good for them. My friends and I felt the BBQ stingray was just mediocre. The sambal chili was hot, hot and hot. Too spicy, I felt. The stingray was a tad overgrilled as the meat was slightly dry and hard.

Fried Sambal Kang Kong

I reminded the auntie who took our order to let the kitchen staff know of less oil for our plate of kang kong but still it was oily. It was a tad too salty too. Must go with rice.

It cost $32 for all. I'm not sure how the rest of their seafood taste but the stingray alone didn't make me or my friends agree that their BBQ seafood was nice.

Banana Leaf BBQ Seafood
Blk 450 Clementi Ave 3
#01-271 Singapore 120450

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244. Sydney - Peter's Fish Market

Peter's Fish Market is one of the seafood outlet at the Sydney Fish Market. It even had a sashimi bar where customers can just ask them to slice the salmon or tuna slab, all ready for eating with the wasabi and soy sauce. I was pretty surprised that they had actually sold cooked prawns. I wondered how hygienic they were, considering that the cooked prawns were placed on ice like the other seafood were placed. Food poisoning on the prowl, you know?

Feast on the seafood when you get to Sydney's Fish Market! It's cheap! Look at the array of seafood laid before your eyes and you would not want to leave without tasting them.

Rock Oysters @AUD7 for half dozen

Not to be missed. I would say they ain't the largest. They were the medium sized oysters. Larger ones were sold at roughly AUD15+ for a dozen. Fresh and juicy! Oyster lovers are going to love this place.

Grilled lobster and chips @AUD18.50

Great deal. It came with a can of soft drink, price inclusive. Nice crunchy leafy salad with a tinge of lemon in the salad dressing, very appetizing. The chips, or fries as we commonly known as, were fat and crispy. Very sinful. The grilled lobster smelled nice. The meat was firm. However, I felt the tenderness and sweetness was lost in the process of the grilling. Overgrilled.

Unagi @AUD9.95 per pax

Oh lord! We would not have got a whole piece of unagi for just AUD9.95 in Singapore. It was cheap! The only flaw being it was slightly chilled. I drooled at the thought of having a bowl of piping hot short grain rice to go along with the unagi. They sell uni at the store too!

Seasoned seaweed @AUD3

They have all that makes a simple Japanese bento except for the rice.

Salmon @AUD10.30

Salmon sliced on the spot. Got them to cut a slab, weighing roughly 250g. It would not have cost just a mere $10 in Singapore for this amount. Didn't like tuna so tuna was out of the picture. The salmon was sweet and juicy. The meat was tender. The salmon simply melted in the mouth. It was the best that I have ever tasted. Fish hauled up and sliced into sashimi. What a luxury! No doubt for the long queues on weekends.

Peter's Seafood

Sydney Fish Market

237. Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant II

Mini egg tartlets @$3.20

It was surprisingly good, better than I had expected it to be. The crust was thin. I disliked buttery crust, especially those that made the throat dry. Custard was not too sweet and the texture was soft and yet firm.

Beancurd wrap

It had mushrooms and shrimps wrapped in beancurd skin. I personally didn't like to eat beancurd skin but this tasted nice. The beancurd wrap was first fried before it was steamed. Usually, there will be a greasy oil taste if the oil that was used to fry the food was reused but for this, there wasn't.

Salt and pepper tofu cubes @$4.80

I loved this. The tofu cubes were fried till crispy on the exterior and the tofu inside was very silky. They simply melted in my mouth. The only thing I felt could be improvised was the garlic they had used. Does salt and pepper dish consists of garlic?? Anyway, they had added garlic and I supposed the garlic was over fried a little which resulted in a mild charred taste. But it tasted alright if the garlic bits was not eaten. Pepper taste was not very evident though.

Spinach in stock

It was good. I had it the last time so I shan't repeat my comments again.

Cheese baked oysters @$7 per se

The oysters were fresh and cheap. Have them the cheese baked style somehow didn't wow me. The amount of cheese and mayonnaise was too much and covered the taste of the oysters. The overall taste was pretty bland too. Maybe I should not have ordered cheese baked style at restaurants where chefs were more apt at Chinese dishes. Have them fresh could have been better.

Black vinegar pig trotters

It was not exceptionally good but acceptable. I didn't want to say it was just mediocre because I know I have tasted worse off ones. Either the black vinegar was too sourish or too bland. This was alright. I felt it lacked the oomph. Wasn't cooked long enough. It was considered to be one of the side dishes for dim sum, I supposed only available during the dim sum hours.

Crabs with vermicelli

Delicious! The vermicelli was very well-flavoured with the crab. Crab meat was firm and juicy. Yummy! My previous visit, the crabs were priced at a exceptionally low price, even lower than those available at the tze char stalls at coffeeshops. It was a great deal to have the crabs but I didn't have them the last time. So, I did this time round but the price went up and it was equivalent to those at the coffeeshops but hey....we had them in a restaurant so it was still considered a good deal.

Fried banana balls with red bean

I liked this for the great combination. It was not too sweet. Having been fried, the banana would have excreted a slight sour taste but the use of the sweet red bean paste covered up the sour taste and made the whole fried ball a great snack. The exterior was crispy and the thin bread crust wasn't oil-laden.

This meal was eaten some time ago. Lost the receipt and thus some of the prices were recalled based on memory. But I did remember that our bill didn't exceed $100. Overall, the food was decent and good. They were affordable as well.

See previous entry.
http://foodiesqueen.blogspot.com/2009/02/228-ah-yat-seafood-restaurant.html

228. Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant

I had my dinner at Ah Yat last night. We made a few rounds before we finally managed to find the location, The Village. The focus for the night's dinner - LIVE Seafood! Despite being a friday night, it wasn't as crowded as I had expected. However, they still had the air-con on full blast. I was freezing, warmed after a few sips of hot tea. Ah Yat is famous for their abalone. I had it when I was very young, I could still remember the Hong Kong chef, Ah Yat had personally cooked for us. It was live demostration then. I had some other seafood this time round. It was almost after a decade I visited Ah Yat again.

The variety of shells, clams.....

Oysters, bamboo clams.......

Crabs selling at $1.60 per 100g!!!
The man and the Alaska crabs....

There was quite a variety of seafood available and all were priced at 50% discounted price.

Deep fried silver fish with salt @$10

This was an appetizer. I felt it tasted more like french fries but a harder version. There wasn't much visible fish meat. I felt if some black pepper was added, it could have been better.

5 Bamboo clams @$44 $22

Steamed garlic bamboo clams. I felt the way Ah Yat have done it was a little oily. Nevertheless, the clam's meat was firm and tangy. After 50% disc, it was just $4.40 for 1 bamboo clam. Other places would have cost $7-$9 for one bamboo clam.

This dish was cancelled because most of the shells were not opened. I tasted one but it wasn't great. The meat was a tad overcooked, it was rubbery. It wasn't very nice.

Australian lobster, 1.6kg @$236.80 $118.40

This was the best lobster that I have tasted this year. We had it cooked in stock. The lobster was full of meat, fresh and sweet. The meat was like that of fresh scallop, so succulent and juicy. Can you believe it, it was really so cheap.....the last Indonesian lobster I had a month ago was just 700g and it cost near $90!

Roasted Chicken (half) @$10

We had some non-seafood dish, the roasted chicken. The chicken wasn't exceptionally great nor was it the worst that I have tasted so far. The best roasted chicken I have tasted so far was from Boon Lay Raja Restaurant.

Spinach @$12

I'm pretty surprised that the greens cost more than the chicken. Cooked with garlic whole, it went well with rice.

Complimentary fruits

Red bean soup with glutinous rice balls @$4

Yes. This was the portion for $4 which I thought was very expensive. It was the size of the soup bowl that we had at restaurant. The red bean soup was quite watery, not many beans.

Our bill worked out to be $227.60 but with the coupon discount, we had another $10.60 deducted. So, the bill was $217. I felt it was cheap for the seafood we had. There were a few that I have not had and definitely will be back before the promotion of 50% discount on live seafood ends in March. Baked oysters, braised abalone and etc......

Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant

241 Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim

#01-01 The Village

Singapore 629143

Tel: 6265 8218

219. Atlantis Seafood Village

This Kranji Farm Resort opened with a big bang in Nov last year, inviting Taiwan celebrity host, Jacky Wu, to grace its opening. Its opening made the deserted Kranji area packed with people. There was quite a crowd when I visited it just a moment ago. Some were having BBQ.

The restaurant, Atlantis Seafood Village has a open-concept kitchen. The place was very big. Tables were placed under the pitched up tents. In the background, music was heard from the ktv lounge a short distance away.

A wide range of seafood to choose from.

Braised peanuts

La La

The first dish we have ordered but it was taken back. The first taste was delicious. If you have noticed, only a few of the shells were opened. If the la la-s were cooked, the shells would have open. We thought they weren't thoroughly cooked so we asked for them to be cooked again. The waitress returned with apologies. The dish was cancelled because the la la weren't fresh. Supposedly the shells wouldn't open even after being cooked the second time round.

Cream Sauce Pan-Fried Lobster @$53.40

We got a lobster which weighed 600g. It was quite small though. The cream sauce was just so-so. I think they added too much thyme if that was thyme they have added. The lobster has a weird taste. Not the fresh taste but rather of those frozen meat. Overall, it wasn't palatable.

Chinese Spinach @$15

This chinese spinach came adorned in red gravy. Red extract from the spinach. It was the first time I have seen spinach cooked with salted egg yolk and century egg. Frankly speaking, the 2 eggs didn't add any special taste to the dish. I didn't really like this dish. The more I ate, the more I felt sick with the thought of the gluey century egg mixed with the spinach.

Pork Ribs @$20

It was well-marinated but not thoroughly cooked. I personally felt the meat they have chosen was a tad too fat. The proportion of fat was more than the lean meat. And this resulted in the pork ribs to be slightly oily which oozed out from the fats.

Crispy Fried Beancurd with Pork Floss @$18

I felt this was just mediocre. The beancurd wasn't the softest nor the silkest I ever have had. The beancurd wasn't very crispy on its exterior. The pork floss was rather tasteless and was dispensable.

Scallop with Satay Paste @$30

We had the la la replaced with this dish. Actually it wasn't satay paste that I have tasted of. It was more of the "sha cha" paste, a Chinese condiment favoured by the Taiwanese. It has a savoury and slight spicy taste. This dish didn't wow me either.

Our bill worked out to be $162 for 5 pax. I felt it was slightly expensive and not worthwhile for the taste was just so-so and the location was pretty out of the place if you do not own your own transport. I think they do provide free transportation from one of the nearest MRT stations during the weekends. The main attraction would be the environment. I felt it was very relaxing, like being at the outskirts of a town.

Atlantis Seafood Village
10 Neo Tiew Lane 2
Singapore 718813

126. Seafood Paradise

It's no doubt a profitable business for the Chua brothers who started this Seafood Paradise at the Singapore Flyer after making it big at their Tze Char stall (also known as Seafood Paradise)at Defu Lane. I was having dinner at the Singapore Flyer outlet just an hour ago.

Gracious...I was surprised by the amount of people who were there on a Thursday night. It was almost full house. I didn't make any reservations but luckily there were still available tables. It was 7.15pm. I was then brought to a table outdoor at the farthest corner. The available tables were all filled up fast.

At about 9pm, I made a visit to the restroom and there was a queue outside.

Braised Superior Shark Fin in Mini Claypot @$28/pax

The shark fin was served in a claypot and so it was hot. The soup was starchy and contained quite an amount of fins in it. I didn't have great expectations for the shark fins. I mean for $28, what can you expect? Thankfully, the quality of the fins was not of the most inferior grade. For $28, it was considered quite worthwhile. I find the soup a little too salty.

Honey Pepper Ribs (Small) @$12

The ribs looked like it was hard to bite but I was wrong. The exterior of the honey pepper ribs was crispy. It wasn't too sweet. However, there was more fats than meat in the ribs. The fats sandwiched the narrow strip of lean meat which made me a little queasy. I'm not a big fan of such fatty meat. If they used a leaner meat, it would have been better.

Prawn with Fruit Salad (Medium) @$24

The prawns were deep fried and they were still crispy on the exterior despite the moist coat of mayonnaise. I believed they used glass prawns. The prawns were tangy and succulent. I find that the mayonnaise coating was a little too much. But, it was overall a dish above average quality.

Scallop with XO Sauce Asparagus (Medium) @$30

The scallop with asparagus cooked with XO sauce and hay-bee-hiam was a good dish to go with plain rice. It wasn't too spicy nor salty. And luckily, it wasn't oily too.

Now, the most sought after dish of the night....Jajang...the crabs. SP is having the crab promotion. Each crab at $8/kg. I'm not sure if the lure of the crabs explained for the crowd tonight or SP is always so crowded.

Here's a little joke to share. I saw the crab promotion on newspapers a few days ago but I didn't really read up on the details because I didn't thought of going to SP. So, I didn't cut the coupons. When we were there at SP, the waitress told us that without the coupons, the crabs will be selling at $38/kg instead. Hmmm....disappointing.

My brother asked the waitress to help us get a coupon but she rejected. I pointed out the young man, the younger Chua brother, who was walking around, is the boss. So, my mum, the sudden gung-ho auntie called out to him and asked if he could help us get the coupon so that we could enjoy their crabs at the promotional price. Initially, the younger Chua said he will give us a 10% discount but later on lost out to my mum's persuasion and helped us get a coupon. So, we had the crabs at the promotional price. It shouldn't be hard though since their purpose is to attract people to have their crabs.

I find that the chilli crab was just so-so. It wasn't too spicy. The sauce was hot but not the crab. But the crab was meaty. For $8 each crab, it was a super great deal. They didn't weigh the crabs but I think most were approximately a kg.

Their signature cream sauce crab. The cream sauce had a peppery taste. I think white pepper was added. The cream sauce was delicious. Must-try! It was a good dipping sauce for the fried mantou.

To get a taste of these crabs, we waited for a long time, almost an hour. It should be due to the crab promotion. I think almost every table ordered 2 crabs. The kitchen had plates of steamed ready crabs decked up to cook for the orders tonight.

Fried beancurd szechuan style @$12

I like tofu, those cooked with gravy dripped over or something like this dish. The szechuan style meant spicy. However, it wasn't too spicy. The sauce was slightly salty due to the fermented beans. The beancurd wasn't that of silky smooth but the sauce complemented it. It was a dish to go with plain rice.

Stir Fried Mee Sua @$10

The mee sua was quite good but just a little oily.

The bill totalled up to $209 for 5 pax. It was pretty worthwhile partly because of the crab promotion and also thanks to the boss. The quality of the food was quite good for this pricing. Ambience wise, definitely a plus because it is at a tourist attraction and located near the sea. It was quite windy.

One flaw is the service. I think their service is quite inefficient. We asked for plain rice. We waited for at least 20 minutes and it was until the 3rd time, we were served the rice. Asked for the bill when the long awaited crab was served because we didn't want to wait. Ate finish the crab then was the bill delivered but it was entered wrongly. I gave the waiter my card so that he do not have to make another round after editing the bill. But, after 10 minutes, the waiter reappeared with my card to ask if that was my card. Then, I waited for another 10 -15 minutes, my bill was still not brought to me. So, my mum went to ask for it and finally the waiter came rushing with it. Understaffed. Too long waiting time. Recommended to make reservations.

Seafood Paradise
Singapore Flyer
30 Raffles Avenue
#01-01 Singapore 039803
Tel: 63365101