The hunt for the best chilli crab in Singapore

As you probably already know, one of Singapore’s famous dishes is chilli crab – a dish where Sri Lankan crabs are stir fried with a tomato and chilli based gravy. This is a dish found everywhere from hawker centers to some of the more “famous” places with many outlets like Jumbo or No Signboard Seafood. In fact amongst many folks, there is a debate on which is the best.. and often debated is the rivalry between Jumbo and No Signboard Seafood. We’ve been to Jumbo at Riverside Point many times…it’s a go-to place for us when we have out of town guests given its festive riverside location near Clarke Quay. And I had been to No Signboard before as part of a work dinners for out of town colleagues at the Esplanade location, but Paul had never tried No Signboard and was eager to settle the debate….No Signboard Seafood vs. Jumbo…it’s on!

We ordered the usual fare…chilli crab, pepper crab, steamed veggies, steamed and fried humbao buns (to sop up the gravy from the crab dishes J ). And then because we were a large group that night, we also added fried chicken, stir-fried noodles and a steamed fish.

Ok here’s the hard part…I will confess, Paul and I actually have decided while we do like chilli crab, we loooove pepper crab. There…I said it! It’s just more flavourful in our minds as the simpler preparation that let’s the taste of the crab shine through. Maybe the best pepper crab we ever had was in Cambodia where pepper from local farms is used…but that’s another story for another time.

At No Signboard the pepper crab and chilli crab are both solid as are all the other Chinese seafood and noodle dishes. And while we were here for seafood, I must say, the fried chicken was some of the best I have had in Singapore. It’s true… an unexpected surprise.

With that said, honestly I think the Jumbo and No Signboard are pretty equal when it comes to caliber of food. They both put out consistently good renditions of the traditional favourites and have done so for many years. However, I do have a slight preference for Jumbo, so in this chilli crab showdown we are going to have to call Jumbo as the winner.

Why? I actually prefer the atmosphere at Jumbo…it’s often outdoors (depending on location) and a bit more festive…maybe its all the pitchers of Tiger beer flowing freely given the heat, or maybe it is eating on the quay and people watching (although admittedly the East Coast location is more famous). But I just have more fun at Jumbo. Plus, it is a little less expensive. Again, while the food at No Signboard is on par, I find the atmosphere a little staid and traditional (not in a good way) with dated decorations, seriously questionable art and ubiquitous extra large tables with lazy susans, covered in white tablecloths and seating 8-12 people. Plus, if you are only 2 or 4 people, you can feel a bit lost at such a big table…forced to sit side-by-side in a row. Not good for conversation…at all.

We recognize that a lot of locals have their favourite chilli crab places…and to be fair, in my experience…for seafood, hole-in-the-wall places are usually in fact better overall as the focus is on the food and the food alone. However, considering these are the 2 most famous bastions of chilli crab in Singapore, we had to give them a try.

So what do you think Singapore? What’s your favourite – chilli crab or pepper crab? Where should the next chilli crab show down take place?

No Signboard Seafood
Multiple locations, but we most recently ate at the Vivocity location.
1 Harbourfront Walk
#03-02 Vivocity
Singapore
Telephone: +65 6376 9959

Chill beachside over heaping plates of seafood, curries and cold beer

In between tea plantations and the Galle fort, we needed a spot of lunch. Having heard the Wijaya Beach Cottage was recommended…and on the way to Handunugoda Tea Estate, this seemed like a perfect spot to chill seaside and grab a bite to eat.

As promised, the vibe was totally relaxed. Directly on the beach, the Wijaya Beach Cottages’ restaurant was perfectly perched – overlooking a calming stretch of sand and sea. As we relaxed on the terrace with the thatched roof, we watched families frolic in the surf, people on surfboards trying to catch a wave, and locals on the rocks fishing by hand for their dinner. A cool breeze blew as we perused the daily specials.

Paul chose the Coriander Prawn Mango Curry

and I chose the Sri Lanka Prawn Mango Curry, (both 750 LKR / S$9.30 / $6.50 USD).

Reluctantly we left, but I would very much like to get back to Wijaya Beach Cottages as a guest…waking up to coffee seaside, eating curries by the sea and just generally doing the Sri Lankan beach thing.

Wijaya Beach Cottage
Near the 124-mile marker
Dalawella, Unawatuna
Sri Lanka
Telephone: +94 91 228 3610

For Italian food in Bangkok, most Bangkok expats have a few options top of mind – L’Opera, Zanotti, Spasso, etc. For some reason Giusto is not necessarily first recalled as an option for most… a shame as this modern Italian restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 23 is not only a good value, but some of the best Italian food the city has to offer.

Giusto sprang to life in 2003, a daring venture for the owners Renzo, Giulio and Fabio as only Fabio had previous restaurant experience as a chef. The trio met, first as friends, out on the town in Bangkok. Ask them the story of how they decided to start things and a mischievous glint comes to their eyes as they recall the early days. They formulated the idea for the restaurant in those nights out on the town discussing their shared passion for Italian cuisine, wine, and a new style of dining.

The trio is half the appeal of the restaurant. All three are full of Italian pride, from their attitude towards food and life to the high performance Italian motorcycles they all ride. All are present in the restaurant and make a point to greet customers (particularly Giulio to discuss the wine and Fabio to discuss the food).

The restaurant itself has an understated elegance…modern and chic without being pretentious or stuffy. Inside you’ll find intimate corners with tables for two and long tables perfect for a dinner party of 10-15.

Walk to the back of the restaurant and you’ll find a separate area known as the Wine Experience / The Glass Wine Bar. The back area is more of an upscale lounging area perfect for post-meal drinks or a place to gather to enjoy a glass of wine and a cigar before a night out. The space is also used as a gallery. On my last visit they were setting up an exhibit in partnership with a Thai motorcycle enthusiast with artful black and white photographs of biking routes throughout Thailand.

As enjoyable as the ambiance and owners are, the food is the most impressive. Prices are reasonable for the quality. There’s a newly started lunch buffet with a range of Italian starters beginning at only 280 THB. Add a main and dessert to the set and it’s still only 490 THB. For dinner rates remain reasonable with pastas around 300 THB and even fancy main courses coming in around 800 THB. Or for the foodies, a degustation menu of 4 courses for 1300 THB.

A view of the sprawling lunch buffet

As we took our seats at the table and awaited the arrival of our other guests we were treated with bruscetta. The freshness and flavors of the ingredients foreshadowed the excellent meal we were about to enjoy. It was something so simple, yet had been done with such finesse as to excite us all.

Then came a sampler of breads and oils. I was wondering if we’d need to order or just continue to enjoy the freebies flowing from the kitchen

There was a large group dining that night so I don’t have notes on what everyone ordered, but where I can I’ll try and include some comments. I started with the Tuna & Trout Carpaccio with Olives, Capers & Lemons.

Joanna went with a lovely Tomato Salad with Olives, Avocado, Palm Hearts & Croutons.

Someone else enjoyed an artful salad

And a lovely Pumpkin Soup (which I had as a next course as well)

Then came the pastas and mains. Joanna went with a Pumpkin Gnocchi with Cheese Sauce, Broccoli & Walnuts

In preparation for my first visit to Giusto, I looked at the menu online in advance. I had a few dishes in mind that I was excited to try. Thankfully I also discussed with a friend who lives in Bangkok and had dined there multiple times. She suggested I go with the Grilled Snowfish with Lobster Cream Sauce with Sauted Spinach & Diced Boiled Parsley Potatoes. I might have skipped right over this dish without the suggestion…and gladly I didn’t. This dish was easily the best non-Thai fish dish (the Thai preparation of fish deserves it’s own criteria )I’ve tasted in Bangkok.

Other mains and pastas ordered by our group:

Even though everyone was satisfied and stuffed to the brim, we still had to try some desserts (for the blog we told ourselves ). I selected the Stuffed Vanilla Crepes in Warm Chocolate Sauce…good but after sampling other’s desserts I’d say there are better options on the menu.

All in all, Giusto is a highly recommended Bangkok stop from us. From the food to the venue to the owners, everything about this place is delightfully satisfying…which has to come from the top down. The trio has an infective, happy view on life. A good meal, a solid night out afterward, and repeat nightly They strove to create a venue, not to impress others, that they would want to go to. I’d call it a smashing success.

Giusto Italian Restaurant/Glass Wine Bar
16 Soi Sukhumvit 23, Sukhumvit Road
Telephone: +66 2258 4321 +66 2664 4420

Inventive seafood in an intimate rooftop setting overlooking Chinatown

From Breeze’s perch atop Ann Siang Hill, one can see Singapore’s low-lying Chinatown area full of conservation shop houses, pagodas and mosques. The view was why we first came, but every time we have been to Breeze, we have been equally impressed by both the view and the food.

And our latest visit was no different. A couple of friends were visiting from London and we wanted to show them a bit of our neighbourhood and enjoy a nice dinner. And since Shane and Nicole had gotten a babysitter (for the first time in a very long time) we thought they might enjoy the kind of chic sophistication that is not always accessible with a toddler in tow.

Starting with a couple of beers and cocktails….we perused the menu. It is a testament to the appeal of the dishes that we had difficulty deciding what to order. We ended up starting with the Breeze Platter ($38 SGD) – which consisted of a sampler of the chef’s recommendations including portabella pizzettes, tuna bruschetta, blue mussels in a spicy coconut lemongrass broth and ‘fruits from the garden’ salad (a surprisingly odd yet tasty combination of salad greens, orange sections, strawberries and apples). The mussels were stunning – they were so good we started fighting over the last ones! “I had 2, how many have you had? Oh 3 you say, well then I guess this one is mine”

I opted for the Morroccan Beef Skewers ($36 SGD) which was a single skewer marinated in lemongrass, garam masala and seared with a Madeira sauce. They were in a word – perfection. Perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, perfectly delicious.

Paul got his perennial favourite, the Spring Chicken ($26 SGD), grilled sumac spiced boneless spring chicken served with thyme jus. This is a simple but truly special dish in that the simplicity allows the individual flavours to shine.

Shane got the Seafood Casserole ($30 SGD) which maybe doesn’t sound so special but was in fact a rather exotic mix of braised seafood with paw paw and jalapeno, roasted in a scampi broth. An abundant presentation of seafood, Shane had a little trouble finishing, so we all pitched in to help…maybe he was sorry he offered after we picked every last shell clean of seafood.

Nicole had what also sounded like a simple dish, the Seafood and Avocado salad ($22 SGD). A medley of seafood, avocado, pomegranate and crabmeat tossed in prawn roe mayo on a bed of lettuce. As Shane pointed out…it was a combination of perfect bites due to the irresistible combination of ingredients …for example, there was the succulence of a clam combined with the pop of pomegranate seeds. Yum!

As much as we love the Beef Skewers and Spring Chicken, Paul and I both agree, the thing to do here is take advantage of the seafood and the inventive combinations the chef creates – both bold and delicate flavours that somehow enhance the seafood while still letting its own fresh taste shine through.

Living about 2 blocks from the Scarlet Hotel, we like to take advantage of it whenever we can. But even if you are not close by, it is a real destination dining experience – whether you are a long-time resident who wants to venture out and try something new or if you are a first time Singapore visitor, you will have a wonderful meal that stimulates both the palate and the eyes at Breeze at the Scarlet Hotel.

Breeze at the Scarlet Hotel
33 Erskine Road
Singapore 069333
Telephone: +65 6511 3333

Hey all,
At several locations around Singapore, Jumbo serves up Singapore’s number 1 seafood dish – the chili crab. We first saw the location directly on the Quay, with a large shop front with slick decorations and kind of assumed Jumbo was a tourist trap best left for travelers in flip flops and fanny packs (an offensive term for our Aussie readers, I know… and just as offensive to our eyes). But this isn’t the case, mostly…

Jumbo has two locations on the Quay. This is great if you turn up on a busy night, the hostess will walk you down to the other location – assuming the other location has seats. Joanna and I visited on our first trip to Singapore along with Allexia and Stephen. All in all we had a good meal at a, for Singapore, reasonable rate. We assumed that it was a tourist trap though and began looking for local chili crab houses so we could “get the real deal”.

Then one day the topic of chili crab came up with some friends of mine who have been in Singapore much, much longer than I have. They said if you weren’t a reverse snob Jumbo was every bit as good as the “best of Singapore” chili crab hut outside of the town center in Joo Chiat Place. I couldn’t believe my ears. They said it was also better because the other place is even more crowded, service is abysmal if you’re not a regular, and they frequently run out of chili crab (the house speciality)!

They proceeded to give me the best news of all next – the chili crab isn’t the best thing on the menu there. Jumbo actually has really good pepper crab.

So we were sold. This week some friends of Joanna’s were passing through Singapore and I thought there was no better first meal for them than to go down to the Quay at sunset and enjoy some local seafood. We ordered a chili crab, pepper crab, noodles for their daughter, the great mini buns, and some mixed veggies.

Service was good as usual, with plenty of staff to cover the massive location. The pepper crab easily beat out the chili crab for flavor for everyone in the group (though the chili crab was no slouch in the taste department). The pepper crab wasn’t as good as in Kep, Cambodia, but that’s a hard act to follow.

We’ve had three meals at Jumbo and all of them have been very enjoyable experiences. I’d recommend Jumbo to anyone with guests coming into town that want to see the Quay and have a non-hawker center local dining experience. Also it’s recommended if you’re a local or someone who frequents Singapore and in the mood for seafood…it really is good food at pretty decent prices.

So lesson learned here. Don’t assume because it’s a slick chain it’s not authentic or tasty in Singapore. Singaporeans are very picky about their food and nothing lasts here that’s not good…well not for long. Check it out any night and you’ll see as many locals cracking down on some crab legs as foreigners sitting with mouths agape.

Jumbo Seafood
Visit Website for location specific addresses and phone numbers

Paul

We really don’t do these mega-brunches all the time…really. But when high rolling friends come to town and want to dine in style, who are we to say no? A group of five of us Joanna, Lara, Markus, Ralph and myself decided to try out an old Singapore staple for champagne Sunday brunch – The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore (from now on just the Ritz). Was it worth the hype?

How to answer this question? I’ll go with Diplomatically – The Sunday Brunch at the Ritz is a great brunch if you’re a lover of seafood There’s tons of it and it’s good and fresh… with people freshly shucking oysters at the counter, boiling lobsters, pan-frying scallops, etc.

The problem is that’s about it. There are other things on offer for sure. I loved one of the Foie Gras dishes on offer, maybe a bit too much since I proabably ate 3 or 4 of the little plates. But there aren’t any real breakfast/brunch items out or around.

The other problem we had, and maybe we’re spoiled over doing so many of these, is that it wasn’t as fancy as the price would lead you to believe. There were kids and patrons running around in shorts and flip flops, older (but not cool vintage older) tables and fixtures, and it felt like a hotel brunch. Nothing stood out as awful or bad, but nothing was so unique as to warrant special attention either.

Despite stories we’ve heard to the contrary service was prompt and we were regularly treated to Moet refills – though maybe not as ninja-like as the servers at the St Regis. This might also have been our strategic seating choice of right next to the bottles

And to be fair there was more of everything at the Ritz compared to the St Regis. More seafood for sure. The cheese station was crazy big at the Ritz and covered many styles and regions, so if you’re a cheese lover there’s another reason to choose the Ritz.

Our Sunday Brunch at the Ritz was another indulgent affair. As a sort of joke I put my weight pre-brunch up on Twitter (85.1 KG) and after (89.9 KG) so I definitely enjoyed all they had on offer. I don’t think I’ll personally rush to return and I feel a bit pretentious saying that. I’m just a Texan from a poor family that grew up on Taco Bell… and here I am saying that the Ritz isn’t good enough for me

At the end of the day, to our particular group, the Ritz simply didn’t have the same value as some of the other options. Had we been huge seafood or cheese people this could have been our go-to Sunday spot.

The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

7 Raffles Avenue,
Singapore 039799
Singapore
Phone:  (65) 6337 8888