Double crabs per flavour is only half the fun.

My lovely friend from Vietnam was paying her old home a visit and craved for some good old Singaporean seafood. As the usual choices were getting boring some of our friends suggested to go to ‘Master Crab’ down Ghim Moh Road. I came here before and remembered there was something I didn’t like about this place but couldn’t make out what it was.

We were quite a few people so we wanted to order four different crabs and we already had made our choice of flavours when the waitress reminded me what it was that I had forgotten, ‘Master Crab’ only allows you a minimum of two crabs per flavour. So instead of the four flavours we ended up with only two – ‘Black Pepper‘ and ‘Vermicelli Crab‘ – Boo! Besides that one pretty annoying detail there was not much bad to say about the food. The ‘Vermicelli Crab‘ maybe was neither too special nor very strong in it’s flavours but the ‘Pepper Crab‘ was simply outstanding. The gravy was extremely thick and stuck nicely to the crab which made it all pretty messy but finger licking good and the quality of the crabs was also top notch; packed with meat, fresh, sweet, amazing. They also know there veggies here as the ‘Sambal Kangkong‘ as well as the super long ‘Green Beans with Minced Pork‘ tasted great.

‘Master Crab’ sure is one of the good places for crab – well, at least for ‘Black Pepper‘ – but the impatient and mediocre service and especially the rule about the minimum crabs per flavour will probably make me opt for alternatives next time I want to go for crabs out of the usual.

Master Crab Seafood Restaurant 螃蟹师傅
#01-229
19 Ghim Moh Road
Singapore 270019 ‎
Tel: +65 6314 1868

No Signboard Seafood 無招牌海鮮 @Geylang Road (Singapore)

August 28, 2013

#Seafood, @Geylang, @Singapore, Crab, Singaporean

My Fountain of Crab

One of my good old Singapore friends had the extremely annoying idea to leave and move to Hong Kong so to give her a small send off, a group of friends including me took her out for some good old Singapore style seafood at her favorite place , the coffeeshop branch of ‘No Signboard Seafood’ in Geylang.

The main reason to come here of course were the crabs. The ‘Chili Crab‘ looked delicious and had a great punch of heat to it but as weird as it sounds was a bit too crabby on the gravy for me and I also wished for it to have been fruitier but then I am not the biggest fan of this version of crab anyway.

This was the bugger I was waiting for, their ‘Black Pepper Crab‘ my favorite crustacean by a long shot. The gravy was thick and so loaded with crushed pepper that I claimed the major share for myself and simply started eating directly from the serving plate. The crab was sweet and fresh and easily peeled out the shell. Only problem was we only ordered one.

One dish I usually get as well is the ‘Stir Fry Crocodile‘ that did get mixed ratings from my friends especially because if it’s texture some said was chewy. I disagreed as I found this to be just nice and firm with a tendency to slight bounciness. The meat itself had not a very particular taste of its own but together with the super thin fried ginger strips, the other spices and especially the chilis it became very fragrant and subliminal spicy. Something different than your standard seafood.

I always liked this place, it was where I had these famous Singaporean crabs for the first time five over years ago and I appreciate the much more relaxed atmosphere compared to the other way fancier locations within a vibrant bustling neighborhood.

No Signboard Seafood 無招牌海鮮
414 Geylang Road
Singapore 389392
Tel: +65 6842 3415
http://www.nosignboardseafood.com/

Mellben Seafood @Toa Payoh (Singapore)

February 20, 2013

#Seafood, @Toa Payoh, Crab, Singaporean

Bored of Chili Crab? Try The Bee Hoon!

This popular coffeshop was introduced to me by some friends as until then my first stop for seafood had always been No Signboard Seafood in Geylang. Their main location is in Ang Mo Kio but we have always been going to Toa Payoh as it was a bit easier to reach.

I was really excited to come back here as the last time I had a proper crab feast was a few months ago and since we were a group of six we could order several different types of these delicious crustaceans.

We started off with some ‘Guiness Stout Ribs‘ that were sweet and sticky and so tender they fell off the bone. I remembered having them before but this time they really made an impression on me.

On came the main attractions. First their signature ‘Bee Hoon Crab‘ (pic) which comes in a claypot and seems like it is drowning in the thin buttery sauce infused by the taste of the crab and hiding springy bee hoon noodles under the surface. The crab we had was the meatiest I’ve ever had in my hands and even the legs were full of sweet soft delicious flesh. Second on stage was the ‘Chili Crab‘ which was sure tasty but a pinch to sweet for my taste. Nevertheless all buns were gone at the end of the meal dipped in chili gravy. The closer and my favorite of the night was their ‘Black Pepper Crab‘. It wasn’t love at first sight with crabs and me mainly because of the messy eating process but once I discovered my love for this Singaporean favorite I quickly made the pepper crab my first choice. And I must say this one must have been the gold medalist among all the ones I had before. The tick pepper gravy sticking to the crab was so intense in taste and so good that I ate it to the last bit together with rice and all the onions inside. Literally finger-licking-good!

I wasn’t disappointed before and haven’t been disappointed this time. What the shop lacks in atmosphere and location it sure makes up for in quality food and the friendliness of the staff who were always smiling and utmost polite. Recommended.

Mellben Seafood Blk 211 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh #01-11/15 Singapore 310211

—Get Your Grub On!

– Food Inception

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Master Crab 螃蟹师傅 @Ghim Moh Road (Singapore)