A few weeks ago, I received an email from a reader, telling me about Master Crab Seafood Restaurant, a cze char place in Ghim Moh near De Burg burgers. The title of her email was: “best crabs in Singapore“. I think that pretty much sums it up.

Anyway, I could not stop thinking about the yummy crabs, so a few days later, I brought my family to Master Crab for dinner. Apparently, Master Crab Seafood Restaurant also has branches in Choa Chu Kang (Sunshine Place), Compassvale, and Punggol.

I was a little alarmed when my family wanted to have the Black Pepper Crabs as we had Chilli crabs recently. Luckily, I managed to convince them that it is a must to try the famous Singapore Chilli Crab since it was our first time at this crab restaurant.

Sad to say, Master Crab’s Chilli Crab ($48/kg nett) was lackluster – I could not quite put a finger to it, but the chilli gravy was kind of weird.

If you go to Master Crab Seafood Restaurant, order their Salted Egg Yolk Crab instead. Covered with a golden-yellow sauce, the Salted Egg Yolk Crab was magnificent. The sauce, in particular, was rich and very tasty. I am certainly not the first person, nor the last, to sing its praises.

It’s been said before, and I shall say it again: crab prices are getting ridiculous in zi char restaurants. I understand why seafood restaurants like Seafood Paradise and NoSignBoard need to charge $40ish/kg as they are paying higher rentals. But it does not make sense to me why Zi Char places are charging the same amount.

Master Crab’s har cheong kai ($8) was not too bad. It had a thicker coat of flour which gave it a nice crispy skin.

We wanted to order something different from what we usually have, so we went for the Deep-fried Youtiao Fritter ($8), which was run-of-the-mill.

The Scallop Asparagus ($15) was nothing like the menu’s photo, it only had a few tiny scallops. For that kind of price, I would rather order two different vegetable dishes.

Master Crab Seafood Restaurant, like the name suggests, is a good cze char place to go for their crabs. The other dishes are pretty standard, nothing outstanding. The other signature crabs on the menu are: crab bee hoon and stewed crab with vermicelli.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Master Crab Seafood Restaurant
Blk 19 Ghim Moh Road #01-229
Tel: +65 6314 1868

Master Crab Compassvale
Blk 277 Compassvale Link #01-13
Tel: +65 6555 6515

Master Crab Choa Chu Kang
Blk 475 Choa Chu Kang Ave 3 #01-31
Tel: +65 6764 9487

Master Crab Punggol Field
Blk 108 Punggol Field #01-01
Tel: +65 6425 8079

Master Crab Punggol Drive
Blk 639 Punggol Drive #01-07
Tel: +65 6425 9435

Keng Eng Kee Seafood restaurant at Alexandra Village used to be my family’s favourite Cze Char place. It has been a while since our last visit here so we decided to drop by for dinner last week.

Besides the good food, some of the regulars probably go to Keng Eng Kee Seafood because the Zi Char Stall has an air-conditioned dining area just opposite the coffee shop.

It was a tough call between the Chilli Crab and Salted Egg Yolk Crab, but eventually we went for the latter as it was apparently a signature dish of Keng Eng Kee restaurant.

The sauce of the Salted Egg Yolk Crab ($39/kg) was very thick, and had a subtle spicy taste. I probably had better salted egg yolk crabs elsewhere before, but this was pretty decent.

We wanted to have Hot Plate Beancurd but it was not available on Keng Eng Kee’s menu. But it was not so bad since the Claypot Beancurd was a good replacement.

The Sambal Kangkong was well done. It was spicy but not to the extent of being tongue-numbing. The small portion comes at $6.

I was quite disappointed that Sweet and Sour Pork is also not available under the Pork section. But there are interesting options like Golden Pork Ribs, Coffee Pork Ribs and Claypot Pork Liver to choose from. We were intriguied by the Claypot Pork Liver as not many cze char restaurants serve it.

Just look at all the oil used to cook the liver! The Claypot Pork Liver ($8) is definitely not for the faint-hearted. But it sure was tasty.

Prawn Paste Chicken is a very popular zi char dish and there are different variations for it. I’ve had very good Har Cheong Kai before, so I was actually looking forward to the ones at Keng Eng Kee. Unfortunately, the Har Cheong Kai ($8) here was quite disappointing: the chicken was very small, and I felt that the shrimp paste marination was rather weak. I’d probably go for the Crispy Roasted Chicken or the Marmite Chicken next time.

I was quite impressed with the waiting time at Keng Eng Kee Seafood. The Cze Char restaurant was almost packed when we were there for dinner, yet they managed to serve most of the dishes within 10 minutes.

The food at Keng Eng Kee Seafood was pretty good and it was a bonus that everything came quickly. Prices are what you’d expect from a typical zhi char place, but the portions served were slightly smaller.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Keng Eng Kee Seafood
Blk 124 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-136 Alexandra Village Singapore
Tel: +65 6272 1038

Operating Hours:
Daily: 11.30am – 2pm, 5pm – 11pm

“Shall we go and have the best Har Cheong Gai in Singapore?”

When I saw this conversation between my friends on twitter, I knew that I must try the best chicken wings in Singapore that they were talking about. We even created a blackberry group nicknamed: har cheong gai to discuss and plan for our assault at No. 5 Emerald Hill Cocktail Bar for their famous chicken wings which are marinated with shrimp paste.

‘Food Blogger conned to No. 5 Emerald Hill with the lure of best chicken wings in Singapore.’ After praising the chicken wings to the sky, my friend was a little worried about my expectations of it, and teased me with this headline.

When the waiter brought the basket of chicken wings ($17 for 6) to our table, my brain was whispering to the stomach: you know what, this better be good!

“Dear god, or whoever that is listening, please, please let the No. 5 Emerald Hill’s chicken wings be the best prawn paste chicken in Singapore.” I prayed. I took one by the side, and placed it carefully into my mouth. At that point, I did not care whether or not the wings would burn my tongue and make me go oww. As sadistic as it might sound, I’d probably remember the har cheong kai better if it burnt me.

Anyway, No 5 Emerald Hill’s Har Cheong Kai was extremely crispy. It wasn’t oily, nor was it too dry. The wings were great as finger food, the perfect snack to wash down with a jug of cold icy beer. While they were excellent as chicken wings, one would probably not classify them as Har Cheong Kai since the prawn paste flavor wasn’t strong enough.

While the pizza wasn’t outstanding, it was not too bad for pub grub. Thin-crust, light and not too filling: the excuse for you to eat again after dinner.

The fish from the “Fish and chips” was disappointing. The saving grace was the fries, which quickly filled our stomach.

“Why does the beef stew tastes like salmon?” This was one of the funniest comments made when we were at No. 5 Emerald Hill. It actually tasted like a normal beef stew to me. Nothing fanciful, something warm and hearty to go along with the bread.

* * *

No. 5 Emerald Hill Cocktail Bar has a 1-for-1 Martini for just $16 (from 9pm to 1am), which is a very good deal. Martini plus chicken wings after a long day at work? Sounds like a plan to me.

Edited (I forgot to include this para): I had a shock when I first stepped into No. 5 Emerald Bar. Everyone was throwing empty peanut shells on the floor. If you want to litter in Singapore without getting fine, No. 5 Emerald Bar is probably the place to go! Even though it was a little awkward initially, the place soon unleashed the monster in me. It felt so liberating to throw empty peanut shells onto the floor!

Do you have any recommendations of any good pubs/bars in Singapore to chill out?

// The Emerald Hill restaurants and pubs are located directly opposite 313 @ Somerset and Orchard Central.

Restaurant Bar Review
No. 5 Emerald Hill Cocktail Bar
5 Emerald Hill Road Singapore
Tel: +65 6732 0818

Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hoon is one of the Zi Char Stalls in Singapore that my family frequently visits. But it has since relocated to the Jumbo Coffee Shop at Dover Crescent, so we decided to go to Ming Kitchen Seafood Restaurant at Holland Drive instead.

Do you like prawn roll?

It has always been my favorite childhood dish and I can easily eat a dozen of them at one go. The crisp and crunchy Prawn rolls ($8) are good on its own, but I would prefer to dip it into the sweet and tangy sauce.

In my books, the Shrimp Paste chicken or Har Cheong Kai ($8) is definitely one of the must-order Zi Char dishes. I’m not very good at fighting temptations. Especially not when the chicken is marinated with the fragrant shrimp paste and deep fried to a handsome shade of golden brown.

Even though Ming Kitchen Seafood Restaurant’s rendition was fairly competent, I couldn’t put a finger to what’s missing. This is not the best har cheong kai in Singapore.

The Sambal Kangkong ($6) was extremely spicy. I know it seems nothing out of the blue since I don’t take spicy food very well. But trust me on this, the sambal kangkong here was really spicy. Has anyone tried the sambal Kangkong from Ming Kitchen Seafood Restaurant before?

I’m usually not a big fan of Bee Hoon or Hor Fun. So it’s rather surprising that I had a sudden urging for San Lou Hor Fun ($5) that day. It was decent, nothing extraordinary — I just wished that they would put more bean sprouts though.

* * *

Do you know: Ming Kitchen Seafood Restaurant actually has more than 10 Zi Char stalls in Singapore? I was surprised when I saw the number of branches on their menu, and hey, there might just be one in your neighborhood!

Okay I need some help here. Please share with us where’s the best Zi Char in Singapore.

Hawker Food Review
Ming Kitchen Seafood Restaurant
46 Holland Drive #01-359

I am determined to find the best sweet and sour pork in Singapore, and it may seem strange that I’m looking for it at Holland Village Fish Head Bee Hoon – the zi char place famous for their XO Fish Head Bee Hoon and San Lou Hor Fun.

Having grown up in Holland Drive, my family always ate at the coffee shop whenever my mother did not cook. There used to be a Western food stall which had very good chicken chop, but it had since relocated to somewhere else a couple of years ago. Other than that, everyone else came for the famous Holland Village Fish Head Bee Hoon.

I’m not quite sure when, but in my memories, I remember having a very good sweet & sour pork when I was young. But the problem was: I couldn’t recall where. I thought I’d go back to my old fling and perhaps I could find the answer. Once we found a table, I ordered the sweet and sour pork right away.

Please, please let this be good.

I wanted it to be good. My hands trembled as I picked up a piece of the reddish-brown coated pork. The rush of adrenaline saw me putting it into my mouth – crunch.

Oh. I took another bite. Oh.

It was not bad, but not to the extent of being awesome. Definitely not the Sweet and Sour Pork that I’m looking for. And so the search continues.

Besides Fish Head Bee Hoon, they are renowned for the Prawn Paste Chicken. I’d go as far to say that this is the best Har Cheong Kai in Singapore. Amazingly crispy, yet impossibly moist inside – every bite of the succulent chicken was so good! Squeeze a drop of lime onto the chicken, Oh-oh-oh, one plate is never enough.

I repeat: the best Prawn paste chicken in Singapore. Far and away.

Ironically, we did not order the XO fish head bee hoon. According to some, it’s supposed to be really good and you know, there’s like XO inside the fish head bee hoon? Anyway, I tried it on previous occasions, and since I’m neither a fan of XO nor fish head bee hoon, I’d rather order one more plate of the har cheong kai.

Ngo Hiang, or prawn roll is one of my favorite dishes. The one here had a strong peppery taste, but everything was forgiven when I dipped it into the sweet sauce. I know the question on your mind: is this the best Ngo Hiang in Singapore? Maybe not. But then again, I’m biased because of the strong pepper hint, so go try it and let me know.

* * *

When it comes to Fish head bee hoon, I’m probably not the right person to talk to. If you also do not like fish head bee hoon, come here for the best prawn paste chicken, and there’s always Big D Grill in the same coffee shop to keep you occupied.

My search for the best Sweet & Sour pork continues – tell me where and I will be there.

Hawker Food Review
Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hoon
Jumbo Coffee Hub at Blk 19A, Dover Crescent
Blk 46 Holland Drive
#01-359 Holland Village
Tel: +65 6778 3691