Yang Ming Seafood is a popular zi char eatery which offers an amazing menu, specializing premium live seafood at very reasonable prices. Tucked away in an unassuming Bishan neighbournood, this fuss-free, nondescript place is bustling with life with diners.
It is not difficult to understand why it is so popular. With a huge selection of premium live seafood including Australian & Boston lobsters, Sri Lankan crabs, bamboo clams, geoduck, Canadian clams, turbot and other fishes, being “spoilt for choice” is an understatement. It is impressive to see a local Zi Char eatery stocking such a huge variety of premium seafood, to say the least.
Yang Ming Seafood may not be a prestigious Chinese restaurant, but we dare say the food quality is good and definitely one that has earned our loyalty. We will go out on a limb to say that Yang Ming Seafood is one of the best Zi Char restaurants in Singapore.
Don’t expect any good service or fantastic ambience. It is a typical zi char place with old-school tables and chairs – you know, the usuals. But you’re in for a good meal, really. Plus, Yang Ming Seafood offers free corkage; you can bring along a bottle (or two) and they will provide the wine glasses at no additional charges.
There are several signatures dishes that require preorder and they include Lobster Chee Cheong Fun, Pig’s Stomach Chicken Soup, Ginger Chicken, Scallop & Lobster Porridge.
Perhaps the most famous dish at Yang Ming Seafood, the Lobster Chee Cheong Fun featured a whole lobster with silky smooth Chee Cheong Fun, fried shallot, fried garlic and premium soya sauce. What a treat!
You can choose between Australian Lobster (S$138/kg) or the smaller Boston Lobster (S$98 for 2 pcs/S$147 for 3 pcs). We had a 1.3kg Australian Lobster and the bill came up to S$180 for this dish.
Their signature pig’s stomach chicken soup (S$68) is definitely a crowd favourite! A whole kampong chicken was stuffed in a pig’s stomach and cooked for hours with white pepper and other herbs. The result? The soup was peppery and rich, while the chicken and pig’s stomach were tender and so tasty.
Another signature soup that requires preorder is the Japanese scallop chicken soup. We’ve heard good things about this too, and can’t wait to try it on our next visit!
The steamed bamboo clam (S$12 each) with garlic, vermicelli and chilli was bursting with flavours. The flesh was plump and juicy, too. Their rendition of this seemingly common dish actually puts many good Chinese restaurants to shame.
There are plenty of fish options available, alongside different cooking styles. We went with a Soon Hock cooked in Hong Kong Cantonese style (S$108). The result was a simple yet beautifully steamed fish; every flake was accompanied with a subtle taste of premium soya sauce and the fragrance of the ginger and coriander.
Another dish worth mentioning is the Har Cheong Gai. Yes, it’s a ubiquitous zi char dish but their version was so delicious, we couldn’t get enough. Well marinated, deep-fried to the perfect level of crisp while retaining the moisture of the meat – superb!
Another dish on the preorder menu is the Ginger Kampong Chicken (S$20 for half chicken). You can enjoy the smooth and tender Kampong Chicken with the ginger dip on the side.
Looking for some crabs? Prices are pretty reasonable, too. We had the Black Pepper Crab (S$102), and it was fresh as much as it was flavoursome.
We also had the Crab Bee Hoon (S$94) on a separate visit and it came with moist and flavourful fried bee hoon.
On the carbs side, we went with the Pig trotters’s Bee Hoon that was a comforting yet delicious dish – both young & old loved it. The wok hei was pronounced and they didn’t sting on the ingredients.
There are still so many dishes from Yang Ming Seafood that we’ve heard about and are highly raved, and we cannot wait for our next visit back. For those of you who are afraid of the heat, they have another outlet in Ubi which has air conditioning. Reservations are highly recommended especially for weekends.
Yang Ming Seafood Bishan
150 Bishan Street 11, Singapore 570150
Tel: +65 8028 9940
Yang Ming Seafood Ubi
1 Ubi Cres, #01-05 Excalibur Centre, Singapore 408571
Tel: +65 8028 2230