Gullible Travels

Chin Huat Live Seafood

POSTED ON Sunday, August 31, 2014 AT 3:42 PM \ leave a comment (0)

i've always wondered how a seafood restaurant can build such a strong following without owning a restaurant chain or being located along East Coast Park. more so if it's located within a quiet public housing estate without any visibility from any road. Chin Huat Live Seafood is tucked in a quiet corner of Sunset Way, but it has been around for the longest time and garners a faithful following from across the island..

i remember first coming here during the university days when our professor brought us to celebrate the winning of our first international championship. i recall we ordered some really expensive stuff that day, including the Canadian geoduck sashimi, peking duck and steamed grouper. it has been a good 6 to 7 years since i last visited this place, but the impression that stuck with me was that this harmless-looking HDB seafood restaurant was more than it meets the eye..

we came for our recent visit with a better perspective on what Chin Huat is all about. and almost certainly, we ordered their specialty crab. actually, their signature would be the crab bee hoon, but this time around, we went for their chilli crab which was done fresh, with a really spicy kick. typically, the dish is best accompanied with deep fried buns i.e. mantou; this place serves some really huge-ass mantou, so we ordered one per person only.

other dishes we had included their cereal prawns, and the crispy roast chicken. the cereal prawns were so well-fried that if you're not as conscious about your cholesterol, you could practically swallow the whole thing (shell included). the roast chicken was so tasty that you'd hardly need to dip it into the salt that accompanies this dish.

Sotong in white pepper and salt, another one of their signature dishes. this one came out a little too dry and flat-tasting for our liking. we learnt with some sadness that they no longer do salted-egg sotong on their menu anymore. for dessert to top-off, Chin Huat is famous for either their durian pudding or mango sago.

No fish or australian lobster on the night, but a hearty meal all round. from the full-house weekend crowd, it can be observed that Chin Huat is a popular place for birthday celebrations and family gatherings. and with the full range of live seafood selection at your fingertips, this is really one seafood restaurant that goes toe-to-toe with the big boys.

Chin Huat Live Seafood
Blk 105 Clementi St 12 #01-30, Sunset Way
Singapore 120105

Opening Hours
11.30 am to 2.30 pm; 5.00 pm to 10.30 pm (daily)

Check out the gigantic live grouper that will greet you at the store..

Eminent Frog Porridge

POSTED ON Sunday, August 17, 2014 AT 1:34 PM \ leave a comment (0)

the chilly weather conditions this couple of days calls for some warm local comfort. if you brave the insane traffic at Geylang, there'd be a variety of gems to bring you that kind of respite. we had some craving for frog leg porridge, of which, Eminent Frog Porridge at Lorong 19 is largely popular..

since its humble beginnings from the main road fronting shophouse, the strong demand for their frog leg has encouraged them to take over the adjacent space to provide much more seating area (carparking remains a challenge though). we like Eminent because their portions are generous and the gravy is flavourful.

many patrons come here for the Gong Bao version of the claypot frog leg. this is essentially dried chilli in braised gravy which gives the frog legs a spicy kick. there was a buy 2 get 1 free offer for $16 so the claypot finally came with 3 frog servings, very hearty.. only little peeve was that the pot of porridge was too little for 4 persons, had to order two pots.

for those who don't really take spicy food, the spring onion and ginger version is equally tasty. in fact, i personally felt that this gravy goes very well with the plain porridge that came in a separate claypot. the thing about their frogs was that the meat was springy and juicy; while the thick gravy accompanied the warm porridge very well.

the eatery offers other side dishes that were not bad also. we were recommended this salted-egg yolk sotong, very crispy and well-fried. thought the other dishes that we had were average, tried the coffee pork-ribs as well, coffee aroma was not very distinct. nonetheless, everyone comes here mainly for their frog legs, and to us, this stall certainly gives you that value-for-money.

Eminent Frog Porridge
323 Geylang Road (Lorong 19)
Singapore 389359

Opening Hours
5 pm to 3.30 am daily

tried the "no-where-else-available" garlic and white pepper frog leg?

Supply & Demand

POSTED ON Sunday, August 03, 2014 AT 11:56 AM \ leave a comment (0)

following a very successful joint at the Esplande by the Bay, chef and partner Samdy Kan has caught on the orchard bandwagon to set up shop at Orchard Gateway. while the outlet at Esplande has a more chill out concept (with a rooftop bar to boot), Supply & Demand at Orchard Gateway has a spunkier vibe to it..

the restaurant is brightly lit, fitted-out with greenery, wooden tables and chairs, as well as old-school classroom chalkboards. the "al-fresco" area is actually within the mall, outdoor seating within the air-conditioned comfort. keeping to Supply & Demand traditions, the focus is still italian pizzas and pastas, but throwing in the brunch element as well..

i do notice that our buddies do like to kick-off with homemade bread with olive oil and vinegar. over here, this would be served up in a mess-tin and comes in an assortment of breads (they happy only). and the bread was baked fresh and good.

what caught our eye was the coffee menu, which explains the difference between the different types of caffeine fixes that one might have. got picture is always easier to visualise. coffee is probably not their strongest suit, and we found both the cappuccino and hazelnut latte a tad too sweet.

on to the mains and we went for the specialty pizzas. all of them came in thin crust which was crispy yet fluffy with the right amount of toppings. we tried the Proscuitto de Parma, which was a parma ham pizza with lots of rockets. it was a good and popular choice of pizza. the next time we visit, we'd like to try their Carte Blanche servings, where your choice of grilled meat will come in two special sides of the chef's choice - its a surprise.

for the weekend brunch junkies, Supply & Demand has whipped up some all-day breakfast creations with a slight italian twist. the Polenta con Salsiccia above comes with poached eggs on a polenta cake with pork sausage. not your pastry-styled polenta cake but a savoury one breaded and fried (like fried tofu), drizzled with hollandaise sauce. we also tried the Smoked Salmon Benedetto which was essentially salmon wrapped over a poached egg on bread. very creative interpretation of eggs benedict.

in all, we feel that their brunch menu was interesting yet appetising. the outlet at orchard gateway is still largely undiscovered and that gave us the weekend getaway feel that we could hardly find at other brunch joints nowadays. the place does fill up for lunch and dinner, but the whole setup is spacious and casual enough to make you feel at ease. this is one place we are certainly coming back for.

Supply & Demand
277 & 218 Orchard Road
Orchard Gateway
#02-13/14 and #02-K3
Singapore 238858/238851

Opening Hours
11:30 am to 10:30 pm (daily)

They left their dressings on the side, so that you can adjust the intensity yourself..