Joyden Seafood Restaurant (欣艺海鲜) @ West Coast Recreation Centre

Formerly known as West Coast Seafood, the restaurant is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a new name, interior facelift and comprehensive revamped menu. The family run restaurant is now named as Joyden Seafood Restaurant (欣艺海鲜). The newly refurbishment and name change aims to attract more corporate clients and younger, well travelled customers on top of their regulars and loyal customers.

Signature Crispy Cereal Prawns 4.2/5

If you a fan of cereal prawns, then you need to try Joyden's version of the Signature Crispy Cereal Prawns ($22/$24/$46). Fried until crunchy on the shells while retaining the moist flesh, this can be eaten as a whole. The highlight is the cereal which has imbued with shards of kaffir leaves, chilli padi and a smattering of curry powder. This slight deviation has brought this classic dish to a new level.

Steamed Lobster with Glutinous Treasure Rice 4.5/5

Impress your diners with the Steamed Lobster with Glutinous Treasure Rice (market price). The rice is first quick fried with dried shrimps, shallots, Chinese sausage and scallions before the glutinous rice is being steamed with the lobster in a bamboo basket. By doing so, the juices of the crustacean is allowed to flow down further infusing the glutinous rice with a richer flavour.

Signature Imperial Oyster Sauce Chicken 4.5/5

While majority of the menu at Joyden is seafood, there is also meat and poultry section. The Signature Imperial Oyster Sauce Chicken ($28) was very memorable for me. The whole chicken was first roasted with stuffed chives and garlic gloves infusing the flavours and giving the bird a crisp skin. It is then braised in superior oyster sauce for a good 3 hours to further embraced with the beautiful flavours giving the chicken a very tender meat that fell of the bone with ease.

Lemongrass Pork Ribs in Crispy Yam Ring 4/5

The original version of the yam basket was a vegetarian dish but as time gone by, it has evolved into a non vegetarian dish. The norm nowadays comes with a yam ring filled with seafood and vegetable in it. Joyden's version comes with a crispy yam ring crowned with pieces of pork ribs that has been sauteed with fragrant lemongrass, ginger flower, chilli, Chinese wine and molasses. The Lemongrass Pork Ribs in Crispy Yam Ring ($25/$38) is a delight to have with the pillowy yam and succulent pork ribs.

Soon Hock Fish in Superior Soy Sauce with Scallions 4/5

One of Joyden's popular dishes is the Soon Hock Fish in Superior Soy Sauce with Scallions (market price). The superior soy sauce is lightly coated over the crispy fish giving it a nice subtle sweetness complementing the clean flavours of the fish while retaining that exterior crispiness.

Joyden's Signature Creamy Crab 4.5/5

Singaporean loves eating crab and one of the must try at Joyden is their Signature Creamy Crab (market price). The fresh crab is cooked in a creamy pumpkin curry sauce that was so good that we have diners in the group wiping it clean with the remaining fried buns.

Crab and Vermicelli Braised with Ginger and Spring Onion 3.8/5

Another crab dish available in the menu is the Crab and Vermicelli braised with Ginger and Spring Onion (market price). While the crab is fresh and sweet, I felt that the vermicelli is a tad on the dry side.

Egg Tart 4.5/5

Although Joyden is mainly known as a seafood restaurant, it also serves dim sum on the menu daily during lunch hour. The dim sum chef is from Guangzhou and the dim sum spread is prepared from scratch daily. We did not have dim sum for dinner but we manage to get a glimpse of the spread in the Egg Tart that the chef came back to specially prepared for us. I must say this is one of the best egg tart I have eaten for a long time. The flaky skin was outstanding, crisp but not too thick with a nice proportion to the custard.

Sago and Pomelo in Mango Puree 3.5/5

Wrapping up the sumptuous dinner is the Sago and Pomelo in Mango Puree ($5). While the mango puree was a sweet finishing to the wonderful dinner, I thought the bowl of puree was missing the sago, pomelo and pieces of mango chucks. It could be due to the portion that was served thought, with the other ingredients being lost or drowned by the mango puree.

Having stayed in the East all these years, I knew little about the good food in the West. I have to say Joyden is definitely a well kept secret of the West. I am glad that I had the opportunity to try the food and add to my list of Chinese restaurants that I will go back. In fact, I am already planning to go back to try out their dim sum soon.


Joyden Seafood Restaurant (欣艺海鲜)
West Coast Recreation Centre
12 West Coast Walk
#01-11
Singapore 127157
Tel: +65 67795355
Website: http://www.joydenseafood.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Clementi (EW Line), Kent Ridge (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 530pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit A. Cut across the cluster of HDB flats and walk towards Clementi Sports Hall. From Clementi Sports Hall, take the overhead bridge across the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 20 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Kent Ridge MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Buona Vista Flyover (Stop ID 18101). Take bus number 97, 197 or 963. Alight 5 stops later. Journey time about 20 minutes. [Map]