Irvin's Live Seafood House @ Upper Thomson Road

Irvin's Live Seafood House was formerly known as Irvin's Seafood Cze Char and was located along the stretch of shophouses at the junction of Zion Road and River Valley Road. It has been relocated and reopened at No 4, Jalan Leban, Upper Thomson Road on 1st Decemeber 2011. By the way, LeBan HK Cafe next door is owned by the same boss.

The new place is more spacious and air-conditioned now!. With the bigger space, now they have a live aquariums at the back of the restaurant to accommodate the crabs and fishes.

The new location also has 2 VIP rooms for those who prefer to have a cosy area to themselves. Reservation are preferred for VIP Rooms (8pax or more).

Salted Egg Yam Chips 4.2/5

The thinly sliced yam coated with rich salted egg sauce was so addictive. The Salted Egg Yam Chips ($9.80) has a firmer texture compared to using potato. It gave that shiok crackling crisp sound with each bite into it. For the extra punch, chilli padi and curry leaves were added.

Balachan Crab 3.8/5

I asked for the Balachan Crab ($19.90 small, $29.90 medium, $48/kg for large) as I have not seen this cooking style on the menu before. The dried style balachan crab came with lots of fried shallots and some curry leaves. It has an unique spicy and salty combination which was good but not fantastic.

Salted Egg Crab 4.5/5

This is a must try, the Salted Egg Crab ($23.90 small, $33.90 medium, $48/kg for large). This is Irvin's specialty with Chef Yap's special recipe. I liked the fact that curry leaves are added to give the sauce the extra kick and fragrant. The crab was basically swimming in the generous amount of salted egg sauce. The salted egg sauce is so well received by the customers that they are selling it at $12 per box, freshly made upon order. Maybe I should get a box for my nacho.

Damn Good Pork 4.2/5

The Butter Pork Ribs ($12.80 small, $18.80 large) is the owner's favourite dish at the restaurant. He loves it so much that he named it as Damn Good Pork on the menu. The crispy pork coated with the savoury butter sauce. Again chilli padi and curry leaves were added to give the extra punch.

Butter Chicken 4/5

If you don't like pork, you can ask for the alternative Butter Chicken ($15.80 small, $20.80 large). The crispy exterior was lovely with the same butter sauce, chilli padi and curry leaves as the butter pork ribs.

Hot Plate Tofu with Special Minced Pork 4/5

The Hot Plate Tofu with Special Minced Pork ($12.80) came with egg tofu and a special sweet and spicy sauce with minced pork. Customer can ask for non spicy tofu but it will come with chicken.

Red Tilapia with Special Sauce 4.2/5

The Red Tilapia with Special Sauce ($32) is not listed in the menu, you have to ask the waiter/waitress for it. The fresh red tilapia was cooked in the chef's special chilli bean paste sauce. The sweet and spicy flavours gave life to the delicious fish.

Claypot Pumpkin Prawns 4/5

Our palates were kind of tired and confused with all the salted egg and butter sauce dishes. When the Claypot Pumpkin Prawns ($13.80 small, $22.80 large) was served, we needed to reconfirm with the kitchen that they have not used the salted egg sauce instead. It tasted very similar to the salted egg sauce except that the texture was smoother. Same technique of using chilli padi and curry leaves to lift the flavours. Even the colour looked exactly the same. The pumpkin sauce was very good but I really could not taste the distinct pumpkin flavour.

Salted French Beans 4/5

Finally some greens after all the rich and creamy dishes. I like how the Salted French Beans ($10.80 small, $15.80 large) still had the crunchiness texture. The chilli padi, dried shrimps and fried shallots completed the flavours making it a light and delectable dish.

Irvin's will be giving out 10% discount to our blog readers from now till 31 July 2012! Simply quote "Singapore's Most Handsome Restaurant" before making payment and you will be entitle to the discount.

You may wonder why the Most Handsome Restaurant? The owner comes from Indonesia and he is a foodie. Whenever he comes across delicious food, he will describle it as "ganteng" in Bahasan which literally means handsome.

Once again I would like to thank Stephenie for having us and Cheryl for asking me along.


Irvin's Live Seafood House
No.4 Jalan Leban
Upper Thomson Road
Singapore 577548
Tel: +65 68365020
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/irvinseafood
Website: http://www.irvins.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Marymount (CC line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Marymount MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Upper Thomson Road towards SPC Petrol Kiosk direction. Take bus number 163, 167, 855 or 980 across the road (Stop ID B53021). Alight 7 stops later. Walk to destination across the road. Journey time about 15 minutes.

Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家) @ Sennett Estate

After Macpherson hawker centre has been torn down, I have not been back to Sennett Estate. Little did I know that along the stretch of Tai Thong Crescent, there are quite a number of hidden gems. Among them is Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家) Restaurant near the entry of Tai Thong Crescent. This gem was nominated in Food Fest 2010 Top 10 Favourite Restaurant.

Crispy Bean-jal 4/5

A lot of people do not like to eat brinjal but the Crispy Bean-Jal ($12, $18, $24) will probably change their mind. The brinjal was thinly sliced and fried to crisp. It was coated with a special made sweet sauce with a tab of spiciness. Even not blind folded, I could tell that I am eating brinjal.

Kyoto Pork Ribs 4/5

The Kyoto Pork Ribs ($20) was served wrapped in aluminum foil. The aluminum foil was drenched with rose wine and ignited with fire upon servicing allowing the aroma to infuse into the sauteed pork. The mixed of soury and sweetness made the dish very delectable.

Assam Fish Head 4.8/5

The signature Assam Fish Head ($25) definitely packed a punch. According to the owner, the red snapper fish head is hand picked from the market daily. She also told us that they already mild the spiciness after feedback from customers. The perfect balance of flavours of the assam fish head definitely is the best I have eaten and it is a must try.

Hot Plate Sambal Seabass 3.8/5

Serving a deep fried Seabass on a hot plate is a bit weird to me. I would preferred it to be steamed rather than deep fried. Nevertheless, the Hot Plate Sambal Seabass ($25) was lovely with the sambal sauce. If only it was a bit spicer would be nice.

Oyster Omelette 4.5/5

This is the most generous Oyster Omelette ($12) I have ever eaten. The oyster was big and fresh. Interestingly, it came with sambal sauce which married very well with the omelette.

Prawn Roll 4/5

The huge self made Prawn Roll ($8 for 8pc, $16 for 16pc) was crisp on the outside and meaty in the inside with a hint of crunchy texture from the chestnuts.

Special Made Tofu with Lingzhi Mushroom 4.5/5

The Special Made Tofu with Lingzhi Mushroom ($12) is made by the chef using egg and soya bean. The Tofu was silky smooth and with the savoury sauce, the simple tofu dish was simply delish!

Thai Style Beancurd 3.8/5

Compared to the Special Made Tofu, the Thai Style Beancurd ($6 for 6pc) was firmer and less silky as the beancurd was bought from the market and not self made. Nevertheless, the sweet thai sauce gave the bland beancurd a lovely dimension.

Cereal Sotong with Curry Flavour 3.8/5

The Cereal Sotong with Curry Flavour ($20, $30, $40) was rather unique. The curry leaves lifted the flavour to another level.  However I thought the cereal was a bit bitter not sure whether it was over done. I preferred the cereal to be sweeter with a buttery taste.

Butter Baked Salted Egg Sri Lanka Crabs 4.2/5

The big and succulent Butter Baked Salted Egg Sri Lanka Crabs (seasonal price) was simply finger licking good. I like the dry version of the butter baked salted egg crabs as it was not messy to eat with. The crab meat was also sweet, firm and juicy.

Herbal Chicken Soup 4.2/5

I enjoyed the Herbal Chicken Soup ($8.80) a lot. Although the bowl of soup was packed with herbs, it didn't taste bitter. The soup was light and refreshing.

Black Glutinuos with Ice Cream 4/5

Wrapping up the beautiful dinner was the Black Glutinuos with Ice Cream ($4) dessert. Black Glutinuos is one of my favourite desserts. Instead of coconut milk, the vanilla ice cream was a good alternative and also act as a sort of sweetner to complete the dish.

Gu Ma Jia
Sennett Estate
45 Tai Thong Crescent
Singapore 347866
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sg.gumajia
Website: http://www.gumajia.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Potong Pasir (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Direction:
Alight at Potong Pasir MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk along Upper Serangoon road towards the row of shophouses. Turn left into Tai Thong Crescent and walk to the end of the road. Journey time about 5 minutes.

Live Pacific Dungeness Crab Tasting

Live Pacific Dungeness Crabs

Singaporean loves eating crab and usually what we have in Singapore is Sri Lankan Crab or from the nearby regions. When Marshal from Wilshire Select Seafood wrote to me for a live hand imported Pacific Dungeness Crab Tasting session, I could not resist trying out this species of crab which is not easily available here.

Steamed Crab

Pacific Dungeness Crab weights around 0.7kg to 1.4kg and is harvested from the icy waters of Southeast Alaska down to San Franciso Bay. To introduce us to these highly prized delicacy flown all the way from Seattle, Marshal asked the kitchen to prepare the crabs in 6 different local cooking styles.

Crab Bee Hoon

The distinct characteristic of Pacific Dungeness Crab is its texture. It has a firm scallop like texture. This consistency in texture was found in all the crabs that was prepared. Even the claws and legs have the same firmness in its flesh throughout. In terms of taste, it exudes a deep oceanic, rich buttery and slightly sweet taste.

Golden Sand Crab

Black Pepper Crab

Creamy Salted Egg Crab

Chilli Crab

I think the scallop like texture of the Pacific Dungeness Crab will be a hit with Singaporean if it is readily available. It has also excelled in the different local cooking styles which can satisfy all the different Singaporean taste buds.

Lastly, a great thank you to both Marshal and Stefanie for the invitation and wonderful crab tasting feast. If you are interested in importing the Pacific Dungeness Crab, you can contact Marshal or visit their website.