Seafood chain Mellben Seafood opens a new outlet at the city fringe
Getting good quality Chinese food at reasonable prices for lunch is no longer just a dream. Popular seafood chain Mellben Seafood has opened a new outlet, Mellben Signature, on the fringe of the hip Tanjong Pagar enclave.
Mellben Seafood started as a humble stall on Alexandra Road in 1988. Now a household name, its flagship stall is in Ang Mo Kio. The outlet in Bestway Building on Prince Edward Road is hardly a year old but it is just as good.
Crab as an Entree
As with Chinese-style dining, it is better to eat in a group as dishes are served communal style. The outlet’s signature dish Creamy Butter Crab (seasonal price) is not as common as the chilli or pepper crab, but it is impressive taste-wise. There is also an optional side order of five mini fried mantous to dunk in the creamy and sinful sauce, almost like a butter sauce you would find topping a salmon dish in a Western restaurant.
I also liked the Salted Egg Yolk Prawn ($20-$40). A nice change from the usual cereal prawns, the shrimp is coated in a slightly sweet salted egg yolk batter before being fried in its shell, resulting in a shrimp that can be eaten from head to tail.
Vegetables to Complement
If you’re hankering after vegetables, I suggest the Assorted Mushroom with Spinach ($15-$25). You get a mix of shitake, abalone mushrooms and straw mushrooms with either spinach or kailan. The vegetables are crisp and well-flavoured with garlic, and go well with a bowl of rice.
The Coffee Pork Ribs ($15-$30) can be a little messy as the ribs kept slipping from my fingers, but contrary to most coffee pork ribs, Mellben Signature’s is not overly sweet but had a hint of bitterness from the coffee, resulting in a charred taste.
Mellben Signature opens Mon to Fri, from 11am to 10pm, weekends and public holidays from 5pm to 10pm. Reservations recommended.
Mellben Signature, Bestway Building, 12 Prince Edward Road, Singapore 079212, Tel: 6220 5512
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