Without much pomp and glitz, this restaurant serves some of the best fare in Singapore
By Frank Young
Surrounded by auto repair shops in the far edge of Sin Ming industrial estate lies a hidden culinary treasure from the sea.
Well, at least it originated near the sea. Decades ago, Ubin Seafood Restaurant was located on a jetty shack on the northern shores of Pulau Ubin. Throughout the years, it had been developing and perfecting its delightful dishes for the few Singaporeans who ventured onto the remote island on weekends.
Although it is primarily a seafood zi char restaurant, it has also developed a large selection of signature western, non-seafood dishes to complement its seafood offering. Fortunately for rest of us less adventurous types, they have moved to the mainland and brought all of their perfected dishes for us to enjoy.
Here are a few signature items for you to savour.
Hearty Rib-eye with a Surprise Local Twist
Surprisingly for a seafood restaurant, one of their most popular choices is the US Angus Rib-Eye Steak ($12 per 100g).
Their rib-eye was perfectly broiled, with nicely charred edges, to a medium rare to balance the tenderness and firmness. It was pre-cut to share and typically served on a wooden chopping board with potato wedges and caramelised onion sides, with
bits of smoked bacon.
They use USDA Choice grade beef, which has less marbling (fat between the muscles), and therefore has a firmer feel to the bite, whereas, the much more expensive US Prime grades or trendy Japanese Wagyu grades which are fattier have a waxier feel and taste.
Now for the surprise: It is also served with fried rice, ‘sapoh fun’ style, and topped with charred fat from the rib-eye steak. The combination of the salty sweetness of the rice and the meatiness of the rib-eye was delightful. The poor potato wedges were easily upstaged by their unlikely Asian carbo contender.
Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle Special: A Heavy Weight Contender
Hokkien prawn noodle is a ubiquitous, and often mundane, staple offering in Singapore with many stalls and seafood restaurants vying for the claim to being the best in town. Like many Singaporeans, I’ve eaten my share at these famous places.
So, when I tried New Ubin Seafood Restaurant’s Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle Special ($12/$24), I wasn’t expecting it
to be dramatically different – I was wrong.
The seafood ingredients were generous – large prawns, pork slices, and eggs make it visually appealing, and the addition of whole baby squids, as opposed to the conventional sotong rings, was a pleasant discovery.
The taste was complex and flavourful, with the ingredients working together to form a salty and balanced sweetness. The “wok hei” was apparent but not overpowering. The gravy was smooth, thick and rich with a firm taste of the sea.
When asked why the taste was different from the others, Mr Pang revealed that because they are a seafood restaurant, they are able to use a very high quality seafood broth to serve as the base for the dish. Moreover, the whole baby squid added additional punch to the flavour.
What’s a seafood restaurant without crab?
A top competitor for the rib-eye at New Ubin Seafood is the Garlic Baked Sri Lankan Crab ($60 per kg). This is serious seafood served with XXL Sri Lankan monster crabs, fresh-flown live daily, with claws the size of my palm.
Unlike its chilli and black pepper crab cousins, which they also serve, this dish isn’t smothered with overwhelming gravy or spices. The crab is baked under a layer of copious whole bulbs of garlic in a wok.
The roasted whole garlic bulbs are served along with the beautiful orange-red crab. As with such a large crab, the meat comes out of the shell in cotton ball sizes, unfettered by shell bits, making it a sheer luxury to eat.
Unlike the big, bold flavours of the chilli and black pepper masking the quality of the crab, the infusion of baked garlic – gentle but obvious – enhances the freshness and sweetness of the crab’s meat. And, don’t forget to eat the bulbs of garlic. It has been baked soft and tender.
The pungent “garlicky” blast that you’d usually experience when biting into a clove has been mellowed by the heat, giving it a soft texture with sweet garlic tones delectable to the mouth. This is certainly an underrated dish that needs to be tried!
Avoiding the crowd
Unlike many Singaporeans, I am too impatient to queue. And since New Ubin Seafood Restaurant has a strong regular following, it’s practically impossible to get seats on the weekends without a reservation.
I recommend going on Mondays through Thursdays to avoid the crowd. And, locate it on a map first to familiarise yourself with the location.
New Ubin Seafood Restaurant, Blk 27 Sing Ming Road, #01-174, Singapore 575680
Mon-Fri: 11am-2pm; 5:30pm-10pm; Sat-Sun: 11:30am–2:30pm; 5:30pm-10:30pm
Reservations: 6466 9558
No corkage fees
www.ubinseafood.com
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