There are several things we take for granted here in Singapore: clean streets, efficiency, safety and… the availability of fresh seafood year round. It’s easy to forget that living on a tropical island means we will have access to some of the best regional catches money can buy. Compound that with the fact that Singapore is an extremely connected, high networth city and you’ll get some truly premium produce landing on our plates.
That means only one thing: there’s never a bad time to head to a restaurant that specialises in seafood. We’re not talking about Chinese restaurants with fish tanks that line the walls nor upscale zi char places here – there’s certainly a time and a place for that. Instead, the restaurants on this list span the culinary genre from live oysters to boilers that recall the soulful food of the great American South.
Here’s more.
Poisson
French seafood restaurant is the newest entrant on this list and already the team has come out guns blazing with a new brunch menu that showcases the bounty of the sea. It’s named Sensational Saturdays and it’s where stunners like crispy sea bream and Belgian Grey Shrimps Croquette share the table with freeflow champagne and aperol spritz.
Humpback
Seattle-style restaurant Humpback has a small curated menu that’s big on freshness and quality. The restaurant was started when the founders Indra Kantono and Gan Guoyi went on a holiday and tasted fresh Hama Hama oysters in the Pacific Northwest. It’s little wonder that these oysters feature prominently on the menu. If you’re looking for something warm and hearty, ask for the mussel spaghetti and have it with the 5 cheese croquette on the side.
Alati
Escape the humdrum of urban Singapore and into the breezy coasts of Greece, at least, for a couple of hours. The Greeks have a particular way of preparing seafood (think grills and zesty salads) that’s expressed beautifully at Alati on Amoy Street. Take for example The famous Athenian, where the catch of the day from Greece is deboned and marinated with homemade lemony aioli sauce then steamed to perfection. Don’t leave without trying the octopus souvlaki that’s grilled with wagyu beef fat and then wrapped in a thin pita bread elevated with a spiced tomato paste from Santorini.
The Boiler
Southern-style boilers were all the rage a few years ago for good reason: it offers a communal style of dining where you can dig in with your fingers and a range of sauces that goes swimmingly well with the crab and shellfish. That trend may have plateaued but that also means the restaurants that are still operating stand the test of time. The Boiler is one such example and we think it’s because its Southern-style boils are served alongside familiar Asian flavours. Think Handmade Crab Cakes with Kimchi Remoulade as well as Sriracha Chilli Cheese Fries – these pair amazingly with any of the seafood boil sets.
Greenwood Fish Market
Greenwood at Bukit Timah is a hidden gem of a culinary enclave and the crowning glory on that stretch is arguably Greenwood Fish Market. Yes as the name implies, you can buy fresh seafood there but if cooking is not your thing, cosy up at one of its tables for a generous range of dishes. Go for the fish and chips if you want something simple but if you have time for an elaborate affair, order up the GFM Signature Cold Seafood Platter that will see whole Boston lobster, king crab legs, langoustines, freshly shucked oyster and more stacked across three eye-popping tiers that’s sure to keep you satiated.
