Seafood Paradise (Singapore Flyer)

Had the extreme good fortune to partake in a food tasting session at Seafood Paradise one day with couple of like minded bloggers. Part of the paradise group which also operates Taste Paradise, this is a well received and critically acclaimed restaurant that has garnered more supporters, business and foodies alike with each passing day. The kind owner and our host also kindly positioned the restaurant as a mid range restaurant that will appeal to a greater clientèle as opposed to being a totally high end eating place.

Located at the swanky new premises right below the Singapore Flyer, Seafood paradise here ushers in a new era of style and taste with a noted increase in clientèle which includes but notwithstanding the rich and the famous. The restaurant itself is ambient, carpeted and boasts a huge wine cellar next to the door. Lighting is bright to mid in the early hours and ambient and dim at night. The private room is open to spenders and groups in access of 10 to 15 people and comes with a floor manager and personalized waiter for on the spot service.

The day kicked off with the usual roasted peanuts which set the mood well. Regardless of the exterior, this place is at its heart, still a chinese restaurant with a twist.

Combination Trio Consisting of Tea-Smoked Sliced Duck ($10) Chilled Jellyfish With Chef's Special sauce ($12) and Yammy Scallop Pie ($14) - Our host has already prepared a nice menu for our sampling pleasure and the first to come is a trio platter that is available separately on the menu. The tea smoked duck was tender with a smokey taste which didn't appeal too much to me while i found the chilled jellyfish to embody just the right springiness and sweetness that is pleasing. The yammy scallop pie tastes just like it would it you wrapped a small layer of yam around scallop and deep fried it. The scallop was fresh and the yam, light.

Australian Lobster Baked In Salted Egg Yolk (Seasonal Price) - Our visit of luxury then led to our next dish, salted egg lobster. Now, this is described as having a silky and velvety taste and true enough, thats exactly how it tasted like. In fact, its difficult to explain what velvety means so i recommend trying it to find out. The salted yoke has a light powdery texture that extends and enhances the natural sweetness of a fresh lobster. An excellent dish for any occasion.

Crispy Chicken With Special Szechuan Sauce ($26) - The special Szechuan sauce in question tastes strongely of vinegar and is only a little bit spicy so its perfect for kids. The deep fried stuff above tastes like kellogs crispy puffs and goes along surprisingly well with the sauce. The chicken is also worth mentioning for being well marinated and roasted. Thus it means that the juices are intact while the skin is as crispy as it should be. The meat is tender and moist and you'll be lapping up its juices with ease.

Homemade Beancurd with Seafood in Claypot ($12 per portion) - Silky smooth and soft tofu that literally melts in your mouth. Add in an equally tempting and ingredient filled seafood claypot and its easy to see why customers order so much of this item.

Sea Bass with Salted Raddish ($4 per 100 gram) - The sea bass is fresh, sweet and simply delectable however i must say that the salted raddish concoction doesn't quite appeal to me. I'm not sure if lard is used but sprinkled amongst the raddish are little chewy bits that got in the way of enjoyment of the sweet meat of the fish.

Honshimeiji Mushrooms with Broccoli ($14) - Fresh Hoshimeiji mushrooms are a delight to eat. Springy and chewy, it's reminiscent of abalone in some ways and this rendition is pretty good. Doing it much justice.

Seafood Supreme Fried Rice ($24) - Their rendition of this done to death fried rice is of the dry variety. This means that the rice are not moist and have a decidedly wok hei like taste to it. Seafood like shrimp, squid and crab meat are plentiful and deliberately placed in the rice to good effect. I loved this with the sauce from their creamy butter crab.

Man Tou Bun ($0.60 each) - The man tou is simply excellent. No 2 ways around it. The pan fried base is hard and contrasts with the rest of the bun which feels as though its deep fried in oil but was not oily. I was pretty amazed. It also emits an excellent aroma that makes the chili and creamy butter sauce alot better then it should be.

Signature Creamy Butter Crab ($3.80 per 100 gram) - Their signature creamy butter immediately reminded me of Mellben's version which is the golden sand crab. This version is more milky, contains less cheese and egg and has a more peppery taste to it then the other rendition. Definitely still a winner since their crab is sizable, fresh and has all the goodness of a good crab.

Popular Chili Crab ($3.80 per 100 gram) - The chili crab is starchy, mildly spicy and has a stronger tangy tomato taste then most outside. As the host also kindly points out, the sauce gets better with each bite. And i can attest that its addictive, perhaps more so than the creamy butter above. No faulting their crab on this though, its still fresh and sweet and still lovable.

For the crabs, if you do get a private room, the host will gladly deshell it for you. Although the scene reminds me of gangster flicks in which the bosses have such service, i'd say its a step in the right direction in terms of service.

Finally, after the stomach expanding meal above, i'm glad to say. Seafood paradise is a great place for a meal. In fact, all lovers of Zhi Ca can gather to try their food. Its pretty darn good. Do watch the price though, even though its a mid range offering, over ordering does cause quite a burn on the pocket. If you have a deep pocket, no worries then. Come along and enjoy the food.