Besides kaya toast, another one of Singapore’s signature dishes is their chilli crab. I don’t know why it’s popular or where it comes from, but I’ll take any excuse to eat crab. My friend’s a local and she recommended Jumbo Seafood so I’m assuming they know what they’re doing. They’ve got a few locations around town and I ended up at the Dempsey one. In the back of the restaurant they’ve got tanks of live seafood lined up, though we didn’t get to select our crab or anything like that. Which is too bad, because the only thing I like more than eating crab is looking it in the eye while selecting it for death and laughing maniacally at its pleas for mercy. Don’t judge me. That’s what the “doctors” at the institution did and look where that got them (Hint: buried in my backyard).
Garlic Shrimp
Super garlicky which means super good. Plus they’ve been split, so eating it just requires a little simple finagling, as opposed to the usual 45 minutes of struggle it takes for me to peel a shrimp. Yeah, I said 45 minutes. My fingers are basically non-functioning sausages.
Scallops Wrapped in Yam Ring
Jumbo Chilli Crab
Honestly, I don’t know what all the fuss is about. The crab itself wasn’t the freshest I’ve ever had, and the sauce didn’t leave me amazed. It’s more of a tomato sauce than a Western chilli, and was actually a bit bland to me. The best way I can describe the whole dish is “meh.” Yeah, get it if you’re in Singapore because that’s the thing you’re supposed to do, but don’t expect to have your mind blown.
Pepper Crab
I think I preferred the pepper crab to the chilli crab. It tasted pretty strong of pepper, giving it a good bite. Overall, the flavors were sharper and harsher and I mean that in a good way. Because I like my food the way I like…my…knives?
Jumbo Seafood at Dempsey
Tanglin Village
Singapore, Singapore
