Heyya there!
This post officially marks the beginning of my new food blog! And guess which dish I'm gonna start with?
Considered one of the world's most iconic dishes, every Singaporean citizen should know where to get the
BEST CHILLI CRAB!
Last Saturday evening, I went to Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood to have a go at their signature dish - Chilli Crab!
This post officially marks the beginning of my new food blog! And guess which dish I'm gonna start with?
Considered one of the world's most iconic dishes, every Singaporean citizen should know where to get the
BEST CHILLI CRAB!
Last Saturday evening, I went to Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood to have a go at their signature dish - Chilli Crab!
The crab's pincer!
So here's how i'm going to review food on my blog:
They will be judged according to their
1. Freshness
2.Tastiness
3. Quality
4. Presentation
And here's how I'm reviewing restaurants:
5. Worthy of your trip down?
6. Waiting time
7. Ambience
8. Service
9. Worthy of recommendation to others?
10. Instagram-worthiness
Score Card:
1. Freshness
The crab was FRESH! It tasted like it was just hauled from the sea moments ago :)
When I cracked the pincer open, its meat was solid and piping hot!
My teeth then sank into dense crab meat.
Its sweet and little salty juice oozed out little by little as I continued to savour the pincer.
Overall: 9/10
2.Tastiness
Crab Meat: It was sweet, a little salty, and spicy! What a combo! I could really taste the crab meat and it wasn't overwhelmed by that of the dishes' chilli gravy. The meat was also very solid, and when you bit into it, it came out in chunks of stringy meat! :)
Chilli Gravy: It had the right amount of sweetness and spiciness! The eggs mixed very well into the gravy too!
It complemented the crab meat very well as it added that extra punch of spiciness, which is what we all look for in this dish!
And because the dish came piping hot, it made the gravy sizzle on my tongue! What a sensation!
They could've been a little more generous with the gravy, because I couldn't get enough of it!
Overall: 10/10
3. Quality
It was above-average for me as the crab was fresh, its meat was solid and the gravy was spicy enough to satisfy my cravings!Overall: 9/10
4. Presentation
It could really be improved on, because the crab looked like it was placed on the plate in a haphazard manner.
Overall: 5/10
5. Worthy of your trip down?
The place honestly seems like it's in the middle of nowhere.
Hidden on 122 Casuarina Rd, I suggest you travel with a GPS/Google Maps or come in a Taxi.
Parking is alright as there are public lots around the area, though it tends to get a little dark and chilly at night, because the place is right beside the Lower Peirce Reservoir.
BUT, if you're willing to travel all the way down, you won't be disappointed!
*crabby dance*
Overall: 6/10
6. Waiting time
I waited for about 1/2hr for it! Although I had other dishes before that, (Ngoh Hiang, Fried Rice, Mee Goreng and Claypot Tofu), they could've speeded it up a little because the chilli gravy also mixes well with the rest of the dishes.
And it's undoubtedly the MAIN dish of the night, so why did they take such a long time to serve it? ):
It was probably due to the number of tables waiting for their own chili crab.
The place was packed with people I tell ya!
Overall: 5/10
7. Ambience
The restaurant is like a kopitiam, so don't expect it to be spick and span. Also, it was noisy because it was FULL HOUSE!
It is also warm because it is non-airconditioned. Basically, coming in your T-shirt, shorts and slippers is perfect.
Some of the tables are also a little too big and they don't have lazy susans.
So be prepared to stretch out a little to grab that crab pincer.
Overall: 4/10
8. Service
Loads to be improved on. Their waiters/waitresses don't really take the initiative to sit you down when you arrive and this caused some human-congestion as there were many groups of people standing around, waiting to pounce on your seat when you're about to finish - like what you see in hawker centres.
Instead, my mom went up to one of the waitresses and reserved a table on the spot. We waited 20mins for it.
They also shout a lot amongst themselves, adding to the noisiness of the place.
They aren't a friendly lot either.
Overall: 3/10
9. Worthy of recommendation to others?
I would only recommend this place for the food and nothing else /:
The price is reasonable! I paid $46 for a1kg chilli crab!
Overall: 6/10
10. Instagram-worthiness
The only thing that's worth putting on Instagram is a picture of the crab.
Little effort was put into the interior design and atmosphere of the restaurant.
With white-tiled walls and cement flooring, it looked like it needed some refurbishing!
Overall: 3/10
Total Score: 60/100
Well, there you have it folks!
Wanna give it a try yourself?
Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood
122 Casuarina Road
Open daily from 5pm - 1.30am
Do let me know if you're planning on trying this place in the comments section!
Thank you for your time & this wraps up my very first food review!
Love,
Nat!
So here's how i'm going to review food on my blog:
They will be judged according to their
1. Freshness
2.Tastiness
3. Quality
4. Presentation
And here's how I'm reviewing restaurants:
5. Worthy of your trip down?
6. Waiting time
7. Ambience
8. Service
9. Worthy of recommendation to others?
10. Instagram-worthiness
Score Card:
1. Freshness
The crab was FRESH! It tasted like it was just hauled from the sea moments ago :)
When I cracked the pincer open, its meat was solid and piping hot!
My teeth then sank into dense crab meat.
Its sweet and little salty juice oozed out little by little as I continued to savour the pincer.
Overall: 9/10
2.Tastiness
Crab Meat: It was sweet, a little salty, and spicy! What a combo! I could really taste the crab meat and it wasn't overwhelmed by that of the dishes' chilli gravy. The meat was also very solid, and when you bit into it, it came out in chunks of stringy meat! :)
Chilli Gravy: It had the right amount of sweetness and spiciness! The eggs mixed very well into the gravy too!
It complemented the crab meat very well as it added that extra punch of spiciness, which is what we all look for in this dish!
And because the dish came piping hot, it made the gravy sizzle on my tongue! What a sensation!
They could've been a little more generous with the gravy, because I couldn't get enough of it!
Overall: 10/10
3. Quality
It was above-average for me as the crab was fresh, its meat was solid and the gravy was spicy enough to satisfy my cravings!Overall: 9/10
4. Presentation
It could really be improved on, because the crab looked like it was placed on the plate in a haphazard manner.
Overall: 5/10
5. Worthy of your trip down?
The place honestly seems like it's in the middle of nowhere.
Hidden on 122 Casuarina Rd, I suggest you travel with a GPS/Google Maps or come in a Taxi.
Parking is alright as there are public lots around the area, though it tends to get a little dark and chilly at night, because the place is right beside the Lower Peirce Reservoir.
BUT, if you're willing to travel all the way down, you won't be disappointed!
*crabby dance*
Overall: 6/10
6. Waiting time
I waited for about 1/2hr for it! Although I had other dishes before that, (Ngoh Hiang, Fried Rice, Mee Goreng and Claypot Tofu), they could've speeded it up a little because the chilli gravy also mixes well with the rest of the dishes.
And it's undoubtedly the MAIN dish of the night, so why did they take such a long time to serve it? ):
It was probably due to the number of tables waiting for their own chili crab.
The place was packed with people I tell ya!
Overall: 5/10
7. Ambience
The restaurant is like a kopitiam, so don't expect it to be spick and span. Also, it was noisy because it was FULL HOUSE!
It is also warm because it is non-airconditioned. Basically, coming in your T-shirt, shorts and slippers is perfect.
Some of the tables are also a little too big and they don't have lazy susans.
So be prepared to stretch out a little to grab that crab pincer.
Overall: 4/10
8. Service
Loads to be improved on. Their waiters/waitresses don't really take the initiative to sit you down when you arrive and this caused some human-congestion as there were many groups of people standing around, waiting to pounce on your seat when you're about to finish - like what you see in hawker centres.
Instead, my mom went up to one of the waitresses and reserved a table on the spot. We waited 20mins for it.
They also shout a lot amongst themselves, adding to the noisiness of the place.
They aren't a friendly lot either.
Overall: 3/10
9. Worthy of recommendation to others?
I would only recommend this place for the food and nothing else /:
The price is reasonable! I paid $46 for a1kg chilli crab!
Overall: 6/10
10. Instagram-worthiness
The only thing that's worth putting on Instagram is a picture of the crab.
Little effort was put into the interior design and atmosphere of the restaurant.
With white-tiled walls and cement flooring, it looked like it needed some refurbishing!
Overall: 3/10
Total Score: 60/100
Well, there you have it folks!
Wanna give it a try yourself?
Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood
122 Casuarina Road
Open daily from 5pm - 1.30am
Do let me know if you're planning on trying this place in the comments section!
Thank you for your time & this wraps up my very first food review!
Love,
Nat!