If you don’t make a reservation, expect to queue. When I strolled in with my reservation on a Wednesday night, people in the queue dagger-stared me. Yes, I derived pleasure from that. “Mr Gray will see you now.”

The menu is easy: small plates; different types of lobster roll; desserts; and drinks. Getting from a sustainable seafood source, each roll comes with a full Boston lobster (400g). A small lobster usually yields 20-25% meat, so a roll consists probably 80-100g of meat.

Everyone ordered the gorgeous crustacean bowl ($19 starter/ $26 main). My advice: get the main–go big or go home. It is a bowl of Japonica rice topped with a full butter-poached lobster with uni creme and caviar. The creme is homemade from two types of uni from Japan and Australia. But when mine arrived, there was no caviar on top, and no server informed us beforehand that the ingredient was sold out. In dismay, I cried, “HUH! Take photo not pretty already.” The two ladies next to my table laughed.

Tastewise, it was like aburi sushi. Sea urchin was too fishy for my companion, but I enjoyed it. However, there was something lacking to educe the umami–it was monotonous. Maybe a touch of lemon would help. Or perhaps it was missing a salty caviar. By the way, I was charged full price! They forgot to deduct the price of the caviar from the dish. Platypus, YOU OWE ME $5.

For the lobster roll ($19.90 for roll/ $22.90 set), pick the lightly flavored ones, as the sauce might overpower the delicate taste of lobster. Like The Modern‘s hollandaise, chilli, and cheese drowned the lobster. We preferred the lighter The Traditional, butter poached lobster tossed in garlic mayo–simple but effective, hit the spot. The set comes with a salad, and truffle chips, but no truffle taste.

Compliments to the service. It was a bustling night. They had trouble keeping track of billing and orders, but they, especially Sasha, paid attention to the customers’ needs. She was often the first server to spot me waving for help. I asked her about our crustacean bowl, which was taking some time to come. She checked on it, and informed us it was on the way. 10 minutes later, when she happened to walk by us, she remembered and asked if our bowl had arrived, and she went to check again. Thank you, Sasha. 

The reason Platypus was the only packed-like-sardinesMRT restaurant along Nankin Row is because of their awesome concept: serving not-bad comfort food at an affordable price. The atmosphere was buzzing, and *VERY IMPORTANT* you feast your eyes here too. *Swallow saliva.* We’ll return. But remember to make reservations 2-3 days in advance. Including a bottle of Heineken ($6, so cheap! cheaper than coffee!),  we spent about $80 for two. No GST, got service tax.

Platypus Lobster Shack

3 Pickering St, China Square #01-31 Nankin Row, Singapore 048422
T: +65 6438 7961
M-Th 6-10pm, F & Sat 6.30-11pm
Platypus Lobster Shack Menu
Rating: 3.469/5 stars

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.