Their clean interior reflects their modernisation.

I have been saying that Chinese restaurants need to modernise by serving small portions because families are getting smaller. And the newest outlet of Long Beach at Robertson Quay has answered the call.

Fresh seafood

Long Beach seafood restaurant started in 1946 and created the original black pepper crab in 1982. At their new outlet, they provide a sampling menu, which serves small portions of their signature dishes so that solo diners and couples could try more. Actually, I think 3-4 people could share these dishes too.

Oysters (6pc small or 4pc large, $28)

Strangely, we have been eating a lot of oysters recently, Hokkaido oysters at Restaurant Beurre and Canadian oysters at a bar on Emerald Hill. But the Scottish oysters (6pc small or 4pc large, $28) here win hands-down. They are clean and sweet with the taste of the ocean. It is an immense bliss to slurp them.

Steamed Scottish royal razor clam with garlic and vermicelli

The Scottish royal razor clam ($12/pc) is steamed and topped with garlic, fried garlic, and vermicelli. I’m not a big fan of razor clam in general, so this is just ok for me.

Live prawns in Kupang style

The live prawns in Kupang style (3pc/$14): the prawns are huge, firm, fresh, and very, very sweet. They are so sweet that they are not overpowered by the savoury, thick soup that is a mix between laksa and curry. I suggest that they can add some noodles or bee hoon to it.

Chilli fresh crab meat with 1 pc mantou ($18)

For the chilli crab ($18) on the sampling menu, they handpull the meat freshly out of the crab. It’s pretty good value with that much fresh crab. At some restaurants, the chilli sauce tends to be more spicy than sweet, or more sweet but not spicy, but here, the chilli sauce is a nice balance. Not bad.

Black pepper Dungeness crab

But the black pepper Dungeness crab is really the piece de resistance. The crab is sweet and fresh. The black pepper really stings (in a good way) but even that heat couldn’t diminish the sweetness of the crab. They—the black pepper sauce and the crab–go really well together.

They provide deshelling services so you don’t have to get your hands dirty. Just ask them to deshell for you!

Another stellar dish, lala king with flat rice noodles, has the noodles done two ways, normal and deep-fried to provide a textural contrast with the plump and sweet lala clams. There is a sour piquancy (vinegar maybe?) to the sweetness of the seafood, making it our favourite dish of the tasting.

Lala king with flat rice noodles

Anyone who cooks will tell you that when the ingredients are fresh, the food is already likely to be good. And many of the seafood at Long Beach is fished right out of tanks in front of you, so it’s fresh and sweet.

Sampling Menu

Long Beach
60 Robertson Quay, The Quayside #01-14 Singapore 238252
tel: +65 6336 3636
Mon – Thurs: 11.30am – 11pm
Fri: 11.30am – 11.30pm
Sat: 11am – 11.30pm
Sun: 11am – 11pm
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Food: 7.5/10
Decor/ambience: 7/10
Price: 6/10

You may be interested in…
–Tang Lung Restaurant, Robertson Quay: Dim Sum Sunday Buffet & Other Dishes at New Modern Chinese Restaurant
–KEK Seafood 瓊榮記海鲜, Bukit Merah: Not a Fan But Islandwide Delivery Fee at $5
–Lè Fusion, Robertson Quay: East Meets… Everywhere Cuisine
–Fremantle Seafood Market, Clarke Quay: Aussie Seafood Restaurant Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Live Whole Lobsters & Other Locally Sourced Seafood

This is an invited tasting. Written by Dr. A. Nathanael Ho.