Two years after Seafood Paradise closed its doors at Marina Bay Sands, it has now reopened at Vivocity, replacing sister restaurant Paradise Teochew (currently at Scotts Square). Seafood Paradise is the very first restaurant opened by the Paradise Group in 2002. The restaurant specialises in live seafood and cze char with an innovative spin.

I am a big fan of molten cheese as well as bacon but somehow the deep-fried cheese bacon roll ($12.80++ for 4 pcs) lacked oomph. The mixture of squid and prawn paste which was stuffed with the mild cheddar cheese is nondescript. The sweet BBQ sauce does not go well with the bacon roll.

The baked pork belly rib with honey pepper sauce ($8.90++ per piece) are marinated with Seafood Paradise’s in-house blend for one day before being baked. The day-long marination makes the pork belly ribs tender and baking it gives the pork ribs a lovely caramelised crispy exterior. The cracked black peppercorns give the dish a kick. Although the bone is big, there is a good amount of meat and a layer of fat. However, the sauce is too sweet.

The poached live tiger prawns with Chinese herb in superior stock ($29++/300g, $41++/450g, $53++/600g) are fresh, juicy, and sweet with the heady aroma of the hua diao wine. Everything that a “drunken prawn” should be. The superior stock has been simmered for more than three hours with Chinese herbs and rice wine—thick, herby, and slightly boozy.

The steamed dragon tiger grouper with preserved turnip ($9++ per 100g) is prepared a la Hong Kong style and topped with cai poh or preserved turnip (which is fried in glorious pork lard). The fish is steamed just right, not overcooked. The flesh is firm and sweet; goes swimmingly well with the savoury soy sauce and crispy cai poh.

 Crispy kangkong topped with cuttlefish in homemade seafood sauce ($15.80++ for small, $22.80++ for medium, $30.80++ for large). This is an expensive you he eng cai. Each kangkong leaf is individually dipped into a light batter before being deep fried (much like how tempura is made). Addictive. The cuttlefish has a firm and supple texture and goes well with the seafood sauce made in-house with hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, sweet Thai chilli sauce, and sesame oil.

The highlight of the meal is the Sri Lankan mud crabs which can be prepared in 2 different styles: Singapore style chilli crab ($9.50++ per 100g) or Seafood Paradise’s signature creamy butter crab topped with coconut crumbs ($9.50++ per 100g). The flesh of the mud crabs is firm, sweet, and fresh. Although pricey, I would recommend the crabs.

The chilli sauce that accompanies the crabs is definitely one of the better ones that I have tried so far. It is spicy, slightly sweet, and very moreish. Mopping up the luscious sauce with fried crispy mantou is…sublime.

For the butter crab, the crab is cooked together with butter, evaporated milk, chilli padi and aromatics such as curry leaves and lemongrass.

To round off the meal, although the chilled lemongrass jelly in lemonade and sour plum juice ($5.80++ each) is nothing fancy, I enjoyed the citrusy lemongrass jelly made in-house daily. The refreshing lemonade and sour plum juice is not cloyingly sweet and I found myself wanting more.

The food at Seafood Paradise is enjoyable and I can see myself coming here for family gatherings. The ambience is also suitable for business lunches and a great way to introduce to overseas colleagues to our uniquely Singaporean cuisine.

Food: 7/10
Decor/ambience: 7/10
Price/value: 5.5/10

You may be interested in…
–Tian Tian Fisherman’s Pier Seafood, Boat Quay: $29.80++ Steam Pot Includes US Live Oysters, Scallop, Clams, and More
–Long Beach, Robertson Quay: Old Name, New Outlet, Modernising the Menu
–Mott 32, MBS: Outrageous Prices for Global Cantonese Food with Beijing and Sichuan Influences
–Tang Lung Restaurant, Robertson Quay: Dim Sum Sunday Buffet & Other Dishes at New Modern Chinese Restaurant

This is an invitation. Written by Vanessa Khong. Vanessa is someone who enjoys checking out the local food scene. She believes the way to her heart is through her stomach.