New Ubin Seafood On Sim Ming Avenue

Dave contacted us asking for places that define local Singaporean cuisine to bring his friends from the United States. He specifically asked for Chili Crab as his friends are from the Mid West where people think fish comes in square boneless white flesh and they’ve never tasted Chili before. Yes, Dave is a fount of unexpected experiences.

And here’s how we helped to ~~surpr~~ make welcome our guests to the best part of South Malaysia.

Located in a very quiet corner of Sim Ming Avenue is the New Ubin Seafood restaurant. We went there last year as some of us were school mates with the owner, Seng Meng. We enjoyed it so much that we would recommend it to friends who flew in to town as it was a quiet place to enjoy good food.

Fast-forward a year and a few reviews, we were rather alarmed to find that business has boomed and it’s very difficult to get a table during the weekends without reservations.

Jeff planned the menu and after much consultation (I asked for slightly bigger portions of Satay and Prawn Rolls), the menu was finalized and away we went. And waited…

That’s the problem with busy nights; there’s only so many people at the kitchen, so there’s a long wait. Seng Meng comp’d us for the wait by providing a plate of smoked sausages and meats. Finally, the appetizers of Satay (for the tourists) and Prawn Rolls (Hae Cho) arrived.

I felt that the Hae Cho could have been crispier but my feelings got overwhelmed by the explosion of flavor. Huge, meaty and savory-sweet from the pork and prawn. I tasted onions, perhaps water chestnuts and sweet sweet pork.

We were anxious for our overseas guest to experience the concept of “Wok Hei” – it does not involve burning the food – that we had to order the Chinese-style Mee Goreng twice. The first time was good but lacked the essential “wok hei”. We decided to let the restaurant empty out before ordering the second time.

This time it worked. You can feel waves of intense heat emanating from the noodles when you place your hand just above it. I’m glad to report that our foreign guests finally experienced what “wok hei” truly means. Even Dave was impressed.

The other “must-try” dish that Dave insisted that his guests must try was the Chili Crab. Personally, I didn’t like New Ubin’s Chili Crab from the gravy-perspective; it was watery thin and tart which didn’t go well with the fried buns.

The New Ubin Seafood Restaurant is a nice place with a family-friendly menu. It’s gotten very crowded on weekends, so the best time to walk in would be weekdays. We were glad that Dave’s friends had tremendous fun and were exposed to local Singaporean food. They were very brave not to flinch too much especially when the steamed fish with the head still on was placed in front of them.

We must try harder next time.

New Ubin Seafood Restaurant is at Block 27 Sin Ming Road, Sin Ming Industrial Estate Section A, it’s stand alone building facing a row of workshops. Call 6466-9558 if you are lost. Reservations are a must on weekends.

Posted on 14th Jul 2008 in Food and Drink, Singapore, Tze Char

« Previous Post — Next Post »

There Are 11 Comments

Terry Tan commented on October 5, 2009 at 4:08 pm

I have been there with some of my close friends and family and Seng Meng has never disappointed us. I especially like his personal collection of wines in the cooler near the entrance. I didn’t know about it until he came by our table and poured us a tipple of the good stuff. It was awesome! Some of us even went back a few times with 2 families making it a monthly affair! But do book first for table space or you’ll be in for a waiting session. Best part of it all is that Seng Meng does delivery so that’s a plus point when we can’t go down to Ubin because of weather.

ivan commented on October 7, 2009 at 11:21 am

@Terry Tan: You should get Seng Meng drunk and then hear him spin stories; it’s amazing.

Terry Tan commented on October 12, 2009 at 11:19 am

@ivan: Is that so? Hmmm… Looks like I have to bring the hard stuff and hear the fun… :-p any juicy stuff to share?

ivan commented on October 12, 2009 at 11:21 am

Try his smoked meats, it’s pretty good!

Terry Tan commented on October 21, 2009 at 3:01 pm

I did try the meats! Am especially blown out of this world with his version of the pork knuckle! Oily at the right spots and bbq meaty at the rest. Only wished he gave bigger portions. Need to order 2 of the same dishes in order to get the kick but that brings the bill up higher. The waiter saw my large table full of hungry people and still gave small portions! Maybe it’s part of the costing arrangements? If he gives big portions at a reasonable price, he may not make much profit but the profit will come rolling in when more customers come his way, for sure.

ivan commented on October 21, 2009 at 3:21 pm

Not sure of the size you got, but we usually get the big ones which is usually enough for 10 of us (everyone gets a generous slice and some crackling). Then again, with so much more to taste, we don’t want to get stuffed on just 1 course.

Terry Tan commented on October 21, 2009 at 5:18 pm

Oh, the pork knuckle was sufficient. It’s the other dishes that I’m talking about. The sambal kang kong, chilly crabs, ubin fried rice and the main dishes. Anyway, the pork knuckle can’t be gorged on otherwise the feeling of “fullness” will set in and everyone will swear never to eat something that is so delicious but bad for the heart. Last thing I need is for the doctors at National Heart Centre to re-construct my arteries, aka, angiogram and the works. Heard that Seng Meng opened a branch of Ubin at Clementi? How are the cooks divided? Or is it pre-cooked and transported to Clementi? Anyone tried the Clementi branch? Is the taste the same?

ivan commented on October 23, 2009 at 10:06 am

@Terry Tan: That’s a happy problem to have.

Terry Tan commented on October 23, 2009 at 2:27 pm

True, if I was much younger, yes. But as we age, that’s not a happy problem to have especially when the family tree has a tendency to have relatives with heart issues. That’s why I can’t bring my older relatives to Ubin as one look at the food, all resistance gives and the guilty feelings flood to mind later, after the meal and liquor. Hey Ivan, any news on the other Ubin branch at Clementi? Is it the same one by Seng Meng? Or has anyone eaten at the branch and reviewed it? I can’t find any reviews on the supposedly new branch at Clementi although it was featured in Hungry Go Where’s website. Much appreciate any comments or reviews about it.

Terry Tan commented on December 2, 2009 at 6:17 pm

Hey all, not too sure is this the right place to recommend a new place that simply has out of this world desserts. Apologise if it’s not the right place. In fact, the meals are not too bad themselves. Check out this blog site. http://www.joanbowen.blogspot.com/ The shop is along a road just off Macpherson Road. I tried the food and it’s not so bad. Something like the “18 Chefs” at Eastpoint Shopping Centre in Simei. Good to support the Yellow Ribbon project for them. Anyone tried either restaurant’s food and wrote about? Can’t seem to find write-up’s on both restaurants.

ivan commented on December 7, 2009 at 10:52 am

@Terry Tan: Don’t worry about it. Share and share alike.

Post A Comment

Use the email address you registered with Flickr here to see your Flickr Buddy Icon with your comment.