Either you are allergic to seafood or you love it. I fall in the latter category and am almost embarrassed to state the copious amounts of well cooked seafood I can devour. Singapore is blessed with abundant restaurants specializing in this genre and each has its speciality. Within the crab world, you have the 'Jumbo' chain being masters of Chilli Gravy and Black Pepper crab and 'No Signboard' leading the charts for White Pepper crab. Some people rave about 'Red House' and 'Longbeach' but they don't impress me. The former's sauces are too sweet for my liking and the latter's crab dishes are mostly overcooked. These are of course the fancier names in the business and if you want to check out local favourites - they are all over from Joo Chiat to Newton Hawker Centre.
Jumbo is the most known amongst all seafood joints and I cannot fault their Numero Uno position. I've been going there for the past 10 years and not once have I had complaints with the food. I might moan about the need for reservations, long waiting time, tables placed centimetres away from each other, robot-like soulless service but the food always wins me over. Consistency is a big hurdle in the F&B business but Jumbo seems to have overcome it with ease. Hence, it is no surprise whenever I land at Jumbo, the manager does a double take at our order - 'Are you sure you want to order all of this?'
I frequent the Clarke Quay, Riverside Point, Dempsey and East Coast Park outlets in that order. Our order is almost always the same with only the greens varying. A large black pepper crab (sold by the weight) will set you back by SGD 45-52 and a really large one will leave you poorer by SGD 60-70. I prefer ordering two medium crabs to one large crab as you get more claws to dig into. The chilli gravy crab doesn't pass muster with me as the creamy sauce fills you up more than the crabmeat! Jumbo does a variety of prawns and on request will de-shell them for you. The salt and pepper prawns are absolutely top-class and I cannot recommend them enough. You can place your order by prawn size (S,M,L) and if you are ordering a few dishes, I reckon the medium sized serving with 6-8 pieces (SGD 20) is good enough. The Jumbo staff highly recommends the salted egg golden prawns but I find them too salty for my taste. There are enough interesting offerings from Jumbo which is why I am not a fan of ordering steamed / fried rice here. f you are a large party, I highly recommend you order one fish dish. On a manager's recommendation few visits ago, I discovered the Soon Hock or Marbled Goby and it is a must-try item. The fish comes as a whole as opposed to a fillet but the meat is so soft you can scoop it out with ease. This too is sold by the weight and a regular size would cost SGD 50-60. With all that cholesterol-rich food going into you, I advise a portion of greens. Choose between kangkong and baby kailan and you can't go wrong with either. Done in a nice oyster sauce with lot of garlic, they are the perfect accompaniment to your seafood order.
Jumbo has a wine list but I honestly think the wine taste takes away from the seafood flavour. I am not a big fan of the locally brewed Tiger beer but have to admit it goes very well with Asian seafood. But before you order that pint or jug of beer, I highly recommend you enjoy the appetizers with a Siam coconut (SGD 4.80) which is fresh, sweet and chilled at Jumbo.
Whilst Jumbo is undoubtedly one of Singapore's most popular restaurants, there are some aspects which leave you flustered. Firstly, the cut and dry attitude of the staff - be it on phone or in person - they lack warmth and go about their jobs in a robotic manner. Should you need any help or additional cutlery/aprons, be prepared to ask 2-3 waiters before you finally get it. Agreed this is not fine dining, but you do expect a minimum level of service when dining out. But what really gets my goat at Jumbo is the hidden tea / nuts charge. For those who are unaware, the moment you take a seat you'll be presented with fried peanuts and green tea. You might think these are complimentary, but unless you return them immediately you will be billed for them. It is not about the money (peanuts for SGD 1.20 and tea per head for SGD 1.20) but when you are in a decently expensive speciality cuisine restaurant this kind of petty billing is very annoying. Thank God they have stopped charging for the wet tissues which used to be the case a few years back!
Overall, Jumbo is of course very highly recommended. American Express credit cards can usually get you some discount here so remember to ask while settling your tab. Portion sizes are big and if you are a hearty diner with friends who have similar appetite, this is the ideal restaurant for a group dinner. Take my advice : dump the cutlery and chopsticks whilst eating the crab. Put your hands to good use and forget manners and propriety in this food heaven. Go all out !
Jumbo is the most known amongst all seafood joints and I cannot fault their Numero Uno position. I've been going there for the past 10 years and not once have I had complaints with the food. I might moan about the need for reservations, long waiting time, tables placed centimetres away from each other, robot-like soulless service but the food always wins me over. Consistency is a big hurdle in the F&B business but Jumbo seems to have overcome it with ease. Hence, it is no surprise whenever I land at Jumbo, the manager does a double take at our order - 'Are you sure you want to order all of this?'
I frequent the Clarke Quay, Riverside Point, Dempsey and East Coast Park outlets in that order. Our order is almost always the same with only the greens varying. A large black pepper crab (sold by the weight) will set you back by SGD 45-52 and a really large one will leave you poorer by SGD 60-70. I prefer ordering two medium crabs to one large crab as you get more claws to dig into. The chilli gravy crab doesn't pass muster with me as the creamy sauce fills you up more than the crabmeat! Jumbo does a variety of prawns and on request will de-shell them for you. The salt and pepper prawns are absolutely top-class and I cannot recommend them enough. You can place your order by prawn size (S,M,L) and if you are ordering a few dishes, I reckon the medium sized serving with 6-8 pieces (SGD 20) is good enough. The Jumbo staff highly recommends the salted egg golden prawns but I find them too salty for my taste. There are enough interesting offerings from Jumbo which is why I am not a fan of ordering steamed / fried rice here. f you are a large party, I highly recommend you order one fish dish. On a manager's recommendation few visits ago, I discovered the Soon Hock or Marbled Goby and it is a must-try item. The fish comes as a whole as opposed to a fillet but the meat is so soft you can scoop it out with ease. This too is sold by the weight and a regular size would cost SGD 50-60. With all that cholesterol-rich food going into you, I advise a portion of greens. Choose between kangkong and baby kailan and you can't go wrong with either. Done in a nice oyster sauce with lot of garlic, they are the perfect accompaniment to your seafood order.
Jumbo has a wine list but I honestly think the wine taste takes away from the seafood flavour. I am not a big fan of the locally brewed Tiger beer but have to admit it goes very well with Asian seafood. But before you order that pint or jug of beer, I highly recommend you enjoy the appetizers with a Siam coconut (SGD 4.80) which is fresh, sweet and chilled at Jumbo.
Whilst Jumbo is undoubtedly one of Singapore's most popular restaurants, there are some aspects which leave you flustered. Firstly, the cut and dry attitude of the staff - be it on phone or in person - they lack warmth and go about their jobs in a robotic manner. Should you need any help or additional cutlery/aprons, be prepared to ask 2-3 waiters before you finally get it. Agreed this is not fine dining, but you do expect a minimum level of service when dining out. But what really gets my goat at Jumbo is the hidden tea / nuts charge. For those who are unaware, the moment you take a seat you'll be presented with fried peanuts and green tea. You might think these are complimentary, but unless you return them immediately you will be billed for them. It is not about the money (peanuts for SGD 1.20 and tea per head for SGD 1.20) but when you are in a decently expensive speciality cuisine restaurant this kind of petty billing is very annoying. Thank God they have stopped charging for the wet tissues which used to be the case a few years back!
Overall, Jumbo is of course very highly recommended. American Express credit cards can usually get you some discount here so remember to ask while settling your tab. Portion sizes are big and if you are a hearty diner with friends who have similar appetite, this is the ideal restaurant for a group dinner. Take my advice : dump the cutlery and chopsticks whilst eating the crab. Put your hands to good use and forget manners and propriety in this food heaven. Go all out !
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