No Signboard's Chilli Crab a must-eat?

[metalslug]

http://www.soshiok.com/articles/14236

No Signboard's Chilli Crab a must-eat?

Fri Sep 18 2009

SoShiok.com

Singapore, September 18, 2009 - An American travel magazine rightly recommends Singapore Chilli Crab as one of the 30 dishes worth travelling for.

But its choice of restaurant for this dish, No Signboard Seafood Restaurant, surprises Singapore readers.

The eatery, which has a few outlets, is not known for cooking a mean Chilli Crab. Even this dish is not listed as its signature dishes on its page on the Esplanade website where it has the most elegant outlet.

Regulars and foodies all know that it's famous for its White Pepper Crab.

America's Travel & Leisure September issue must have got it wrong. It reported that No Signboard offers giant Sri Lankan crab under a "lava of addictive, ruddy-hued sweet-piquant hot sauce amped with garlic, pungent shrimp paste, and a host of secret ingredients".

The description is not inaccurate but having tasted Chilli Crab from various restaurants, we find No Signboard's version quite mild and far from the robust and fiery Chilli Crab that has made Singapore famous as a food paradise.

Perhaps its safe, mild version find ready fans from abroad.

Last Saturday, a group of us had supper at its Geylang outlet and a few of us were secretly hoping that the host would not order Chilli Crab. "Their Chilli Crab is not nice," one proclaimed to a few of us in the car on the way there.

Phew! Our host didn't order Chilli Crab. We had White Pepper Crab instead. And also the delicious Crayfish BeeHoon, quite decent crispy baby squids, foil-wrapped succulent pork ribs, fried clams and Mee Goreng.

No Signboard began in 1981 as a humble stall at the Mattar Road hawker centre. It now has three differently styled branches.

MD Sam Lim with the signature white pepper crab at No Signboard's outlet in Esplanade Mall.

Its Esplanade web page named its signature seafood dishes like "homemade white pepper crab, Hokkien steamed fish, crispy cereal prawns, and other reasonably priced fare".

If you want to check out the Esplanade outlet, the address is below.

In it choice of 30 dishes worth travelling for, Travel & Leisure also whips up other controversies. Such as Chinese-style pork bun in New York and sushi in San Francisco when there are good pork buns in China and even Singapore whille the best sushi is definitely found in Japan.

It also recommends that you jet to Tokyo for decontructed Ratatouille and Miami for tapas. However, most of the selections were gastronomically correct, like what we foodies already knew - Peking Duck in Beijing and Gumbo in New Orleans.

Incidentally, Malaysia, which yesterday accused 'some countries' of hijacking their Asian food like Chicken Rice and Chilli Crab, was not listed.

No Signboard Seafood
#01-14/16, Esplanade Mall
8 Raffles Avenue
Tel: +65 6336 9959
Read also:
-> Malaysia claims Chilli Crab, Chicken Rice are rightfully their dishes
-> Chilli Crab, Chicken Rice are Singapore dishes
-> Where to eat crabs in Singapore

 

[eatshitndie]

to appeal to a wider american audience, the typical shitapore chili crappola needs to be a little milder (and tangier or sweeter). i have been to this geylang joint, and i find their version perfectly palatable to the average american tongue. if anal shitaporeans whine about the mildness (which they normally do with every friggin dish), who fucking cares? the magazine is not written for shitaporeans.

 

[eatshitndie]

the best sushi is not found in san fran, nor in japan. it is in walnut creek, california by the name of tatsu sushi. the maki rolls are out of this world. i cannot find the same rolls in japan. 100 regular customers customize their dream rolls and put them on the menu. it's a new way of sushi.

 

[eatshitndie]

the best fire-roasted beef noodle soup is not found in china, but in a little town in new jersey called raritan. they also have the best spicy dumplings in hot oil soup.

 

[eatshitndie]

the best shanghainese crab dumpling is found in chinatown, manhattan and not in shanghai. the crap dumpings in shanghai just don't appeal to me as i keep thinking of the tons of shit and pollution that go into the sea off shanghai to feed the local crab population.

 

[Ramseth]

For a moist texture, I prefer plain steamed crab with separate chili dip. For a dry texture, I prefer black pepper fried crab. Chili crab is a bit messy to eat with it's gravy all over your hands as you crack and peel it. However, it's got an advantage in that it can be served with bread which goes along very well with the gravy. Chili crab I recented tasted: Jumbo at Leisure Dome and No Signboard at Lorong 24 Geylang. Not bad, but nothing outstanding.

 

[drifter]

the best sushi is not found in san fran, nor in japan. it is in walnut creek, california by the name of tatsu sushi. the maki rolls are out of this world. i cannot find the same rolls in japan. 100 regular customers customize their dream rolls and put them on the menu. it's a new way of sushi.

the best sushi is not found in japan ? ( why not you say the best durain is found in new york ? ) the one that you ate are not original japanese taste . its customise to suit ppl who dont know anything abbout sashimi , sushi . if the same " roll " are selling in japan , im sure there are no customer . i have try chicken rice in tokyo , all japanese say its good ..but to me it did not taste like chicken rice at all . i bet you cant even know the different between a japanese handmade rice cracker and a machine-made . to the non-japanese ...every japanese food taste the same ...

 

[Muthukali]

the best sushi is not found in japan ? ( why not you say the best durain is found in new york ? ) the one that you ate are not original japanese taste . its customise to suit ppl who dont know anything abbout sashimi , sushi . if the same " roll " are selling in japan , im sure there are no customer . i have try chicken rice in tokyo , all japanese say its good ..but to me it did not taste like chicken rice at all . i bet you cant even know the different between a japanese handmade rice cracker and a machine-made . to the non-japanese ...every japanese food taste the same ...

And not every mushroom taste the same too..........

 

[KKC007]

For a moist texture, I prefer plain steamed crab with separate chili dip. For a dry texture, I prefer black pepper fried crab. Chili crab is a bit messy to eat with it's gravy all over your hands as you crack and peel it. However, it's got an advantage in that it can be served with bread which goes along very well with the gravy. Chili crab I recented tasted: Jumbo at Leisure Dome and No Signboard at Lorong 24 Geylang. Not bad, but nothing outstanding.

I prefer steam crab with that golden dip. Dunno the name though. You get it at most Teochew restaurants.

 

[drifter]

And not every mushroom taste the same too..........

but some mushroom feel the same after eating it

 

[KKC007]

the best sushi is not found in japan ? ( why not you say the best durain is found in new york ? ) the one that you ate are not original japanese taste . its customise to suit ppl who dont know anything abbout sashimi , sushi . if the same " roll " are selling in japan , im sure there are no customer . i have try chicken rice in tokyo , all japanese say its good ..but to me it did not taste like chicken rice at all . i bet you cant even know the different between a japanese handmade rice cracker and a machine-made . to the non-japanese ...every japanese food taste the same ...

Actually, you can get very good Japanese, Cantonese, Shanghainese etc food in major cities on either coast of North America. This is a result of migration.

 

[KKC007]

http://www.soshiok.com/articles/14236

No Signboard's Chilli Crab a must-eat?

Fri Sep 18 2009

SoShiok.com

Singapore, September 18, 2009 - An American travel magazine rightly recommends Singapore Chilli Crab as one of the 30 dishes worth travelling for.

But its choice of restaurant for this dish, No Signboard Seafood Restaurant, surprises Singapore readers.

The eatery, which has a few outlets, is not known for cooking a mean Chilli Crab. Even this dish is not listed as its signature dishes on its page on the Esplanade website where it has the most elegant outlet.

Regulars and foodies all know that it's famous for its White Pepper Crab.

America's Travel & Leisure September issue must have got it wrong. It reported that No Signboard offers giant Sri Lankan crab under a "lava of addictive, ruddy-hued sweet-piquant hot sauce amped with garlic, pungent shrimp paste, and a host of secret ingredients".

The description is not inaccurate but having tasted Chilli Crab from various restaurants, we find No Signboard's version quite mild and far from the robust and fiery Chilli Crab that has made Singapore famous as a food paradise.

Perhaps its safe, mild version find ready fans from abroad.

Last Saturday, a group of us had supper at its Geylang outlet and a few of us were secretly hoping that the host would not order Chilli Crab. "Their Chilli Crab is not nice," one proclaimed to a few of us in the car on the way there.

Phew! Our host didn't order Chilli Crab. We had White Pepper Crab instead. And also the delicious Crayfish BeeHoon, quite decent crispy baby squids, foil-wrapped succulent pork ribs, fried clams and Mee Goreng.

No Signboard began in 1981 as a humble stall at the Mattar Road hawker centre. It now has three differently styled branches.

MD Sam Lim with the signature white pepper crab at No Signboard's outlet in Esplanade Mall.

Its Esplanade web page named its signature seafood dishes like "homemade white pepper crab, Hokkien steamed fish, crispy cereal prawns, and other reasonably priced fare".

If you want to check out the Esplanade outlet, the address is below.

In it choice of 30 dishes worth travelling for, Travel & Leisure also whips up other controversies. Such as Chinese-style pork bun in New York and sushi in San Francisco when there are good pork buns in China and even Singapore whille the best sushi is definitely found in Japan.

It also recommends that you jet to Tokyo for decontructed Ratatouille and Miami for tapas. However, most of the selections were gastronomically correct, like what we foodies already knew - Peking Duck in Beijing and Gumbo in New Orleans.

Incidentally, Malaysia, which yesterday accused 'some countries' of hijacking their Asian food like Chicken Rice and Chilli Crab, was not listed.

No Signboard Seafood
#01-14/16, Esplanade Mall
8 Raffles Avenue
Tel: +65 6336 9959
Read also:
-> Malaysia claims Chilli Crab, Chicken Rice are rightfully their dishes
-> Chilli Crab, Chicken Rice are Singapore dishes
-> Where to eat crabs in Singapore

I think the MD must be swearing at SoShiok. After being awarded for its chilli crab, MD posed for a picture assuming SoShiok will give it good coverage. Instead, kena suaned!

 

[Muthukali]

but some mushroom feel the same after eating it

Ya..... same same.......WELCOME...........

 

[Muthukali]

Actually, you can get very good Japanese, Cantonese, Shanghainese etc food in major cities on either coast of North America. This is a result of migration.

Yes agreed...but MUST be prepare by authentic chef..........

 

[drifter]

Actually, you can get very good Japanese, Cantonese, Shanghainese etc food in major cities on either coast of North America. This is a result of migration.

yes , i know that . but its not as original and fresh as the one in japan . it takes years for a japanese chief to be allow to cook in kitchen , but it only take a few months in other country .

i have try many japanese food when in singapore . most of them taste like shit .. although cheap . those good one are over priced . i could get the same deal but cheaper in japan .

 

[drifter]

Yes agreed...but MUST be prepare by authentic chef..........

aiya..those japanese working in overseas are just for show only ...imagine if you could hired japanese cook ...your customer will think " wow , japanese food prepared by a japanese " . it will bring up the menu price ...


by the way , real authentic japanese cheif will not leave japan ..those japanese cheif who leave japan to work in other country because they cannot survive as a cook in their own country ...

 

[Ramseth]

Where to find the best sashimi? Certainly Japan and nowhere else. First there's the quality of the catch around the Japan seas. Then there're the traditional way and care the Japanese fishermen and fishmongers handles the fish, unmatchable by foreign fishermen. You see, the preparation of seafood to be served begins here, from the sea to the market, not in the kitchen.

Then, there's the sashimi chef. Now the task is not cooking. It's simply preparation and presentation to serve. When you're slicing up a fish, one hand is holding the fish steady and the other hand is holding the knife to slice it up. For sashimi serving, every second that your fingers remains holding the fish is transferring heat thereon and therefore lowering its quality. To be fast but not mess up, the skills of the chef and the calibre of the knife are paramount. Such are seldom observed or trained outside Japan. That's why authentic Japanese restaurants outside Japan usually have at least a head chef transferred from Japan. That's also why the sashimi piece of raw fish always tastes better than the one on a sushi, because in making a piece of sushi, the whole palm is involved, i.e. heat transferred and quality lowered.

Then of course, there's the quality of the soy sauce and wasabi.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

which one was better?...

recently took some out of town guests to the no sign board esplanade branch...crabs were good both chili and pepper, the buns were also yummy...and the service was excellent, me and my guests remained at our table the whole night until closing time and the waitresses just kept coming back refilling the chinese tea ,cold water and nuts...this was a saturday night when the place was packed...quite a mixed crowd of locals, angmohs and even arabs...

overall i found this joint better than long beach@dempsey road...

For a moist texture, I prefer plain steamed crab with separate chili dip. For a dry texture, I prefer black pepper fried crab. Chili crab is a bit messy to eat with it's gravy all over your hands as you crack and peel it. However, it's got an advantage in that it can be served with bread which goes along very well with the gravy. Chili crab I recented tasted: Jumbo at Leisure Dome and No Signboard at Lorong 24 Geylang. Not bad, but nothing outstanding.

 

[drifter]

And not every mushroom taste the same too..........

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tgYh2nADYeE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tgYh2nADYeE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z35N7W6q8NU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z35N7W6q8NU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

i personally found dim sum in london better than hk...but i think when it comes to jap food generally speaking, i gotta agree with drifter...best jap food is found in japan...

Actually, you can get very good Japanese, Cantonese, Shanghainese etc food in major cities on either coast of North America. This is a result of migration.