"What the heck am I supposed to do with that?!"
I'll admit it: I looked at Long Beach Seafood's famed Chilli Crab with anticipation as well as a little bit of fear when the server put it in front of me. It was gorgeous - sure - but I really had no idea how to eat the darn thing. It was huge and still in it's shell as well as buried in a lot of messy, red sauce. I was more than a bit relieved when she asked me if I wanted her to take it out of the shell. Wahoo! Thank God she did it because to do so, she had to wear not one, but two layers of gloves!
The chilli crab is a famous Singaporean dish and was supposedly developed at Long Beach Seafood. It was yummy - a bit spicy, but not too much so. Yup - yummy! However, if I'm being completely honest, I'm not sure it's worth all the hype.
I had no idea that Long Beach Seafood was next door to The Polliwogs when I suggested to Glenn that we meet there. As a reminder, Glenn is a journalist and a friend of Yasmin. He has a lovely wife and two kids. Katie is 6 and Max is 3 and we've been tryin to get our kids together for weeks now. I'm not sure they'll want to see us again since Maisie stomped on Max's stomach. What the heck? Honestly, they're the nicest darn people on the planet. They treated! That's the second meal Glenn has bought me. He doesn't even know me and my kid stomped on his kid.
Glenn and his family got a sea bass which was somehow fried and then covered in a sweet soy sauce. It was far tastier than the crab if you ask me. The kids all shared fried rice and something called cereal prawns which was medium-sized shrimp fried somehow in a crispy cereal-like substance - maybe oatmeal, maybe granola - I wasn't really sure. Maisie liked it, but Hudson LOVED it! He coudn't shovel the stuff in fast enough. I've decided he's really bored with my basic kid food. This kid is a gourmand!
The kids loved the giant tanks holding all the fresh seafood. They're common at the seafood restaurants here showcasing all sorts of things I've never seen before - things I'm not sure I want to try!
This was my first trip to "East" which refers to the area along the East Coast park where a lot of folks live. It's a long, skinny, nice park that runs right along the Singapore Strait complete with beach, biking and walking tracks.
Today is a national holiday here though Tom had to work. It's called Hari Raya Puasa and it marks the end of Ramadan, an Islamic month of fasting. That means today was all about eating! The park was PACKED with locals having giant picnics and BBQs. I didn't quite realize that The Polliwogs (which wasn't as big and nice as the new one at Robertson Quay) was RIGHT on the park. I didn't bring the proper clothes to really enjoy the beach so the kids and I just strolled along for a while. Okay- they ran and I screamed "freeze" every few feet.
I have never, ever seen so many ships offshore. Tom says many are waiting to refuel. Whatever the case, there were hundreds and hundreds of ships on the horizon much to Hudson's delight. The ships are of all shapes and sizes each with a completely different purpose - fascinating.
East Coast is a Sg$10 cab ride or so from where we live that takes maybe 20 minutes. Apparently, you get a lot more space for your money there, but it's far from everything including mass transit - everything, but the beach. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to see a couple of apartments when I head out with the realtor on Friday.