Sin Huat Seafood Restaurant 
From Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle
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Sin Huat Seafood Restaurant is MOST world famous ...
DANNY Lee is easily the only food vendor in Singapore who has appeared on both Discovery Channel and The New York Times. American celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain calls Sin Huat, a tatty corner coffeeshop in Geylang with rickety tables, one of his favourite restaurants in the world.
He's notoriously dubbed as the "food nazi of Geylang" -- you sit quietly at your table until chef Danny Lee comes over to take your order (which he usually dictates), typically wait at least an hour for the food to arrive and you're not allowed to order from any other stores in the coffee house. So why do people, including Anthony Bourdain who named it as one of "13 Places to Eat Before You Die," come back time and again? Three words -- crab bee hoon.
Even though the place looks like it hasn't been renovated since the 1970s, with poor fluorescent lights and limited seating, there isn't a fridge in sight because all the seafood is fresh and kept in water tanks. This means the prices are higher than most other eating houses and are in fact on par with many restaurants, so be prepared to fork out for the good stuff. The signature dish is the crab bee hoon, which is thick rice noodles nicely moist from soaking in the crustacean juices and chef Danny's own mysterious soup stock. The frog's legs are particularly memorable, as they're served with a secret mix of stock and Brand's Chicken Essence. Most of the other seafood dishes are excellent as well, save a minor complaint that they're usually smothered with a mountain of chopped garlic. If you fancy a tipple with your dinner, ask to see the wine selection as well -- yes, despite the looks and location, they stock a very decent range.
It counts among its customers Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow and several ambassadors to Singapore.
A former pig farmer, 43-year-old Lee has Makansutra's K. F. Seetoh to thank for his far-reaching fame.
It was Mr Seetoh who recommended Sin Huat's seafood to Mr Bourdain and New York Times' chief correspondent R. W. Apple Jr, when they were in town to sample Singapore's fabled food culture two years ago.
Since then, Mr Lee has received at least one table of foreigners every night, some of whom come bearing newspaper cuttings in German and Japanese.
The self-taught chef started cooking in 1991, when his elder brother asked him to help out in the family-owned coffeeshop. Now, assisted by his brother, sister-in-law and a nephew, Mr Lee whips out a tempting range of seafood dishes, including his fabulous crab bee hoon ($30 per kg), which is cooked in a secret stock.
On a busy night, you may have to wait for two hours before the crab dish arrives. You can kill time by ordering his equally delicious steamed scallop with black bean sauce ($25 per kg) and boiled conch with garlic and chilli sauce ($25 per kg).
Visitors' Information
- Cuisine: Seafood Cuisine
- Phone: (+65) 6744 9755
- Address: 659/661 Geylang Road (at the junction of Geylang Lorong 35, Singapore
- Operating Hours: 5.00pm to 1.00am daily
