Big Eater Seafood Restaurant

My family has been buying takeaway meals from Big Eater Restaurant for a while now but didn't dine there till recently. Part of the reason for this is because the restaurant can get very packed on weekends and there isn't much parking space available.

To beat the weekend crowds and to avoid a stressful parking situation, we decided to have an early dinner.

Crispy Beancurd Skin Roll @ S$12

This is one of my favourite dishes here! It's a variation of a Dim Sum favourite, Fu Pi Juan (ie. beancurd skin roll), as the sheets of beancurd skin are slathered with a savoury seafood paste and then deep-fried (though steamed versions are also common in dim sum menus). It comes served with a platter of mayonnaise and is one of the Chef's Recommendations.

I like this dish because the beancurd skin is very crispy and yet isn't soaked in oil. The seafood paste is also very well-seasoned. Eating this reminds me of fried Seafood Wantons albeit of a flatter variety. This dish has to be consumed warm for optimal enjoyment of the crisp beancurd skin. It's a MUST-TRY!

Crystal Hor Fun @ S$10
(Fried Cellophane Noodles)

This is another favourite! The picture above shows the dish before we'd stirred in the dried spicy shrimp paste (at the side). This dish is interesting as the strips of noodles are translucent instead of the opaque strips that are more commonly served. Another name for "hor fun" is "kway teow". They are made from rice noodles, hence the opaque colour.

The crystal hor fun has a slightly chewier texture than that of normal rice noodles. I think its likely that the crystal hor fun is made of potato starch, like those used in Northeastern Chinese cuisine. The dish came with generous portions of fish, squid, prawns, and eggs which makes it suitable as a one-dish meal. I love bean sprouts and so I enjoyed the crunchy texture that they added to the dish. This is also a MUST-TRY!

KL-Style Black Hokkien Mee @ S$4.80 (small plate)

This dish was listed in the menu as one of the Chef's Recommendations. I love KL-style Black Hokkien Mee! As its really difficult to find a delicious version in Singapore, I had to try it. When the dish arrived, I must confess to being sorely disappointed by the appearance. The noodle strips had been broken into such small pieces that it could probably pass off as a Kid's Meal. The broken noodle strips were a leading indicator of the lack of skill in executing this dish. The gravy was exceedingly starchy, not tasty enough and lacked the "oomph" factor that a good plate of KL-style Black Hokkien Mee should have. This dish is not worth your calorie-intake.

Fried Kang Kong with Sambal Belachan @ S$8

The fried kang kong (morning glory) here was a little too oily and sweet-tasting for my liking.

Claypot Crab Beehoon (by weight)

This dish was also listed as a Chef's Recommendation. Whilst it was fairly tasty, the broth certainly lacked a richness of flavour that makes one crave for more. This is definitely not a match to Mellben's Crab Beehoon!

Deep-Fried Prawn Paste Chicken @ S$12

The fried chicken (that had been marinated in prawn paste) had a pleasantly crispy skin and was mildly-flavoured. Whilst it wasn't the best that I've had, it was definitely a better chicken dish here than the Taiwanese "San Bei" chicken dish that we tried previously (sorry, the picture was too distorted for display).

Crab with Salted Egg (by weight)

Another Chef's Recommendation was Crab with Salted Egg. It looked promising but the sauce could have done with a little less starch and better quality salted egg yolks for a richer flavour.

I love salted egg yolks for their artery-clogging, robustly salty flavour! I sometimes feel that they're best employed in coating prawn shells instead of crab shells. Have you ever tried frying fresh, un-shelled prawns seasoned with just a little salt and pepper? The aroma is exquisite and this is coming from a person who doesn't love seafood! Imagine the aroma of fried prawns coupled with the richness of a salted egg yolk coating...the aroma is divine for a salted egg fan like me!

Teochew Orh-Nee (Mashed Yam Paste) @ S$6

We ended the meal with a small portion of Teochew "Orh-Nee" (mashed yam paste dessert). We were pleasantly surprised to discover that it was pretty well-prepared. The dessert was not excessively sweet nor was it too heavy. The coconut cream that was slathered over its surface added a fragrant dimension to the dish. I am generally not a huge fan of desserts but I enjoyed eating this along with a few Gingko nuts (to help improve my memory). :) This is worth a try!

Branches in Singapore

Big Eater Restaurant
No. 34 Jalan Pari Burong (Upper Changi Road)
Singapore 488700
Tel: +65 6245-7268

Operating Hours:
Mondays to Fridays: 11.00 am- 2.00pm & 4.00pm - 11.30pm
Saturdays & Sundays: 11.00 am - 11.30pm

PS: They have a free valet parking service. Look for the line of cars waiting for their turn.