Once upon a time, the locally-renowned Paradise Group started out as a humble seafood stall at an industrial Defu Lane kopitiam. Now, they’ve successfully expanded to own local F&B brands such as Beauty In A Pot and Paradise Dynasty among others. After a long-awaited two years, they’ve decided to bring their OG seafood restaurant back to us, reopening Seafood Paradise, this time at VivoCity shopping mall.
Crab yourself a taste of their signature Creamy Butter Sri Lankan Crab Topped With Coconut Crumbs ($9.50++ per 100g), one of their absolute crowd favourites since the beginning. The crab meat was juicy and extremely fresh, despite the crabs used being smaller in size and a little less meaty than I would’ve liked.Â
The sweet-savoury butter sauce was a winner for me, as it was made extra gao with fragrant ingredients like curry leaves, white pepper, lemongrass, and chilli padi. Its smooth creaminess went well with the crispy fried mantou dipped in, a slightly more decadent replacement for the condensed milk that usually accompanies my mantous.
If not, go for one of our national icons, the Singapore Style Chilli Sri Lankan Crab ($9.50++ per 100g). Their sauce is very flavourful with a slight kick that’s a treat for spice-lovers, while retaining most of the sweetness that people of all ages crave.
Personally, I felt the mantou went better dipped in the chilli crab sauce because the flavour profile of the sauce was much more multi-dimensional. The chilli crab gravy had an ideal dose of sweet, sour, and spicy notes which don’t overpower one another, made extra shiok when paired with the buttery mantou.
Wash down the hearty crabs with their Poached Live Tiger Prawns With Chinese Herbs In Superior Stock ($29++ for 300g). The highlight would be the tasty superior broth, as it’s simmered in a mix of rice wine, hua diao wine, and Chinese herbs, making it really easy to slurp down.
Reminding me of those heavenly ribs from popular zi char place Por Kee Eating House, the Baked Pork Belly Ribs With Honey Pepper Sauce ($8.90++ per piece) are equally succulent with a satisfying meat-to-bone ratio, coated with a sugary, yet slightly numbing peppery sauce.
The Steamed Dragon Tiger Grouper With Preserved Turnip ($9++ per 100 grams) brought me back to a time where family reunion dinners in banquet restaurants were a thing. Needless to say, the fish had a really soft texture, with its meat delicate and sweet.
The savoury sauce laced with bits of chai po, pork lard, and ginger was a zhnged-up version of those in Cantonese steamed fish that I ate growing up. I thoroughly enjoyed Seafood Paradise’s rendition of such a staple dish, with the sauce good enough to eat on plain white rice.
Don’t sleep on their other dishes though, as their Crispy Kang Kong Topped With Cuttlefish In Homemade Seafood Sauce (from $15.80++) is a unique take on the traditional hawker favourite. If not, opt for their Deep-Fried Bacon Cheese Rolls ($12.80++ for four pieces) or Crisp-Fried Baby Squid ($15.80++) to go along with your meal as well.
Other than just seafood, their lunch menu is made more versatile with the introduction of Cantonese dim sum, with Baked BBQ Honey Pork Pastry ($7.80++ for three pieces) and Mini Egg Tarts ($6.80++ for three tarts) if it’s up your alley.
The best thing about their reopening would be the 50% off promotions they’re having for dishes such as Boston Lobster Tossed With Salted Egg Yolk from 12 April to 9 May. The discounts will be applicable for Citibank, Maybank, and Paradise Gourmet Rewards cardmembers, for dine-in only.
If you’re looking for other seafood options, check out our Famous Pao Fan review featuring pao fan with whole lobsters and kurobuta pork around Lavender. Alternatively, read our guide to the cheapest chilli crabs around Singapore which are all under $80++.
Address: 1 HarbourFront Walk, #01-53, VivoCity, Singapore 098585
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 11am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm, Fri 11am to 3pm, 6pm to 10.30pm, Sat 10.30am to 3.30pm, 6pm to 10.30pm, Sun 10.30am to 3.30pm, 6pm to 10pm
Tel: 6221 0159
Website
Seafood Paradise is not a halal-certified restaurant.
Photos taken by Chew Yi En.
This was a media tasting at Seafood Paradise.
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