Red House Seafood acquires quaint waterfront spot at Esplanade serving Nanyang-style food

A losing indulgence among the younger generations, traditional seafood restaurants sometimes get lost between artisanal cafes and luxe fine-dining concepts. Injecting a sense youth into its latest space in Esplanade, Red House Seafood entices patrons with not just an aesthetically pleasing venue, but also sophisticated traditional seafood favourites served in a modern, and affordable manner.

For us, the experience began before we event set foot inside the restaurant. Nothing like a breezy riverside walk enhanced by Singapore’s twinkling skyscrapers to kickstart an appetite. A step inside the restaurant revealed a bright, pastel and chic spot for an afternoon brunch affair with the family, or corporate dinners with the office bunch. Expect hues of salmon pink, and a captivating sage green bar complimented with wooden and rattan furnishings.

Operating since 1976, Red House Seafood continues to delight diners with its exceptional Singapore Nanyang-style seafood at its new spot at Esplanade. At the new CBD location, look forward to exclusive BBQ dishes along with their signatures. The importance of traceable, expertise, and properly stewarded seafood is still top priority – with the culinary team personally monitoring he living conditions of all the species – water temperature, oxygen level, filtration, and micro-ecosystem.

To begin the course, the Chef’s Trio of Squid Platter (from $38) is ideal for sharing. This dish brings together BBQ Squid, Crispy Baby Squid, and Golden Calamari Strips on one plate as a nod to the head chef’s versatility and technique. Marinated in spices for at least four hours and grilled upon order, the BBQ squid reveals complex touches of sweetness and spiciness.

On the other hand the deep-fried Crispy Baby Squid holds a satisfying crunch, while its house-blended sauce of oyster sauce, pepper, sugar, and plum sauce kicks off the sweetness. Lastly, the Golden Calamari Strips somehow manage to be addictive, yet not as salty and intense as we find at other establishments.

Alternatively, the Chicken Satay ($3.80 per skewer, min two) is spicy, nutty and tender – in all the right ways. This is due to its six hour marination with more than ten types of herbs and spices, not forgetting the delicious Hainanese-inspired peanut sauce.

For mains, make room for Lobster in Signature Creamy Custard Sauce (seasonal pricing). A crowd favourite dish, the luscious tender lobster is drenched in a complimentary sauce. For us, the sweet sauce made with evaporated milk and unsalted butter was definitely the star of the show elevating the crustacean with creamy and rich mouthfeel and texture. To balance things out and cut through the richness, pickled vegetables are bound to do the trick.

Next, get your hand dirty with the Alaska King Crab Wok-fried and tossed in White Pepper (seasonal pricing). This aromatic dish captivates from the first sniff. Think fresh and sweet crab, coated in butter and earthy, floral spices that add in heat to the dish. Not forgetting hints of savoury fish sauce and everybody’s favourite hua tiao wine. The kitchen staff has already done the hard-work and seared the shells slightly, so all you have to do is gently crack open the shell and get digging.

Don’t leave without getting our hands on the Red House Chilli Crab (seasonal pricing). The undoubtable favourite comes with sweet succulent crab swimming in a piquant house-made sauce of blended chilli padi, ginger and garlic.

If the sweet and spicy flavours weren’t indulgent enough, the dish comes with a hot plate of pillowy `man tous’ that are steamed and deep-fried. Ever heard the phrase ‘dance like no one is watching’? Well, we say sop your man tous in the chilli crab sauce like no one’s watching – because that’s the best part.

To complete the meal, the Lemongrass Jelly with Lime Sherbet ($8) was the refreshing bite we were looking for to escape the Singapore heat. Sweet and tangy the dessert was a perfect palate cleanser and an end to the meal boasting a combination of three different textures from diced mangoes, to the lime sherbet and lemongrass and kaffir jelly.

Red House Seafood Esplanade is located at 8 Raffles Ave., #01-14 / 16 Esplanade, Singapore 039802, p. +65 6336 6080. Open daily 12pm–2.30pm (lunch), 5.30pm–10pm (dinner).

This article was first published in City Nomads.