denise tan blogs

Admittedly, I’ve never been a fan of chilli crab. I’m more of a pepper crab kinda girl. My usual complaint of chilli crab – too sweet, no kick. Then I met Roland and fell silent. This is exactly how I imagined chilli crab should be. Salty, rich, fiery with just a hint of sweetness. And now, I’m a chilli crab convert and worshipping at the altar of Roland Restaurant in Marine Parade! I really have to thank my chilli crab evangelists Andrew and Celine for leading me on the path of crabby righteousness!

So the story goes that Roland are the originators, the creators of Chilli Crab (since 1956! Their sign screams in neon glory). You know Palm Beach seafood restaurant? That was them before they sold it off in the ’80s and moved abroad. Hallelujah for those with a charismatic hunger for crab, they came back and started Roland Restaurant, right next to Parkway Parade! Humour me, if you already know the story of Roland (they’ve been around for quite a while), I am a new convert and I speak with the zeal of a new convert!

Here it is: amaaaaazing chilli crab! It’s super spicy (you can choose a non-spicy version – but you’ll be missing out!), very very tasty, addictive and the gravy itself is loaded with crab roe. Unctuous, salty, rich, globs of delicious crab roe. So generous, so yummy, I kept scrapping the plate with my spoon, drinking up that gravy just like that – I didn’t even need the prerequisite deep fried man tou (though these are good too).  The spicy-salty-thick gravy, of course, balanced beautifully with the clean, fresh, naturally sweet meat of the crab.

I apologise for photos that simply do not do the dish justice!


Their Pepper crab is also terribly good (terrible for my waistline!) and likewise, chock a block full of that sinful, seductive crab roe. Seriously, just give me a bucket of steaming hot roe-gravy and a bowl of white rice and I’ll be in crustacean heaven!

They have so many other amazing dishes, like Deep Fried Scallops wrapped with Yam and crispy sticky-sweet baby squid (whoops, ate so fast, forgot to take pix!), but their crabs are truly the stars of the menu, so even if you just have crabs, the journey to the east would be worth it. I went with a group of 6 and we actually were full from just 2 big crabs!

Desserts run the gamut of guilin gao (herbal jelly), chilled pomelo sago (refreshing after a heavy meal) and the piece de Teochew resistance, Or Nee (Yam paste – so sweet and smooth, it was superior to many others I have tried. Order this if you have room!)

Roland Restaurant
Block 89, Marine Parade Central, # 06 – 750
Tel: 6440 8205 (call to chope your crabs!)
Open:
Monday to Saturday
Lunch : 11:30 am to 2:30 pm Last Order
Dinner : 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm Last Order
Sundays & Public Holidays
Lunch : 11:00 am to 2:30 pm Last Order
Dinner : 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm Last Order
Private function rooms also available for secret gluttonous moments, shielded from prying eyes!
www.rolandrestaurant.com.sg

***I went back again!!! And this time, I brought a real camera!

Deep fried yam and seafood ring.

Scallops in spicy XO sauce with broccoli

Special tofu with ginko and xiao bai cai.

The chilli crab!!!



Deep-fried mantou to dip in this…

The roe-laden gravy.


The gorgeous black pepper crab!

Crispy baby squid

Trackback URI | Comments RSS