New Ubin Seafood – This Zi Char Eatery Should Be On Your Makan Radar!

I can’t remember if I have ever written a review on New Ubin Seafood. The eatery’s beginning can be traced back to the island of Pulau Ubin itself, where they were serving up kampong-style seafood. After the government acquired the island, New Ubin Seafood moved to the mainland. The friendly owner, Mr Pang, used to work in the pharmaceutical industry before he became a restaurateur.

My first visit to New Ubin Seafood was during my journalist days when I featured their grilled beef cubes. The zi char kitchen can now be found at Lam Soon Building. Despite moving to a canteen hidden in the carpark on the 6th floor, New Ubin Seafood continues to be a popular zi char eatery among locals.

A recipient of the Michelin Bib Gourmand award, New Ubin Seafood offers much more than the traditional seafood dishes you’d expect. One of the must-tries is their amazing USDA Black Angus Ribeye Steak ($14/100g, approx 500-700g). Steak in a zi char eatery, are you sure? Absolutely! USDA “choice” quality beef is used, and each piece of steak is guaranteed to be tender, juicy, and flavourful. After it is lightly seasoned, the 2-inch thick beef is grilled over a charcoal fire. The medium rare beef cubes arrived on our table – charred on the outside and moist on the inside.

They trim away the sinewy tissues & fats from the beef, but fry them with rice and dark soy sauce. They aptly named it “heart attack fried rice”. Despite the “scary” name, trust me, this is absolutely delicious. The meat and rice are served together with caramelised onions, Idaho potato wedges, caramelised onions and sea salt flakes. We polished the plate.

When it comes to crabs, Singaporeans always love to go for chilli crab or black pepper crab. New Ubin Seafood has got something equally impressive – Garlic Baked Crab (from $42/crab for 500g). Yeah, it looked dry at first but the crab meat was juicy and fresh.

A new dish on the menu is the Black Ink Squid ($16/Small, $24/Large). The squid is cooked with squid ink, curry leaves and onion. It has a pleasant curry fragrance and is best paired with rice.

New Ubin Seafood never fails to surprise us. First, it was the Angus beef. And now, authentic South Indian food! Expect dishes such as Mutton Curry ($36/large), Spicy Chicken Masala ($24/half chicken), Plain Biryani Rice ($6/small, with complimentary yoghurt relish) and more.

This is definitely a place worth visiting. If you wish to enjoy their dishes in the comfort of your home, order from Deliveroo!

Disclaimer: This was an invited tasting.