Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood. Where to Eat Chili Crab in Singapore

Ban Leong Wah Hoe and the row of eateries at Casuarina Road was one of our favourite hangouts though I've not been back for over two decades. I was glad that tonight's get together let me get reacquainted with one of my old favourite Singapore zhi char places. I like all the dishes we had tonight, especially their rendition of Singapore chili crab.



Ban Leong Wah Hoe is a large restaurant spanning two shop lots. Singaporeans like to gather at zhi char places which are simply furnished casual eateries that serve the whole range of restaurant style dishes at budget prices (compared to restaurants with elaborate interiors and more classy ambiance).



Ban Leong Wah Hoe has an extension at the side of the restaurant and it is often full.



They even have a small section between the back of the kitchen and Upper Thomson Road (just beside the bus stop). We ate there - it was literally eating street food with a constant stream of rumbling buses and cars whizzing by 😄

Parking is challenging at Casuarina Road, so taking public transport here is a good idea.



We had 8 dishes and I enjoyed all of them, especially their Singapore chili crab. Now, I have one more place I can recommend with confidence when people ask me where to get good Singapore chili crab at a competitive price.

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The best chili crab l've had for a while. The live 1 kilo plus crab was from East Java. The meat was tenderly firm and moist with briny sweet juices. The thick smooth sauce was held together with eggs. It tasted of mild crustacean savouriness, ocean brine, seafood sweet and spiciness from spices and chili. The savoury sweet flavours were balanced and there was a pleasant spicy aftertaste. Today's price S$60 per kilo.

A post shared by Tony Johor Kaki (@johorkaki) on Dec 7, 2018 at 7:29am PST

Ban Leong Wah Hoe uses air flown wild caught live crabs from East Java in Indonesia. The meaty crabs were stewed in a thick smooth savoury sweet spicy sauce held together with eggs. Cooking the live crabs directly in the sauce infuses it with subtle briny crustacean savouriness. The lightly springy stewed crab meat was juicy with an ocean briny sweet taste. The sauce had a pleasant gentle spicy aftertaste. 

(I prefer chili crabs cooked by stewing in sauce, rather than steamed, boiled or deep fried crabs bathed in sauce which is cooked separately. Steaming, boiling or deep frying is more "efficient" as it allows pre-cooking en masse but much of the natural juices and texture are sacrificed in the process. I appreciate it that Ban Leong Wah Hoe goes the extra mile to give customers the full flavours of the crab even though stewing is "inefficient" taking at least 10 minutes to cook each serving.)



I enjoyed the chili crab sauce so much that I was drinking many spoonfuls of it neat (like stealing jam from the fridge when I was a boy 😋 ). Ban Leong Wah Hoe's chili crab sauce is well balanced but relatively mild tasting. Folks who prefer the robustly savoury spicy type of chili crab sauce might find this lacks kick. But, I like it lah - I think it's a waste to overwhelm the live crab's subtle natural flavours with overpowering sauce 😛



Normal people enjoy the chili crab sauce with fried mantou which is excellent too.



I like Ban Leong Wah Hoe's rendition of har cheong kai (fried chicken marinated with savoury fermented prawn paste) as the marinate was mildly savoury which was just right for me. The mild savouriness on the lightly crisped outside complemented the tender juicy sweetness of the warm chicken flesh.



Spongy fresh pork liver slices enveloped with a robust savoury spicy sauce mostly masking the subtle taste of liver. I enjoyed this dish too.



Petai (crunchy stinky beans) stir fried with savoury spicy sauce and dried white bait fish. Nice.



Signature fried "birthday noodle". Tender mee sua with just the right moistness and savoury sweet flavour. Didn't enjoy the fish, quail eggs, squid, prawn toppings as much though.



Nice savoury sweet spicy Chinese style mee goreng with a subtle bit of underlying toasty "wok hei" taste.



Simple and nice stir fried crunchy juicy 油麦菜 you mai cai greens.



Rounding up our dinner with orh nee, a traditional Teochew sweet dessert with layers of sweetness from sweetened yam paste with lard, coconut milk and ginkgo nuts. Ban Leong Wah Hoe's version is not overly sweet.



We were totally filled by the end of dinner. Lady boss Lily said we should try her Teochew steamed pomfret or pomfret porridge next time. I think pomfret porridge is a good idea 😋



👍 A good zhi char place with many well executed dishes and an excellent rendition of Singapore chili crab. Pricing is competitive too.



Restaurant name: Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood 万隆华和海鲜菜馆
Address: 122 Casuarina Rd, Singapore 579510
GPS: 1°22'35.6"N 103°49'40.9"E 🌐 1.376558, 103.828021
Tel: +65 6452 2824
Hours: 11:00am - 2:30pm | 5:00pm - 11:00pm (12:00am)

Non Halal



Date visited: 7 Dec 2018