Dolphins' / Phin Steakhouse Restaurant @ 81 Genting Lane · Hidden Gem Lets You Relive Your Younger Days · Delicious Hainanese Western!

You know, boomers will fondly recall dates at steakhouses like Jack's Place, The Ship, Silver Spoon, Copper Kettle, and such.

They are only memories now. Most are gone and those few that remained have been "upgraded" beyond recognition.

Ironically, there's Dolphins' Steakhouse which I've never even heard of until now, and it hasn't changed much since the 1980s.

Hey, it's not really my fault okay.

Who's going to know that on the seventh floor of this dingy old flated factory at Genting Lane is a good old school steakhouse worth visiting?

Somemore, they don't advertise, don't do influencer marketing, so they are more or less invisible online.

But hey, they've been here for over forty years, so they must mean something.

Right?

Your date might wonder if you got the wrong address 🤭

Your date might change her / his mind at the lift lobby 😂🤭

At the entrance on the seventh floor, your date might suddenly remember that s/he has something urgent to attend to 😂

Past the barn doors at the entrance, the flaming red tablecloth and bevy of leaping brass dolphins might be the last straw for your date 🤭

Having come this far inside Dolphins' Steakhouse, the marine theme and those kitschy anchors are nothing too cheesy.

Those booths with cushioned benches and plywood top tables instantly teleported me back to the 1980s.

I feel this setup should be preserved just like the old red brick National Library (should have been) as it is the collective memory of two generations of Singaporeans, the Pioneers and Merdekas ✊

I mean this place is downright a living fossil, frozen in time.

The menu.

Swee lah.

These were the pubescent Pioneers and Merdekas' idea of "Western" food.

Dorothy (right) founded Dolphins over forty years ago, at first located at Tai Thong Crescent, and then moved here at Everich Industrial Building, with the same landlord all these years.

Dorothy is Teochew but Dolphins' kitchen was headed by a Hainanese chef till he retired recently.

I asked Dorothy why she named her restaurant "Dolphins".

"Dolphins are very cute".

No further questions 😛

We started with garlic bread.

Oh my gawd, don't know how long never eat garlic bread and clam chowder this way already.

Don't care how it tastes, but it feels so good.

By the way, both the garlic bread and house made clam chowder (soup of the day) were good 👍

Start with the obligatory salad. Fresh leafy greens, vegetables, fruit, shelled fresh prawns, dribbled with a zesty spicy mustard based dressing. Nice.

Ribeye with vegetables and mashed potato served on the nostalgic sitting cow cast iron sizzle plate.

The thick slab was done medium rare and bathed in peppery sauce.

We cubed the meat for sharing. It was so good. The red meat was spongy tender, juicy, beefy with savoury umami pepperiness coming from the brown sauce.

Jason has been working with mum Dorothy since his teens. He said these cow plates have been at the restaurant before he started working here.

I asked Jason to do something I had wanted to do for many years.

"Show me what is under the plate" 🤭

Alamak....., after all these years, the mystery is finally solved and there is nothing there except for the word "JAPAN" 😅

Sometimes in life, it is better not to know. Let it remain a mystery better 😂

Well, at least I know now that those classic cow plates that can last for years were made in Japan.

Grilled lamb rack with balsamic dressing.

Pork chop.

Oh I love this sauce with the pork chop. It was a blend of sourish, umami savoury, sweet, spicy, I wish Dolphins' sell it in bottles 😋

Baby back ribs with Dolphins' signature tasty sour, spicy, savoury, sweet sauce 

Juicy, tender, porcine sweet, slathered thick with Dolphins' signature sauce like a jam.

🤫 Tell you a secret.

My favourite nostalgic "Western" food is actually the humble fish and chips.

A tender juicy slab of halibut wrapped in crisp beer batter fried till golden brown outside and eaten with dollops of creamy sourish eggy tartar sauce.

The white halibut meat was slightly flaky, soft tender yet has a subtle bite reminding me of fresh crab meat. Subtly sweet too.

I also had a piece of the less expensive pink dory and I liked it.

I mean dory doesn't have a good reputation but hey this pink dory got nice smooth soft tender texture, sweet juicy meat, that goes well with the light crisp beer batter.

Truth be told, between pink dory and halibut, I prefer the dory.

You try lah.

So glad, grateful that in this day and age in Singapore, we still have an old school "Western" restaurant serving authentic, nostalgic Hainanese "Western" food.

If you want our heritage to be preserved and valued, come support!

Restaurant name: Phin’s Catering Services

Address: 81 Genting Lane, #07-01, Singapore 349566 (inside Everich Industrial Building)

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Potong Pasir / Mattar / Geylang Bahru stations

Tel: 6744 2848

Hours: 11am - 9pm (Sun off)

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Written by Tony Boey on on 31 Jan 2024