Founded in 1956, Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant touts itself as having invented Singapore’s famous black pepper crab, making its situation next to the Merlion along the Singapore River particularly apt. In the past we’ve found their seafood well above par, but on our latest visit we were disappointed to find that standards had significantly dropped. One black pepper crab, two chili crabs, steamed sea bass, claypot frog legs, stir fried greens with scallops, crispy baby squid and fried mantou looked positively appetizing when we ordered them. Sadly, it was quite the opposite. One of the chili crabs was all mushy and soft—we suspect this was a sign that the seafood wasn’t fresh. Similarly, the sea bass was overcooked and the vegetables were too fibrous. The only redeeming dish was the signature black pepper crab, but even then, it wasn’t served warm enough. Lukewarm seafood only emphasized the lackluster flavors which just didn’t do the food any justice, a pity since in the past we’ve come to consider Palm Beach Seafood quite a reliable restaurant. We’ll cross our fingers and wait awhile before we try this one again.
