Ubin Seafood

C says:

I can't believe that the best steak and ribs that we've had in ages was at a seafood restaurant - what's going on?!

I was understandably apprehensive about recommendations to try the rib-eye steak at Ubin Seafood. Who can blame me? Ubin Seafood is a frenetic seafood restaurant in the heart of Sin Ming Industrial Estate, amongst car repair shops. I had my misgivings, but we decided to give them the benefit of the doubt one rainy Saturday night.

OMG. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is the best beef that I've had in ages. I thought Oca Grassa was good, but this really takes the cake. US certified Angus rib-eye, chargrilled, then cut into cubes and served on a platter with wedges, caramelised onions and, the best part, fried rice cooked with the beef drippings.

Where to begin? The rice was like a delicious version of claypot rice, with crispy bits of beef fat that were reminiscent of the charred bits at the bottom of claypot rice. This went perfectly with the sambal belacan that was provided.

The beef was outstanding. It was tender, juicy and perfectly cooked. There was a good char, and it was seasoned just right with salt and pepper. For some reason, almost every cube of meat had a bit of fat on it, which gave the already sweet meat an incredible flavour, and not a single piece had any sinew or gristle on it. The steak costs an unbelievable $12 per 100g; granted, their minimum size is 550g, but that's still $66 for one of the best steaks I've had. I think my beef search is officially over.

Something else I've been trying to find in Singapore are good ribs. My idea of good ribs are basically like Naughty Nuri's - flame grilled, and tender but with still some bite to them. Not the overly braised kind that are slathered in BBQ sauce, which end up tasting (and looking) like pulled pork. Ubin does a pretty decent version, thought not as awesome as the steak. The ribs were just slightly overcooked, but otherwise all the elements were there. And sauce served on the side, as it should be.

In comparison, the sweet potato leaves fried with sambal were a bit lacklustre, though maybe it's because they didn't quite go with the rest of the dishes. On hindsight maybe a simple asparagus dish may have been more appropriate.

The place is teeming with huge tables of families tucking into plates and plates of seafood. Going as a couple is definitely not efficient - their minimum orders of items like prawns (minimum 300g) is somewhat prohibitive to us trying many dishes. Unless you're there solely for the steak, I think 4 is the bare minimum. It's perfect for large groups, and best of all, they have a BYO policy on alcohol too.

Parking's a bit of a bitch though, and that would be the only thing preventing us from coming here regularly. Well, that and the fact that they affectionately call the fried rice "Heart Attack Rice"...

A says:

Early contender for best of '14. Awesome. If only parking was easier.

Ubin Seafood
Block 27 Sin Ming Road, #01-174
Sin Ming Industrial Estate Sector A
Tel: 6466-9558
Mon – Fri: 11am – 2pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm (Last Order)
Sat & Sun: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm (Last Order)
www.ubinseafood.com