Orchid Live Seafood @ 1 Bah Soon Pah Rd

"Miss, the place that you're going...sounds quite ulu-hor?"

That was what the taxi uncle said after the address to the destination was given. Yes, GPS was switched on and we arrived at the destination but it looked more like a nursery (plants) from the outside so we overshot and went further up. Had to make a u-turn since the unit numbers were getting larger.

Turns out, it was right at the entrance to this road. First impression of this place? It felt like an out-of-town place somewhere in Malaysia.

alfresco otherwise turn towards the right for the air-conditioned restaurant entrance

live seafood tanks

Pretty old-school eatery and chef's recommendation are plastered all over the air-conditioned restaurant for easy reference.

old school feels

Dinner was gathered by Justin and everyone had common motive; which was to try the lobster porridge. Of course, since there were 6 of us, we ordered some other zichar (煮炒) dishes to share as well.

coconut water

For the lobster porridge, one could choose whether it's for 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 pax. The difference is on the weight of the lobsters combined that'll feed those numbers of pax. Smallest would be 600g while largest would be 2kg. Price of live seafood will commensurate with weight.

Besides lobster porridge, we ordered dishes such as sambal kangkung (morning glory), stevens chicken, chili mussels, crispy tofu with topshell and a plate of hokkien noodles to try.

sambal kangkung

crispy tofu with topshell

chili mussels

The mussels were so plump but the sauce a tad too watery for me. Spice level was very mild. The crispy tofu was pretty ordinary...can skip. Perhaps a hotplate tofu would be better in terms of taste.

Our favourite dish? The stevens chicken. It was so good that we did a second order for this. Think we did medium x 2. Perhaps next time, a large portion from the start?!

Why we loved it? Served piping hot with crisp skin and moist inside. Adequate seasoning and mildly sweet on its skin. Not too oily.

stevens chicken

The porridge for 6 pax, was incredibly huge. A heavy pot was brought to tableside and the staff will help to dish out lobsters and to set it aside to prevent it from cooking any further. Porridge is then portioned into individual bowls. There were copious amount of porridge and broth available for thirds and fourths!

lobsters removed

lobster porridge is served

The essence was all in the broth. Comforting on a wet rainy day. A man who had finished his dinner with his family, walked past ours as we were about to start and he commented that both our tables ordered the same things. Hahaa! Guess so since most of the stuffs that we ordered were stated as chef's recommendation.

communal dining

Parking is available at this place. Otherwise need to grab since this is nowhere near any MRT.

Expect to spend about $50 to $60 per pax, if getting any live seafood.

Thank you Justin for initiating and Bel for getting the reservation. Communal dining with Justin, Bel, Kai, Cae, Tiara and Jen.