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Tucked quietly within a covered carpark at West Coast Recreation Centre, Joyden Seafood is the revitalised brand of West Coast Seafood, more familiar with seafood lovers for those who reside in the West. To celebrate their 10th annivesary, Joyden also carried out a facelift of their existing restaurant and more importantly, the seafood-focused menu was revamped. With almost 80% of the menu being seafood dishes, the chefs retained their signatures and introduced some unique creations to impress existing and new customers.

How can anyone resist local favourites such as deep fried mantous and crabs?

With a typical Chinese restaurant setting in the form of a communal dining area, it was well-adorned with contemporary Chinese art pieces. For customers looking for extra privacy or simply to celebrate a family event, there are private rooms being offered at affordable rates.

Expect to be greeted with some of these classic Chinese exhibits as you step into the restaurant.

A brightly lit communal dining area that can house up to 160 guests.

No Chinese restaurant is complete without the cornerstone glass tanks to showcase live seafood.

 Are you hungry to check out Joyden's range of seafood yet? We are!


Complimentary homemade Achar

One of the unsung heroes, this plate of homemade Achar was a winner in my book of favourite appetisers. There was the crisp crunch from the peanuts and tang from the seasoned carrots and cucumbers. Perfect to whet one's appetite before the main courses!


Signature Cereal Prawns | S$34/++

A classic Chinese dish when tucking in to a seafood meal but what differentiated this dish was the unique ingredients in the cereal mix. Apart from introducing shards of kaffir leaves, the addition of chilli padi and curry powder gave a twist and oomph to the otherwise traditional dish. We enjoyed the balance in flavours coming from the natural sweetness of the firm prawns, mild salinity and heat from the cereal mix.

Available in three different sizes, starting from about 300 grams of prawns at S$22/++, it goes on to S$34/++ for 400 grams and S$46/++ for 500 grams. If you need any special orders such as having more prawns, Joyden would be more than happy to accommodate and prices are adjusted in accordance to weight.


Steamed Lobster with Glutinous Treasure Rice | market price (currently: S$12.80/100 gms)



The lovely fragrance of the crustacean and the garlic greeted diners as the dish was served in a classic bamboo basket. The generous amount of finely diced garlic was stir-fried before coating it over the live lobsters and steamed in the bamboo basket. This allowed the fragrant garlic to infuse the juices of the live crustacean which emanated during the steaming process.

All the essence were captured by the bed of glutinous rice sitting underneath the lobsters which was packed with Chinese sausage, shallots and dried shrimps. While the freshness of the lobsters was unparalleled, I found the glutinous rice slightly too damp for my preference though it was well-received by the diners at the table. In terms of flavours, it was rich and bold though you might want to have some mints ready at the end of the meal to combat the strong garlic aftertaste!


Lemongrass Pork Ribs in Crispy Yam Ring | S$25/++


While most Singaporeans would be familiar with our classic Chilli Crabs or Black Pepper Crabs, Joyden took a twist with their Signature Creamy Crabs. Tasting that luscious and velvety sauce for the first time kept me coming for a second spoonful to define the complex elements in the dish.

Soaked in a milk and pumpkin purée, the natural flavours of the steamed crabs were elevated by the infusion of curry leaves, chilli padi and black pepper for an extra punch. While the flavours were complex, it was surprisingly balanced with just the right amount of heat and sweetness.


While the moist and tender soft crab meat went well with that beautiful sauce, be sure to order either the steamed or deep-fried mantous to soak up all that goodness!


Sago and Pomelo in Mango Purée | S$5/++

No meal is complete without desserts and we were served this classic Chinese dessert. Personally, I found the mango purée slightly too acidic and watery for my palate. Could always opt for their Osmanthus and Wolfberry Jelly, another classic Chinese dessert to end the meal on a sweet offering!


Dim Sum | daily from 11.30am - 2.30pm

Offering at least 25 handmade dim sums daily, prices are highly affordable at about S$3.50 - S$4.50 each for most dishes and we were told that some must-tries include their bite-sized baked mini egg custard tart and salted egg custard buns!

Part of the Joyden's F&B family is the Joyden Hall located conveniently at Bugis+ which offers a venue for performances and events.

Joyden Seafood presents that cosy and homely vibe which makes it a perfect place for family dinners or gatherings. The restaurant underwent extensive renovation last year to offer a more modern look and feel of the place so as to attract the younger crowd too. Other than having an attentive service crew who would make sure that every diner's needs is well taken care of, prices of the seafood dishes are also highly competitive with market rates elsewhere. While we did not get to try their dim sum this time round, we were impressed with most of the signature dishes and would be returning sometime soon to give the dim sum a go!

At the end of a hectic work week, wouldn't you want to wind down and relax in a quiet spot, enjoying the serenity as time goes by? Borne out of such belief, Lynn decides to have a space of her own for diners to flee away from reality.

Juxtaposed against the bustling streets of Little India along Dunlop Street, you could sense an immediate change in ambient mood as you step through the doors of the cafe. The details on display renders you to slow down and take a second look.

While Common Man is known more for their coffee (check out our coffee cupping session where we'd learnt so much!), their brunch menu also has an extensive list of delicious-sounding dishes that got us tempted to try! Prior to this tasting session, we'd visited Common Man on a Sunday and without saying, there was a really long queue.

Having tried their melt-in-your-mouth braised ox cheeks in Organic Eggs Benedict, abundant Common Man Full Breakfast and refreshing Crab Salad, we have been planning a second visit and we gladly return this time round to try some of their other dishes!

Two poached eggs sat nicely on top of green pea fritters and the pancetta which is an Italian bacon made of pork belly, surrounded by rocket leaves. We loved the crispiness of the bacon which had a nice layer of fats and with perfect caramelisation, it was paired with sweet balsamic syrup to deliver a stronger punch of flavours. The green pea fritters tasted like a homemade version with an extra touch of seasoning.


Turkish Common Man Breakfast | S$25/++

We really enjoyed the beautiful free-range organic eggs they served here, while we knew that it's not easy to source such top quality eggs in Singapore. A further component that caught my attention was another Greek-Turkish creation - halloumi, which is a semi-soft, unripened brined cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk. I liked the crispness on the outside and chewy on the inside after it's fried. In addition to that, it's an excellent cheese used in cooking for frying or grilling without melting owing to its higher-than-normal melting point.

A drawback would be the sourdough crust which was a tad too hard for our liking, which made it hard to cut through or bite. Other than that, everything was well-seasoned and cooked to perfection.



What was interesting about this burger was the vegetables sandwiched in the middle - Chinese cabbage 'bok choy' substituted for the commonly used lettuce. Filled with coconut aroma to lend flavours to the dish, it gave an oriental twist to otherwise western dish.

Coupled with a good seasoning, the fish patty was made with fresh fillet and had a nice crisp crumb on the outside. The flavours were elevated by the classic tartare sauce. We liked the fact that the brioche bun was light and puffy and the base bun was not soggy.


Grilled juicy "chilli" boneless chicken | S$25/++
with crushed avocado salsa & caramelised onion

A Mediterranean-inspired dish, the chicken fillets were well marinated to the right degree of spiciness and grilled to perfection with clearly defined grilled lines on the fillets. The charred and blistered lemon added robust acidity and concentrated floral sweetness to the tender and juicy chicken.

The spicy and savoury chicken fillet paired with sweet and sour lemon, flavourful mashy avocado salsa, sweet caramelised onion and bitter rocket salad, was nicely done to contain all five key flavours in one dish.




Trying this dish for the second time, it still managed to impress our palate. I loved the orange-coloured creamy egg yolk which burst from the thin layer of egg white of these poached eggs. We would have preferred a more generous portion of the Hollandaise sauce.

The braised ox cheeks hiding in the rocket forest was tender and flavoursome, which complemented the sourdough toast that carried a hint of acidity from the long fermentation process.

Hua Ting Restaurant, a familiar name with most on traditional Cantonese cuisine, has launched a new line of mooncakes this season. With chef Lap Fai at its helm, crowned Asian Cuisine Chef of the Year 2014 at the World Gourmet Series Awards of Excellence, we certainly had high expectations of what we were about to taste.