The crab is out of the bag

I'm glad the truth is finally out in the papers.

I've been wanting to blog about this since the opening of the other "copy crabs". Because I'm related to the crab chef, Mr Tan Yau Heng, I've received many calls from friends asking me if Mr Tan has left First Grade Seafood in Joo Chiat Place.

The answer is no. Just like the The Sunday Times(11 Jan 09) has clarified.

House of Seafood@180 in Yio Chu Kang claimed to be 'formerly known at Joo Chiat Place', is obviously a marketing ploy to mislead the customers. The Chef who once worked at First Grade Seafood Palace was in charge of cooking other dishes, not its signature crabs.

Then came the Chef's Crab Seafood Restaurant which declared that the "famous black pepper crab from the Joo Chiat area has made its way to Katong" in an ad they put up. This is even more ludicrous because the chef was only responsible for killing crabs and slicing the ingredients back at First Grade Seafood Palace.

The chefs may have worked at First Grade Seafood Palace at some point but never the key chef for crabs. Yes, they may have picked up a trick of two but experience is something they can never possess overnight.

Having said that, I'm not jumping to conclusion that the copy crabs are not as good. Perhaps not everyone bothers who's the real McCoy or can taste the difference. But the fact that the one and only crab chef, Mr Tan, who has worked at First Grade Seafood for over 20 years, is still cooking up a storm in Joo Chiat Place remains a fact. The customers should have the rights to make their own choice and not be misled by ambiguous declarations.

So if you want the good old authentic Joo Chiat Place black pepper crabs, head nowhere else but Joo Chiat Place.

Here are some exclusive photos of Mr Tan at work. :)







Besides black pepper crabs, they serve Singapore's favourite chilli crabs too.



Mr Tan handles four woks at a time. The orders for crabs alone are enough to kept him busy throughout the night.







The Mee Goreng is also one of their specialties. It's very spicy and yummy, unlike the sweet Indian version which I don't prefer.



I love the crispy Seafood You Tiao too.



All I can say is only the original gets copied.

For those who are interested to read the above article, drop me a note. :)

First Grade Seafood Palace
247 Joo Chiat Place
6440 5560
(Closed on Wednesday)