Eneko Shop, Sansaku market, Otaru…serious about seafood?

No trip to Hokkaido would be complete without sampling Japan’s most prized resource – allergies permitting. A stone’s throw from Otaru stations, the Sansaku market  presents a terrifically seductive dance of fresh, gorgeously prepared seafood and shellfish, tucked in one of Hokkaido’s most beloved neighbourhoods – Otaru.

Eneko Shop offers the kind of food you have to work for. It’s virtually impossible to avoid a queue, and you’re likely to be elbow-to-elbow with strangers. Stunning seafood dishes like octopus are profound in their simplicity, bringing out clean, startlingly robust flavors. Make sure you have the more ambitious dishes like the Seafood rice bowl with Hokkaido specialty, ikura (salmon roe) for a total experience which is dizzying and unforgettable. Everything is exceptional. It’ll leave seafood enthusiasts bragging for weeks.

You’d be advised to come with an appetite. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Khaw Glong Thai Restaurant, Koh Samui…don’t skip the shrimps with tamarind sauce. Or the curry.

If my grandma decided to open a Thai restaurant in Koh Samui, she’d end up with something that looks like Khaw Glong Thai Restaurant. An unassuming authentic Thai cuisine eatery using fresh high quality ingredients without MSG and additives set the stage for dishes like thai curries.

Those un-averse to the funkiest flavors of the sea will be delighted by dishes like the jumbo shrimps with tamarind sauce, tom yum seafood and red curry crab meat. By the time you decide on a non-seafood dish, the choice is especially easy: there’s just one staple option, chicken in pandan leaves – gai hor bai. The only question is whether you want it. Based on its vibrant aroma and mesmerizingly delicious juicy and moist chicken inside – the answer is yes.

One of the best bang-for-your-buck restaurants in Koh Samui. Go early. Or be prepared to wait. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Sushi House, Johor Bahru…Strictly no dieters

Here me now: This modest, casual, wallet-friendly spot serves up quality sushi at serious value.

On our dinnertime visit it was buzzy, relaxed and the service was lovely. Just the right amount of bustle: no one rushing you through your meal. A favourite was the stunning, “get-your-phone-out-and-get-snapping” large sushi boat – minimum 20 servings of sushi or more. Next up, captain crunch – 8 delicious pieces of fried prawns with crabstick & cucumber sushi roll topped with shrimp roe, spicy mayonnaise, sweet sauce and crunch. The ebi tempura mayo – fried prawn with mayonnaise was amazingly light. Also great: the addictive chicken katsu don – fried chicken cutlet on rice. The soft shell crab temaki – fried soft shell crab with cucumber & lettuce can be risky – but here it’s perfection.

Sushi House fulfils most of the criteria for my ideal sushi restaurant. Strictly no dieters. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Supattra Thai Dining, Koh Samui…it’s worth the hassle

As one of the most popular and talked about restaurants in Koh Samui, it’s no surprise that Supattra Thai Dining is in TripAdvisor’s top 10 list in Koh Samui. And the ranking is well deserved.

They’ve got everything just right from the seemingly effortless romantic ambience to their phenomenal Thai menu. Cooked by Supattra herself, the dishes are simple, satisfying authentic dishes with wonderful spicing and flavours. The blue crab in Southern style curry & wild betel leaf had us lapping gracelessly from the bowl once we’d finished cracking and prising. Equally unforgettable was the sea king prawn in green curry-fresh bamboo shoot.

The restaurant has limited seating (only about eight tables or so), so be sure to get there early. Believe me when I say it’s worth the hassle. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Owen Seafood Restaurant, Singapore…prices that knock the wind out of you

While there are plenty of budget-friendly food options in Singapore, dining in some restaurants can come with a staggeringly steep price tag. With restaurants opening at a fast rate, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re getting the most for your SGD when dining out.

A seafood meal at this Chinese restaurant doesn’t come cheap. And the disappointing things is that it’s not a restaurant which is particularly distinguished. Unquestionably, I think food is too pretentious….which is a really bad thing. And it’s just too bloody expensive. It is really really horrendously expensive …

You will only remember it as the restaurant that is so expensive that you were outraged. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Luke’s Lobster, New York City…it’s hard not to love.

There’s a lot of joy to be had in a lobster roll. Priding themselves on the fact that they work directly with fishermen to pick out the best seafood, Luke knows a thing or two about lobster.

Unable to decide at The Plaza Food Hall, I went for The Luke’s Trio – 1/2 crab, 1/2 lobster, 1/2 shrimp and preceded that with clam chowdah. All the meat are well-chilled, fresh and tender; they melt in your mouth along with the butter, which is flavorful but not overpowering

It’s big on flavours and it’s huge on joy. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Long Beach King, Singapore…the masters of food shelled and finned

Lobster has hogged the limelight on the edible crustacean stage for so long, that we have a tendency to forget the sweet, meaty merits of the humble crab.

There are no prizes for guessing what dish Long Beach King specialise in. The seafood-centric menu currently offers inventive dishes including deep fried flat rice noodles with “la la king”.  The star of the show were the crab dishes, de-shelled, bursting with flavor. The House specialty live prawns impeccably cooked and presented. When the seafood are this good, it seems pointless to stray, but the homemade beancurd with chef sauce was also splendid.

Long Beach King offers a bold and innovative ‘sea-to-plate’ dining experience. But be warned, a meal here comes at an eye-watering price. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Lek Seafood, Bangkok…don’t make the mistake of dying before you eat here

When dining out in Bangkok, the spectre of crippling indecision lurks around every corner. Once you get past the overwhelming question of where to eat, you’re still faced with the menu: what to order? Lek Seafood provides an easy answer to both of these questions.

First of all, you should eat there. Second, show up in a group of 3 or 4 and go for these: the grilled cockles is a simple satisfying dish. Also fantastic is the shrimp in hot and sour soup (tom yum kung) which is perfectly cooked and a firm bestseller here. My favourite was the stir fried soft crab in curry sauce. I will never tire of it. The stir fried cabbage with fish sauce is also much loved and the stir fried baby clam with sweet basil was a refreshing touch between the spicier dishes. By the time you get to dessert, the choice is especially easy: the mango sticky rice may not sound like anything special but this is one of the best in the city.

Fantastic, authentic food and great service, Lek Seafood deserves all its repeat visits from all Thai food lovers. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Kub Kao Kub Pla, Bangkok…For the sake of doubt this is a positive review

First of all, you should eat here.

Take the pad thai with prawns: springy but pliable, and soft but not mushy. Then, the sauce that coats them: Salty, sour and sweet. The combination is hard to top. Or take the stir fried crab meat in yellow curry: it’s mild, it has decent flavor and it’s smooth. Or the cowslip creeper omelette. I had heard mutterings about this particular dish online for a while. It’s one of those that you just have to try, because if you don’t try it you are missing out. You are less than a complete person. I hate being less than complete.

The menu can be surprisingly wallet-friendly. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Legal Sea Foods Restaurant, Boston…seafood at a new level of deliciousness

Boston has a huge amount to offer when it comes to seafood. With a tagline that screams “If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t legal”, Legal specializes in one type of fare: seafood. The name of the game here is all things ocean.

The New England clam chowder is rich and creamy and shockingly delicious, with just the right amount of potatoes. There’s a lot of joy to be had in the lobster roll warm butter poached or traditional with mayo. The lobster meat, served chilled, has a firm bite and a tender follow through. It puts many of its competitors to shame in terms of pure taste and texture so it deserves a place in your belly. Legal’s signature crab cake – simply put – jumbo lump crab, mustard sauce, seasonal salad is one of the great classics of Legal Seafoods Restaurant. There is a simple genius about it, the crispness and creaminess and intrinsic sweetness of the moist and intensely crab-flavoured cakes.

There’s one thing you’re sure to find at Legal Sea Foods Restaurant- an excellent meal. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…