Tung Lok Seafood - East Coast Parkway

Roast chicken (half), originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Bumper post today. Took the family out for lunch at Tung Lok Seafood at East Coast Parkway. We've lived so nearby for years but never tried them before. Their seafood and dim sum a la carte buffet looked interesting (S$28.80++, minimum four persons, see full menu here), so we thought we'd give it a go.

The roast chicken was probably one of the better dishes today. Crispy skin always wins. The meat's a tad bland on its own, so help yourself to the flavoured dipping salt.

BBQ Meat Platter - char siew, roast duck and soy-sauce chicken, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

This was OK. The char siew was slightly fatty, I would have preferred it slightly more charred (but that's a personal thing). The roast duck had really crispy skin and wasn't too gamey. Soy sauce chicken decent and moist.

Salmon sashimi, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Yes, they serve Singapore's favourite sashimi too (but don't expect top-end Japanese restaurant quality). I had to get my dose of Omega-3 oils for Jolie (even if she's getting too big-sized in the womb). Generous portion. Mother-in-law and maid both would not touch raw fish, so it was mine, all mine!!! Well, mostly. Hubby ate too.

Poached prawns with special dipping sauce, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

We didn't order this but it came anyway. So we whacked it. Nice, fresh, plump and juicy. I think it went better with the taucheo-chili sauce than with its own special dipping sauce. Shells really easy to peel too, none of that "fused to the flesh" syndrome you sometimes get at buffets.

Dim sum regulars - har kow, siew mai, yam puffs and shrimp in beancurd skin, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

The dim sum is competently done but not really outstanding. I found them all right but hubby actually preferred Crystal Jade dim sum (that's kicking it down quite a few notches). I didn't get to try the more exotic selections.

Very Ordinary Char Siew Bau - BBQ Meat Buns, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

The dim sum also seemed to get cold quite fast. The waitresses are quite clever to suggest you start with dim sum first (fillers!)...because by the time we were done with them, we felt quite full. But as we were soon about to discover, the mains were not very good.

Nobleman's Shark's Fin Soup with Sliced Fish Maw and Bamboo Pith, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Oh man, this was such a disappointment. Possibly the WORST sharks' fin soup I have ever tasted. What a waste of ingredients! So bland and tasteless that even little Nadine refused it. You get only one serving per person for the buffet, but honestly, even that's already too much.

Sweet and sour pork, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Such a common dish but I love sweet-and-sour pork. The meat for this was a little too soft and fatty for my taste. I prefer it fried really crisp on the outside, with leaner meat within.

Steamed red tilapia with chef's special sauce, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Oh my god, this was disgusting. I think even the waitress tried to warn me as she repeated the species of fish in both English and Mandarin, as if to query if I really wanted to risk it. While really soft and tender, this anemic-looking fish had a muddy taste, and no special whatnot chef sauce could save the dish!

Poached spinach with garlic, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

What can I say? Not my kind of vegetable. Wrong type of spinach. Didn't touch it.

Thai-style pork ribs, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Again, uncomfortably soft, fatty pork. This time with lots of lime, lemongrass and onions in its dressing. I guess some people would like it that way - fatty rib meat.

Bitesize desserts - ice cream puffs and peanut-coated glutinous dumpling with black sesame filling, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

They have five desserts for you to choose from. The ice cream puff turns out to be this tiny choux pastry encasing frozen chocolate ice cream. The glutinous dumpling with black sesame paste inside was toasty warm. Interesting how both hot and cold stuff came on the same plate.

We also tried the cold almond beancurd jelly with longan, which came in a wee little cup. The almond beancurd was really soft but tasted "dodgy" according to hubby.

All in all, not terribly satisfying, but we could have chosen the wrong dishes. The place was more than half-full on a Saturday afternoon. It looks popular with larger groups. Still, for pretty much the same price or so, food was way more memorable at Asia Grand, Hua Ting or Lei Garden.

TUNG LOK SEAFOOD
Building B, 1000 East Coast Parkway,
2nd Floor East Coast Recreation Centre
(there is no lift; you have to take the stairs, so it's not terribly disabled/elderly friendly)
Tel: 6246-0555

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