Chin Huat Live Seafood

Chin Huat Live Seafood is a Chinese seafood restaurant at Sunset Way in Clementi, in the west of Singapore. Crabs, lobsters and other seafood are kept alive in tanks until they are cooked. The restaurant has worked this way since 1982, from a quiet residential estate.

The restaurant credits its late founder, Mr Low Chin Huat, with bringing live seafood in tanks to Singapore diners. His giant live lobsters made his name in the 1980s and 1990s, along with a Chinese catchphrase claiming they were bigger than a little girl. The Golden Sauce Crab that helped build the restaurant's reputation is still on the menu.

What to order

The restaurant names four signature dishes:

• Live Golden Sauce Crab, the crab dish the restaurant says made its name.
• Live Australian Southern Rock Lobster, which keeps the founder's big-lobster tradition going.
• Live Alaskan King Crab Wok Hei Bee Hoon, rice vermicelli fried in a very hot wok with king crab.
• Charcoal-Roasted Suckling Piglet, roasted slowly over charcoal. Supply is small, so you have to pre-order one.

Beyond the seafood, there are wagyu dishes such as Seared Wagyu Ribeye and Premium Wagyu Beef Horfun. Other house favourites include Salted Egg Yolk Golden Eggplant, Honey Chicken Wings and Chai Poh Hor Fun. Hakka Yam Abacus is a dish of chewy yam dough pieces. For dessert, try Coconut Pudding or orh nee, a yam paste served here with coconut and pumpkin sauce.

The menu was developed with celebrity chef Peter Tsang and the restaurant's own Chef Leong and Chef Wong. There is also a weekday set lunch and a vegetarian set menu.

How live seafood works here

Live seafood is sold by weight, and the current price list is on the restaurant's website. Under its Honest Weight Guarantee, staff weigh your seafood in front of you before it goes to the kitchen. It is worth agreeing the weight and price with staff before the cooking starts.

The setting

The restaurant is on the ground floor of a block at Sunset Way. Besides the main dining room, there is a pet-friendly alfresco area where you can eat with your pet. For private events, there are two private rooms, each for up to 10 guests. The Alpha Room has a long table and the Omega Room has a round one. They are used for birthdays, wedding solemnisations and private dinners, and a minimum spend applies.

Good to know before you go

• Book ahead: reservations are taken online and by phone. Weekend and public holiday tables, large groups and private rooms need a deposit.
• Order ahead: the suckling piglet must be pre-ordered. The vegetarian set menu needs at least one day's notice.
• Pets: on some weekdays, tables dining with a pet get a free starter and dessert. Check the website for the current offer.
• Takeaway: you can also order online from the restaurant's website.

Nearby

Make a day of it in the west with a walk in Kent Ridge Park or a visit to Haw Par Villa. For a different meal elsewhere in the area, look at Colbar or Les Bouchons (Rochester).

Browse more chilli crab and seafood restaurants, see all restaurants in West Coast and Buona Vista, or read our chilli crab and seafood guides.