PUBLISHED December 26th, 2012 02:51 am | UPDATED April 1st, 2016 02:43 pm
I was never much of a fan of Pierside (sorry), so when I caught wind of a new establishment just opened up in its place at One Fullerton, I was pretty excited…especially when I found out that this new kid, ‘The Pelican’ would specialise in one of my favourite kinds of food, that from the sea!
Last night, I had the pleasure of visiting and it certainly was a pleasure. It’s no surprise that seafood is very popular in Singapore, but this has traditionally been dominated by the giants of Longbeach, Jumbo and No Signboard… What has been very cool to see in recent years is the multiplying of western seafood restaurants taking root here.
Created under ‘The Big Idea’ people, it was well-respected Bostonian Chef Dan Segall who had first hand in designing the menu, and trust a New Englander, they know their seafood.
The restaurant itself is very cool. It’s not extravagant, but it certainly has random seafaring paraphanaelia and artwork . It’s subtle enough that it’s not brash, yet still clearly reminds you what kind of restaurant you have chosen (in case you forgot).
It actually reminds me a lot of a restaurant I used to go to in New York – intimate, soft lighting and cool music to groove to in the background.
Receiving shipments throughout the week, quality assurance is highly maintained to make sure that the seafood brought in is not just fresh, but from sustainable and environmentally friendly sources. Major bonus points, and not just because the seafood was damn fresh!
Definite highlight was the Pelican Platter ($99 – serves 2/3). A monstrous metal dish of crab, oysters, prawns, conch salad, swordfish and crab! Yes, yes, and more YES!
The Irish oysters were superb – super fresh, large and packed with creamy, slightly salty flavour matched perfectly with the vinaigrette. If you know your oysters, these guys are like a cross between Fin de Claire and Utah Beach oysters. Big, beautiful and full of flavour. Another winner was the steamed lobster. Tender, juicy…so good it didn’t even need a sauce. As for the rest of the items on the platter, they were certainly noteworthy but I would have loved a lemon garlic mayonnaise in place of the tomato chili sauce that was served as a condiment, which overpowered the delicate seafood flavours.
The other two dishes that I would highly recommend were the Cod’s Tongue Casserole ($26) with roast garlic and pork scratchings, and the Baked Snapper Pie ($36) with snapper, asparagus, mushroom & puff pastry. Both were just rammed with flavour, and had superb texture. Unique and delicious dishes. Must try.
Also tried on the night were Black Peppered Candied Bacon ($18) with brown sugar and lime, Rhode Island Fried Squid ($18) with green olive, capers and banana peppers, the Pelican Potted Prawns ($14) with pimento, pernod and pumpernickel, Line-caught Swordfish Steak ($36) with fresh herb vinaigrette & finally, Wood-grilled Corn ($12) with sheep’s milk cheese and chilli.
I can say, hand on heart, none of these were bad dishes, all at least above average in taste and quality of ingredients (apart from the candied bacon, which was unimpressive). However the dishes mentioned above totally outshone them in my opinion.
Oh, and just to add icing to this ‘seafood cake’, their cocktail menu ain’t too shabby either. For a refreshing drink, go for one of the many mojitos, or if you’re a dark rum nut like me, the ‘Ahoy Sour’ which is more-or-less a cross between a whisky sour and a dark and stormy.
Of course being at One Fullerton, there is a gorgeous al fresco area with a great view over the Marina Bay. I was ‘sorry’ to see Pierside restaurant be replaced, but honestly….not that sorry! The Pelican is a well executed restaurant serving great food. I can hope they will keep it up!
The Pelican is located at One Fullerton, Singapore, 049213.