Hweecat likes seafood especially prawns; Cat likes fish but not prawns. Cat has always harboured a not-so-secret wish to share a giant platter at The Manhattan Fish Market (MFM) with a female companion who loves seafood. After all, it would be a waste of money and (sea)food for him to eat the platter alone since he'd just toss the prawns aside. ):
I was excited when MFM launched its new seafood menu which features 43 new items. To top it up, the folks at MFM had a Facebook invite-a-friend contest to give away Seafood Feasts to 20 lucky winners each week for 4 consecutive weeks!
I invited Cat via a pretty cheesy post. To our pleasant surprise, I managed to win a Seafood Feast for both of us! (:
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| *throws confetti* |
Our Seafood Feast contains:
1. Choice of 1 Seafood Platter from the following options:
- Manhattan Flaming Seafood Platter (Dory)
- Manhattan Star Platter
- Fishermen's Platter
- Grilled Gala
- Fried Giant
- Grillin 'n Chillin
- Volcano Island
2. 1 Super Fruit Crumble
3. 1 Strawberry Flamin-Go
4. Choices of 2 Mocktails: Cala-Cala, Tropical Breeze or Gummy Bear
5. 2 Chowders of the Day
When we were looking through the menus to choose our platter, Cat commented, "Eh, all look so good and yummy, how to choose!"
After flipping through the menu for 15 minutes and asking the service crew for recommendations, we chose the Fried Giant for our platter, and Gummy Bears for our mocktails.
First, we were served our Chowders of the Day - Seafood Chowder (S$5.50 for Lite, $6 for Regular). We were pleasantly surprised by the generous amount of ingredients in the chowder; there were plenty of scallops and the chowder tasted a bit like lobster bisque without an overwhelming taste. Thumbs up; especially for a chowder served in a popular franchise. (:
I used to not be able to understand why my peers like ordering Gummy Bears (S$5.50 each) at Manhattan Fish Market, as it seems gimmicky at best. After having Gummy Bears based on suggestions from the service crew, now I know the reason - these Gummy Bears are indeed fascinating and taste so refreshing that we can picture ourselves chilling out in some Caribbean tropical island. :P
Here's a before-and-after photo of Gummy Bears, before and after stirring. Magic!
The main course of the day: our Fried Giant (S$40.95) platter. The Fried Giant platter looks golden! The platter is loaded with crunchy prawns, crispy fish fingers, cherry snapper fillets, battered onion strips and calamari coated with crushed peanuts. There were 4 different dips for us to choose from - Cajun Honey Mustard, Smoky Chipotle, Tartar and Onion Glory Dip. We love the calamari and onion strips - the crushed peanuts added to the crispy texture of the calamari, while the onion strips are super crispy on the outside yet not too dry on the inside. Oh, and the onion strips didn't have a sharp onion taste which I dislike; they tasted subtly sweet since good quality white onion is used. Serving size is pretty big for 2 persons - we had a hard time finishing the platter. :/
With mango pudding, mango and strawberry slices drizzled liberally with chocolate sauce and topped with flamed marshmallows, the Strawberry Flamin-Go (S$4.95) is like a hot treasure trove waiting to be explored. They actually use a torch on the marshmallows right before serving! We could feel the richness of the chocolate sauce and the smooth texture of mango pudding twirling in our mouths. The result? Mmmmmm...smokin' hot.
We slightly prefer the Super Fruit Crumble (S$4.95), which is basically deconstructed apple pie in a cup. This dessert consists of a double scoop of vanilla ice-cream dressed in apple sauce, layered with sweet crunchy crumbles and topped with cranberries. For less than S$5, this dessert is surely a steal!
Our verdict for the Seafood Feast? Superb! Our unanimous favourites: Seafood Chowder, the Onion Glory onion strips in The Giant and Super Fruit Crumble. :)
The Manhattan Fish Market
16 outlets at various locations
Opening Hours: Depending on outlet
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| Chowder of the Day - Seafood Chowder |
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| Gummy Bear! |
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| Before (right) and after (left) |
Here's a before-and-after photo of Gummy Bears, before and after stirring. Magic!
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| Fried Giant! |
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| Strawberry Flamin-Go |
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| Super Fruit Crumble |
Our verdict for the Seafood Feast? Superb! Our unanimous favourites: Seafood Chowder, the Onion Glory onion strips in The Giant and Super Fruit Crumble. :)
The Manhattan Fish Market
16 outlets at various locations
Opening Hours: Depending on outlet
