Galley by the Straits

Galley by the Straits – 43 Admiralty Road West (www.galleysgourmet.com)

Galley by the Straits recently played host to my very first invited food tasting. Tucked away along the northern fringe of Singapore, it is located at the SAF yacht club which is flanked by a shipyard and military base; it is a fair walk in if you don't have a car. Thankfully, managing director Jimmy kindly gave us a lift to the train station after dinner left us almost too full to move.

The military vibe is tangible with the odd Chinook thundering overhead and amphibious craft apparently rushing past whenever an exercise is held. In exchange, the restaurant offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the Johor Coastline along with your seafood. At night, the dazzling lights of the adjacent shipyard reflect off the dark waters for a gorgeous display. The food itself is an intriguing take on classics with multiple spanners thrown into the works; expect to order something seemingly familiar only to be pleasantly surprised with something subtly if not radically different.

The generous spread began with Double Boiled Seafood Soup in a Coconut ($14). The light, clean-tasting broth was imparted with a subtle coconut note despite being poured into the shell just prior to being served. Fresh and dried scallops as well as firm shrimp were to be fished out amongst the enoki mushrooms.

The Galley’s Smoked Salmon Sashimi ($36) is cold-smoked on site with imported German cherrywood chips. Interestingly, the thick slices are not salted and are eaten with wasabi; sashimi with an added smoky flavour.

Our next course was Salmon Dip with Garlic Toast ($18) which astounded me with a dip of firm, finely flaked salmon that was warm rather than cold. The crostinis were crisp, generously buttered and robustly garlicky.

The Yuan Yang Prawns ($7 per 100g) were massive specimens either napped in a sugary wasabi mayonnaise or fried to a crunch with fragrant toasted cereal flakes.

The mixed platter of Galley’s Spring Chicken ($10.50) & Crispy Smoked Duck ($20) was elegantly presented. A curious plum and Thai chilli sauce blend proved wonderful with the exceptionally crispy chicken while the duck was good on its own with the same cherrywood-smoke flavours of the earlier salmon.

The Sweet Potato Ring with Scallops & Mango (price unavailable) proved an interesting alternative to the typical taro with the smooth fudge naturally sweeter.

The Pipa Seafood Beancurd ($9) had a lovely emerald hue as spinach was blended into it rather than crowning it as in a typical spinach tofu. Forming a halo around the central mound were fritters of egg, shrimp and mushrooms.

Of course, such a meal would not be complete without a Fish Head Curry ($28), done in the typical Hainanese style with lots of coriander and coconut cream. The fresh red snapper had firm flakes of flesh which was well-suited to this form of preparation.

Just as our panel of 8 were ready to throw in the towel - satiated and bursting at the seams - two massive platters of Chilli and Pepper Crab (market price) were then simultaneously placed before us.

After our shock subsided, the aromas proved too alluring to resist and we resolutely piled our plates high with pieces of the giant Sri Lankan crustaceans. I was immediately glad I persevered for both dishes were wonderful. The chilli sauce was a thick and glossy syrup of chillies, tomato and garlic thickened by potato starch and rich egg while the pepper sauce was a sweet, smoky nectar that was excellent with crispy buns.

We had a spoonful each of both desserts as nobody dared to tackle a full serving. The Yam Paste with Coconut Ice Cream ($3.50) was thick and rich with lovely chunks of taro in the sweet paste.

The Mango Pudding ($3.50) was pretty much what you'd expect of the classic standby, rounding the meal off nicely.