The Manhattan Fish Market serves a wide variety of American-style seafood.
Photos by Chong Yap of Make Your Calories Count
While we have always walked past The Manhattan FISH MARKET (TMFM), I never really took special notice of their origin and how it was founded after all these years. I always found the restaurant to be one of the casual dining restaurants where families would bring their children for a hearty seafood meal.
Drawing inspiration from the Fulton Fish Market located below the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, it was known to house a diverse collection of the day's freshest catch. Here at TMFM, the focus is on serving a wide variety of American-style seafood and surprisingly, what many would not realise is the restaurant's emphasis on eating right. Using fresh ingredients such as roasted sunflower seeds for its antioxidant properties and fresh herbs such as coriander to help reduce cholesterol, you know you are in safe hands for a sumptuous meal. 
King Crab
To allow the freshness of the King Crab to shine, it was simply steamed to retain the sweetness of the firm flesh. With the option to have the dish served hot or cold, we went for the latter as a starter dish! While there are three sauces to choose from, garlic herb, spicy seafood and coriander, we enjoyed it best with just a dash of lemon juice that helped to bring out the natural sweetness and freshness of the crustacean. The freshness of the King Crab can be guaranteed when you are able to extract the crab meat readily with a tug while the flesh remained firm.
Do be careful if the dish is to be shared with children as the legs of the King Crab are quite thorny. The servers thoughtfully brought us some crab scissors which come with attached crab fork which made an otherwise messy affair a fuss-free dining experience.
While the King Crab was good to share among two of us, some may wish to enjoy a feast with a two-person set with the King Crab at S$69.95/++ with fried country mushroom and calamari, 2 chowder of the day and 2 mocktails! For a larger group of four, you can have the King Crab together with coastal baked seafood, signature fish and chips, 4 soup of the day and 4 iced lemon tea at S$95/++!
Manhattan Star Platter | S$38.95/++
Some theatrical performance before service is always appreciated, well at least we would not mind! Before serving the seafood platter, it was blow-torched to perfection!
With an array of seafood ranging from grilled calamari, fried oysters, poached garlic mussels, Manhattan flaming prawns and Mediterranean baked fish atop a bed of rice, the portion was plentiful to share among two and sufficient for three. While the heat level of the baked fish might be too much for some (at least for my other half), it suited my palate perfectly as I started breaking into perspiration!
We particularly loved the calamari as it was seared to perfection by the blow torch. While it retained some chewiness to it, it was slightly elastic without tasting too rubbery. The sweet sauce that coated the prawns was also particularly addictive as it went well with the plain rice to make a filling meal.
Citrus Mint | S$5.50/++
Recommended as one of the must-tries beverages, we enjoyed the refreshing smoothie that was made with fresh mint leaves and freshly squeezed lemon juice!
Flipping through the menu, I could not help but stop at one of the pages which elaborated on the five ways that the restaurant use to cook their seafood.
#1 - Flamed: the signature cooking style that helps to bring out the caramelised sweetness of seafood!
#2 - Poached: helps to preserve the moisture and flavours of the fresh ingredients.
#3 - Grilled: seals the rich taste of seafood with grill.
#4 - Baked: bakes the seafood in foil to retain aroma and flavour for each bite.
#5 - Fried: coats the seafood with a batter, making it crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
With a casual dining ambience, it is no wonder that the restaurant is a popular spot among families and friends!
Grab some of your friends or family members and hurry down to one of the 15 outlets islandwide today for a King Crab feast today!
Overall Verdict: 7.5/10
The Manhattan FISH MARKET
6 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square
#02-183
Singapore 039594
Tel: (65) 6338 8776
Website: http://www.manhattanfishmarket.com/singapore.html
P.S.: Special thanks to Jo Ee for the invitation and The Manhattan FISH MARKET for hosting.
