NO SIGNBOARD SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

It started out as a stall at the Matter Road Hawker Centre in the late 70s. Madam Ong Kim Hoi and her husband sold White Pepper Crab based on Madam Choo's own recipe. As money was tight, they could not afford any signboards for their stall. Soon, their regular customers started recommending friends and naturally could only refer to the stall as the one with no signboard.

So now you know.

In 1981, the No Signboard Seafood Restaurant became official and now boasts four outlets.

The Geylang branch offers the atmosphere of bygone days - against a neon-lit backdrop, open air dining by the road side with all the hustle and bustle. Of the quartet of restaurants, this is the only one which closes the latest - at 1.00am.

The other side of the coin in dining experience isthe branch at the Esplanade. Fronting Marina Bay,you get to enjoy the Central Business District skyline if you choose to dine alfresco. For indoor dining, the airconditioned restaurant, with its warm and inviting copper hue from the avant-garde decor, provides an upmarket ambience which is in keeping with the trendy arts scenethere. It isthus popular with corporate clients.

Providing a similar atmosphere is the Kallang Oasis branch. Also by the waterside - the Kallang River - it has a mix of corporate customers and family diners.

The latest branch to open is by the sea in East Coast. Located at the well-known East Coast Seafood Centre at Block 1202, unit 01-02, the cool sea breeze and sound of waves crashing against the shore provide the natural and perfect setting to indulge in seafood.

Come October 2006, the No Signboard Restaurant opens yet another branch. The Vivo City outlet promises a different ambience, decor and dining experience from all its other branches.

From its humble beginnings and sales of only 3 crabs a day at the old hawker stall, the restaurant chain now boasts rapid sales and expansion and prides itself in still not charging its customers any service charge whilst keeping prices reasonable and maintaining food quality and taste.

The No Signboard Restaurant's star signature dish is of course the White Pepper Crab. Fresh Sri Lankan crabs are prepared with a special concoction including white pepper, spring onions and garlic for this peppery and juicy dish. You will be licking your fingers once you tuck in.

Then there is the Chilli Crab which also features fresh Sri Lankan crabs and cooked in chilli sauce with various spices and prawn paste.

Notable by its absence is the Black Pepper Crab. The restaurant does not feature this dish in its menu since they already offer the white pepper version as an alternative to Chilli Ciab. But if you fancy neither, fret not, for there is Butter Crab which iswok fried with butter and garlic.

Another crustacean signature dish is their Crispy Cereal Crayfish, where the succulent crayfish is dip coated in crispy cereal and deepfried.

The taste of cereal complements the sweet crayfish meat. You can also choose this dish done with prawns instead of crayfish.

Other signature and recommended dishes that will whet your taste buds are the Double Boiled Lobster, Garlic Steamed Bamboo Clam, and the Hokkien Style Steam Fish.

The menu also offers a quite comprehensive choice including varieties of shark's fin, chicken, abalone, bean curd, scallop and prawns dishes as well as exotic ones like bull frog and deer meat. Besides,there are the usual variety of noodles and fried rice accompaniments.

If you can't decide on what to order, the restaurant offers set menus for 2 to 4 persons, each featuring an average of 5 dishes, at prices cheaper than if ordering ala-carte.

To round off your seafood adventure, there are mouth-watering desserts like Mango Sago with Fresh Peeled Pomelo, Hashima with Red Dates and Rock Sugar, Guilin Herbal Jelly amongst others.

Though the restaurant has certainly come a long way, and it will still progress much further, if the delicious seafood they serve is anything to go by.