A Very Satisfying Meal

Every Saturday, if Daddy and Mummy have nothing else on, we would have our family outing. They would wait for me to take my noon nap, wake up and have my lunch, and then have their lunch outside. Today, as usual, I was down for my noon nap, but I took an unusually long one and woke up at close to 2 pm. By the time I had my lunch and we finally left the house, it was already 3 pm. So you can imagine how famished Mum and Dad would be by the time we reached our destination, The Central, a new shopping mall at Clarke Quay MRT station.

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Daddy and Mummy quickly glanced through the list of restaurants at the directory and the name "The Manhattan Fish Market" caught Mummy's eyes. Daddy said he remembered the restaurant being featured on the TV so they proceeded there not a minute too late. A glance through the menu proved that the prices were right and the food looked good, which was fantastic as it meant that the hungry stomachs didn't have to go around searching for another eating place.

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The friendly waitress took us to a table near the other end of the restaurant facing the Singapore River so we could enjoy the splendid view of the River and Clarke Quay through the glass panels. Then, she offered Mum and Dad the menu and handed me the kiddie menu. It was in the cute shape of a fish, and I could actually take it with me when I leave because there was a space for me to write my name on the menu. Mummy liked the place already when she saw that. Lately, she's been impressed with restaurants that are kids-friendly. Mum looked through the menu and commented that there was a lot of resemblance to Fish and Co.'s menu. They ordered buttered mussels as starter, and a Manhattan Seafood Platter for two to share. While waiting for the food, the waitress handed me a kiddie feeding bowl (which was actually a mini wok), and a spoon. From then on, I'd really turned the place into a market - full of clanging noise, as I was pretending to cook and feed myself using the spoon and the wok. I dropped the wok on the floor once and though Mum and Dad protested, the smiling waitress insisted on changing a new one for me right away. That was definitely good service!

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The mussels were YUMMY! The seafood was fresh and the the cream sauce was buttery and "garlicky" - a very nice mix of flavour. And the sauce was thicker than that in Fish and Co. so it went perfectly well with the bagel that came with it. Then, came the Platter for Two that consisted fish and chips, deep fried oysters, calamari, prawns and garlic rice. Before the waiter offered it to us, he used a torch that looked somewhat like a bunsen burner to flame the prawns - kinda like a mini show - until it was slightly brown. What that achieved we didn't really know but the slightly burnt prawns tasted really scrumptious, especially with the caramelised sauced. The other items on the Platter were completely satisfying and the two hungry souls dug on, while I continued to busy myself with the wok and spoon. Now and then, Mummy would offer me bits of bread, fish and rice. The portion was big but the two finished every single bit of it, so finally, they agreed that they would skip dinner this evening. That made the meal even more worth it. Two thumbs up for The Manhattan Fish Market!d