Joyden Seafood 欣藝海鲜 A Hidden Gem In The West

Joyden Seafood Restaurant 欣藝海鲜 celebrates its tenth anniversary with a rebranding and revamped extensive menu.

Formerly known as West Coast Seafood, its located at the West Coast Recreational Centre for its spacious shop size and convenient parking access. The restaurant has been around for 10 years, despite given opportunities to move the business to a centralised location, the owners decided to stay due to large support and loyalty of their customers in the area.

I can vividly remember the existence of West Coast Seafood, as I used to play pool during my childhood days at the Billiard Saloon upstairs. 

Joyden Seafood, now with a refreshed image looking more modern and younger, reaching out to food lovers who will come and discover their offerings. 

Getting here is easy for those who doesn't drive, public transport is available as there are several buses from the West Coast Walk, the West Coast Recreational Centre is just next to the Clementi Stadium.  

Entrance to the Restaurant via the carpark

The Restaurant Interiors

The Main Dining Area

The brightly-lit main dining area can seat up to 160 diners, with four private dining rooms which can seat a total of 70 guests at any time offering ample space for private affairs. 

One of the private dining rooms can be break up into 3 smaller dining rooms for exclusive use if required. 

THE FOOD

Achar (Peranakan Spicy Pickled Salad)

Achar, a hot favourite among Asians, served as an appetiser at Joyden Seafood. The pickled salad was delightfully sweet, sour and summery all at once. It wasn't that spicy, perfect for me as I have a ridiculously low tolerance for spicy food.

Apple Juice with Sour Plum 苹果酸梅汁 ($4.50)

A perfect thirst quencher, that was so refreshing and tasty. There is no added colouring and sugar, so that the drink does not looses the apple twist keeping it as natural as possible.

Another favourite drink to order here is a glass of cold Lime Juice with Sour Plum (not featured).

It’s the best thirst quencher on a hot day. Not only it is refreshing, it contains lime juice which is rich in vitamin C. This drink helps digestion and is known for relieving the symptoms of gout.

Signature Crispy Cereal Prawns 麦片香酥虾 ($22/$34/$46)

The chef used simple ingredients such as butter, kaffir leaves, chilli padi and curry powder to create strong flavours with the cereal mix but they complement rather than overwhelm each other. 

The tiger prawns have been expertly fried till the shells were so crunchy, no hesitation at all, I ate the whole prawns (exclude its head). It was super fragrant and crispy, I could also taste the distinct sweetness and firm texture of its flesh. 

I usually leave prawn dishes untouched, its rare to see me licking my fingers and nodding approval. I must admit that I was simply impressed with the first dish, it was the killer combination well loved. 

Steamed Lobster with Glutinous Treasure Rice 围拢龙虾蒸糯米 
(Market Price - Current $128/kg)

Moving on to second dish was the Steamed Lobster with Glutinous Treasure Rice, presented to us in a large bamboo basket opened to reveal plump lobsters sitting on a bed of glutinous rice. 

The one at Joyden Seafood was prepared by quick frying the rice with dried shrimps, shallots, Chinese sausage and scallions. Thereafter, the glutinous rice was steamed with the lobster for a richer flavour. 

Removing the meat from the steamed lobster was an easy task, as it was properly cooked with the right amount of time and technique. I devoured the unadorned meat within seconds, then moving on to eat the glutinous rice. 

I have eaten versions of glutinous rice which were too clumpy or too moist because of the way it was steamed. I found the glutinous rice a little too moist to my liking, perhaps it rested too long while everyone was taking photos. 

Overall, I still enjoyed this dish as the glutinous rice was flavourful with the succulent juices of the lobster retained in it. The lobster meat was flesh and juicy, I wasn't complaining at all.

Signature Imperial Oyster Sauce Chicken香滑蚝油焖鸡 ($28)

As compared to the seafood section on the Joyden's menu, the meat section makes up a smaller part of the menu but Joyden is still able to bring out big dishes such Crispy Roast Duck Jiangsu Style, Almond Waffle Chicken, Traditional Peking Duck, Charcoal Roasted Suckling Pig and several others to be named. 

The one you see here in the picture, the Imperial Oyster Sauce Chicken is one of Joyden's signature meat dishes. The large whole bird was stuffed with chives and garlic cloves before it was roasted, then braised for three hours in superior oyster sauce, resulting in the flesh to be incredibly flavourful and tender. 

Once you tear open the chicken, you can experience and taste the fall-off-the-bone texture of the meat. Do not waste the savoury sauce, order some fragrant white rice to go with it and I guarantee you will not regret. 

If one think carbs make you fat, I could easily finish it off with two bowls of rice. I tell you its all worth the risk, or just head to the gym if needed.

Lemongrass Pork Ribs in Crispy Yam Ring 香茅排骨芋泥圏 ($25/$38)

What got us all excited and looking forward is this next dish - Lemongrass Pork Ribs in Crispy Yam Ring. As compared to the traditional ones, Joyden puts a different spin to their creation by adding pieces of pork ribs that have been sauteed with fragrant lemongrass, ginger flower, chill, Chinese wine and molasses. 

The yam pillow (ring) after being portioned sits neatly the plate. Each bite of the yam was wondrous, light and crispy. We were told that the experienced team of chefs at Joyden have unique roles and individual responsibilities, from preparation to cooking; steaming to frying, et cetera, ensuring each dish do not compromise on its quality. 

And indeed, the first few dishes had already proven its credibility. 

Soon Hock Fish in Superior Soy Sauce with Scallions 油浸顺壳鱼 (Market Price)

Seafood offerings take up almost 80 per cent of the menu. Fish is one of the most popular choices customer would order at their table. Diners can enjoy 'live' pick of sea fishes such as Soon Hock, Tiger Grouper, Sea Bass, Pomfret and more. 
Soon Hock Fish is highly popular among the Chinese community due to its fine texture, tasty white flesh and is believed to have healing properties. Steaming is the best way to preserve the natural flavour of the fish, but you can choose it to be fried, and come with a variety of sauces and toppings. 

Deep fried always seem to be the popular choice, as this technique will make the fish skin crispy while the flesh is still moist and succulent. At Joyden, they do it perfectly meeting the mark of a chef's mastery with the wok.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the addition of the superior soya sauce and scallions further enhances the flavour of this dish without compromising on the crispiness. 

Joyden’s Signature Creamy Crab 欣藝招牌奶皇蟹 
(Market Price - Current $59/kg)

What's a seafood feast without crabs and it would not be complete without digging, cracking, malleting and using your hands. 

Black Pepper Crab and Chilli Crab, two of Singapore most iconic dishes can be found here on Joyden's menu, and they remained as the perennial favourites.

Introducing two new crab dishes at Joyden Seafood, first the Signature Creamy Crab features steamed crab in thick sweet-and-savory pumpkin puree. Curry leaves, chilli paid and black pepper are also added for aroma and flavour. 

The velvety thick pumpkin sauce makes it perfect for dipping into with steamed or fried mantou buns. You’ll definitely want to order extra buns to mop up the sauce after you have devoured the crab.

Crab and Vermicelli Braised with Ginger and Spring Onion 姜葱螃蟹米粉 
(Market Price - Current $59/kg)

The second new dish is the Crab and Vermicelli Braised with Ginger and Spring Onion. For those seeking lighter flavours and comforting food, you can eat the vermicelli on its own without battling the crab with your hands. 

For the big eaters, rice and noodles are also available at Joyden Seafood restaurant. Prime dishes such as Signature Wok Fried Seafood Vermicelli ($14 / $21 / $28), Crabmeat and Egg White Fried Rice ($14 / $21 / $28), Singapore-style Seafood Mee Goreng ($12 / $18 / $22), Olive Seafood Fried Rice ($14 / $21 / $28) and the Signature Braised Fish with Seafood Vermicelli "Tai-O-Style" ($14 / $21 / $28) are some good recommendations that you should order. 

Sago and Pomelo with Mango Puree 杨枝甘露 ($5)

After a good heavy meal, desserts are simply hard to miss. We believe there's always extra room for desserts.

The menu for desserts are limited to traditional delights such as Yam Paste with Pumpkin and Gingko (Warm), Osmanthus and Wolfberry Jelly, and Sago and Pomelo in Mango Puree, and a few other items including sweets in the dim sum list. 

Thinking of something light and easy to slip in between, this Chilled Mango Puree with Sago & Pomelo came out to be disappointing. It was light but not creamy (too diluted), I couldn't taste a hint of sweetness from the mango cubes and puree. 

Having said that, it was a blessing that the seafood feast had spoil me too much that I could forgo the dessert this time. 

Just before we concluded our evening, the Assistant Restaurant Manager Ken Tan came to our table and shared some of the restaurant promotions. 

1) Order 4 of dim sum dishes and get the 5th one complimentary, this promotion however will be ending this Sunday 17th August, as it was extended from the month of July. 

2) National Day Special Promotion of Steamed Bamboo Clams with Signature Nonya Sauce at $8.80 valid till 31 August 2014. 

3) National Day Special Promotion of Laksa Prawns at $18 valid till 31 August 2014. 

Last but not least, for dim sum lovers out there, you can enjoy a sumptuous dim sum spread at Joyden Seafood prepared from scratch daily by a chef from Guangzhou.

Dim Sum is available for lunch daily (Mondays-Sundays) from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.

VERDICT

This is probably one of the best Chinese meal I have in recent times. I will go back for a hearty seafood feast and try the comforting dim sum. 

Joyden Seafood
12 West Coast Walk
#01-11 West Coast Recreation Centre
Singapore 127157

Reservation Tel: 6779 5355
Website: www.joydenseafood.com.sg 

Opening Hours (Daily)
Lunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Dinner 5.30pm to 10pm
Dim Sum: 11.30am to 2.30pm (Daily)