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The Mussel Guys! – Musselicious? Not Quite!

Rating:

By Veron Ang

I must have eaten in three out of every four dining establishments at VivoCity. Yes, that is how often I go to that place. I would probably exhaust their dining options soon! But then again, new restaurants pop up every so often, such as The Mussel Guys.

The Mussel Guys

“The Mussel Guys”. Ain’t that a cheeky name? Well I did not notice any muscle guys, that’s for sure. Haha! A restaurant specialising in mussels is pretty rare, isn’t it? This isn’t the kind of food that many people would be a fan of. But for me though, I just love mussels! (Okay, muscles too.)

Apart from mussels, the restaurant also serves other seafood, steak, and a few more meat dishes. I go for a pasta with the signature mussels. I don’t have to wait long — the dish is served within ten minutes!

One thing that I notice is that diners are not provided with an extra small bowl to hold the empty shells. Considering that the restaurant specialises in mussels which don’t exactly have small shells, this is something that it definitely should not overlook.

Mussels Pasta

Mussels Pasta
S$15.90++
Rating:

My mussels pasta is a Chef’s Recommendation, but what a huge disappointment it is! The menu promised a chunky and thick tomato sauce, but it is really thin and watered down! Frankly, Prego‘s bottled pasta sauces fare much better than this. This is easily one of the blandest pastas I have ever tasted!

That’s not even the worst part. I highly doubt that the five or six mussels in my pasta are even fresh. There is almost no taste to them, as though they have been frozen for a long time.

It’s a real shame that for a restaurant that prides itself as being “the mussel guys”, it can’t even manage something as simple as mussel pasta. In fact, the mussels and clams pasta at Pastamania is way more satisfying at just half the price. And they provide the little bowl for your shells, too!

Give this one a miss, folks!

The Mussel Guys
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk #02-123
Singapore 098585
Tel: +65 6820 1800 | Website
Service:

Tags: casual, dinner, lunch, restaurant, seafood, Telok Blangah, VivoCity, western

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About the Editor

Veron Ang is the Founder and Chief Editor of Sparklette, a Singapore restaurants guide, lifestyle and travel blog. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and runs a web design firm at Sparklette Studio. To get in touch, head on over to the contact page or follow @Sparklette and @VeronSG on Twitter.

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Responses Leave a comment

pkchukiss
82 comments

I am not really into seafood, so you won’t find me lurking around there, unless I get pulled in there by my shirt by my seafood crazy friends. They REALLY can gorge!
Reply
Posted January 18, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Edna
5 comments

the picture certainly looks delicious but wow, such a disappointment. As the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover ! Ya man, I love seafood pasta esp with tomato sauce. I normally request the chef to make it very spicy for me, by putting in a lot of red cut chillis…., yummy !
Reply
Posted January 19, 2007 at 10:09 am
Veron
3438 comments

Hey pkchukiss,
I’m not that into seafood too, although I do love the occasional crayfish, mussels and peeled prawns. I like the taste of crab meat too, but I still don’t know how to eat it from the shell!
Reply
Posted January 19, 2007 at 10:59 am
piccola
3 comments

I guess.. Looks are deceiving.. But you can tell that the sauce is watery from the picture. What a waste of your money…
Reply
Posted January 19, 2007 at 11:11 am
Veron
3438 comments

Hey Edna,
Looks like we both love our pasta spicy. I usually just dump a whole lot of red pepper (the kind that comes with pizza) into my pasta. Will ask the chef to do it your way next time!
Reply
Posted January 19, 2007 at 11:14 am
Veron
3438 comments

Hey piccola,
It was a HUGE waste of money. Damn!
Reply
Posted January 19, 2007 at 11:15 am
mervkwok
38 comments

I work so close to Vivocity and I haven’t gone there to eat yet hahaha. Man, the tomato sauce fails big time. I scream blasphemy at the sight of that
Reply
Posted January 19, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Veron
3438 comments

*lol* Hey I work rather close to VivoCity too!
Reply
Posted January 19, 2007 at 3:56 pm
James Ong
2 comments

http://kaokamoo.wordpress.com/2006/10/15/spaghetti-vongole-pomodoro/
Look at my cooking. I was too hungry to wait for the sauce to reduce.
I guess the mussel guys are in a hurry to serve the pasta to you…
:)
Reply
Posted January 19, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Veron
3438 comments

Thanks for sharing! The thing is, the sauce in my pasta was not only soupy, it was of very minute amount as well! If it had been left there for longer, it would have been reduced to nothing! lol
Reply
Posted January 20, 2007 at 11:57 am
andy
13 comments

hey..if mussels are your kinda stuff, would recommend Oosters over at Far East Square, just a hop from my office. Belgian Mussels! SOLID! makan there somtime? not so many muscles tho..:P
Reply
Posted January 20, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Veron
3438 comments

Sounds sweet! A pity about the muscles though…
Reply
Posted January 20, 2007 at 12:36 pm
James Ong
2 comments

try me .. i got muscles
Reply
Posted January 20, 2007 at 12:41 pm
daryl
1 comment

hey i totally agree abt yr review of mussel guys. the mussels may look big & beautiful but unfortunately it tasted bland. its really a disappointment to come from a restaurant that specialises but couldnt make the best of it. the staff was also proud to accept feedback. recommendations: Ooyster bar @ central sq & crepe place in duxton. generous serving & flavourful that comes with a loadful of hot crispy fries!
Reply
Posted January 21, 2007 at 2:01 am
mervkwok
38 comments

Cool! Where at? I’m down the road towards Pasir Panjang. There is like no good food around my office *gah!* (walking distance of course)
Reply
Posted January 22, 2007 at 12:46 am
Veron
3438 comments

Hey daryl,
Seems like you’ve tried telling The Muscle Guys that their mussels suck? Hey thanks for the recommendations! That’s two votes for Ooster already. Now I MUST check out that place!
Reply
Posted January 22, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Veron
3438 comments

Hey mervkwok, I think we work very near to each other! Talk to you over email!
Reply
Posted January 22, 2007 at 11:33 pm
tigerfish
5 comments

Do they serve mussels in a pot, cooked in white wine, garlic ? I love those! Think belgian mussels are usually served this way. I’ve had this dish in NZ before and guess what, the name of the restaurant is Mussel Boys…ooh…no muscles for you!
Reply
Posted January 24, 2007 at 8:48 am
Veron
3438 comments

I think they do! But my bad experience is deterring me from checking it out again, ever. Haha these seafood restaurants just love punning on the word “Mussel” don’t they? I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a Mussel Dudes somewhere.
Reply
Posted January 24, 2007 at 8:47 pm
DK
36 comments

I think I can cook better mussels pasta than them…..
Reply
Posted January 25, 2007 at 2:12 am