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The Manhattan Fish Market – Flaming Hot!

Rating:

By Veron Ang

We had dinner yesterday at The Manhattan Fish Market, over at Plaza Singapura. The queue seemed never-ending and we wouldn’t have gotten in if not for our advanced reservation. Even whilst dining, we could see that the queue was growing outside with new people joining incessantly. Such was the draw of The Manhattan Fish Market!

I have been very curious about this place for some time. But as mentioned before, I have never dined there until now due to the fact that the queue is always so long! It was really great that I finally got the chance yesterday.

Welcome

The origins of the restaurant seem quite peculiar to me. Over 180 years ago, the actual Manhattan Fish Market opened under the Brooklyn Bridge over at Manhattan. So eventually, restaurants were started, which I thought would be all over the United States. But surprise, surprise, the restaurants can be found only in Malaysia and Singapore. From the brisk business, I predict the Plaza Singapura outlet won’t be alone here for long. (Update in 2010: 8 outlets in Singapore and growing!)

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Soup of the day was cream of mushroom soup, which was rather bland.

Flaming Platter for Two

We ordered the Manhattan Flaming Platter for two, comprising deep fried fish fillet, calamari, oysters and prawns served with chips and garlic rice. It certainly did not disappoint. True to its name, it came in flames, literally, drawing curious stares from all those queuing outside.

Flaming Platter for Two

Flaming Platter for Two
S$29.90++
Rating:

The platter was a huge serving even for two people. Unfortunately, most of the food was fries and garlic rice. The rice was delicious though, owing much to the garlic cream. I loved the prawns too, which were obviously very fresh. The fish fillet was fresh and tender too, but could have done better with more taste to it. The calamari and oysters were so-so.

Safety buoy wall ornament

Service was very prompt and efficient. The people who served us showed no signs of irritation or impatience despite our frequent requests (“Could you bring us garlic cream?” “Could we have chilli sauce?”) on a very busy evening. Our waitress in particular was super helpful and polite.

The decor of the place didn’t seem much at first. But if you look closely, you would find that they paid much attention to their wall hangings. I find this knotical weather guide really adorable.

Knotical weather guide

Overall, I enjoyed the food and the service, and would love to go back there again. And I would be sure to make reservations to avoid the long lines.

The Manhattan Fish Market (

)
- Bedok Point
- The Central
- City Square Mall
- Iluma
- Junction 8
- Marina Square
- Northpoint
- Plaza Singapura
- White Sands
Website

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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

harrison
20 comments

Wow that platter looks absolutely scrumptious! Reminds me of the grilled catfish that I had at the airport….haha
The checkered tablecloth, buoys and nautical signboards really add to the ambience, but I can’t help but think: classy Long John’s Silvers. Actually, come to think of it, even Fish & Co. feels like LJS sometimes.
It’s definitely not just because of the fishy smell.
Who knows, maybe New Yorkers don’t like fish…or they’re a small franchise deliberately keeping the scale of business low. Usually, small franchises serve better food and offer quality service. Like My Secret Garden near Bugis.
Prices are the same as Fish & Co.? They don’t list them on the site.
Reply
Posted May 6, 2006 at 6:32 pm
tender

mummy next time bring me there eat can? i promise i wun play with fire…
Reply
Posted May 6, 2006 at 6:33 pm
Veron
3439 comments

Speaking of Long John Silver’s, you know what, harrison? There’s the same identical bell over at the entrance of The Manhattan Fish Market that customers can ring.
I don’t know about Long John Silver’s… I think I have only eaten there once in my entire life! My favourite fast food restaurant is McDonald’s, and only because of the free wireless surfing, the nuggets, and the hot fudge sundae!
I think the prices at Manhattan are cheaper than those of Fish & Co. Their fish and chips (which they claim to be #1 in town) is $9.90. I should probably try that the next time I visit.
Haven’t heard of My Secret Garden. Tell me more?
Reply
Posted May 7, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Veron
3439 comments

hey tenderheart, bears like salmon right? i hope they serve salmon dishes!
Reply
Posted May 7, 2006 at 12:52 pm
tender

mama, i eat everything. Next time we eat at long john okie? cheap n nice. but my fav fastfood still bugerking, maybe because my master made me to work there b4…T_T
Reply
Posted May 7, 2006 at 2:12 am
harrison
20 comments

They have the bell too? Oh well, you know their originality.
I’m not really into free surfing at wireless outlets, and so I’d definitely pick BK as my fave…perhaps it’s the retro checkered tiles and bright-red cushions…reminds me of Billy Bombers too, except that BK serves better and more affordable burgers! Mushroom Swiss Double….mmm
Cheaper than Fish & Co.?? I can’t believe that they are so much less advertised than Fish & Co.! Perhaps it’s really the case that they want to keep the franchise small. I have to check it out out. Thanks for the price!
My Secret Garden is this really cool restaurant serving fusion dishes like crayfish and lobster pasta, codfish and potatoes….the ambience at night is to kill for – sort of: there’s this enchantment about the place, their decor, plus the fact that it’s located so inconspicuously at an "alley" of sorts behind Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts at Bencoolen St…I went there at night and ate the lamb kebab with a side of caviar. Prices range from $15-30 for a meal. They serve wine too!
I’ve provided the site address here: http://www.mysg.com.sg/
Reply
Posted May 7, 2006 at 10:23 pm
Veron
3439 comments

Wow harrison, My Secret Garden looks pretty fancy! The menu prices are comparable to those of Giraffe as well, but I’m really glad to see a wider variety of choices. More importantly, is the food any good? I’m interested in ambience, but the food quality has to be decent as well.
Actually, I feel like going there for coffee and cakes instead. Or perhaps not! I just stumbled upon their alfresco dining photo in the courtyard. It looks awesome!
Thanks for the recommendation man. I’m constantly on the lookout for cool new places to dine at.
Reply
Posted May 7, 2006 at 10:50 pm
harrison
20 comments

No problem!
The lamb kebab that I tried was succulent and pretty worth it for the price, so I can safely say that it’s definitely worth checking out! And business is good there, which probably says a lot about such a "ulu" place to locate a restaurant. It’s like a hidden gem!
Told you the decor was great…at night, it’s mesmerising. Haha better not hype it up too much then!
Reply
Posted May 8, 2006 at 10:41 am
bZ
1 comment

I went down to Manhattan Fish Market on Monday afternoon with a bunch of classmates and the service was real bad! They took orders from half of us and the rest of us waited for quite some time for the order-taker to get back to us. We tried to catch their attention but all of them seemed busy – or seemed busy avoiding taking orders from a big group. The rest of us finally got their attention when they served drinks to those who had got the chance to order earlier. The soup that came with the set meal — onion soup was horrible (perhaps I’m not used to it). It is pratically onions with spices thrown together. Our orders were messed up in the end – especially those who ordered set meals. One guy in black (perhaps supervisor or crew manager, I aren’t sure) was giving us black face and slamming forks and knives near the counter (where we could apparently see). My friend said he even deliberately held the flames close to them when he served the flamming platter (I can’t verify if this is true though, because I’m seated opposite them).
The price of the flamming platter for two is no doubt cheaper than Fish & Co. but the fish I had was tough. The garlic rice, prawns and the calamari were good though. I was surprised by the good reviews they had online for their services and would definitely not eat there again unless someone treats me.
By the way, I aren’t sure if they really are affiliated with the actual Manhatthan Fish Market because I kept across this article online that says, “A former Fish & Co operations manager has set up Manhattan Fish Market in Plaza Singapura – copying its concepts right down to the fish and chips with lemon butter sauce in a shallow pan – and is now being sued by Fish & Co’s holding company, O. B. Singapore Operations. ”
The link for the article is http://food.asia1.com.sg/news/news_20051002_002.shtml
Reply
Posted August 23, 2006 at 10:43 am
Veron
3439 comments

Sorry to hear about your bad experience! I certainly didn’t encounter such poor service during my time there. I guess this is what happens to many popular restaurants. The moment they have constant streams of customers patronising everyday, they grow complacent. Food quality drops. Service standards drop.
I am actually craving for some nice fish and chips at this moment. Perhaps I should pay them a visit again!
Reply
Posted August 23, 2006 at 1:27 pm
gene
1 comment

hey.. chanced upon ya webby .. fabulous, loved da food ratings u give to each ….
secret garden is a beautiful place.. alfresco dining area is awesome.. whimsical ambience..not exactly dishin out finger-lickin’ food though.. but definitely a great place for coffee and cakes with one or two pals ….
look forward to readin’ more of ya foodie experiences.. =) cheers
Reply
Posted October 28, 2006 at 3:47 pm
Veron
3439 comments

Can’t wait to check out My Secret Garden! I’ve been saying this for ages but I just haven’t picked up my lazy ass to do it yet. Thanks!
Reply
Posted October 31, 2006 at 2:51 pm
Pamela
1 comment

Hi, I’m visiting your website for the first time and I think its rather cool. I don’t mean to be rude here but when I visited the Manhatten Fish Market, my experience wasn’t positive at all. Perhaps because I was comparing the food to Fish & Co’s; I also had the seafood platter for two and it was very disappointing. Fish & Co’s seafood platter is slightly more costly but I would gladly pay the price difference anytime for the significant difference in food quality. The service was ok but not impressive either. I would never return to this restaurant. My friend dining with me had the same sentiments too. Hope you don’t mind me leaving my 2 cents on this restaurant.
Reply
Posted March 8, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Veron
3439 comments

It’s been close to a year since I visited. I guess their standards have dropped. It is rather common for restaurants to deteriorate in standards when they become popular.
Reply
Posted March 9, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Eric
3 comments

Just been to the Restaurant 2 week ago to celebrate my friend’s birthday Waited for a while as it was a sat but we can see the staff and manager was trying their best to help us find a seat.
When we were seated the manager get the server to attend to us immidiately as he can see we are hungry.Food waiting time was abt 10-15 min.
At the end of the meal i ask the manager is there any “special” for people celebrating b day, he smile.3 min later he came with a brownie with a candle and he brought a group of staff and Sing a birthday song.My friend was abit Pai sai but overall was good.
After paying the bill the manager came over talk to us and give each of us their so call “VIP discount sticker” is a 10% life time discount sticker
For all those people who was dissapointed by their food or their service i would say why not give them another chance.
Reply
Posted April 17, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Veron
3439 comments

That’s great service and thought coming from the manager. I think they did a wonderful job for the both of you :)
Reply
Posted April 18, 2007 at 7:22 am
Eric
3 comments

Yup Agreed will go there again soon and will look for the manager maybe got freebie this time heheh :)
Reply
Posted April 19, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Agagooga
3 comments

There was a time when Fish & Co sucked so this was the place to go. It’s still cheaper than F&C.
Their dirty little secret is that they’re a Malaysian chain. You’ve to look *really* hard to find out though!
Reply
Posted June 8, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Eric
3 comments

Haha that very true it actually a Malaysia Chain Restaurant.
What ever it may be wherthe it is a Malaysia Chain or America Chain as long their food is good and service standard maintain i will SURELY support them
Reply
Posted June 8, 2007 at 11:40 pm
KY Tham
1 comment

Dear bZ & Pamela
I am the Operations Manager for The Manhattan FISH MARKET (Spore & JB sector).
We came across your comments on our restaurant during our research into our guests’ views. We value feedback and take them seriously so that we may improve and serve our guest better!
I would truly appreciate if you could contact me at tham_kokyun@manhattanfishmarket.com so that I may hear your views on how we may improve!
BTW our Plaza Sing outlet has been renovated and we hope it will give a more enjoyable dining environment to all!
Looking forward to hear from you.
Reply
Posted July 31, 2008 at 1:00 pm