Gajah Makan: Manhattan Fish Market @ Plaza Singapura

Hey, this is my first review of places to eat. Well, it is not actually a review but more of my point of view...anyway, today's place was Manhattan Fish Market. Since I was hungry for lunch and wanted to eat something a little more exotic then usual, my guest recommended that I try that place since he had experience eating there. At first, I was reluctant to go to a "fish" place due to prior experiences in other establishment. However, when I reach the entrance of the restaurant, I was quite captivated with the atmosphere. It was quiet(maybe because it was a weekday), the waiter that approach us was nice, and the seating capacity was not alot but the arranged in such a way that even a big guy like me can manuever so easily which is actually a plus point for me. Anyway on with the food...

Food ordered:
Garlic Butter Mussells (Appetiser)
Norwegian King Salmon with butter sauce (My main course)
Grilled Platter for one (My guest's main course)
Choclate Mudpie(My dessert)

The food was served quite fast after we ordered. The garlic butter mussells were first to come, my guest was not really a big fan of mussells so I practically ate all the mussells but when my guest tasted the garlic butter sauce, he just couldn't have enough and I agree. There was a fine balance between the garlic and butter taste and eaten with the baguette given was such a great start. Then came the main courses. I was not expecting much because I know in Singapore, fresh tasting salmon is difficult to find. However, when I tasted the salmon, it was not so flakey, or too hard. It was nicely cooked, but the sauce that came with it was a bit bland(maybe it is suppose to be that way). The amount of chips given was ample with a wedge of lemon and tomato which I found hilarious but thats just me. Back to the salmon, if taste quite fresh but it only taste better when the lemon juice is squeezed on it. Oh, and they do give extra condiments that you can add to your dish. There was three, sweet garlic chilli sauce, tartar sauce and preserved garlic (no idea why so many garlic) but my guest and I just use the garlic butter sauce that was from the mussells (:P). My guest was kind enough to share his squid and prawn, and I find the prawn, well cooked but the squid was very soft (as in not suppose to be like that) that could be caused by bad squid or simply not cooked long enough. Then came dessert, which only I had. When the mudpie was served to me, I liked the presentaion and couldn't wait to eat. Just one problem, the ice cream part of the mudpie was still frozen solid. No matter how hard I push my spoon, I just couldn't cut the pie :( . So I had to chat with my guest for awhile before the ice cream actually defrost a little so that i could eat the pie properly.

The verdict:
To me I think the Manhattan Fish Market is really pleasant surprise for me. It is a great place to be bring your new girlfriend for a first date. The lighting was slightly dim-lighted so the atmosphere was a little romantic. It is good for dates and compare to other restaurants, the food is worth the money, because the food is ample and basically it is a good place if you have that seafood craving. I was disappointed that there was crab on the menu but there was lobster which I find tempting to try but not anytime soon...hehe. Overall, great seafood and a nice place to bring good friends and company. If I had to rate it...maybe 3 - 3.5 out of 5. :D