Lee Do (Cold Crab) Restaurant, Ubi Avenue, Singapore

Cold Crab (Small), $34

Man, cold crabs really get me going. I don't know what it is about them - maybe the aromatic chinese seasoning, firm flesh, or incredibly umami roe. Maybe everything. But at $34 a pop for a cold crab so small it can lie in two parts on my palm, I probably won't be heading to Lee Do everyday. Instead, I've resolved to nail this in the kitchen. Tip: Scroll to the bottom here to learn how you can make it at home.

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Buffet Spread at The Line, Shangri-la Hotel, Singapore

Freshly Shucked Oysters

M brought me to The Line for my birthday dinner this year. I was all excited! Oysters and sashimi are my absolute favourite. In fact, I started my meal with 7 of these darlings, and had no less than a dozen throughout the night! M had none as usual, just looked on, completely bemused at my enjoyment. I'm still irrationally optimistic that he'll be a convert one day! If it can happen to my best friend, S, and so many other close friends of mine, it can happen to him! These were actually a little too salty for me. Oysters take on the flavour of the water they are harvested in so I guess it probably had something to do with that.

Sashimi and Sushi

The sashimi served at The Line was top notch. The Mekajiki (swordfish) sashimi was fabulous - sweet with a wonderful bite. I'd skip the octopus next time though (a little rubbery), alongside all the sushi - they were simply left there for too long. There was also a selection of appetizers including parma ham, which was great - thinly sliced and wrapped around sweet melons, but I missed taking a photo of it.

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Mellben Seafood, Ang Mo Kio, Singapore

Mellben's Crab Bee Hoon

Ask a Singaporean to name our national dish and chances are "crabs" are gonna pop up nine out of ten times. It's true. We love our crabs. Not everyone digs oysters or blood cockles, but throw them a crab and you know they'll polish their plates clean with gusto. Besides, what better crustacean to celebrate, with National Day in two days? Every Singaporean has their personal favourite style of crabs, even if Chilli Crab is the only one that has made it big beyond our shores. And yet, this most famous rendition of our favourite crustacean has hardly stolen my heart. I stand by my black pepper crabs. And then there's salted egg yolk crabs, butter crabs, and lo and behold, crab bee hoon. I know how ordinary crab bee hoon sounds, but take a sip of the milky soup oozing with crabby creaminess and you might find yourself vehemently disagreeing. Or at least politely.

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My Favourite Black Pepper Crab, Eng Seng Restaurant, Singapore

Sotong Youtiao (Chinese Cruller with Squid Stuffing)

After an almost month-long disappearing act, you may not believe me, but I miss blogging. I've been travelling, and travelling, and travelling. When I'm not travelling, I'm attending classes. And when I'm not attending classes, I'm catching up on sleep. Gee. Some highlights: a beautiful slice of Black Forest cake I had in the Black Forest, getting lost in the ever-picturesque Venice, strolling up and down cliffs amidst crashing waves in Cinque Terre, going up to the spectacular Jungfraujoch - the highest railway station in Europe, taking in the sights and sounds in Zurich - Switzerland's hippest city, checking out the latest street fashion in Milan, and a road trip down the Romantische Strasse in Bavaria, Germany. Before I start on all these though, here's my last Singapore post for the next few months. I had to have my last meal here right before flying off to Germany. Their Black Pepper crab is a stunner, but most of the other dishes they offer are very competently executed too. Their Sotong Youtiao is a hot favourite - wonderfully crisp and generously stuffed with Sotong filling, it's really hard not to like this one.

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Rainbow Seafood Restaurant, Lamma Island, Hong Kong

Lobster e-fu noodles with superior stock

M and I were wandering around in Lamma Island, some weeks back, because we'd heard that Lamma's a great place for seafood. It was a real fishing village. At least the side where we were in. It basically looked like this:

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