Don't let the quiet shopfront fool you. I was.
Ok S and R wanted to take me to this place where diners eat out of their bags but excuse me, eating out of plastic bags is not something we savvy diners do that much in Singapore. Perhaps I have mistaken, perhaps I’m still in my jetlagged state or perhaps this is some cheeky joke S and R wants to prey on an innocent visitor like me. Hmmm…I better be on guard. I’m a seasoned foodie, I’m a road warrior I know better how not to get fooled.
The whole time everyone in the car was just talking about this place and how everybody loved the food but when we got there, it looks everything like a regular family seafood restaurant, the streets are relatively quiet and AHHA…I don’t see a line! You start to doubt. You think to yourself how good can the food be right? I dismissed the notion immediately. This is looking very much like a prank. My defensive instinct kicks in…Ok but I can also see their well-meaning, this is probably a restaurant for tourists, one of those touristy places you know that visitors must dine, take a picture and post on their blog for all to see. I’ve done this many times, I’ll just go along with everyone else. I knew nobody eats out of PLASTIC BAGS really.
Group of hungry people gathering at the back of the restaurant
Now you see them. Reading, texting, chatting.
But hey just slow down smart arse for a sec, don’t get ahead of yourself, as R made a right into the restaurant parking lot. A crowd of diners I have never seen for a lone time was waiting to be seated, the last time I see a crowd of this size is probably at a 4-D lottery club on weekends back at home..haha…it really looks like either these people are out of their mind or there’s an ultimate prize waiting to be claimed and I have made some poor judgement and could have missed out on something divine here. There’s this group of about 20 people seated outside the restaurant waiting for their table!! This don’t make sense! From the front, this looks just like any other resturant. But what are all these people doing here? Don’t they have better things to do? Can’t they read their papers or chat at home? Is this a secret gathering place or is this restaurant even open? Why would so many people gather at the BACK of a restaurant? Yet they don’t look a bit like tourists or visitors. Wow! All kind of thoughts are flashing through my mind now. I simply have to find my answers. I started pacing around to check these people out. Most are too engrossed in their conversations to even notice me. I’m just another person in the line and I’m way back there.
Now it's dark but they are still here!
Hey you know what I think I am ready for the food. Bring it on. R gave his name and was politely told we’ll get our table in about an hour. What? An hour? I almost wanted to give up! Are you kidding me? Maybe this is a prank after all. S and R seemed more resigned to our fate than C and I are willing. R came up with a brilliant idea of visiting costco to kill time while C can catch a quick bite. I feel kind bad C had to wait but she seemed equally excited about eating here so I can only hope our patience and persistence will pay off.
We came back about 10 mins to an hour. I simply cannot believe my eyes. The faces are new but the line is still there. When we got here, there was still daylight, now it’s dark but the line is still here. Wassup with these people? Well I am just about to find out.
No greasy hands on this sink - use your knees to push against the lever instead
God bless America. The land of the brave and free. The moment I walked in, you only see diners enjoying their food, foods in bags are everywhere on the table, all known human niceties and etiquette are thrown out, you have to be brave and you feel so free – you just stick your fingers into these bags of juicy seafood, withdrew your hands and start working on them. No cutleries, no nothing, just you and your food right off your sauce brenched fingers. There’s nothing between you and your food. No barriers for indulgence. But suddenly at this moment I feel so naked in a fully packed restaurant – it’s quite a scary thought, no spoons, no chopsticks, no nothing but eating and licking like a 5-year old with a bib around my neck. But I’m only beginning to enjoy this stuff. In fact I couldn’t have enough.
Leave your manners at home - Seafood eaten with bare hands only
We had a half pound of clams, a pound of crayfish, one pound of shrimps (we added another pound later) and 2 corns on the cob, C had to herself a half pound garlic shrimps. There are a few sauces to choose from but S ordered the spicy garlic sauce and it was most definitely a heavenly sauce to say the least. The sauce is surprisingly close to our belancha gravy but with a thang of southern tartness and flavor. This is simply a magical moment. I have been instantly transformed into a believer. Oh ya, sign me up. I think don’t we all seek such magical moments when we eat our food? The moment our hearts tell us…yes yes yes, this food is good, the moment we derived true enjoyment. And with food this good, who cares about cutleries?
Pardon the greasy finger but I don't think I look too bad in a bib
I know it is not often we get to eat out of a bag. A plastic bag with our bare hands. But yes that’s what I did. I flew 18 hours here to eat my first meal out of a plastic bag and I am so pleased I did it because it was so DARN good and simply hands-down my best meal in L.A. All thanks to R and S.
How we do it - eating off table-tops
By the time we left I found all my answers and I know why so many people are crazy about the boiling crab. Count me as a fan too.
