Oh for a taste of Pulau Ubin

Sandra Leong, Straits Times 13 Apr 08;

Two seafood eateries here are cashing in on the allure of the Pulau Ubin name while hoping to carry on the tradition of island-style food

The busy Sin Ming industrial estate, dotted with greasy car workshops, is the last place you would expect to find a slice of kampung life like that on the island of Pulau Ubin.

Yet such laidback nostalgia can be found at Block 27, which houses the New Ubin Seafood Restaurant.

Diners perch on rustic wooden furniture, lapping up old-style dishes such as Ubin fried rice - blackened with healthy amounts of soya sauce - and steamed squid dipped in vinegar.

The restaurant is the latest incarnation of the old Ubin Seafood Restaurant, formerly at Sixth Avenue, Bukit Timah.

And yes, it's also the same restaurant of Ubin fame that has, over the last 10 years, popped up in Tanglin Halt, Pasir Panjang Village, Joo Chiat Village, Keppel Marina and Marina Country Club.

The frequent shifting may have confused foodies, many of whom wondered if each new establishment was related to the previous one. But New Ubin's manager Pang Seng Meng, 53, says: 'We are still the original. The connecting thread between all the restaurants is the traditional Ubin style of cooking.'

The north-eastern island of Pulau Ubin, accessible via a 10-minute bumboat ride from Changi Point, is well known as a relaxing getaway destination.

But to some in the restaurant trade here, it appears the name 'Ubin' is also synonymous with sumptuous seafood fare.

Apart from New Ubin, which re-opened in Sin Ming last September, an Ubin First Stop Restaurant Changi is also slated to open at Changi Village next month.

New Ubin is now owned by businesswoman Michelle Nicholas, 48, who used to run a spa next to the Sixth Avenue restaurant.

But it was founded in the mid-1980s under the name Pulau Ubin Seafood by Mr Leong Kee Keng, who served water-skiiers and boaters from his family kitchen on the island's north shore.

In the early 1990s, Mr Leong passed the recipes to his nephew, Mr Chua Ek Kuang, who set up a stall at Tanglin Halt.

Reminiscing about the early days, Mr Leong, 56, says in Mandarin: 'Most of the seafood - fish, prawns, crabs - were caught fresh from Ubin or other islands such as Tekong.'

The contractor is still a regular patron of the restaurant, and even did the renovations for its Sin Ming premises.

From 1997 to 1998, Ubin Seafood continued to operate from Pasir Panjang Village under Mr Chua. Over the next five years, it moved to Joo Chiat Village then Keppel Marina.

In 2004, he set up shop at Marina Country Club and, a year later, started a second branch at Sixth Avenue. By this time, he had roped in three other shareholders: Ms Nicholas, Mr Paul Sim and Mr Peter Ho.

Last year, the group got into a disagreement because the Marina Country Club restaurant was under-performing, says manager Mr Pang. It eventually closed in March last year.

Two months later, the Bukit Timah outlet shut down, too.

Ms Nicholas then set up New Ubin on her own four months later. Though she has never stepped foot onto Ubin, she says: 'I felt the Ubin tradition needed to be carried on. Also, all the kitchen staff needed a job.'

Both she and Mr Pang have since lost contact with Mr Chua but insist the current cooks remain the same as those at the Bukit Timah outlet, and were trained by him.

Says Mr Pang: 'About 50 per cent of people who come here have frequented the other Ubin outlets at some time or other.'

One of them, finance director Sam Yeo, 62, has been a fan since the restaurant's humble beginnings in Ubin.

'After water-skiing every weekend, I used to look forward to having a pint of beer, chilli crab, sotong and mee goreng. Those were the good old days.'

Also cashing in on the allure of the Ubin name is Mr Alan Tan, 55, who owns Ubin First Stop Restaurant on the island and the upcoming Ubin First Stop Restaurant Changi.

The original Ubin First Stop Restaurant, which he set up in 1990, is close to the Ubin boat jetty in a historic building formerly used as an opium den, prison and clinic.

Interestingly, Mr Tan - who was born on the mainland but visited his relatives on Ubin regularly as a child - claims his business is registered under the name Pulau Ubin Seafood Restaurant.

This is almost identical to what New Ubin Seafood was previously known as under Mr Leong, who never registered his makeshift operation.

'We are the true Pulau Ubin Seafood,' says Mr Tan with a laugh.

But he changed the name on his signboard to Ubin First Stop for 'fengshui reasons'. The name 'Pulau Ubin' in Mandarin is 'wu ming dao', which sounds inauspicious because the word 'dao' means to fall.

Apart from standard seafood favourites such as pepper crab and fried baby squid, his menu also boasts 'Ubin specialities' such as 'leather jacket' - small fish that are caught around the island.

Mr Tan decided to set up a mainland branch when some of his regulars began complaining that it was a hassle to travel to Ubin every time they needed a seafood fix.

He knows of New Ubin, adding that 'many customers go to them thinking it belongs to me'.

But he says: 'Their food is different from mine.'

Conversely, New Ubin's Mr Pang says he has never heard of Ubin First Stop. But he says: 'The more the Ubin name becomes well known, the better for us.'

Do you have any fond memories of food and fun on Pulau Ubin? Tell us about it by e-mailing suntimes@sph.com.sg

Ubin-type fare
Straits Times 13 Apr 08;

Apart from the usual seafood favourites such as chilli and pepper crab and fried baby squid, also check out these 'Ubin-style' dishes offered at the two restaurants:

NEW UBIN SEAFOOD RESTARAUNT

Traditional Ubin fried rice, which is black in colour, and Teochew-style steamed squid served with vinegar.

Block 27 Sin Ming Road, tel: 6466-9558


UBIN FIRST STOP RESTAURANT

Owner Alan Tan claims that most of his seafood is as fresh as you can get because it is caught from around Pulau Ubin. Marine morsels include 'leather jacket' fish, mud and flower crabs, mussels, gong gong and prawns.

42 Pulau Ubin, tel: 6543-2489. Ubin First Stop Restaurant Changi will open early next month

Joo Chiat gets a taste of Ubin
The Pulau Ubin legacy continues with a third restaurant, simply called Ubin, opening its doors last week
Sandra Leong, Straits Times 20 Apr 08;

The Pulau Ubin legacy - that of good, kampung-style seafood by the beach - is continuing yet, this time in Joo Chiat.

Last week, LifeStyle reported on two seafood eateries here hawking Ubin-style cooking: New Ubin Seafood in Sin Ming and Ubin First Stop Restaurant Changi, which opens at Changi Village next month.

Now a third restaurant, simply called Ubin, opened its doors along Joo Chiat Road last week.

It is owned by Mr Chua Che Kuang, 43, one of the former owners of New Ubin Seafood. Known as 'Kuang' to many diners, he is from the family that first ran the business - then called Ubin Seafood - from their own kitchen on the north shore of the sleepy north-eastern island.

Later, between 1993 and last year, he moved the restaurant to several locations on the mainland, including Tanglin Halt, Keppel Marina and Sixth Avenue. But it eventually folded when the partnership between him and his shareholders - Ms Michelle Nicholas, Mr Paul Sim and Mr Peter Ho - fell apart in September last year.

Ms Nicholas is now the sole owner of New Ubin, where the cooks were all trained by Mr Chua.

After LifeStyle's story, readers wrote in to say that Mr Chua, a self-professed 'kampung boy' who was born on Ubin, had started a new venture in Joo Chiat.

The 3,000 sq ft Ubin is housed in a conservation shophouse formerly used by a church. Photographs of the original restaurant on Ubin line the walls while the mostly dark wood decor exudes rustic charm.

It opened for business on April 9 but the signboards were only put up last Saturday, says Mr Chua. He fronts the business but has two other partners.

He says he spent the past six months 'taking a break' to spend time with his wife and three daughters.

'Working in the food and beverage industry for so many years, I didn't get to see them often. It was a nice break,' he says.

But regular customers who missed his food pestered him to get back into the game.

Says the soft-spoken man: 'They would keep calling and asking me when I was going to open my own restaurant.'

Among his regular clients, he claims, are many famous names such as Hong Kong actresses Carina Lau, Michelle Yeoh and big-name politicians and businessmen.

When he finally decided to make his comeback, it took about two months to find the ideal location. Eventually, he was won over by the 'traditional and old-world' surroundings of Joo Chiat, which has many shophouses.

On the menu are many old-time favourites such as chilli crab, garlic prawns and fried rice with dark sauce. True to the restaurant's family-style beginnings, Mr Chua's parents and brother now help out in the kitchen.

So far, several loyal customers have already re-discovered the restaurant. One of them, Briton Ali Tasker, used to frequent its Ubin premises when she went boating from Changi Sailing Club.

Making sure to keep in touch with Mr Chua each time he relocated, she dined at the new Ubin on its second day of business.

Says the owner of a design company who has been in Singapore for 18 years: 'If I could turn back the clock and have the restaurant still on Ubin, that would be fantastic. But this still reminds me of the good ol' days on Ubin, of family tradition and seafood. Newer restaurants don't have that charm and allure.'

If there is rivalry between Mr Chua and the owners of New Ubin, both parties are keeping mum about it.

Asked whether he is concerned about competition, Mr Chua says: 'Customers who see my face here, taste my food, will know that I'm the one who has been cooking for years.'

New Ubin's manager Pang Seng Meng, 53, says: 'I wish Kuang all the best in what he's doing. The more he improves the food standards in Singapore, the better.'