Long Beach @ DEMPSEY HILL — Restaurant in Singapore

Amazing first time chili crab experience! First of all, other reviews had said to make a reservation so I did...about an hour ahead of time. Their website has an email contact form but I got a response promptly, within half an hour even though the restaurant wasn't open yet. The restaurant was pretty empty (only 1 table with people) when we got there at noon on a Friday, but filled up by the time we left, so I'm not sure if a reservation was 100% needed, but it was easy and doesn't hurt.

The peanuts they leave on the table for you is not free. I politely asked, then requested it to be removed and had no problems. I did the majority of my ordering in Mandarin, but I'm sure English would've been fine too.

We came for the crab so only ordered a chili crab and fried mantou (bread). We were told all the crab available were around 1.2-1.3 kg and we were fine with that as we were a party of two sharing 1 crab, not necessarily intending to be stuffed full, more to just try it.

The waiter lady advised us to get some appetizers while waiting for the crab but again, we politely declined, we were fine waiting. Some reviews I had read said that other than the crab, sometimes their other dishes were only so-so and besides, we were there for the crab so I was fine getting that alone.

The crab actually came out fairly quickly, I would say within 15-20 min. Presentation is beautiful. They also had gloves (2 each) and aprons available upon request to help with the mess, but there's a large pretty outdoor handwashing station just outside the door to the outside deck of the restaurant as well.

We dug in and even though my husband was a first-time crab desheller, he got the hang of it quickly! They provide little bowls & spoons for you to ladle out sauce for your own dipping use and messy plates with shell fragments are constantly swapped out for fresh ones.

I counted 8 sections, 4 of the body with smaller legs attached, two "upper arms" straight sections and two large claws. The thicker claws/arms came pre-cracked for ease to access. Everything was fairly easy to take apart and a lot of fun! There was a ton of sauce so you felt free to coat every bite, even though the crab was already deliciously sweet by itself.

The fried mantou came out at the same time, but only 2 small ones, so we quickly asked for 6 more, then another 4. They were $1 each. I'm not sure if that's expensive for Singapore, but we felt it was money well spent, as it was so delicious dipping the bread into the sauce and they helped fill us up more. The bread itself was also slightly sweet already.

We took our time, eating for about 1.5 hrs. The service was excellent! The lady helping us was very attentive, anticipating our needs and quickly & efficiently addressing them. She was also very nice, offered to take the obligatory photo of us in our aprons. We only really had to look up for her to know when we needed something, she was like a mind reader! And very sweet, in that fast/efficient Chinese way.

All together, our bill came out to about $120 and we were pleasantly surprised! We were expecting around $100 a person and not necessarily to leave very full, but we were both stuffed. Would highly recommend this place and we can't wait to come back to try their famous black...

Very nice comfortable ambience. Good staff that is attentive throughout our stay. However the trainee manager needs to relax & not be so anxious. Just wanted to help myself to 2 extra wet wipes as my fingers reeks of seafood smell upon bill payment. The trainee mgr kindda freaked out like I was stealing from his resturant 😅😂 These 2 disposable wet wipes cost only 30 cents each while our bill for 5 pax costed almost $400 dollars. Despite my defense as this is my very first visit to Long Beach at Dempsey, manager trainee was very animated & insisted that I cannot help myself to these 2 wet towels & took it out of my hand to keep them😅😂

Been to the first Long Beach seafood resturant way back in early 1980s, from its original resturant to the defunt one at ECP where Burger King & ECP tennis courts used to be before its redevelopment by NParks & URA.

Anyways the rest of this review is about our dinner experience. Near perfect excellent service staff less the gaff by a trainee manager. Good food especially the presentation & drinks. Fruit juices mostly were 8/10 to 10/10 score 😃

Lime juice 8/10 🆗 Water melon 9/10 ⭐️ Mango juice 10/10 ⭐️ so good we ordered again Thai Coconut 9.25/10 ⭐️ Chrysanthemum tea 9/10 ⭐️

Oh well, we are both human & indeed it was my 1st visit at this Dempsey branch. Perhaps the Long Beach management can bring back the glass or metal bowl of water mixed with lemon or calamansi for guests to cleanse fingers off the seafood smell instead of having an overly excited manager insisting that I need to go wash my hands - very comical to see how anxious & serious he was over 60 cents worth of disposable wet wipes 😄

This traditional small bowl of water, after peeling prawns or any seafood, can be a valued added service since Covid-19 pandemic is now into endemic status. Just a suggestion for the operation management💡

Food highlights aw yes, presentation & delivery very good 😃

The prawns (shrimp) in herbal broth 9.5/10 ⭐️👍🏼

The fried baby squid a little too sweet, can be more savoury, perhaps the extra sweetness is to cater to tourists & expats; a 8.5/10, still a repeat dish 👍🏼

Mantou or fried golden buns - wow so nice we ordered some more, at 9/10 ⭐️👍🏼

Whole crispy chicken, hmm tasted better ones however not too salty 👍🏼 so a solid 8.5/10 👍🏼👍🏼

Special tofu was too sweet & the extra ingredients like fried crispy golden brown white bait (tiny fish), sliced onions, some ‘special’ sauce did not go well with our palate. Not a repeat; 6/10 at best.

Stirred fried Kai Lan (Chinese broccoli) okay at 8/10 😃

Our next visit is in mid October to entertain our overseas guests. I had already made reservations prior to finishing our dinner. That is how impressive the layout, decor, tables & chairs were. Long gone were the days of Long Beach at Bedok Corner near the SAF army camp with foldable tables & plastic chairs, Long Beach seafood has come a long way since 👍🏼

Again great service overal & fabulous ambience. Aircon was nice & cool...

I had a minor injury in my right hand a few days after arriving in Singapore, making it difficult to maneuver the crab shell properly. As a result, I took a little break on the experience of indulging in black pepper crab during my trip. However, on the last day before leaving Singapore, I decided to dine at Long Beach DEMPSEY based on its excellent online reviews and recommendations from friends. I arrived at the restaurant promptly at 11 am when the doors opened. Eager to savor some local delicacies, I ordered Kangkong, Black Pepper Crab, and Sweet Yam Paste for dessert. To my pleasant surprise, my server, Sheleth, informed me that they could assist with the shelling process. This was a welcome relief, as it allowed me to enjoy the crab without worrying about my injured hand. However, I look forward to crack the crab shell with my own hands in a few weeks, as it adds an element of fun and somehow enhances the taste of the dish—both in terms of food and life itself. The Kangkong and Black Pepper Crab lived up to my expectations, delivering delightful flavors that satisfied my palate. The service at Long Beach DEMPSEY was attentive and helpful, and I couldn't have asked for a better server than Sheleth. The bill for my lunch came to around USD$110, which I found to be good considering the quality of the food and the overall dining experience. In conclusion, Long Beach DEMPSEY is a fantastic restaurant offering a wide range of delicacies. While I stuck to my usual favorites for the sake of comparison among different seafood establishments in Singapore, this restaurant undoubtedly ranks among the top-notch options. If you like spicy seafood, give it a try....