The first one that makes the list is Orchid Live Seafood Restaurant.

Must try: Lobster porridge. And yes, lobster is affordable now, and it’s not just what you find in Asian-Western fusion restaurants.

The lobster is fresh and sweet, the broth rich and savoury, and the generous sprinkling of crisp and juicy scallions add a little bit of freshness.

Get it at: 12 Jln Kelulut, Singapore 809030.

Warning — This next dish is almost as addictive as crack.

Must try: Butter pork ribs. Buttery and tender ribs are dusted in condensed milk powder and have curry leaves scattered in for that aroma.

If you take a piece with a heap of the milk powder on it, you’ll have it melt in your mouth and complement the savouriness of the meat. Heaven.

Get it at: 116 Commonwealth Crescent, #01-129, Singapore 140116.

This hidden gem of a zi char stall in Woodlands has some great dishes such as the Volcanic Beancurd and a hearty pot of seafood stewed in milk curry, but one of the best dishes was the Indonesia Prawn.

Must try: Indonesia Prawn ($20.80). This claypot bowl of Indonesian prawn curry is intense. Just one sip brims with the flavour of prawns, spice, and curry. Mix it with plenty of rice and enjoy.

Get it at: Woodgrove Food Place, 30 Woodlands Avenue 1, #01-11 Singapore 739065.

When you wanna go all out and get a plate of crab to share in a zi char meal, try 21 Seafood.

Must try: The salted egg crab. First of all, it’s such a good deal for three small Sri Lankan crabs. It’s $25, with an additional $3 if you want salted egg sauce.

Secondly, salted egg sauce. If that wasn’t a good enough reason, remember you’ll have utterly fluffy mantou buns with a crispy shell to mop up the sauce and fill you up.

Get it at: 212 Hougang Street 21, #01-347, Singapore 530212.

Photo: Burpple / @LifesABeach

For a seafood place, you’d be surprised how good the beef is. In fact, it’s highly recommended by many reviewers.

Must try: The US Black Angus Ribeye Steak ($14 for 100g). The smoky beef comes chopped into succulent pieces that you can easily scoop and eat with fried rice, noodles, or whatever you like.

And best of all, it is cooked medium-rare, so it’s tender and melts in the mouth. Mmm.

Get it at: 63 Hillview Avenue, Level 6 Lam Soon Industrial Building, Singapore 669569.

Photo: Burpple / @kaiyle

Think of good food at Serangoon, and you’d probably think of Chomp Chomp. Well it’s time you tried the equally good alternative, Siang Hee Seafood.

Must try: Butter prawns with pumpkin cream sauce ($12). Yep that’s right, pumpkin sauce, and not salted egg yolk. We like it because it’s sweet, with just a tinge of savouriness, and mildly spicy from curry powder that kicks in after a few bites.

Not to mention, the prawns are very large, juicy and crispy too!

Get it at: 49A Serangoon Garden Way, #01-20 Serangoon Garden Market, Singapore 555945.

Photo: Burpple / @Deniseongqx

In addition to the awesome claypot rice, steamboat, and bamboo clam, Ting Heng has a really unique dish — see below.

Must try: Hokkien fried rice. If you really love your rice, you’re gonna like it even more when it’s slathered in hot and goopy hor fun sauce. The texture of the rice makes the dish more palatable than the usual soft noodles too.

Get it at: 82 Tiong Poh Road, #01-03, Singapore 160082.

Photo: Burpple / @Ahleongsan

Kok Sen is really well known for their big prawn hor fun, but the claypot yong tau foo is pretty unique and tasty.

Must try: We’ve seen regular yong tau foo, we’ve seen it stir fried, but claypot yong tau foo takes it to a whole other level. It’s all in the gravy, which is complex with notes of sweetness, salt, smokiness, and a hint of spice that keeps you coming back for more.

Get it at: 30-32 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089137.

Photo: Burpple / @veronicaphua