While the concept of ‘raw bar’ has been making the waves in the culinary scene in recent months, there are not a lot of restaurants that do this really well, with only a few exceptions such as The Pelican Seafood Bar & Grill.

With a reputation to uphold, the restaurant, which is now helmed by Chef Jonathan Sparber, ensures that you not only enjoy its freshest offerings but also bring home a memorable experience that goes beyond the food aspect.

It starts with the ambience. With an amazing Marina Bay view to boot, the layout is designed to highlight this feature by coming up with a cosy al fresco area facing the bay. You can reserve a table here if you want to catch the water and lights show at night (or even the fireworks during festive seasons); but for a more intimate meal, it’s best to sit on the alcove seats at the main dining room. 

Food-wise, the restaurant offers a menu that focuses mainly on seafood dishes. Recently, it has added a raw bar section, enticing you to indulge in more treasures of the sea. A good way to start is with some French oysters from France, served on a bed of ice, together with a few slices of lemon and vinaigrette. Every week, the varieties change depending on the supply, but one thing remains the same – they’re always fresh.

While it’s so easy to fill up on these, it’s always best to try the rest of the creations such as the Scallops in Rice Dressing or the Torched Scampi with seafood broth. For fans of roe, there’s a galore of choices as well, some of which are the Trout Roe, Salmon Roe and Sturgeon Caviar eaten with seaweed crackers. But for something different, Chef has come up two versions of trout roe - original and beetroot-flavoured - topped on soft and buttered brioche. 

Just for the raw bar section itself, The Pelican is well worth a visit. But the offerings don’t stop there for Chef Jonathan still has many tricks up his sleeve, starting from the starters.

Making good use of the freshest produce, he serves up a big piece of meaty lobster poached atop sliced fennel, iceberg lettuce and drizzled with avocado dressing; as well as a thick slice of king fish salt-cured and lifted by tomato and sesame seed dressing. Mains are no different as seen in the Pan-fried Barramundi with crispy skin, presented with shallots pickled in red wine vinegar, beetroot juice and carrots. 

Rounding up your feast at The Pelican are the desserts. Even with limited choices, it seems like there’s always something new with its homemade ice cream. Every day, Chef whips up a new flavour that gives your dining experience an element of surprise. So far, he has created dulce de leche, orange rosemary and chilli flavours. But for a more classic choice, the Whoopie Pie is a must-try, especially if you are a chocolate lover. (For more details about the restaurant, please click here.)