Roland Restaurant, Marine Parade

You know the food is good when you know what to order on your next visit.

You know the food is good when there are people celebrating some bub's first month birthday and another group celebrating someone's 91st birthday.

You know the food is good when someone proclaims she will stage her wedding dinner at that particular restaurant even without an engagement ring or boyfriend in sight.

That's my younger sister for you. And she picked Roland Restaurant to do her birthday meal - her fifth visit in less than a year, if I may add. 

Roland claims his mum invented the chill crab and you know what, its a mighty fine specimen. There is a whole lot going on in the flavour department, and the mantou munchkins are just begging to be dunked - any end first - into the thickish eggy sauce.

Not to be outdone, the salted egg crabs offered much desire, especially with its more-than-generous serving of deep-fried yam stripes.

I will be honest and say crabs aren't really my thing. Too much effort for too little meat and I am most certainly not keen on double dunking in that 1980s washing bowl?

Prawns, however, are a different story altogether. I looooove prawns. Love love love.

One of my favourite dishes, the signature pumpkin prawns were incredibly and incredibly moreish. Oh the eggy batter that crowned those plump sweet morsels would easily make anyone forget any social decorum of leaving behind the last piece. It was so good I even ate up the lonesome lettuce that was cloaked in pumpkin sauce and fried (sigh!) batter.

The pork ribs were not particularly unique but still delicious in a bone-sucking, finger-licking way.

With a smattering lot of lard bits, the samba lang kong was devilishly good. 

Another must-order is the baby squid and you char kway combination platter. 

If you need help getting over alien thrillers, this deep-fried baby squid critters dish would be your go-to dish. The squid-stuffed you char kway (or crullers) was a throwback to one of the many carb-y things I loved as a kid. One tip: Grab them while they are hot.

If I had to choose my favourite noodle dish, the seafood mee goreng would easily be one of the top three (right behind san lor hor fun and Penang char kway teow). Admittedly, it is not easy to find a good rendition but Roland does a mee-n version, packed with goodies and every strand coated in eggy bits.

The orh nee, supposedly another one of their specialities, was decent though forgettable. 

To end off, we had a passionfruit meringue tart from Carpenter & Cook to celebrate my sister's birthday. Love the puckerish twang of the passionfruit and short pastry tart shell!