The Ship Restaurant @ Shaw Centre

Founded in the 70s, the Ship Restaurant & Bar is a famous, retro Hainanese-Western restaurant well-known for its unique marine vessel interior design and classic comfort food. The current outlet at Shaw started in 1989 and has been the only outlet since 2021, when other outlets closed down

The current outlet at Shaw started in 1989 and has been the only outlet since 2021, when other outlets closed down. The outlet received major renovations in 2014 for a brighter and modern look while still retaining nostalgic elements

Since the renovations happened more than 10 years ago, the retro vibes of the entire restaurant were still pretty strong. I felt like I was brought back to my childhood, while my nephew felt he stepped into the past. The dated and aged furniture shows the age of the place and the numerous diners they have experienced throughout the years

Famous for their fish soup bee hoon, we were not in the fortune to try it as it was sold out for the day, so we went for the next best thing, which was their set dinner course at SGD 48.90, including a soup of the day, main course, dessert and a drink. I really liked the fact that they maintained the tradition of using printed table placemats bearing their signature ship wheel logo

The soup of the day came served with dinner rolls and butter, which was something we used to eat whenever we visited Western restaurants in the past. I really do like such buns with soup, as they soak up the soup and remain crusty

The soup was clam chowder, tasted old-fashioned, and reminded me of the good old days at Ponderosa or Sizzler. Nothing fanciful about the soup, just pure cream with chunks of clams and onions. Flavours were simple but without much depth

I ordered the baked lobster with grilled pork chop, which came with some apple puree and steamed vegetables. I was surprised at the portion size since the set was quite pocket-friendly. The size of the pork chops was also very decent. The lobster flavour was good, but it was quite obvious frozen lobsters were used, as the flesh was not springy anymore. It was somewhere between mushy and springy. The pork chops were a lot better, as the grill was perfect, giving the chops a nice char while the meat remained tender and not chewy or tough. I enjoyed the pork chops and vegetables, although it got a bit dry in the middle of my meal and depended on HP sauce to moisten up the meal

Last but not least, our dessert was a scoop of ice cream in this retro metal cup, and we had the usual choice of vanilla and chocolate. I would usually go for strawberry, but since it was not available, I went for chocolate, which was soft and creamy and very delicious.

Overall, the Ship still offers affordable meals for people looking for a nostalgic Western Hainanese meal. Some of the dishes were cooked well, but I guess since the lobster was on promotion, it was quite apparent to get frozen seafood. I would visit The Ship again to try other dishes or the infamous fish soup just for memory’s sake

Address: 1 Scotts Rd, #03 – 16 / 17 / 18, Singapore 228208

Opening hours: 11 am to 3 pm and 5.30 pm to 9 pm ( 10 pm for Fri and Sat)