SINGAPORE - (THE NEW PAPER) Having been in the local culinary scene since Oct 2012, the Pelican Seafood Bar & Grill has just undergone a transformation.

The Raw Bar - with a gorgeous selection of roe and caviar as its highlight - has been added, and the menu has gone through its first revamp.

Head chef Jonathan Sparber seems to favour bold flavours and a mix of textures, which is always great for me. There are so many delicious dishes.

It's a great place for a date night too. The restaurant has a lovely view of the Marina Bay skyline and, if the timing is right, you can catch the light show from Marina Bay Sands if you are seated outdoors.

The service is great too, and the servers were able to make solid and candid recommendations.

Your date will be impressed.

Highly recommended

You must order the lightly torched scampi ($18). The sauce is made from lobster and crab stock, then whipped with butter. Heavenly!

Pleasure

The cream of corn soup ($18) was subtly sweet, with French mussels adding a hint of saltiness. The polenta cake added some substance. Such a pleasure to savour.

Maybe

I thought the Glacier 51 toothfish ($45) was merely not bad when I went for the official tasting and the brioche crust was too dry. When I returned unannounced, it was much better.

Looks and tastes good

The panfried barramundi ($42) is so photo-worthy, but it's not a beauty without substance. The fish was perfectly cooked, the carrot sauce, divine.

Nothing special