Neptune Palace

The superb wine list is one giveaway that you don't need to observe halal to enjoy the pork-free fare at this 19-year institution. Head up the escalator, ignore the empty seats at the entrance and be guided to the buzzier second level, resplendent in maroon, gold and violet wallpaper and Greco-Roman statuettes. Yes, it feels dated, but the formal service is astonishingly attentive: glasses consistently remain full, and dishes arrive promptly. Seafood's a speciality, snared live from downstairs tanks, and includes the popular Singaporean chilli mud crab - chopped and braised in a thick, tangy sauce of galangal, turmeric, chilli and more. It's sticky, messy work, but finger-lickin' satisfying. Better yet is murtabak, its curried mince delicately wrapped in roti pastry. The Cantonese dishes are as standard as any in Haymarket, while the Malay plates could pump up the heat a little, as in beautifully voluminous half-shell scallops in turmeric and coconut sauce, or the aromatic beef rendang.