What's in a bowl of Fish Head Curry that draws the crowd here to start coming from as early as 5pm on weekends for dinner? You will too since the restaurant does not take reservations and the demand for their fish head curry is so good, it is sold out as early as 630pm on a good weekend.

The curry gravy is thick and creamy but not too heavy on the use of coconut milk. There is a nice balance between the spicy taste and the flavour of the gravy is just the right level and not too salty. The claypot is packed with lots of ingredients like fish head, french beans, cabbage and firm beancurd and the curry gravy is fully absorbed into each piece and midway thru, you feel like ordering another pot because it is so tasty but you will be lucky if they still have enough left. Seating is limited in this medium sized restaurant so be sure to go early to avoid disappointment.

You can sometimes find the best places to dine at very odd places and this restaurant is one of them. It is located in a busy area yet it somehow manages to remain cut away from the buzz. But of course the restaurant is a regular for the neighbourhood residents and I went there on one such recommendation.

For our fish order, I tried their Steamed Fish with Lime which is not something I see on menus as frequently as ginger or bean paste steamed fish. It was quite a change and did give the flesh a refreshing twist with the citrus addition and dispelled any remaining fishy taste from the fish which was quite fresh anyway. The flesh is sufficiently soft from steaming timing that has obviously been perfected. Generous sprinkles of lime were all over the flesh although the sour tinge of lime taste could turn off some who is not used to it. Worth trying.

If you wanted a dish that is nourishing as well as great tasting, this is one that I would recommend. The chicken is first stuffed with chinese herbs and wrapped before steaming. The result; the herbs taste is absorbed and the chicken flesh is softened to the point of breaking. The chicken tasted full of the herbal mixture but at the same time it is so savoury. The juices from the herbs is left to garnish the chicken. Presentation is a bit bare with only the still whole chicken on a plate of gravy from the steaming. The chicken was not oily at all due to the steaming process.

I find this dish really creative with the fusion of coffee and duck. The duck is roasted to perfection with the skin crispy and so aromatic. The flesh is a bit dry maybe from roasting too long but the taste more than made up for this tiny imperfection. There is a special sauce for dipping that tasted sweet and has a tinge of sourish tangy tone to it which really enhanced the taste of the already well flavoured duck meat. Highly recommended.

Ben's has a really nice decor with comfortable chairs that look more at home. I like their creativity in creating fusion dishes that not only taste good but looks good too. One of my favourite is their Soft Shell Crab Spaghetti. It was a marriage of japanese and italian cuisine, both my favourite. The spaghetti was cooked al-dente and well tossed with a creamy sauce that was slightly spicy but tasted good with the pasta. The soft shell crab is crispy but fresh and really added lots of texture to the spaghetti. It was a really refreshing idea to combine these two ingredients. Definitely top marks from me.