The next time you’re in the middle of Orchard Road and a chilli crab craving hits, don’t despair; you’ll finally be able to quell it in mere minutes. In a move that frankly was a long time coming, homegrown seafood and crab specialist Jumbo Seafood have opened their latest outlet at ION Orchard. Right at home on the fourth floor of the mall, it’s the brand’s sixth outlet in Singapore—and the first along the bustling shopping belt, in their entire 32-year history.

Here, you’ll be able to order the same signature crab dishes that first made Jumbo Seafood famous. But we’ve only got one thing on our agenda: the ION-exclusive dim sum. For the first time, the restaurant’s best-loved dish is available in bite-sized dim sum—there’s the Baked Jumbo Chilli Crab Puffs ($8.80); and our personal favourite, the Pan Fried Jumbo Chilli Crab Buns ($8.80) that hides flavourful chilli crab in soft, hand-crimped buns. We also recommend the mores straightforward Chilli Crab Meat Sauce with Sliced Fried ‘Mantou’ ($16.80), for those wanting the classic dish in no-frills presentation.

King Prawns and Fragrant Rice in Rich Seafood Broth

Also new and exclusive to the ION outlet is the ultra-rich Crispy Fried Cod Fish with Nonya Sauce ($22), and the Cod Fish ‘Otah’ in Coconut ($16.80)—creamy otah paste served in an actual coconut husk. For groups keen on sharing, definitely get the King Prawns and Fragrant Rice in Rich Seafood Broth ($38)—an expert take on pao fan with premium crustaceans swimming in piping hot broth and rice. A sprinkling of crispy rice grains on top adds some welcome crunch and completes the dish.

The new outlet arrives just in time for the festive period too. So for anyone caught off-guard and looking for last-minute reunion dinner plans in town, you know where to go.

Jumbo Seafood ION Orchard is located at #04-09, ION Orchard, and is open from 11:30am-10:30pm daily. More information here.