Roland Restaurant
A Marine Parade institution linked to the original family behind chilli crab.
Roland Restaurant is run by Roland Lim, whose mother Cher Yam Tian is central to the chilli crab origin story. The restaurant’s own history traces the family’s seafood roots from a Kallang River setup to Bedok Beach and the later Marine Parade restaurant. Today, Roland serves seafood, Cantonese dishes and dim sum, with signatures such as chilli crab, black sauce prawns, baby squid, chilli cockles, steamed fish and seafood hor fun. Its large Marine Parade venue is practical for banquets and family gatherings, while the food keeps a direct link to old Singapore seafood cooking.
Roland is where you go for lineage rather than waterfront gloss. The chilli crab is meaningful because the restaurant is connected to the family story behind the dish, and the menu keeps old favourites like black sauce prawns and baby squid in play. It is also easier for large family meals than many smaller heritage spots. The trade-off is the location and banquet-style room: it is not the prettiest dining room, and first-time visitors may find it less atmospheric than the famous bayfront options.
Its direct chilli crab heritage and enduring Marine Parade presence make it too important to leave out, especially for diners who care about provenance.