Review: Pet-friendly Hood by Nude serves up decent fusion seafood in Punggol

Punggol might not be the most exciting hood in Singapore when it comes to food but a recent new waterside opening piqued our interest: Hood by Nude.

The quaint little bistro is located at Waterway Point and offers al fresco seating with a good view over the waterfront and, more importantly, is pet-friendly — which means plenty of doggos!

The backstory

Admittedly, the restaurant’s name can look rather peculiar without context — Hood by Nude is the newest concept by Nude Seafood, a long-running seafood specialty outfit founded in 2014.

Unlike most seafood restaurants, Nude Seafood has an emphasis on “port-to-plate” dining, stemming from co-founder Junchen Hong’s family trade — Hai Sia Seafood, a third-generation-owned seafood wholesaler.

Compared to the original Nude Seafood outlet, located at the glitzier Marina One, Hood is a more casual and family-friendly eatery in the, well, ‘hood.

But the main draw of this casual outfit is obviously its setting — Hood by Nude is housed in a semi-al fresco pavilion perched right over the edge of the water. So, of course, the best seats in the house would be in the outdoor area, for the scenery.

The wonderful view of Punggol Waterway Park means it’s a great place to chill or just relax after a long day, be it with friends or doggos — dogs are more than welcome at Hood by Nude. 

In fact, it’s probably one of the most welcoming pet-friendly dining spots in Singapore that we know of — the owners are pet lovers who also run Taki Pets, a pet-food brand named after their beloved Shiba Inu, Taki.

Our verdict

What it’s good for

Hood by Nude’s menu showcases a medley of fusion styles that revolve around seafood, which culminates in a nice diversity in the flavours on show.

For example, there is a fleshed-out pasta section that includes a variety of styles, ranging from more classic options such as seafood aglio olio spaghettini (S$20.90) to the more outwardly fusion-style chilli crab sauce spaghettini (S$19.90).

Our choice of Hokkaido Gyoren scallop and black truffle (S$25.90) was pretty solid and nailed everything pasta lovers look for in similar cold pasta dishes.

The slender strands of capellini were springy while the ikura, tobiko, crispy seaweed, and truffle come together nicely for a simple, but umami-laden dish, tastefully accented by a subtle truffle fragrance.

Another standout was the fish & chips (S$19.90), made with barramundi encrusted in a lighter crust that’s markedly different from the usual thick batter that you might be used to seeing, but works just as well.

Each portion comes with a choice of sauce; we went for Hood by Nude’s housemade tartare and topped up for an additional umami seaweed aioli (S$1.50) — more sauce just means more fun.

Our verdict? It’s a well-done and enjoyable fish & chips, where the flesh is soft and moist while the crust is light, crispy and well seasoned. 

The sauces were not bad, but not memorable either, but we particularly enjoyed the umami zing of the umami seaweed aioli, tasting somewhat like Calbee’s seaweed-flavoured chips.

Maybe the special salted duck egg sauce (available with a top-up of S$1.50 with the dish, or S$3 a la carte) would fare a bit better?

What it could improve on

If there was one dish that was underwhelming, it was the clams, tomato lao gan ma (S$11.90) which did not live up to the billing since we, like WWE superstar John Cena, love lao gan ma chilli.

Even though the sauce was tangy and went great with the mantou buns, there was hardly any indication of that satisfying lao gan ma kick within the sauce.

Thankfully, the restaurant was not stingy with the clams and the sauce is still pretty comforting, nonetheless. 

Another dish we took issue with was the family Hokkaido Gyoren claypot rice (S$29.90) under Hood by Nude’s claypot specials category, which is similar to donabe (Japanese-style claypot rice).

Our main gripe was the squandering of sashimi-grade scallops, each piece bewilderingly dry, far from the usual lusciousness expected of quality scallops. 

That said, Hood by Nude’s take on the donabe, dry scallops aside, is probably one of the better ones around as the crunchy crust and the starchy short-grain Niigata rice made for wonderful textural contrast.

So yes, we think Hood by Nude does some things right, despite the flaws.

Moreover, given the lack of more unique restaurants in Punggol, we think residents — particularly pawrents — would still find this place a decent option, especially when it doesn’t require the hassle of travelling out of the hood.

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? The space is cosy and not too busy, though there may be occasional barking battles between doggos.

Is a reservation necessary? Lunch was pretty empty but we’re guessing it might get more crowded at night when the pawrents staying nearby are back from work. Reserve if you’re aiming to head down on weekends, for good measure.

How to get there? It’s right beside Punggol MRT station’s exit A, located at the boardwalk at Punggol Waterway Point.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on where to find the best prawn mee in Singapore and the debut of popular Taiwan brand Kebuke in Singapore!

Hood by Nude is on the GrabFood delivery service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited.

Do explore the new GrabFood Dine-in service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Hood by Nude at Punggol’s Waterway Point.