The best crab beehoon restaurant in Singapore may be filled to overflowing daily, but the management of the place has not forgotten that the customer comes first -- unlike the stuck-up attitude of other popular and famous restaurants, says STOMPer Tanjiak.

He was at Melben Seafood in Ang Mo Kio last night to indulge in the delicious claypot crab beehon. He and his friend saw a large crowd queuing and thought that the wait would be long.

Tanjiak wanted to give up and go to another place for dinner but was assured by his friend that the customer service at Melben ensures a short waiting time.

He saw that the queue for walk-in customers was orderly and organised because of red tape laid out prominently. Even while in the queue, he had a waitress hand him a menu. She took down his order while he was in the queue.

There was a separate queue for those who had made reservations. Such orderly queuing is not usually found in neighbourhood eating places.

When he was seated, he was handed a card by the waitress which informed him of the possible waiting duration.

The food arrived well before the time indicated. And, of course, the crab was delicious.

The waitresses were responsive and alert. Even the Ah Soh clearing the dishes chipped in and helped to take orders. What more can one ask from a restaurant?

One tiny peeve though: It was only 9 pm, but the restaurant had already ran out of chilli padi, which Tanjiak swears by when taking his meals.