Adorable name, good food.
If anyone were to ask me what my favourite food is, I have long decided that it would be crabs. The crustacean.
Had a long weekend during the Thaipusam holiday, so I took the opportunity to visit a close friend in Singapore. Long story short, I am from Muar, almost only 3 hours away from Singapore by car, but I decided to take a flight from KL instead. Which means I drove 2 hours to KL to catch a one hour flight because I wanted to go Changi Airport. It wasn’t hailed as one of the best airports in the world for nothing, right?! I needed to see what the hype was about. Enough of that anyway.
We went for dinner on the first night, settling with Dancing Crab after some steamboat place on the rooftop of Vivo City had a massive one hour wait. But let me just say are all Singaporean restaurants awesome or what? That steamboat place has a free manicure service while you wait for your turn. WHO DOES THAT?! Call me a jakun but I have never been handed a FREE manicure service while I wait for my turn to eat. USING OPI PRODUCTS OK. Singapore no cut cost one.
We ended up in Dancing Crab anyway because we were freaking hungry and though the manicure was tempting, food was a must to grumbling, growling bellies. Still had to wait, but at least they have a nice seating corner and a wait time of only 15 minutes, which according to that friend was the shortest wait time for a popular place. EVER. Singaporeans queue for everything apparently.
The ambience was nice, the decor immaculate. They had fake crabs on the roof and a net decor around the restaurant to prove just how serious they are in this business. Prices here are on the higher range, but don’t ask me about how much everything was. My friend paid for the meal. Teehee.
We ordered a Sampler Platter and two Sri Lankan crab set or something to that effect. I left the ordering to my friend. I was just waiting to eat like a vulture.
They call it a Sampler Platter, but they may have served giants before.
The Sampler Platter comes with a corn bread, some Calamari rings, fried mushrooms, cauliflower and lady’s finger, two crab cakes and six fried chicken wings and drummets with accompanying sauces. Everything was pretty good, but the sauce takes the cake. It was so delicious we dipped everything in it and ordered two extras.
Then, the highlight came.
Two huge Sri Lankan crabs in their mild signature Dancing Crab sauce accompanied by prawns, clams, corn and some other bits of no recollection. Crabs can get lonely on a huge table.
Imagine my delight when this dish arrived. I could hardly contain myself. If you’re wondering why are there no plates that’s because it was not served on one. They pour it on the table in all its glory without the unnecessary constraints of a plate people use in civilised environment. Because you don’t need one when it comes to crabs. Tables are lined with new plastic each time for hygiene purposes and common sense.
This. Is. The. Best. Sri. Lankan. Crab. I. Have. Ever. Tasted. The BEST. Not the best way of cooking it but the freshest, most luxurious bite into sweet, thick meat that falls right off the exoskeleton (see ma, I know my biology). Every crevices are filled with huge chunks of meat you can pull right out and it remains intact with all the sweet, sweet revenge on that one baby crab that pinched you on the beach some day in your past. The taste is pure buttery goodness with a firm yet soft bite that is utterly satisfying. Every moment with that crab was a head shaking, eyes closing, saliva inducing moment for someone as passionate about crabs as me. The crustacean. Albeit being a ‘mild’ variant, the chilli was as spicy as your grandma’s sambal belacan when she made it with a temper. So be warned that a mild is a spicy, and a ‘spicy’ is probably tongue-numbing.
Look Ma! I made a claw!
Forgive my dirty fingers and very shiny happy face of delight at my claw being intact. My point is, it was that fresh. My other point is they have plastic bibs that you can choose not to wear if you want your wife or your mum (shame) to give you perfect dagger stares and a whole lot of nyeh nyeh nyeh the next few days. Put the bib on and protect your dignity. Everyone was doing it it wasn’t weird.
And that concludes the best treat of a meal I have ever had in Singapore. Recommended? Definitely. Will go again? Yes, if Papa’s paying. Will I go with my own money? Ehh…probably, if I have money to spare and a will power to not buy all the skincare in the world for at least half a year.
Till next time then!
Alicia.
It's a wordplay. 