Category Archives: Food Type: Chinese

Hairy Crabs at King Crab, PJ

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Tai lake hairy crabWhen it rains, it pours, so the saying goes. Days after my last crab feast, I was going to eat crabs again. Cholestrol cholestrol cholestrol, my mind repeated those words. A battle between Jekyll and Hyde ensued, but the other side won easily. My eyes glistened and my heart skipped a beat as I saw the sumptuous hairy crabs laid out before us.

Yang Cheng hairy crab

We soon found out that not all hairy crabs were created equal. It is important to know the source of the crabs, and we were also amazed to see tags on the claws of the Yang Cheng Lake hairy crabs. (So that they’ll know each other by first name? Hi. I’m Hairy. Hi. I’m Sally. Cool, let’s hook up. And that’s how Hairy met Sally.) The tags are to ensure authenticity, and they also include an SMS number (China only, I think!) for verification purposes. Technology certainly reaches the deepest jungles…errr…lakes.

hairy crab roe

As hard as I tried to differentiate the hairy crabs from the Tai Lake vs Yang Cheng Lake, I couldn’t find much obvious difference between the two. Bald Eagle, on the other hand, noticed that the Yang Cheng Lake crustaceans had creamier roe while the flesh was also sweeter. Talking about the roe, I was amazed at how creamy the roe was. They say the hairy crab roe is like caviar from the east. Priced at RM78++ and RM88++ for TL and YCL hairy crabs respectively, it looks like caviar all over the world (regardless of the origination) has to be EXPENSIVE! What price happiness, eh?

Yang Cheng hairy crab

To ensure that the roe is creamy, one must not overcook the crab. The simplest (and tastiest) preparation is to steam the crab for between 10 to 20 minutes (depending on the capability of the steamer). During this process, the crab turns a lovely golden orange.

And the taste? Every little mouthful of the velvety roe was a feeling of ecstacy (can one get high on roe??). There was also some white creamy substance that was extremely delicious. You guessed it. It was sperm.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Gives a new meaning to the word blowjob (hairy blowjob?).

Shaoxing wine with sour plum Shaoxingwine with sour plum

We were advised to dip the flesh of the crabs in ginger and vinegar sauce. This is to counteract the cooling effect from consuming the hairy crabs. Interesting, this “cooling” thing. We were also given ginger tea and a shaoxing wine/sour plum concoction that tasted strange. Imagine alcohol with a lot of salt added to it. Well, I suppose it was a worthy antidote (translated: sacrifice) to warm up my body.

Australian lobster

I thought I couldn’t go on anymore. Trust me, it can be quite tiring to eat these little buggers. BUT when the 1.5kg Australian Lobster came in, my jaw dropped. The flesh was raw, and I knew I was going to eat it sashimi-style with wasabi. I’ve always loved lobster sashimi. Too bad it’s so expensive (RM298/kg), or I’d be eating it more regularly!

vegetable soup

Those who didn’t eat it raw chose to dip it into the boiling broth containing vegetables, mushrooms and tofu. Very healthy and tasty stuff. So was the dish of the vegetables on the side. Healthy.

steamed flower crab in egg white

The flower crabs, although a little bit of an anticlimax after having eaten the hairy crabs, were absolutely delicious. The flesh was firm and sweet and it was easy to tell that these were really fresh.

Salted egg yolk squid

The salted egg yolk squid were a lot tastier this time as compared to my first experience. This time, the saltiness wasn’t overwhelming and it was nice and crunchy. Perfect with beer!

Noodles with lobster

What really got me excited was the noodles which were braised with the lobster head (smashed to bits, of course). The flavour was delicate, typical of all lobster meals. At RM25 for this dish, I thought it was good value.

tiramisu cake from Le Meridien

Dessert was Le Meridien’s tiramisu cake. Light and fluffy. Good if you’ve just had a filling meal and you don’t want any heavy dessert!

Also check out Boolicious’ , Joe’s and Precious Pea’s thoughts.

King Crab
No. 103 – 107, Jalan SS25/2,
Taman Mewah Jaya,
Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7808 2388

Note: Autumn (Oct & Nov) is the best time to savour hairy crabs. King Crab is currently having a promo (buy 5 free 1) on its hairy crabs.

Pik Wah Restaurant, KL

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Nope. I don’t think I’m quite ready to say goodbye to you.14 years is a long time to know someone. Remember when you were my flatmate and you rushed to the kitchen when you heard my piercing scream? It was my first time cleaning a fish and I didn’t know how slimy it would be, and you took over my chore because I was whimpering.

When I got married, you were not just a bridesmaid to me, but also my friend and my confidante. When I was running late for my wedding, I couldn’t answer the impatient phonecalls from my parents (didn’t they know that the wedding couldn’t take place without the bride?), so you took the mobilephone firmly from my hand because you could see that I was getting hysterical, and calmly answered all subsequent phonecalls.

We’d laugh and gossip and chat everyday over a breakfast of nasi lemak or steamed bread. “Kak, Nescafe ais dua!”, we’d take turns ordering our daily staple. It will feel strange to order just one Nescafe ais.

Pattaya style Garoupa

At your farewell luncheon at Pik Wah Restaurant, we ate quietly, whispering and conspiring, knowing what would be ordered and how it would end because all farewell luncheons were approximately the same. The Pattaya style fish would definitely be on the menu because it was a house specialty.

Suckling Pig

I fretted because the suckling pig was not on the menu. It was served at Smokin’ SOB’s farewell, and I remember its crisp skin and delicious thin slices of meat.

Braised pork trotters

But you had something else that was very good too. The braised pork trotters were delicious, although I know you don’t care much for the layer of fat. The sauce, mopped up by the sweet buns, was a delight to eat.

Pretty Pui China is but a phonecall away. I think I won’t say goodbye to you.

After all, 14 years is a long time to know someone, isn’t it?

Please name your first child after me.

Restoran Pik Wah
MABA House, Basement Level Stadium Block
6, Jalan Hang Jebat, 50150 KL.

Tel: 03-2072 3668, 2078 3668

Robson Heights Seafood Restaurant

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1.

The mechanism was already in place. Change. Inevitable change. It had become clear to me that I was moving into a different phase of my life.2.

She leaves in a week. I tease her that she will miss us, but I know that it is only to mask my impending feeling of loneliness. We used to joke that we were like nomads – moving from friend to friend; never quite settled down. I suppose we’ll all survive in our new environments. Even if it’s 3,000km away. Despite that, I’ll probably be able to hear her cackle.

3.

Tonight, the first of many “makan” sessions marks her farewell. Robson Heights Seafood Restaurant in Taman Seputeh is one of our favourite seafood restaurants even if it lacks the seaside atmosphere or the smell of the ocean. Its close proximity to the city spells convenience and brings with it a waft of fumes.

salted egg yolk crabs

The Makan Club’s closeness hinges on many things, one of which is crabs. We ordered two types of preparations. The salted egg yolk crabs (RM59) were prepared in a thick sauce that clung to the shells, the saltiness mitigated slightly by a sweetness of taste that was probably due to the addition of sugar.

crabs in3 steamed egg white and superior soup

We loved the crabs steamed with egg white and chinese wine (RM63). The crabs were really fresh and sizeable, while the flesh was naturally sweet. The steamed egg white was plain on its own, but was immediately transformed when eaten with a little wine that had simmered with the crabs. The flavour of the dish was further enhanced by the large amount of shredded ginger thrown into it.

salt baked prawns

The salt-baked (fried?) prawns (RM30) were tasty but I thought it could be a little more crispy. Despite its freshness, the dish didn’t excite me.

black-pepper udon

One of the house specialities is the fried black pepper udon (RM20). The thick, wheat noodles dish was fried with lots of black pepper and tasted a little sweetish. Despite the peppery taste that irritated my sore throat, I nevertheless thought this dish was exceptional in spite of its simplicity.

mixed vegetables

The mixed vegetables (RM15) were also very good. I loved the sweetness of the water chestnuts that contrasted well with the other flavours. Also, the contrast of the textures made the dish very enjoyable.

Pretty Pui – thank you for a lovely meal!!

Robson Heights Seafood Restaurant
10B, Jalan Permai,
Off Jalan Syed Putra, 50460 KL.

Tel: 03-2274 6216

The good people of AD may view pics HERE.