By Joel Conceicao
Laksa, chicken rice, nasi lemak – these are quintessential Singaporean dishes. They’re the sorts of foods you find in tourist books. Locals love them. Foreigners want to try them. And they’re pretty much an integral part of the Singaporean identity. Chilli crab arguably belongs to this exclusive category.
The famous crustacean dish, usually drizzled in viscous, tomato-based chilli sauce, has found a new purveyor in the heart of Bugis, specifically at Tan Quee Lan Street. Introducing HolyCrab.
Ignore the clichéd pun that is its name, because this new restaurant is serious about serving up the best crab dishes in town – a tall order in competitive Singapore. The owner, Elton Seah, started HolyCrab as a private dining service in his own home. People liked it, and one of them was Jamie Lim, owner of the neighbouring Joo Bar.
The two joined forces to set up shop, and the rest as they say is history. Over here, diners can expect unique variations of their favourite crab dishes. There’s the Green Chilli crab ($9/100g), a cheeky play on our red chilli crab. The Thai-inspired dish comprises of green chilli sauce and deep-fried lemongrass.
I personally enjoyed the green chilli crab. I got a fascinating perspective of the crustacean, and it was a welcome change to the red chilli crab that I’ve happily devoured for years. My colleague, Pailin, on the other hand, felt that it was unusual but worth a try – so obviously it’s a dish that divides opinion.
However, both of us agreed that the Orgasmic Crab ($9/100g) – a la salted egg yolk, was excellent. Slathered in a delicious blend of evaporated milk and melted butter, the Orgasmic Crab is one of those feel good dishes that you wish were under a magical spell where it never finishes. It was that addictive.
The Peppa Crab ($9/100g), which is a spin on the white pepper crab dish, is for diners who prefer something light in flavour. I liked it, especially when it came to mopping up the peppery broth with fluffy mantou. Pailin enjoyed it too, although she mentioned she preferred the black pepper version.
But perhaps the most novel flavour we tried was the Balsamic Crab. Inspired by hairy crabs and the use of vinegar, and how Italians like to dip their bread in balsamic vinegar, this dish had the most peculiar combination of sour, sweet, and savoury. Pailin fell in love with it. I found it a little too pungent.
Other dishes over here include Succumb to Mee – Fried Clam Bee Hoon ($15) which had just about the right amount of wok hei, and the Hooked on Me – a Hokkien Mee-inspired dish that had way too much of it. The cheesy names aside, these are some of the options to fill your stomach if you find that eating just crabs isn’t filling enough.
Of course, you’ve got your classic crab dishes to go for here as well, like the standard chilli crab or black pepper crab. But if you’d like to switch things up a little, or to really just experience how crab can be cooked in different ways, then HolyCrab will be right up your alley.
And with the option to order booze from Joo Bar, this tiny joint may just very well carve a permanent place for itself in Singapore’s crab crazy market.
HolyCrab is located at 2 Tan Quee Lan Street, #01-03, 188091. Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 10pm; Sunday, 6pm to 10pm. Tel: 84442722
For more information, visit holycrab.sg.
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