SIN: Crab at Bay Seafood Restaurant

Guinness pork ribs, anyone?

Crab bee hoon (lit. rice vermicelli) is a truly Singaporean dish that's started gaining popularity since around 2007. While I've never been to Ming Kee Live Seafood, which is said to be the pioneer of the dish, I had a good one at Crab at Bay Seafood Restaurant. Both are located along MacPherson Road.

I had an awesome pigging out session with my friends.

Appetiser & Condiments

While deciding on what to order, we munched on sweet braised peanuts and tangy pickled green guava slices. For the condiments, there were soy sauce with red chili slices and chili sauce that was spicy enough for my liking.

Butter Sotong (Small) S$18.00

Taste: 8/10

The squid rings were adequately fresh, covered in crispy batter that wasn't overly thick. Sitting on a bed of sautéed onion and leek slices that were naturally sweet, they were cooked with melted butter that was really aromatic, but I felt that they could be more generous with it.

Salted Egg Fish Skin Kailan S$24.00

Taste: 8/10

What I like about the restaurant is the availability of combo platters to make up for the variety of dishes. The crispy fish skins coated with salted eggs were pretty rich, but I've had better ones elsewhere. The stir-fried kailan (Chinese broccoli) was executed well with those leafy greens retaining their crunch and moisture.

Double Platter S$30.00

Taste: 8/10

Comprising smoked duck slices and Guinness spare ribs, the latter being one of the restaurant's specialties, the other combo platter that we ordered was satisfying. The smoked duck was tender and fragrant, while the spare ribs were sticky and moist. The Guinness marinade was good, but I thought it could be just a bit less sweet.

Sri Lankan Crab Braised Bee Hoon Seasonal Price

Taste: 8.5/10

The Sri Lankan crabs were priced at S$6.80 per 100 g for the day, thus our 1.4 kg crab with braised bee hoon set us back by S$95.20. It was a delight to slurp the bee hoon that was smooth and mildly savoury, which accentuated the mild sweetness of the crab. I was hoping that the crab meat would be even springier though, but no complaints there.

Coconut Jelly (Slice) S$1.50

Taste: 8/10

As I was the only one who'd like to try the coconut jelly, I ordered a slice for myself. Made from natural coconut water added with a bit of sugar, the jelly was mildly sweet. It also came with real coconut flesh that was neither young nor too old.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 8/10

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Overall: 7/10

While the food was good, the lady owner doesn't seem friendly. Thankfully, the staff members were alright. Pika's advice: For something unique, you may want to try their Frog Legs with Chicken Essence. Yes, that's Brand's Chicken Essence for you. I apologise for forgetting to take note of the price of the dish.

Crab at Bay Seafood Restaurant

548 MacPherson Road

Singapore

(Daily: 11.00am - 2.00pm, 5.00pm - 10.30pm)

http://www.crabatbay.com/

*Prices quoted are subject to 7% GST.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)