Hairy Crabs with a Twist at Royal Pavilion
It's Hairy Crab season again, have you had your fix yet?
Image reproduced with permission from Royal Pavilion at Park Regis Hotel
From now till mid November, Royal Pavilion at Park Regis Hotel is serving 5 types of Hairy Crab dishes which include 2 contemporary creations that I think are a refreshing change from the usual classics. When I was invited to sample the Hairy Crab menu at Royal Pavilion, I wasn't expecting to sample Hairy Crab done in so many different ways.
Chilled Live Prawns served with Sour Plum Sauce
We started with a chilled appetizer of firm prawns that rested on a bed of black fungus, yellow capsicum and wild mountain yam. The sour plum sauce that had been used to toss the salad provided an interesting contrast to the sweetness of the prawns. Worth a try if you love sour plum flavours.
Steamed Hairy Crabs with Perilla Leaf @ S$60++ per crab
The first of the five types of Hairy Crab dishes to be served was the classic Steamed Hairy Crab with Perilla Leaf. Ever since my encounter with a live crab in Shanghai, I've become ever so conscious of how crabby these crustaceans look.
Check out the golden roe in this Hairy Crab
Hairy Crabs are prized for their lusciously creamy roe and sweet, tender flesh. These pint-sized crabs require loads of patience or skill to remove the delicate flesh from the shell.
Thankfully, the friendly staff were eager to help us prep the crabs, probably to avoid having us inadvertently toss crabby bits across the table.
Hairy Crab all prepped to eat. Mine, mine, all mine! :P
Here's my plate of Hairy Crab, all prepped and ready to eat. Steamed Hairy Crab is traditionally served with a black vinegar dip, which I feel overwhelms the natural sweetness of the crab. I prefer to eat the crab on its own or with some Chinese Wine as I feel that the fragrant rice wine helps to enhance the delicate sweetness of the crab without an acerbic tang. Hairy Crabs are classified as a "cooling" food, hence they're served with "heaty" Chinese Wine or Ginger Tea for balance. This is a Must-Try if you've never had a traditionally prepped Hairy Crab.
Stewed Live Marble Goby with Whole Garlic in Oyster Sauce
A lovely aroma filled the room when the fish was brought into the room in a sizzling claypot. The fish was tender and juicy. I loved the nuttiness of the roasted garlic and the umami-rich flavour of the oyster sauce. A Must-Try!
Steamed Hairy Crab with Egg White and Chinese Wine @ S$68++ per crab
Steamed Hairy Crab with Egg White and Chinese Wine is also another traditional way of cooking crabs in Chinese cuisine.
My half of the Steamed Hairy Crab with Egg White and Chinese Wine
We were glad that they were giving half a crab each from this point on as five whole Hairy Crabs would have busted my quota for a few years. I loved the velvety smooth egg white custard, the fragrant and nutty flavour of the Chinese Wine that enhanced the delicate flavours of the Hairy Crab. Best savoured with some aged Shaoxing Wine, this is a Must-Try.
Flambéed Drunken Hairy Crab served with Superior Herbal Soup @ S$68++ per crab
A variation of Drunken Prawns, I was quite intrigued to find Flambéed Drunken Hairy Crab on the menu. The herbal soup that was served with the crab was pretty heavy on the herbs so it was a little too bitter for some of my dining companions but I felt it was bearable. I guess I've gotten quite used to a heavy herbal flavour after years of drinking my mum's herbal soups. The crab had a slight herbal flavour (mostly Dang Gui aka female Ginseng) after having been cooked in the soup. This is worth a try if you like Chinese Herbs.
Look at the flames dancing on the sea saltI love Salt Baked Crab and Salt Baked Fish, so I was rather thrilled at the prospect of savouring the Flambéed Hairy Crab with Sea Salt. Served in a claypot and buried in a bed of sea salt, some wine was flambéed and poured over the sea salt.
Flambéed Hairy Crab with Sea Salt @ S$68++ per crab
The natural umami flavour and sweetness of the succulent crab flesh was enhanced by the sea salt that bore a hint of smokiness from the wine that had been flambéed over it. I think you should try this instead of the traditional steamed crab if you can only choose to have one Hairy Crab this season. This is a Must-Try!
Baked Hairy Crab with Wild Mushroom and Sake in Japanese Style @ S$68++ per crab
This was pretty popular amongst my dining companions for the subtle Japanese-inspired flavours. I wasn't a fan of the Baked Hairy Crab because of the sweetness of the Mirin that had been added to the sauce. This is worth a try if you'd like to try Hairy Crab done in Japanese style.
Royal Pavilion's Hairy Crab Promotion ends in the middle of November so try their new seasonal creations before they disappear.
Royal Pavilion Level 1, Park Regis Singapore, 23 Merchant Road, Singapore 058268 Phone: +65 6818 8851 Email: reservation@rpguandi.com Website: www.royalpavilionguandi.com Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm & 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm daily PS: Thank you, Royal Pavilion and 37 Communications, for the hospitality.