PUBLISHED September 8th, 2015 04:00 pm | UPDATED July 2nd, 2020 01:20 am
The second you walk into Crab in da Bag’s spanking-new second outlet at Stadium Walk, you’ll be loudly greeted by the service staff cheerfully hollering hellos and ahoys at you, momentarily making you wonder if you’ve somehow clambered aboard an extremely friendly ship.
Crab in da Bag’s front door.
You are promptly seated, handed a bib, and Crab in da Bag’s concept will be duly explained to you. Forget all crockery, cutlery, and table manners; you are encouraged to eat with your hands, right off the tables (look ma, no plates!) that have been lined with clean wax paper. The restaurant hopes you’ll be far too busy licking your fingers to fiddle with your phone, and that way you’ll be able to really relish both the food and the company around you.
Crispy Chewy Baby Squids
Well, after being bibbed and briefed we got down to business; we loved the starters of Crinkled Cauliflower ($8) and Crispy Chewy Baby Squids ($12). The gloriously deep-fried, perfectly seasoned, bite-sized Cauliflower florets were addictive, and we almost couldn’t stop popping pieces into our mouths. But we had to move on to the star of the show, the magnificent array of seafood.
Think Clams and Tiger Prawns to the huge Boston Lobsters or Sri Lankan Crabs paired with your choice of the restaurant’s many sauces, including a delicious Louisiana Garlic Butter and a spicy, satisying Ultimate Curry. Most of the seafood arrive, as the establishment’s name suggests, in a clear plastic bag (making it convenient for mixing up the seasoning and disposal after you’re done), which is then expertly split open by the servers, revealing the goodness within.
Eat with your hands!
We wound up with Tiger Prawns paired with Salty Splash ($26), an East-Meets-West seasoning mix of salted egg with Louisiana herbs and spices – definitely our pick of a very delicious meal. The prawns arrived doused in a spectacular rich, eggy, incredibly flavourful sauce, and it was fun (and curiously satisfying) to pick up and peel each crustacean with messy, sticky fingers! The Venus Clams in Ultimate Curry ($21) were also divine, the taste of aromatic curry leaves and spicy chili padis coating the clams to perfection.
But there was one more mammoth item left to savour. Crab in da Bag’s massive Titanic Pot ($299), a giant vessel filled with, among other things, 2 Sri Lankan Crabs, a Boston Lobster, Tiger Prawns, Mussels, Clams, Corn on the Cob, and Bratwurst Sausages, all boiled with a secret blend of herbs and spices. It feels a tad overpriced, but it’s ideal for sharing and the way it’s served will certainly make dinner memorable.
The giant pot is drained and hauled to you, after which you stand and watch in anticipation while all the contents are tipped directly onto your table, spreading out in a magnificent smorgasbord of seafood succulence. The pot also comes with three delicious dipping sauces, including a spicy, fresh-tasting Thai Green Bird dip that set both our tongues and hearts on fire. Lovely.
Crab in da Bag’s massive pot contents.
If there was one underwhelming note, after so much amazing food, it would be the desserts. Crab in da Bag has an extremely limited selection of sweets. We tried ‘Love Boat'($5), a slice of honeydew with red jelly perched on top, which looked pretty but wasn’t satisfying. Nonetheless, this would be the tiniest of quibbles after a delicious seafood spread. Crab in da Bag already has a successful establishment over at Big Splash; it’s great to see consistency and great taste being preserved in their new outlet at Stadium Walk.
If you liked this article, check out our other posts 5 Restaurants for Hairy Crab and Seafood Galore at Kopi Tiam.