Wednesday, March 26, 2014

GET CRACKING AT CRAB FACTORY

Searing hot, tart and salty accents raced across our tongues and caused us to break out into a sweat the minute we had a dose of the Death Valley hot sauce. Just the vapours emanating from the bag of steamed prawns in that lethal sauce alone left our eyes tearing and throats rasping.
 
But that is exactly what made getting down and dirty at PJ's latest crab restaurant - Crab Factory Original Louisiana Boil such fun. Forget about dining utensils and tableware; brace yourselves for a fun albeit messy hands-on affair with back-to-basic serving style i.e. pour the food out onto plastic sheet-covered tables.
No need to mind your Ps and Qs here as the Crab Factory invites you to embrace the no-frills simplicity yet unrestrained robustness of Creole and Cajun cooking where casual backyard seafood boils are the norm rather than the exception.
 
This novel dining experience from Louisiana - the home of Jazz and Blues struck such a resonant chord with T.Y. Ooi and her pals after their adventurous road trip to the U.S. that they decided to replicate it for fellow Malaysians. Decked in industrial chic elements and rustic wood accents, the brightly-lit restaurant evokes a laidback casualness that puts diners instantly at ease.
While perusing the menu, nibble on irresistible starters such as crispy House Fried Baby Squid (available in Garlic or Cajun flavours, RM10.90) and Southern Chicken Wings (Garlic or Cajun). Both are incredibly addictive thanks to their crunchy batter coating that's either garlicky or zingy hot.
 
 
I can't put my finger on it but there's something about Gumbo that I like. Laden with rice, beans, corn, shredded chicken and sausage, the heartwarming Southern broth had me slurping up to the last spoonful.
If you have kids in tow, the Pollock Fish Fingers with Garlic Fries would be a surefire hit. Bite into the light batter coating and be rewarded with sweet, flaky white fish that went like a dream with the house made mayo dip.
 
 
Conversation literally ceased the minute we were inundated by bags of king crabs, yabbies, meat crabs, Japanese snails, prawns and mussels in quick succession. Steamed with different house sauces: zesty lemon pepper, garlic butter or Southern hot sauce, each of us inevitably found a variant or two that hit the spot. There's no charge for mild or medium hot sauce while the O'ly Crab or Death Valley hot version will incur a token charge of RM5.
 
The dining experience was unabashedly fun with everyone throwing caution to the wind and getting their hands dirty in their concentrated attempts to crack, pry open and extract the sweet, chunky morsels from shells and carapaces.
 
According to Ooi, she sources and imports the seafood for Crab Factory from different countries to ensure maximum freshness. "Depending on your choice of seafood, the items are charged according to prevailing market prices. These are listed on our menu boards for easy reference."
 
Regardless of the seafood you choose, Ooi recommends substantiating each order with some 'bag buddies' (RM4-RM7.90): chicken sausages, potatoes, corn cob and button, king or enoki mushrooms.
Crab Factory is worth a visit for those who wants a change from local seafood preparations.

CRAB FACTORY ORIGINAL LOUISIANA BOIL, 21, Jalan SS2/64, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-7865 5850. Business hours: Mon, Wed & Thurs: 3pm - 11pm, Fri, Sat &Sun: 11am - 11pm. Close on Tuesdays.

5 comments:

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

We were a small group. And were were on time for reservation. We recused the seats the staff wanted to place us as exactly in fron of door and register. Staff completely un helpful and dumb. We left the place. Suggest any small group also do the same and skip this place as they are not equiped to make the experience enjoyable. Fatty Crabs is better anyway

Alice JomMakanLife said...

@Chlas Meoi - I'm sorry to hear you had a disappointing experience at Crab Factory. The resto's space is rather limited so perhaps the staff have no choice but allocate those seats to your group? Did you pass your feedback via the resto's FB page? You can't compare Crab Factory with Fatty Crabs as both restos' cooking styles are like chalk and cheese. To each his or her own when it comes to food.

Fatink said...

Any suggestion for best halal crab restaurant?

Alice JomMakanLife said...

@Fatinnadiah - I have yet to come across a halal resto devoted to crabs but my Malay friends tell me Muhibbah Seafood Restaurant at Sg Penchala is worth checking out

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