Umami-rich Marmite Crabs |
Crispy deep-fried soft-shell crabs |
With 10 - yes, 10! - types of crab dishes available, you can gorge yourself silly for only RM85 nett per person. Now isn't that a tasty deal that's simply too irresistible for words?
Simple but sumptuous Steamed Crabs |
The gigantic fresh meat crabs were no match for the hungry hordes who dug in with gusto that Saturday night we went. Right on the get-go, every crab part in sight was grabbed, cracked and crunched
thoroughly to extract that sweet, firm meat. Oh, the spread also includes a King Neptune's treasure trove of fish, prawns, clams and oysters
prepared in every imaginable way but nothing could steal the spotlight away from the meat and flower crab dishes.
Buttering you up with lots of Crabs with Butter Sauce |
Honestly, the Steamed Crabs with Egg
White which best captures the crustaceans delicate, inherent sweetness during our sneak preview didn't fare as well on the buffet but the freshness was at least clear and discernible.
I missed the jus that pooled at the bottom of our crab dish that; coupled with the smooth custardy
egg white it was out of this world.
The rich, creamy Butter Meat Crabs also floated our boat on the preview night. Bursting with strong, piquant
aroma of curry leaves and mild spice flavour, the freshly extracted crab meat was da bomb when eaten together with pieces of fluffy soft mantou soaked in the
unctuous sauce. When cooked in large portions, the sauce was a spread a little too thin although you can still taste the creamy richness.
Tantalising Sweet & Sour Crabs |
Coming in at third place is the Fried Crab
with Marmite Sauce -- a full-bodied, umami-rich creation with dark,
slick and savoury lacquer-like sauce which emphasises the natural sweetness of
those meaty crabs.
Kicking things up a notch or two are Fried
Chilli Meat Crabs and Kam Heong Crabs. Both robust preparations are likely to
set your tastebuds a-tingling and derive great enjoyment from that chunks of sweet crabmeat.
Personally, I find the Fried Meat Crab with
Salted Egg a tad gritty for my liking but for those big on seafood crusted with
salted egg yolk crumbs, this will certainly hit the spot. More well-rounded
with a nice balance of tangy-sweet-brininess is the Sweet and Sour Meat Crabs.
Wreathed with eggy wisps, more mantou won't go remiss for this particular dish.
Top: Flower Crabs Masak Lemak (Bottom) Fried Blue Flower Crabs with Chilli & Spices |
Nods to local influences come in the form of Blue Flower Crab Masak Lemak Nenas and Fried
Blue Flower Crab with Chilli & Spices. For me, the big, bold and lusty meat crabs already stole the
thunder so I'd leave you to draw your own conclusions on the two dishes. Also the Deep-fried Soft Shell Crabs seem like a non-event unless you're
too lazy to tackle all that shelling.
Every table is presented to a whole steamed fish...much as we appreciated the extra fringe benefit, it was such a pity that the dish was "lost at sea". Diners were just too distracted to care much for the fish. Of course, the extensive buffet will also
tempt you with everything from hot and cold appetisers to soup and salads as
well as delectable mains such as Fried Yee Mee with Crabmeat, Baked Crab
Pudding, Tom Yam Crab Noodles and Baked Salmon with Crabmeat Cream Sauce at the
cravery station among others. And we haven't dive into the plethora of dessert
and freshly squeezed juices yet.
Call Chatz Brasserie, tel: 03-2147 0088 for
reservations now as places are filling up fast!