Holycrab @ Tan Quee Lan - Have You Tried Balsamic, Green Chilli Flavoured Crab Dishes

Started out as a private dining enterprise for seven years, chef-owner Elton Seah has finally decided to open his first physical restaurant - Holycrab at Tan Quee Lan Street. Not just food to fill up tummy and satisfy your appetite, Chef Elton wants these crabs to be bonding tools as well. When conventional meals tend to be short and unengaging, giving diners the opportunity to play with mobile phones, he reckons that crabs can actually keep our hands away from all these distractions as we dig in. Picking every strand of the meat off the shell, each meal seemingly last a lot longer as well. Crabs here are identified by each of its unique homemade sauce - salted butter, green chilli, pink peppercorns and balsamic vinegar. You can choose the level of spiciness.

Devil's Crab 3/5

The Devil's Crab - deep-fried crab bathes in milky, buttery sauce that is sweet with a tinge of savouriness. I like the consistency of the sauce which is not too thick and certainly works better with deep-fried crab instead of steamed crab. The slightly fried edges of the meat adds on to the taste. A pinch of salt probably could be sprinkled in to tease out the butter flavour.

Green Chilli Crab 3.8/5

The Green Chilli Crab exudes the familiar flavours of Thai food which comes with homemade rempah, green chilli, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, ginger, candlenut, onion. It's almost like having Thai green curry with crab, minus the heaviness of the coconut milk. Many love it which explains why the fried Mantou are gone in seconds.

Peppa 3/5

The Peppa differentiates itself with its pretty pink peppercorns. I have yet tried enough white pepper crabs to taste the difference though. You may like the crustacean flavour in the white pepper sauce, with crab stock being part of its ingredients. No starch, the consistency of the sauce is achieved through sauce reduction.

Balsamic Vinegar Crab 4/5

My favourite would be the tangy Balsamic Vinegar Crab. As balsamic vinegar is used, it is not too acidic. It could be slightly less sweet I thought but still it is a fine execution of idea.

Succumb To Mee 3.5/5

For some hearty noodle dishes to go with your crabs, you either get Succumb To Mee ($15) or Hooked on Mee ($15). I would say both are pretty on par with wok hei nuances but my table seems to be more hooked on the chunky homemade crispy pork lard piled on the wok-fried noodles, alongside with succulent prawns and pork bellies. Deep-fried egg floss is also much-lauded here, just now that of fish soup.

Hooked on Mee 4/5

For regulars who enjoy Chef Elton's sunny personality, presence and of course his creative cooking, it might be a bit tough to get hold of him in the past as he used to take only 2 private dining reservations a week with a minimum spending. So with Holycrab, he is now more accessible. However, I feel it's a pity that his regulars could no longer make that 'personal appointment' with him as reservations now will be handled by his company which loses that personal touch. At $9/100g for each crab dish, it is not that affordable but at least you get to have a good time at this intimate restaurant.

Words and photos by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Holycrab
2 Tan Quee Lan Street
#01-03
Singapore 188091
Tel: +65 84442722
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Bugis (EW Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1115am - 2pm, 6pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Bugis MRT station. Take Exit D. Walk to Tan Quee Lan Street. Turn left onto Tan Quee Lan street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow @ Havelock Road - Passed The Baton From Father to Daughter

My previous visit to Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow was unsuccessful and I ended up have Shan Braised Duck Noodles And Rice at the same coffeeshop. This time round, I was lucky and I finally got to try the Char Kway Teow. My memory of the char kway teow here dated back to my schooling days when the stall was still run by the father. Now his daughter has taken over the stall dong the frying.

Fried Kway Teow 4/5

The plate of Fried Kway Teow ($3/$4/$5) comes with lap cheong, bean sprouts, fish cakes, egg and cockles, fried in a savoury sweet dark sauce. I could not remember how the dad's version taste anymore but I still find this above average. Much better than a lot of places. The first reaction of the char kway teow was that it actually tasted sweet. The other highlight I enjoyed about the plate of fried kway teow was the aroma of the fried egg with each bite of the noodle.

The stall is actually hidden right in a corner of the coffeeshop. If you don't pay attention, you probably would just walk passed the stall. Do listen out to the sound of wok spatula hitting against the wok, frying plate after plate of order.


Meng Kee Fried Kway Teow
Blk 22 Havelock Road
#01-669
Singapore 160022
Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 1030am - 7pm
Sun: 1030am - 4pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Tiong Bahru MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Bukit Ho Swee Link. At Bukut Ho Swee Link, turn left and walk to Jalan Bukit Ho Swee. At Jalan Bukit Ho Swee turn right and walk to Jalan Klink. Walk down Jalan Klink and look out for a staircase that goes down the slope. Take the staircase to the bottom. Turn left and follow the covered walkway to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]