Seafood lovers are going to be pampered this season – Hairy Crabs are back! Their luscious meat and golden roe takes centerstage at Hai Tien Lo, Pan Pacific where Executive Chef Lai Tong Ping has specially crafted eight a la carte dishes (from S$6.80/serving) and a six-course prix fixe menu (S$188/person) from now till 29 November 2015.
Every dish has one focus, which is to bring out the natural sweetness of the seafood. He does so by boosting those flavours by pairing the fresh crab meat with prawns or lobsters, in a distinctively Cantonese style. Dumpling lovers like me will love the Poached Dumplings with Fresh Prawns, Hairy Crab Meat and Roe in Chilli Oil or the Steam Minced Pork Dumplings with Hair Crab Meat and Roe (xiao long baos) as starters.
Those wanting to dig straight into the roe can go for the Steam Whole Hairy Crab with Perilla Leaves. Best paired with a cup of Fresh Ginger Tea with Lemongrass, it presents the hairy crab and all its roe at its best. You know what, I’ll just let the picture do that talking. (And, you don’t have to worry about getting your hands dirty as the servers will prepare the crabs for you!)
Another dish to look forward to will be the Braised Bean Curd with Prawns, Hairy Crab Meat and Crab Roe. The pillowy soft bean curd (freshly made in-house) is soaked in a rich, golden crab roe gravy. Either lick the plate clean or pour this over a steaming bowl of white rice, because – trust me – you wouldn’t want to waste a single drop.
The best dish, and probably the most worth it, is the Stewed Fragrant Rice with Hairy Crab and Pearl Mushrooms.
It is a huge portion that serves up to four, and features everything the hairy crab has to offer in that very broth. Not only is the flavour of the roe soaked into every grain of rice, you also get to enjoy it fresh from the crab itself.
This is only the tip of the ice berg as the six-course menu also comes with Seafood with Bamboo Pith, Hairy Crab Met and Roe in Thick Broth and Stewed Ee-fu Noodles with Crab Meat and Enoki Mushrooms. It also includes a choice from a list of the Chef’s signature desserts such as Liu Sa Bao, Chilled Cream of Avocado with Coconut Ice Cream and more.
The seasonal menu will be available during lunch and dinner, with the six course menu priced at S$188/person with a minimum of two diners. The a la carte items will start from S$6.80/serving to S$78 for the whole crab.
