Friday, May 02, 2014

Dancing Crab @ Singapore's Old Turf Club (The Grandstand aka the Old Turf City)

I am not known to be a clubber but when one of my friends heard i am going to the Dancing Crab; his immediate response was "New club? Where ah? Got chiobu?" 

NO, my dear, clubbing crazy friend, "Dancing Crab" is one of the newest seafood restaurants to hit the over-saturated food industry in Singapore! By the way, i am way past the clubbing age! 

The Gang of Four was initially keen to try out Crab in Da Bag although a fellow friend's recommendation for Dancing Crab, which came strong and convincing, was eventually the deciding factor for our abrupt change. 

I shall save the crap (pun intended) for later and bombard all of you with pictures of the food we had yesterday; a virgin experience that could only be described as over-indulgence!

Anyway, the first thing you should do is to proceed to the hand wash station to clean your hands! You are right, there isn't any cutlery and you are required to eat using your bare hands! If being barbaric is not your cup of tea, too bad! 

Cornbread
This was hard to stomach and that's my general verdict when it comes to any cornbread; so it could be just me. I would prefer the soft and fluffy madeleines from DB Bistro anytime! To be fair, Mrs Kon loves them!

Truffle Fries
Featuring skinny fries that had the added benefit of being crispier than other types of fries, they proved to be irresistible given the comfortable hint of truffle oil! I am not so impressed with the dips provided for our snacks though; most were bland tasting. 

Crab Cakes
Most of us in Singapore were disappointed when we had our first taste of so called crab cakes that didn't appear to have any crab meat! To be honest, it would make better sense for those operators to have a normal cake shaped like the beloved crustacean; it would have made felt less cheated! 

However, this was strongly recommended by my friend who suggested Dancing Crab (yes, Clarence, that's you i am talking about).

Boy were we surprised by the hot filling that was oozing with loads of crab meat! The flavour wasn't as sweet as i thought crab meat should be even though it was still a mouthful of satisfaction compared to the lacklustre ones we had so far.

Atlantic Cod Fish and Chips
Despite the firm endorsement from my friend, i thought it was a tad too expensive for two small servings of fried fish with a handful of fries and salad.

The oil that spurted out as i took a bite should have been an anti-climax moment but this was cod fish for goodness sake! Rich in omega 3 fatty acids, it was as delicious and as yummy as all cod fish are! 

Combo Bag #1
The star of the meal was finally on our table; bagged up and served in a plain looking metal pot that grandma used to use as a water scoop for the well in our old kampong house. 

Open up the bag and be prepared for the puff of spicy aroma and an enticing display of seafood ranging from crabs to mussels to prawns! 

Three types of sauce were available; namely dancing crab signature (mild, spicy or extra spicy), herb butter and buerre blanc. Don't need to guess which one we choose; the signature it shall be (mild one though, since Alex cannot really take spiciness).

Seafood is seafood; freshness is what that matters most! On the account of freshness, disappointment wasn't in the dictionary and it's super rare to have the Gang quietly enjoying the food! 

The mess that was expected. The spiciness wasn't the sambal balachan type Asians are more accustomed to; i thought it was more similar to the cajun chilli pepper type that has a numbing effect! Buffalo wings lovers would like the kind of chilli used here! 

Compared to the dips given for our snacks, the mildly spicy dancing crab signature sauce would have been a much better alternative! Save a bit of your truffle fries and dip them for that extra oomphness! 

Notwithstanding the food we had so far, our tummies were literally crying for more!! So, we did the most logical thing; we ordered a second bag.... 

Herbs and Butter! Must try a different one mah. 

What's in combo bag #1 that cost S$80 for each bag? 1 good sized Sri Lankan crab, 300 grams of prawns, 250 grams of mussels, potatoes, corns and sausages! 

It's not easy resisting the buttery fragrance! Do note that unlike the dancing crab signature sauce, the herbs and butter left in the bag at the end of the meal was a scene of greasiness that brought me back to reality; damn, how to control my cholesterol like that!?

=====

Location
200 Turf Club Road, 
#01-20/21, The Grandstand

How to go?
Most motorists would know where it is, since parking is free and there is a huge Giant hypermarket where we can shop in a relaxing manner. For those who don't drive, check out the shuttle bus services at the following link; 
http://thegrandstand.com.sg/shuttlebus-schedule.aspx

Opening Hours
Tuesdays to Fridays and Eves of Public Holidays
- 5pm to 10.30pm

Saturdays to Sundays and Public Holidays
- 11.30am to 3pm 
- 5pm to 10.30pm

Mondays
- Closed

Price
Cornbread - S$5.00
Truffle Fries - S$7.00
Crab Cakes - S$13.00
Atlantic Cod Fish and Chips - S$22.00
Combo Bag #1 - S$80.00 each
[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Menu 
As above

Additional Information
Wear the plastic aprons provided for free! It would save you from unnecessary embarrassment! Alex didn't want to wear it and he was the first person to have the spice-soaked crab landing on his crotch! Haha.

There was a reason why we were so game to have another order of combo bag #1. There was a 30% discount for ala carte items (except for drinks) and we figure that just one crab in Asian seafood restaurants like Seafood Paradise would have already commanded a price around the range of a combo bag #1 after discount! 

Note: promotion ends by 04 May 2014 (in two days time) and you are required to show that you have "liked" the facebook page of Dancing Crab! Hurry, the page is https://www.facebook.com/dancingcrabsg.

No comments:

Post a Comment