芙蓉烧蟹 - From Seremban & Said to Be Famous for Grilled Crabs @ Johor Bahru in Malaysia

I am usually not drawn to new eateries but when I was taking GRAB from Johore's immigration custom to KSL shopping mall; this new building at the corner of a junction drew my attention! 

Aside from the factory-like setting with high ceiling and big-ass fans, it was its name that got me curious; Seremban grilled crabs. I love the grilled crabs from Singapore's Happy Crab and Crabman and I wondered if they would be cheaper in Malaysia! 

Unlike the ones in Singapore, the variety sold here was a lot wider and functioned more like a full fledged seafood, tze char restaurant that was popular in Seremban, a Malaysian city near Kuala Lumpur. I shall share the menu at the end of this post for reference purposes. 

Setup after ordering - fried wanton skin (nice), a bowl of homemade chilli (more on this later), hot water for our utensils and most importantly, tissues in a box! In Singapore, eateries would have commonly charged us for wet tissues. 

Chrysanthemum Pu Er Tea - chargeable at RM 5.00 a person. The ethnic Chinese believes that when we eat sinful food, we should drink tea to wash down all the bad things. Furthermore, plain tea is still better than sweetened drinks.

Dragon Chives Vegetables - lightly stir fried, this unique vegetables tasted refreshing and perfectly cooked. I have had instances whereby they were either overcooked (too soft and limp) or undercooked (well, too hard of a texture with bitterness).

Furong Omelette - I am hardly adventurous even when it comes to tze char dishes. Unless there are key signature dishes, I am good with 'regulars' like the furong omelette as I would have eaten enough to compare the differences.

Honestly, this had the trademarks of a good furong omelette; oily, fluffy insides, crisp edges, slightly sweeter taste and with ingredients like char siew, prawns and onions. What missed the mark was that the omelette was a tad too salty.

Signature Wantan Mee - in Chinese, the words "sheng mian" wouldn't have motivated me to order. But this was said to be the signature and I guess a small plate shall make do for us to try.

After taking a bite, my friend said this was likely fried with pork lard. My taste buds couldn't discern but one thing for sure; it was amazingly delicious! And yes, I did find tiny pieces of crispy pork lard, absolutely delightful.

Remember the chilli; time to put it to use, although it was a nice complement to the furong omelette too. It's a 'package' anyway, with vegetables, eggs and noodles.

I must tell you - the chilli was so good; I was tempted to buy one bottle back home. It was like a pandora's box, releasing a perfect amalgamation of flavors that romanticized the taste buds; creamy, zesty, spicy yet with a touch of sweetness! Goes well with anything! 

Grilled Crabs - now on the star for the show! Yes, they appeared similar to what I had at Happy Crab and Crabman although I can still a stickier layer on the shells. Key difference was of course the price; two of these cost RM 130 (about S$40) whereas one in Singapore would have been priced between S$40 and S$50.

Frankly, the layer of sticky sauce was thick and the result was an over-saltiness when your fingers were all smeared with the sauce. In addition, the sauce crusted up when cold and made it harder for me to crack the shells further to get to the meat.

Meat wise, it wasn't not bad. Just that it was a bit dried, especially the meat in the legs, which made it difficult to dig out the meat. p.s. the chilli sauce was a must and I wondered if I should have ordered for steamed crabs instead. 

Messy state of the crabs after dissection! 

I had to kowtow to my friend; he painstakingly removed all the crab meat from his crab, topped his plain rice and then drizzled with the homemade chilli sauce. The look itself was a winner and the expression on his face said it all. Pity I am too impatient for that. Haha. 

=====

For S$40 for two crabs, I am not complaining. However, I am not that impressed with their grilled crabs as compared to the rest of the dishes which were a lot more memorable. Both the signature wantan mee and homemade chilli sauce are keepers! 

Address

323, Tebrau Hwy, Taman Century, 

80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

12pm to 12am

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Chrysanthemum Pu Er Tea - RM 5.00

Dragon Chives Vegetables (S) - RM 15.00

Furong Omelette (S) - RM 15.00

Signature Wantan Mee (S) - RM 12.00

Grilled Crabs - RM 130.00

(Subject to Service Charge)