How I Lost the Battle of the Crabs at ParkRoyal Spice Brasserie

There is a real treat for buffet-seekers and crab-lovers!  The Battle of the Crabs buffet dinner is back at Spice Brasserie, ParkRoyal on Kitchener Road from 17 September 2015, happening every Thursday to Saturday evenings. In addition to local favourites like the classical Black pepper Crab, the much-loved Salted Egg Yolk with Butter Crab, and representative Singapore Chilli Crab, Executive Chef Low Hoe Kiat has dreamt up a total of 12 different ways to serve up the freshest crustaceans for the Battle with patrons, drawing upon regional inspirations.

I am not a big fan of buffet, since I hate to overeat, and am usually selective of the buffets I go to.  However, this was an invitation I could not refuse, even if it meant losing a battle, a battle with the bulge.

How I lost the battle

12 different crab dishes – that is two more than I have fingers to count with. Besides seeking out excellent examples of classical dishes, trying out novel creations and flavours rank high on my eating priorities. Hence I was excited to taste some of the more interesting and less commonly available of Chef Low’s creations.

After trying the Thai-inspired Baby Crab Salad with Green Mango, I dispatched the local classics – the Singaporean Chilli Crab, Black Pepper Crab, Salted Egg Yolks with Butter Crab and Braised Bee Hoon Crab were all good-sized and well-executed examples of mud crab dishes much loved by Singaporeans and visitors.  The Braised Bee Hoon Crab used rice vermicelli instead of glass noodles (tang hoon) which is more commonly used.  The rice vermicelli worked as well, if not better to absorb the flavours, albeit with a softer texture compared to the springier and chewier glass noodles.

Baby Crab Salad with Green Mango. Photo © Justin Teo.

Crab Spread at Spice Brasserie. Photo © Justin Teo.

It also went without saying that buns were available for dipping into the chilli crab and salted egg yolk with butter crab sauces, which brought me to my first new favourite of the novel crab dishes – the Slow-braised Pumpkin Crab in Claypot. This dish was available behind the counter, and unlike most of the other crab dishes served on the buffet counter, it came in individual claypots. The nutty, sweet and creamy pumpkin gravy made for excellent bun dipping too, and arguably could be inducted into the permanent local menu.

One of my favourite was the Slow-braised Pumpkin Crab in Claypot. Great sauce to dip the buns with. Photo © Justin Teo.

Other interesting variations included Stir-fried Crab with Jalapeno and Fermented black beans, Stewed Kimchi Crab, Pork-floss Soft-shelled Crab, and Masala Flower Crab. The Pork-floss coated Soft-shelled Crab cooked with curry leaves proved quite popular among my tasting companions that evening, with the sweet and salty pork-floss coated crab nuggets giving up without a fight; there was no need to crack shells to extract crab meat.  Watch out for the Masala Flower Crab though, as I felt that the curry overpowered and clashed with most of the other flavours.

No extraction required with the Pork-floss Soft-shelled Crab. Photo © Justin Teo.

Strong curry flavour with the Masala Flower Crab. I suggest trying this last. Photo © Justin Teo.

The other favourite among the new dishes was the Steamed Marinated Spicy Crab with Light Sauce.  It tasted much better than its mundane-sounding name and it made working the nut-cracker worthwhile. I was surprised by how well the light sauce marinade gave the crab meat extra umami.

Crabs galore at Spice Brasserie, ParkRoyal at Kitchener Road. Photo © Justin Teo.

I’d recommend wearing something comfortable and nothing too expensive for the crab buffet since getting sprayed by crab shells is part and parcel of enjoying mud crabs. Besides providing nut-crackers to deal with the Sri Lakan crab armour, Spice Brasserie also thoughtfully provided us with disposable aprons to shield ourselves from the stray bits.

I made the mistake of finishing with the Rock Salt Crusted Crab, since I should have begun with the “cleanest” tasting dish first. Simply baking the crab this way allowed me to taste the unadulterated sweetness of the meat, although I found that it made the texture slightly dry.

Au Natural with the Rock Salt Crusted Crab. Photo © Justin Teo.

Tasting all the crabs dishes and having only taken half a crab for each flavour once, the baby crab salad and soft-shelled crab notwithstanding, I would have had taken over five whole crabs in one sitting! Given the current pricing for mud crabs, the Return of the Battle of the Crabs would be among the best value buffet available, especially for crab lovers!  In addition to the free-flow crabs, there are other seafood dishes and dessert available for the buffet. Spice Brasserie’s popular Asian Temptation Buffet is also on-going from 13 September to 13 December.

Other seafood are not to be neglected, if only you can still go on. Photo © Justin Teo.

More shellfish for you, Sir?! Photo © Justin Teo.

Meanwhile, ParkRoyal of Kitchener Road is giving away a Crab Feast buffet for 2 (3 winners)! To take part click: https://t.co/6DR6KGzneh. Contest ends on 12 Nov 2015.

UOB, DBS and Maybank Credit Card Holders enjoy the following promotion:

Spice Brasserie
Lobby Level, ParkRoyal on Kitchener Road, 181 Kitchener Road, Singapore 208533.
Tel: +65 6428 3160, email: [email protected]
Lunch: 12 noon to 2.30pm daily
Dinner: 6pm to 10pm daily