First of all, apologies for the rather long delay in posting; work suddenly got really busy and it sort of just slipped my mind, even though I'd had this post sorted out quite a while ago. Let's get down to it...
Today I'm blogging about something very close to my heart. Rather, close to my belly (if that even makes sense...which I don't think it does). If I were told that I could only eat from one food group for the rest of my life, I'd probably choose seafood. To be honest, probably one of the best things about being back in Malaysia is the abundance of incredible seafood now available for me to gorge on.
Today I'm blogging about something very close to my heart. Rather, close to my belly (if that even makes sense...which I don't think it does). If I were told that I could only eat from one food group for the rest of my life, I'd probably choose seafood. To be honest, probably one of the best things about being back in Malaysia is the abundance of incredible seafood now available for me to gorge on.
Case and point - last week. With my father and sister back in town, we rounded up some family friends and went to check out a new seafood place that we'd heard of; South Sea Seafood Restaurant by the old airport. I know that not everyone reading this blog will be in Malaysia, but if you're ever here then definitely look this place up. It is more than worth the drive out to the near middle of nowhere.
The best photo I could get without standing in the middle of the road and getting run-over...
So, we got out to the restaurant (and after trying to find a place to park in the Ferrari-filled parking lot...which made us wonder about how much this dinner was going to end up costing!) and headed inside to our table. The dining area itself was very open and airy, and it was totally packed, which bode well. I know a few people reading this will never have had the experience of eating seafood ‘Asian’/‘Malaysian’ style, which is quite a different experience than in Europe.
In Malaysia, your seafood dining experience often starts with you selecting your seafood (live) from tanks, like so...
Can't you hear them all calling out to be eaten?
So, yeah- that’s some fresh seafood right there. You can quite literally stare your fish straight in the eye and decide then and there who your victim is going to be. I love it.
A helpful little reminder in case you forgot quite how fresh the seafood was.
I just love taking a little wander around the tanks and having a look at what’s on offer. These places all usually have the staples of one or two types of crab, various fresh water and sea fish, a couple of lobsters, prawns, and various molluscs. We usually get the rather vaguely named ‘big meat crab’ which are always, well, rather big and meaty as their name would suggest. I haven’t a clue what they are more commonly known as, but they look like this:
They also had these pretty little things which I believe they called Japanese Sea Snails. We didn’t actually have any of these, but I loved the colour of their shells and so had to take a picture anyway:
D'awww. Aren't they sweet?
Now, these little guys... I love them. The first time I had them was in Kuching, Sarawak (an Eastern Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, for those of you who haven’t heard of it) and when I asked what they were called, I was told a strange-sounding Malay name that I didn’t understand (and can’t remember) due to my poor grasp of the language. The blank and somewhat clueless look on my face clearly demonstrated how little that meant to me and so my dining companion swiftly translated it into an English equivalent, which was apparently “Monkeys’ Penis”. Yum.
I then discovered them again on a food show about Scotland, where they were referred to as "Scottish Razor Clams". Then I found them in La Boqueria in Barcelona and the amazing seafood restaurant we visited there (La Paradeta). Now I gather that they are called razor clams pretty much everywhere and so will refer to them as such (especially since I'd rather not go asking for Monkeys' Penises in restaurants). Despite their raised-eyebrow-inducing appearance and questionable name, we had to get some as I've found them rather hard to come by out here.
I then discovered them again on a food show about Scotland, where they were referred to as "Scottish Razor Clams". Then I found them in La Boqueria in Barcelona and the amazing seafood restaurant we visited there (La Paradeta). Now I gather that they are called razor clams pretty much everywhere and so will refer to them as such (especially since I'd rather not go asking for Monkeys' Penises in restaurants). Despite their raised-eyebrow-inducing appearance and questionable name, we had to get some as I've found them rather hard to come by out here.
...Not the prettiest things, but I promise you they taste great.
I realise this is beginning to turn into an introduction to strange creatures of the sea but I just couldn't help myself. Told you I love seafood...
I realise this is beginning to turn into an introduction to strange creatures of the sea but I just couldn't help myself. Told you I love seafood...
These guys are called Mantis Prawns.
Australian Lobster.
Right, now getting down to the Seafood Orgy... We ordered a fair few dishes, but the main focus of the meal was the crab, which they always bring at the end. For me at least, it's all about the crab and that usually just means I sit for half an hour picking at the plates that get brought to the table while jiggling about impatiently for The Main Event.
Right, now getting down to the Seafood Orgy... We ordered a fair few dishes, but the main focus of the meal was the crab, which they always bring at the end. For me at least, it's all about the crab and that usually just means I sit for half an hour picking at the plates that get brought to the table while jiggling about impatiently for The Main Event.
The food really was great, and we tried a couple of things that we don't usually order. My mother is actually allergic to most seafood, so this was probably more torturous for her than it was for me (I say probably, I mean definitely), but this time I impatiently jiggled in my seat through...
Stir-fried Dried Chilli Squid. Really gorgeous and sticky, but oh my God, so spicy... In the best way possible, of course.
We also had Butter Prawns which are quite a favourite of ours. They are basically prawns fried with a crispy, buttery coating with curry leaves. ...Yeah, not exactly health food but so good. Try not to think about your hips as you scoff them, but it's worth it.
A colleague at work had suggested that I try Salted Egg Squid which, to the non-Asians out there, probably sounds rather less than appetising. To be honest, I'm not usually much of a Salted Egg person normally but I thought I'd give it a go anyway and I rather enjoyed it. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but was quite delighted when this plate of yummy crunchy things arrived.
Salted Egg Squid.
Then we got to tuck in to my beloved razor clams. I've tried them grilled before, but this time we tried them stir-fried in oyster sauce, ginger and spring onions. They were really lovely and delicately flavoured - just right.
Razor clams stir-fried in ginger, spring onions and oyster sauce.
And then...it was time. The Crab had landed. Of course, since the ordering was left to my dad, we were faced with 4 kilos of crab, but that was just fine. Bring it.
We ordered Chilli Crab, which is a typically Malaysian dish. I know there's considerable debate over whether this is originally a Malaysian or Singaporean dish but, of course, I'd say it's Malaysian... For those who haven't tried it before, Chilli Crab is cooked in a sticky, sweet-sour and spicy sauce. It's all about the sauce. If it doesn't have a good sauce, then it just isn't worth it.
Then we got to tuck in to my beloved razor clams. I've tried them grilled before, but this time we tried them stir-fried in oyster sauce, ginger and spring onions. They were really lovely and delicately flavoured - just right.
And then...it was time. The Crab had landed. Of course, since the ordering was left to my dad, we were faced with 4 kilos of crab, but that was just fine. Bring it.
We ordered Chilli Crab, which is a typically Malaysian dish. I know there's considerable debate over whether this is originally a Malaysian or Singaporean dish but, of course, I'd say it's Malaysian... For those who haven't tried it before, Chilli Crab is cooked in a sticky, sweet-sour and spicy sauce. It's all about the sauce. If it doesn't have a good sauce, then it just isn't worth it.
Hello, my pretties...
The joy of Chilli Crab is cracking into the meat and scooping up the sauce as much as you can using whatever means you can. I am far from my most elegant when eating crab - it's hard to be delicate when you've descended into a seafood-frenzy and into an almost animalistic state of tearing apart a crab with your bare hands, shell-shards flying, sauce in your hair and with a table of horrified dining-companions wondering when the food-massacre will end. Ahem. Thankfully it was four years into our relationship before my boyfriend had to witness me eating crab. A whole crab. By myself. For lunch. Somewhere in the murky depths of a hard-drive in Scotland, there are terrifying, incriminating photographs of me tearing into a crab with shards of shell in my hair and all over my face. Not a photo of my finer moments, but definitely one of my happier moments.
The joy of Chilli Crab is cracking into the meat and scooping up the sauce as much as you can using whatever means you can. I am far from my most elegant when eating crab - it's hard to be delicate when you've descended into a seafood-frenzy and into an almost animalistic state of tearing apart a crab with your bare hands, shell-shards flying, sauce in your hair and with a table of horrified dining-companions wondering when the food-massacre will end. Ahem. Thankfully it was four years into our relationship before my boyfriend had to witness me eating crab. A whole crab. By myself. For lunch. Somewhere in the murky depths of a hard-drive in Scotland, there are terrifying, incriminating photographs of me tearing into a crab with shards of shell in my hair and all over my face. Not a photo of my finer moments, but definitely one of my happier moments.
See the massive plate of crab? MINE. MY CRAB.
We chose to accompany our crab with these mantao buns, which are Chinese steamed buns. You also get them fried, but we figured we should go for the steamed ones to lessen the cholesterol hit of the Crab Orgy.
Eventually, after about two and a half hours of eating (and slowly realising that for the past hour, I was the only one in our party of nine actually still eating), we (I) managed to polish off the rest of the crab, leaving nothing but the shell. Despite the slight embarrassment of realising that for the last of hour of our meal, I was the only person happily chomping away as eight people sat and watched me stuff my face, it was an excellent meal.
I'd definitely recommend the South Sea Seafood Restaurant to those in KL. It might be in a bit of a strange location, but once you find your way there it is definitely worth it. The Chilli Crab was one of the best that I've had in a long time, and they had razor clams.
We chose to accompany our crab with these mantao buns, which are Chinese steamed buns. You also get them fried, but we figured we should go for the steamed ones to lessen the cholesterol hit of the Crab Orgy.
Eventually, after about two and a half hours of eating (and slowly realising that for the past hour, I was the only one in our party of nine actually still eating), we (I) managed to polish off the rest of the crab, leaving nothing but the shell. Despite the slight embarrassment of realising that for the last of hour of our meal, I was the only person happily chomping away as eight people sat and watched me stuff my face, it was an excellent meal.
I'd definitely recommend the South Sea Seafood Restaurant to those in KL. It might be in a bit of a strange location, but once you find your way there it is definitely worth it. The Chilli Crab was one of the best that I've had in a long time, and they had razor clams.
The Aftermath.
Anyway, I know this has been a rather long post but I hope you guys enjoyed it. Definitely going to try my best to get better at posting! I've got a few delicious things lined up for you guys... :)
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