New SH Opening: Pulau Ketam Modern Crab House
Through the Crab Tank: Pulau Ketam Modern Crab House in XinTianDi
Crabs may be my favorite crustacean. I'm not talking about the teeny, tiny hairy crabs people rave about, I'm talking about the big, juicy, meaty ones like the Dungeness or massive Sri Lankan monster crabs served at Pulau Ketam, a newly opened Modern Crab House in XinTianDi, Shanghai.
Pulau Ketam, which literally means "Crab Island" is a project by Alan Wong, Vincent Liu and his team behind the Haiku by Hatsune Restaurant Group in Shanghai. They have had a very busy summer with the opening of the new Haiku restaurant in Jinqiao last month (May 2012) and now Pulau Ketam is an exciting new restaurant concept that just went into soft-opening on .
Pulau is taking the crab experience to a whole new level. Stepping into it's main doors off the bustling streets of XinTianDi, you walk in to a room surrounded by golden pillars where two receptionists hand you scented towels and lead you through the grand double-doorway into the world of Pulau Ketam.
Greeted by a bright blue crab aquarium, you can choose to sit in the main dining area, a narrow strip of tables lined in one neat row, a few private rooms sheltered by floor-to-ceiling wooden shutters or by the windows overlooking the streets of XinTianDi.
LumDimSum Snapshots of Pulau Ketam:
Walking into Pulau Ketam Modern Crab House
Pulau Ketam Modern Crab House Entrance: Double Doors Open Out
Seating Enclosed in Wooden Shutters
A Fresh Orchid at Every Table Setting
Drawing inspiration from the top crab recipes all across the world, the restaurant's menu will be headlining its black pepper crab and Singapore chili crab, and also features a select range of Southeast Asian tapas and seafood dishes.
I had every intention of eating my way through the entire Pulau Ketam menu this past weekend. I wanted to try everything.
Spread across back-to-back meals, I ended up eating 70% of the menu. (Not a bad effort considering how big the portions are – definitely meant for sharing).
Menu in the Making: Pulau Ketam's Draft Menu
LumDimSum Snapshots of Pulau Ketam Dishes:
Pulau Ketam Modern Crab House: Singaporean Street Food Platter (RMB 98/168)
A table of six, we went for the large portion of 6 different Singaporean Street Food Snacks: fried carrot cake, chicken satay, curry samosas, ngor hiang, rojak and fish cakes.
The general consensus agreed that the Fried Carrot Cakes and Ngor Hiang were all-around favorites. I'm not sure why they call it a carrot cake since it tastes and looks nothing like carrot, but more like a rice cake or thick noodle consistency.
Singapore Street Food Platter by Pulau Ketam: Fried Carrot Cake / Chicken Satay
Singapore Street Food Platter by Pulau Ketam: Curry Samosa / Ngor Hiang
Singapore Street Food Platter by Pulau Ketam: Rojak / Fish Cake
I'm going to try and snag credit for Pulau Ketam's Sweet Potato Skiffs. I'm a big fan of sweet potato. It's not only super healthy, it's got a wonderfully natural taste that's easy for creative kitchen minds to manipulate and play around with. In the early months of brainstorming menu dishes, I insisted that Pulau Ketam include a sweet potato dish with a unique Southeast Asian flavor twist.
After a few tries and tweaks…Taaa-DA! Out this came glorious sweet potato dish that melts in your mouth with bursts of fresh lemon tang.
Baked Sweet Potato Skiffs with finely chopped Green Chili and Lemon Sauce (RMB 68)
This Organic Mixed Greens Salad may not sound the most exciting, but it is not to be underestimated. The combination of caramelized walnuts and sweet orange vinaigrette will leave your taste buds dancing.
Organic Mixed Green Salad with Caramelized Walnut & Sweet Orange Vinaigrette (RMB 138)
My favorite salad, however, is Pulau Ketam's Seafood Salad which is topped with giant prawns, scallops and thick rings of calamari and topped with a ginger, lime and chili dressing. The dressing is served separately and poured once it's served onto your table.
Seafood Salad with Prawns, Scallops, Calamari in a Ginger, Lime and Chili Dressing (RMB 138)
D-I-Y Lettuce Wraps is also a dish worth noting. The bright green lettuce wraps are cut with precision to neatly fit in the palm of your hand to scoop in some spicy ground chicken and basil topped with white noodle crisps. Full of spice, the contrast of textures and flavors is addicting and require a significant amount of self-control to try and stop after just 2 or 3 little wraps.
Spicy Chicken & Basil Lettuce Wraps:
Wok Fried Ground Chicken with Basil & Spices and Butter Lettuce Wraps (RMB 108)
Close-Up: Spicy Chicken & Basil Lettuce Wraps
Spicy Chicken & Basil Lettuce Wraps Fit Perfectly in the Palm of Your Hand
We tried two different types of soups: a Matsutake Mushroom Clear Soup and a Crab Bisque. Both very tasty soups, but as different as can be.
The Matsutake Mushroom Soup is a light broth whereas the Crab Bisque is thick, rich and infused with crab flavor. Aside from the giant crab claw you get dunked in the middle of the bisque, it's like you're drinking crab meat.
The crispy, sweet twist cookie is a nice alternative to the usual doughy bread you'd normally be served on the side of a bisque.
Matsutake Mushroom Clear Soup (RMB 108)
Crab Bisque (RMB 128)
Inside this mountain of oats is a landmine of giant prawns. Rummage through the oats and uncover one of my favorite dishes at Pulau Ketam: Crispy Oat Buttered Prawn.
The sweet buttered prawns are disguised in a coat of roasted crispy oats that are so tasty, it was impossible to resist the temptation to continue shoveling spoonfuls of oats into my mouth even after all the prawns quickly disappeared.
Crispy Oat Buttered Prawn (RMB 158)
For those familiar with Cantonese cuisine, this dish is nothing new. But as a Beijinger who rarely gets a really authentic Hong Kong style meal, I was all about this dish. The Steamed Mandarin Fish is steamed tender and served whole (with its mouth gaping wide open), swimming in a light, savory blend of sauces that was created with the intention to bring out the best flavors of the fish.
Steamed Mandarin Fish (Nonya-Style or Hong Kong Style) RMB 258
A popular Vietnamese dish, the name "Shaken Beef" comes from the act of "shaking" or tossing of the beef back and forth in the wok after it's quickly seared.
The result: Melt-in-your-mouth cubes of Filet Mignon served alongside onions and diced mini red potatoes.
Shaken Beef – Filet Mignon Cubed, Flambeed and Served with Small Red Potatoes (RMB 158)
With most of the appetizers, salads and mains out of the way, it's time to introduce the main attraction of Pulau Ketam: their signature crab dishes.
Although many are quick to make a bee-line for the Singapore Chili Crab (a favorite dish loved and relished by many beyond the tiny little country of Singapore), I would encourage crab people to choose instead Pulau Ketam's Signature Black Pepper Crab.
Both styles will leave you licking your fingers long after the crab is demolished, but the Black Pepper has got more of a spicy kick and the blend of garlic, butter and cracked black pepper really is like crack. It's that addictive.
Can't decide between the two? Bring a bigger group of friends and order both. At Pulau Ketam, you can have your "crab" and eat it too. (get it?)
Pulau Ketam's Signature Crab Dishes -
Signature Black Pepper Crab:
Cracked Black Pepper, Garlic & Butter Creating a Highly Addictive Blend of Spice
Singapore Chili Crab:
Singaporean Chef Jason's Meticulous Re-creation of the Merlion Nation Comfort Food
Singapore Chili Crab Carnage
Crab lovers are expected to get down and dirty as they dig into their crabs so don't worry. Not only do they not judge you for losing all dining etiquette, they encourage it. Once the crab is served, all diners receive long aprons (better than a baby bib) to protect their fine garments from flying-out-of-control crab sauce and also a bowl of lemon flavored water and a cool wet towel to rinse away all evidence of crab carnage from your fingertips.
Aside from seafood, the "veggie" and "filler" dishes are not to be overlooked.
I bet you've never had tempura'd eggplant in a bed of pork floss. Without first looking at the menu, I had no idea what I was eating when this Aubergines Tempura with Pork Floss dish first came out. The consistency of aubergine tempura – crispy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside is something really different and the pork floss flavor deceives you into thinking you're actually eating meat (not eggplant) or some sort of crispy, soft noodle.
Aubergines Tempura with Pork Floss (RMB 108)
A square block of tofu on a bed of spinach and covered in thick chunks of crab sauce, the House-made Tofu & Spinach is a lighter alternative to those looking to get their crab fix without eating a whole Sri Lankan monster crab.
House-Made Tofu & Spinach (RMB 68)
Potstickers? Because they can, and they should. Southeast Asian fusion has always got a surplus of spring rolls and egg rolls, and Pulau Ketam has remembered to include a classic Asian favorite – Pan-fried Potstickers and tangy vinegar served table-side.
Pan-fried Potstickers (RMB 68)
Although it's probably enough to share between two, it's served in an individual bowl because you're not going to want to share even a bite of this dish. Braised Crab Meat Over Rice is a deadly combination that you're going to want all to yourself.
Braised Crab Meat Over Rice (RMB 128)
Close-Up: Braised Crab Meat Over Rice
I saved the best for last (dessert doesn't count because most people save space in their tummy specifically for dessert or others, like me, seem to have an entire separate stomach reserved for dessert).
Pulau Ketam's Signature Garlic Noodes is best devoured alongside your order of crabs, but you can very well just order it to have on its own.
It doesn't matter how full you are, you will soon discover the limits of stomach's expanding capabilities once you've indulged in a bite of these garlic noodles. Once you start, you won't be able to stop yourself.
There have been some cases of some who find themselves dreaming of these garlic noodles in their sleep and wake up with an urgent need to satisfy their Garlic Noodle cravings immediately (I testify as one of many, countless cases). I have seen a table of three order two servings of garlic noodles after a feast of crabs and lick their bowls clean, contemplating a third order.
One order of Signature Garlic Noodles per table should actually be made mandatory. It would be a crime to dine here and leave without tasting this garlic-y goodness. (For any couples on a date, make sure you both eat an equal amount or else you'll really feel sorry you didn't have more.)
Signature Garlic Noodles (RMB 68)
Close-Up: Signature Garlic Noodles
The lemongrass jelly dessert wasn't on the menu yet when I dined at Pulau Ketam for its opening night, but it's definitely something they can do with those who have a sweet-tooth like me. More refreshing and light than rich and sweet, this dessert is enough to cleanse your palate (even after a gluttonous feast of crabs and garlic noodles).
Lemongrass Jelly Dessert
Close-Up: Lemongrass Jelly Dessert
LumDimSum Snapshots of Pulau Ketam Opening:
Crab People: We all came with one mission – to stuff our faces with Pulau Ketam's Crabs
Pulau Ketam: Modern Crab House Contact Details:
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Address: South Block of Xintiandi, next to CJW, 1st Floor of ZEN. Lane 123 Xingye Lu, building 2, unit 1 (near Madang Lu). 新天地南里, 兴业路123弄, 近马当路
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Tel: 021 5306-3706
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Opening Hours: 17:30-22:30 (Dinner Only)
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Travel in Chinese, Lesson 1 - Greetings
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