Eng Seng Restaurant, Still Road & Joo Chiat Place
When we made plans with Vic’s co-workers to have black pepper crab I was excited about the thought of having crab because I LOVE crab, but I'm not absolutely thrilled about the black pepper part. I’ve had black pepper crab and chili crab, on several occasions, at well-known places such as Jumbo Seafood. I know, it’s a bit touristy, but they did become famous for their Chili Crab. Let’s just say I find the Chili Crab at Jumbo tasty, but not "knock your socks off" delicious. The gooey, messy part makes me shy away from it altogether because the taste does not warrant dealing with slimy hands all throughout dinner. But, I digress. Back to dinner.
When we arrived it was the usual wait for a table. 20 minutes later we got our table and the fun began. The black pepper crab arrived first. Hesitantly, I reached for a manageable piece. black pepper crab is not as much of a burden as chili crab because the sauce isn’t so wet. I tore into the crab as I normally do, manners left at the storefront, and much to my surprise I could actually taste the crab. black pepper crab is normally not that exciting for me because: #1 the s@%t burns my entire mouth and #2 I love crab and you can’t even make out that it’s crab with all that black pepper swirling around in your mouth.
The sauce was quite different than all the other black pepper crab places I’ve been to. There was a slight sweetness/mildness to the pepper that allowed you to actually enjoy the moist and tender crab meat. There is also a secret to the way they cook their crab, I swear. They must soak the crab in milk or cook it in milk first because it’s so juicy. It tastes like they cook it in Crab Bee Hoon Soup, the most delightful dish on earth (refer to previous blog on 7/30/2011), but that’s a whole other story.
Next came the chili crab. Again, much to my surprise it was so yummy. Every other chili crab I’ve had tastes relatively the same. This one, however, was different. I can’t quite place it, but again the chili sauce is not just a bunch of chili and egg. It collaborated with the crab instead of dominating the crab. The start of the dish was able to shine through allowing me to enjoy each and every succulent bite of the crab meat.
Words cannot describe how excited I am to have found a place that has black pepper crab that I can endure and actually like (as well as chili crab, although I prefer the black pepper crab). The bummer is Vic (my husband) isn’t as excited as I am about crab. Anyone ever interested in a crab-eating partner, you know who to call.
Words cannot describe how excited I am to have found a place that has black pepper crab that I can endure and actually like (as well as chili crab, although I prefer the black pepper crab). The bummer is Vic (my husband) isn’t as excited as I am about crab. Anyone ever interested in a crab-eating partner, you know who to call.
p.s. I don’t want to think about the idea that MSG had anything to do with the amazing flavor, so I won’t!
