Laem Charoen Seafood, Bangkok

Our first meal in Bangkok for this trip was a restaurant with an outlet inside Central World – Laem Charoen Seafood. Since this was our first overseas trip since Covid, we were not very sure how the food establishments in Bangkok were coping e.g were many of them still operating? were there shortened business hours?

Having heard that this is a popular restaurant (at least pre-Covid times) with long waiting time, we made a reservation via their website for 8pm on Saturday night. Surprisingly when we arrived at the place, there was not much of a queue. We were seating in about 10 mins wait (due to shortage of staff). Also took a while to get the staff attention to place our food order. And were hit with our first disappointment that Fresh Coconut was sold out. We replaced with a Honeydew Smoothie which turned out to be quite a good choice.

If you are a fan of Otah, you might want to try this Steamed mackerel curry. It’s like Thai version of otah but in a more custard mousse form. The fish is finely chopped and seasoned with Thai curry, paste and herbs and then steamed in small cups made of banana leaves. We wolfed down these creamy and fluffy mousse filled with bits of fish meat while we waited for the main dish to be served. In fact we contemplated whether to order another plate of these delightful treat.

Up next was the main highlight of our visit, a signature of this restaurant – Deep fried seabass. As you can see it was fried to an inviting nice golden colour. The magic lies in the crispy crust while retaining the moist flesh. No wonder this is the star dish – appearing on almost every table!

Another dish that we shortlisted to try was the Stir-fried soft shell crab and curry powder. Unfortunately after a long wait, when we asked the staff to check our missing dish, they told us it was sold out. So we hurriedly asked to have it replaced with Crab meat in yellow curry (slightly more costly). Although it was a similar dish except for the use of chunky crab meat instead of fried soft shell crab, I felt it made a huge difference in the overall taste. I foresee that this dish would turn out better with crispy fried spft shell crab texture against the creamy curry (and the fried batter aroma). It felt slightly gooey in meat chunks and I was not impressed with this version.

A plate of veg for our daily fibre intake.

The total cost of the meal was THB1,606 (before service charge) which was about S$60+. The fried fish and curry crab cost about the same, at around S$20 each. I would put my dollar into the fish instead of the crab meat dish.

With a full stomach, it was time for our next stop – late night shopping at Big C Supercenter Ratchadamri. We later found out that the new operating hours is only till 11pm! Not sure whether they will revert back to the original hours when travel trend resume.

Other Related Posts:

• ★ Paste, Bangkok (Revisit 2018)
• Thanying, Bangkok
• Som Boon Seafood Restaurant, Bangkok

Isokko Syouten Hakata Branch, Fukuoka

Researching for eateries in less touristy regions of Japan (compared to major cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokkaido etc.) had prove to be more challenging due to limited information/reviews online.

I shortlisted Isokko Syouten because I read somewhere that they have an All-you-can-eat Oysters Buffet deal. However the staff informed us that it was a seasonal promotion and also need to make advanced reservations for it. Nonetheless the place seemed to specialise in fresh seafood with live tanks in the shop as well. As we reached at a rather off-peak hour, there was not many diners around. I could not tell whether this place is worth giving a try. As I was keen to try my hands on grilling my own oysters, we decided to settle down for some snacking.

Ordering could be done using ipad in Japanese/English/Chinese with photos, so it was quite straightforward. I took the opportunity to order a Goma Saba – a quintessential Fukuoka dish made with raw mackerel dressed with sesame, soy sauce, wasabi and topped with seaweed. I really liked this dish for its simple yet aromatic dressing! Highly recommended to try if you are in Fukuoka.

Although we didn’t get to eat the oyster buffet, the ala carte bucket of oysters for ¥1,058 (about S$13) was quite a steal for about a dozen fresh oysters. They were pretty fresh and juicy. We also ordered some scallops with butter.

The place became more lively when we left as the dinner crowd started to flow in.

Photos Taken Earlier:

Visited the Uminonakamichi Seaside Park but the scale of the nemophila was not as impressive as the display at Hitachi Seaside Park near Tokyo. Unlike the latter which has flora displays which were well-curated and manicured, this park seemed more like a leisure park for locals to enjoy the outdoor activities. It is actually recommended to rent a bicycle as the park was sooooo huge…and the flora areas are spread far apart. Unfortunately since we visited during the Golden Week holiday, there were no available bicycles for rental when we arrived. There was a waitlist and we’ll need to wait until people return their bicycles at the centre.

There were many celebration activities ongoing as 1st May 2019 marks the beginning of the Reiwa era （令和）and accession date of Emperor Naruhito.

Other Related Posts:

• Hello Kitty Shinkansen, Osaka – Hakata
• Snacks & Food from Tokyo (Part 4)
• Yoroniku @ Ebisu, Tokyo
• Takano Fruit Parlor, Tokyo
• ★ Florilège, Tokyo

Enhjøringen (Unicorn Fish Restaurant), Bergen

For dinner we headed back to the Byrggen area to dine at one of the restaurants in the wooden houses – Enhjøringen (Unicorn Fish Restaurant).

The interior of the dining place was really cosy and I liked the Victorian-style dining hall.

It’s a must to try the local beer wherever we go!

We selected this restaurant as their menu was seafood-heavy. The key dish that I wanted to try was Fried Cod Tongues served with tartar sauce. Not to be fooled by the name, it is not literally tongue per se but this Norwegian delicacy is a small muscle extracted from the back of the fish’s neck. This cod tongues were coated in a light batter before frying. Under the crispy batter, the cod tongue itself has a slightly gelatinous texture. This combination of textures was so addictive and we polished it off effortlessly. We were contemplating whether to order another plate!

We were so pampered by the quality fish soups we had on this trip that it has made it into our regular order at any restaurants. Here instead of fish soup, we chose the deluxe version – Shellfish Soup served with crayfish. The bisque soup was rich and packed with  umami flavour of the crustaceans.

The main was a fish dish of Oven baked fillet of Cod with potato puree, chorizo and vegetables vinaigrette. With an abundance of cod in the Norwegian sea, I suppose you can’t go wrong with this fish that is Norway’s “white gold”.  The flesh was moist and flaky.

Rounded up our dinner with Wild berry mousse and Sorbet. The dessert was probably to only less satisfying part of the meal. Other than this, the overall service, ambience and food exceeded our expectations as a restaurant located at the touristy Bryggen area. For me the key highlight was the opportunity to dine in one of the historic wooden houses. The charm of the well-preserved house with its creaking floorboards, antique furniture all adds up to make this experience pretty memorable.

Earlier Photos Taken:

Spotted many street art in the Nøstet and Engen area.

Sentralbadet has a few legal street art walls in Bergen. They all looked impressive!

There are many tiny alleys and we just wandered around and spotted many instagrammable spots!

Even in the cloudy wintry weather, we enjoyed the walk around the neighbourhoods.

Unfortunately it was raining in the evening when we were back at the harbour opposite Bryggen. Decided to call it a day it was unlikely that the rain would ease later and we couldn’t set up the tripod for a long exposure night shot of the harbour.

Other Related Posts:

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• Trekroneren, Bergen
• Emmas Under, Tromsø
• The Flying Elk, Stockholm
• Meatballs for the People, Stockholm
• Valhallabageriet AB, Stockholm
• Nystekt Strömming, Stockholm
• Melanders Fisk, Stockholm
• Kajsas Fisk, Stockholm
• Vete-Katten, Stockholm

Melanders Fisk, Stockholm

After finishing the Swedish Fish Soup at the neighbouring shop at the Hötorgshallen Saluhall, we were so full that we decided to buy takeaway Gravadlax (dill-flavored cured Salmon) from Melanders instead of dining at their counters.

Each portion of the cured salmon is served with boiled potatoes (packed separately, not pictured). If you are a smoked salmon fan, you are likely to fall in love with the cured version as well. In fact I liked the cured version more than the saltier smoked salmon. The cured salmon was so fresh that it remained moist and silky!

Although the cured and smoked salmon are also available at the breakfast buffet lines of the hotels throughout our Scandinavian trip, the version we bought at Melanders remained the best I had.

Melanders Fisk
Hötorgshallen, 111 57 Stockholm, Sweden
Open hours: 10 am – 7 pm on Monday to Saturday.

After the short downtown exploration, we had to head back to our hotel for a quick nap to combat the jet lag…

Other Related Posts:

• Kajsas Fisk, Stockholm
• Vete-Katten, Stockholm

Peter’s @ Sydney Fish Market, Sydney

Since almost everywhere is closed for business on public holiday, we decided to make a trip to the Sydney Fish Market for lunch. Although it is located pretty near to the city, it’s not as accessible as the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo if you don’t drive. Be it by train or bus, both involves significant walking. The best public transport option is probably via the light rail.

After a rainy night at the countdown, the sky cleared up today with a scorching sun. When we first entered the compound, it seemed pretty quiet with not much activity (at noon). However when we reached the retail arcade, the place was bustling with people! I was slightly confused as the retail arcade had shops selling both fresh market seafood along with cooked items…

Initially we tried to look for available seats along the boardwalk which was a common outdoor seating area. You could then purchase food from any of the shops for your meal but they were all taken up except for the ones exposed to the mid-day sun… It’s probably fine during Spring/Autumn, but with the summer heat it was pretty intolerable…

We returned back inside the arcade area to escape from the heat and was resigned to just grabbing some fresh Sydney Rock Oysters from Peter’s to gobble down on the go. We were wandering around with the tray of oysters in hand when we spotted a couple who had finished their meal and vacated their seats inside the shop! With access to proper table indoor we were happy to stay and order more food!

While we were still trying to orientate ourselves to figure out what to order, the large group seated next to us were already tucking into their purchases. I sneakily snapped their spread of food, including a huge box of fried squid/octopus skewers, Japanese Sushi, fried rice etc.

Enticed by the aroma of the fried items, our first stop was to the BBQ Grill counter.

Here’s our purchase of:

• Grilled Octopus A$9
• Prawn Skewer A$9
• Abalone A$16
• Baked Scallop A$3.50 each
• Lobster Tail Grilled A$14.50
• Lobster Tail Salt & Pepper A$16.50

The Sushi/Sashimi counter had a longer queue, so we didn’t get any sushi nor sashimi. But do note that some of the sashimi-grade fishes were imported as per clearly labelled.

From the fresh seafood counter, we selected a bundle of fresh Razor clams (ard A$19, by weight) before deciding on how we wanted it to be cooked according to our choice (cooking fee of A$15). There were a variety of styles such as Stir Fried, Grilled or Steamed depending on the seafood you chose along with options of gravy including Singapore Chilli, XO Sauce, HK style Dry Chilli, Garlic Butter etc. We opted for Steamed Ginger & Shallot for our razor clams. We usually order steamed razor clams at seafood restaurants in Singapore for about S$10-12 per piece, albeit bigger size than the ones here. Therefore this dish seemed pretty value-for-money when compared to what we pay for back home.

However I’m not sure whether the price of the seafood here are reasonable by local standards, the market as a whole felt pretty touristy. Nonetheless it made a great first meal of 2019 for me~

After this meal, we headed back to the hotel to pack our bags for our flight…

Other Food Items:

Some interesting items tried on this trip included the Kombucha drink which is very popular here. Huge variety of brands and flavours available at every convenience store we visited in Sydney. The healthy sparkling drink makes a refreshing cooler for hot summer days.

Tim Tams are a must-eat in Australia and this Honeycomb flavour tasted pretty nice when chilled.

The cons of the regular Tim Tam pack is that I usually couldn’t finish it at one go. Hence I prefer these mini bites that I picked up at the airport.

Last but not least, I brought back the half-eaten bottle of Thai Suki Sauce since we loved it so much. From the same Asian supermarket in Sydney where we purchased the sauce, we also discovered this tasty Thai Fish Cake! While we can’t possibly bring back the frozen package, I would look for similar products when back in Singapore.

Experienced the horrific holiday travel chaos at the airport…slow moving queue at immigration checkpoint (despite using electronic gates)…slow moving queue at security clearance checkpoint (due to limited manpower) and messy long queue for tax refund… Only get to relax when we saw this pretty sunset near the gates.

Relieving the countdown moment from a copy of Straits Times. And enjoyed the Singapore Chicken Rice onboard Singapore Airlines before taking a quick nap.

Made another great discovery during breakfast! Loving this Watermelon & Strawberry Twist rich yogurt from Australia. Managed to find this brand at some premium supermarkets in Singapore but not this particular flavour.

Other Related Posts:

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• Koi Dessert Bar, Sydney
• Black Star Pastry, Sydney
• Bentley Restaurant & Bar, Sydney
• The Potting Shed @ The Grounds of Alexandria, Sydney
• Mr Wong, Sydney
• Muse Restaurant (Hunter Valley), Sydney
• Quay Restaurant, Sydney

Hua Yu Wee (华友园)

Have long heard about this “tze char restaurant housed in a bungalow” more than two  decades ago, finally had the chance to visit them when we planned for a family gathering.

Could you imagine that my dad even commented that this place had been around since his younger days when he was dating my mum?! He shared that back then the shoreline was right behind the bungalow. I think there might be some truth in it cos I am old enough to remember that much of the land in the East Coast area were reclaimed.

There are limited tables within the main hall that is air-conditioned with a huge non air-conditioned seating area under the tentage behind the building.

We ordered a few of their specialty dishes such as: Duck meat with seafood paste and wrapped in crepe and BBQ Pork. The duck meat with seafood paste is pretty unique, we didn’t taste much of the duck meat cos it seemed to be mashed into the paste. The filling has a light crisp wrapped under the crepe skin. The BBQ Pork was tender and coated with a light caramelized sauce. We were pretty impressed with the Seafood Mee Sua as it is a dish that requires good heat control and skills to retain the right moistness of the mee sua without it becoming too lumpy.

No visit to a tze char restaurant can be complete without the quintessential Crab dishes. We tried both the Black Pepper Crab and Chilli Crab. Their black pepper crab is probably the next best alternative to another famous crab institution in the East area – First Grade Seafood Palace. It has been a while since I last visited the latter and I’ve heard news that they had closed in 2018 (check out their FB post).

Their Chilli Crab was not bad, but just not as good as my go-to Chilli Crab place (Jumbo Seafood Restaurant) in terms of the gravy. But both crabs were really fresh with meat of firm texture.

Another testimony of the freshness of seafood was the Steamed fish.

We rounded up our dinner with desserts of Ice Jelly and Yam Paste with Ginkgo Nut served in individual size. I thought this is particularly rare to be able to enjoy a single portion of Yam Paste with Ginkgo Nut. Other than making appearances at wedding dinners, this traditional Teochew dessert is typically found only in old-school restaurants and served in one huge pot for the whole table.

462 Upper East Coast Rd, Singapore 466508

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The Crab Shack, Wellington

Although New Zealand has a relatively low population density – even for its capital Wellington, we were surprised that it would be a challenge dining out. As we made a day trip out of town we didn’t make a dinner reservation in order not to be bounded by the appointment time. On the other hand, it would meant that we had to walk in and wait for a table instead.

I shortlisted The Crab Shack for our last dinner in NZ to have a seafood feast. In fact we had recceed the outlet in Auckland as we were staying in the hotel nearby. The casual restaurant had quite a good business in the more populous Auckland – heard that it was an outpost (or franchise) from the Wellington store.

Thankfully after a modest 30 mins wait, they got an available table for us.

The eatery is housed in one of the wooden warehouses on Queens Wharf and decked out in some fishing village inspired decor.

We started with a shellfish pot for entree. At abt S$15 for a 500g scoop, it sounds like a good deal! There are three sauces for us to choose how we would like it to be done and we opted to have our Marlborough Green Lip Mussels to go with the safe option of White wine, chilli & garlic cream.

After being impressed by the freshness of the mussels, we ordered another pot.  And this time round we went for the S$16 500g mixed scoop with Mussels and 3 types of Cloudy Bay Clams: Diamond Shell, Tua Tua and Moon Shell. Feeling more adventurous we opted for the Tom Yum: tomato, kaffir lime, chilli.

Without surprise, the Tua Tua was our favourite amongst the three types of clams. They are so chewy and sweet. The moon shell was more meaty but less crunchy. When we ordered the Tom Yum sauce, we already moderated our expectations that it would not be the authentic Thai Tom Yum. So we found it quite acceptable and the sweet-and-spicy kick was something we are beginning to miss about Asian food.

For main, we ordered the Crab Shack signature Crab Pot. Similarly there were choice of: Blue Swimmer Crab, Jonah Crab Claws or Scottish Dungeness Crab to choose from. Being lazy bums, we chose the most convenient to eat option – Jonah Crab Claws in The Classic: chilli garlic butter finished w lemon and parsley.

The other two sauces were Black pepper: cracked black pepper, garlic sweet soy & spring onion or Tomato, ginger, chilli & lemongrass: sweet, rich & spicy, finished w coriander & fried shallots.

We were slightly disappointed with the texture of the crab as it was probably imported frozen crab? The meat tasted bland and I didn’t like the texture which was too firm and lean.  At about S$46 for 500g of frozen crab claws, its not worth it.

So our take? Go for the shellfish pot and skip the crab. If you want something filling, order a burger or fish & chips.

Earlier Photos Taken:

Took a light breakfast in our hotel and we were off to start our day trip. A visit to Putangirua Pinnacles Scenic Reserves which requires a closed to two-hour’s drive from Wellington.

That’s not all. Upon arrival, it takes a 1.5 hours return walk to see the geological sight used as a filming location for the ‘Paths of the Dead’ scene in (you are right – Lord Of The Rings).

To the local New Zealanders or people who are used to hiking, this distance should be a piece of cake. But not to us noobs…

There are two ways to reach the lookout – on the left is the Ridge Track and on the right is the Streambed. In order to experience the sights on both routes, we read that we could go up via the Ridge Track and return via the Streambed.

There were some parts of the route that was somewhat muddy possibly due to rain – there was slight drizzle when we drove here. But we managed to hike through the forest area before reaching a rest area offering view of the Palliser Bay.

As we ascended further up, the forested vegetation gave way to shorter shrubs and bushes. Beautiful pathway lined with pretty flowers.

As the hike got steeper, there were more steps ahead. Our lack of physical fitness began to slow us down as we huffed and puffed our way to the lookout point.

But it was worth it for this view – an expansive view of the remarkable rock formations. The greyish looking tall spiky “pillars” looked kinda spooky though.

From the lookout point, we then started our decent which was steeper than the ascent but easier to manage.

Not before long, we arrived at the streambed and found ourselves surrounded by the massive cliffs.

Although the streambed was relatively gentle, it was mainly loose rocks hence it was critical to pay attention to your footing. As we navigated towards the direction where our car was parked, we started to see the stream getting wider and deeper…That was where our inexperience caught us…

Eventually we were left with no dry track to walk…

We were not worried about being stranded in the park as there were obviously other visitors around when we hiked down. However we shudder at the the thought of having to hike our way back up the way we came from!!!

There were another few couples who were on the same route as us. However they seemed to be less hesitant about having to get their shoes wet by crossing the ankle to mid-calf high river… Left with no choice, we followed suit…

Suffice to say this was a “memorable” hiking experience… we made it safely back to our car…but we got no other shoes to change into… Unlike the other couple whom we saw changed into their spare shoes once they reached their car… =(

I had to either drive barefooted or endure the 2-hrs drive back in the wet shoes… I did the latter.  Despite the discomfort, during the journey back we took our time to stop and watch the adorable sheep.

First time I see a black faced sheep! They were pretty curious and alert as they all looked towards our direction when we stopped our car.

The sheep on another farm gets to enjoy beautiful coastal views.

While at another farm, the sheep appear like tiny dots across the massive pasture.

Finally back in the hotel for some twilight snacking in the lounge.

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• Wellington Sea Market, Wellington
• Ebony Coffee Roastery, Palmerston North
• Replete Cafe & Store, Taupo
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• The Station Cafe, Bar & Restaurant, National Park Village
• Powderkeg Restaurant and Bar, Ohakune
• The Shire’s Rest™ Cafe, Matamata
• The Bistro, Taupo
• Depot Eatery & Oyster Bar, Auckland
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Orkid Ria Seafood Restaurant 真浪花园海鲜, Langkawi

Pantai Cenang (beach) in Langkawi is probably equivalent to Patong beach in Phuket and Kuta beach in Bali. It is the main hub of Langkawi where you can find restaurants/shops and a few shopping malls lined along the narrow street. However unlike Patong and Kuta where they boast a vibrant (& wild) party scene, the clubbing here in Langkawi seems a lot more restrained.

Anyway our key purpose of making our way to Pantai Cenang was to enjoy a sumptuous dinner at Orkid Ria Seafood Restaurant.

From the scale of the signboard and the crowd at the dining hall, we were pretty confident that we were in for a nice meal. There was a short queue ahead of us but since most diners came in larger group, we were seated after a brief wait.

While waiting for our table to be ready, we were busy flipping the menu and looking at the rows of tanks filled with live seafood such as mantis prawns, lobsters and crabs; located prominently at the main entrance of the restaurant. The prices are also clearly listed and it is pretty affordable (compared to Singapore standard).

After choosing a live lobster weighing around 1+kg, we had to decide how we want it to be cooked. They recommended the Butter Lobster as one of their popular choice and we went along with it. It turned out great as it not the Western baked butter style, instead it was actually served with the fragrant and crispy deep fried butter egg floss! Some people might have felt that we could have ordered Butter Prawns instead – which was a way cheaper option, but I don’t like the idea of eating the prawn shells. So this lobster version was perfect option for me.

The steamed Tiger Grouper was amazingly fresh. The meat was firm and the two of us finished this quickly! Even the stomach part – which is usually the most unpopular portion often left behind by us, was snapped up.

A wonderful and satisfying meal on our last day in Langkawi.

Earlier Photos Taken:

Took the Langkawi Sky Cab (cable car) up the Mount Machinchang. The Sky Cab holds the record of being the steepest cable car ride in the World. We even took the Crystal Cabin – not because we wanted to take in the view under our feet, more because we wanted to take the “Fast Track” route to avoid the long queuing time. Along the ride, we spotted the Seven Wells Waterfall.

As we approached the peak of the mountain where we would alight from the cable car, we saw the Langkawi Sky Bridge. A stunning suspended pedestrian bridge supported by cables from a single pylon.

Awed by the sky bridge which stood tall amongst the impressive rock formations, surrounded by the turquoise blue ocean.

The natural rock formations along with the ancient jungle is why Langkawi was declared as Geoforest Park by UNESCO.

Post-dinner:

After the meal we took a stroll along the main road and stopped by Cenang Mall. We were not looking to buy anything in particular when happened to spot Starbucks. The collector’s instinct kicked in and we managed to snag the 2018 card.

The next morning, we managed to squeeze in a massage before we head off to catch our flight back to Singapore.

We thought the spa place was opened at 10am and we could do our massage immediately. However they informed us that the staff needed time to set-up. We could only enjoy a 1-hour massage in order to reach the airport in time.

Generally I felt that Langkawi is a very laid back and simple island. Although there were many tourists (we sensed many are Malaysian tourists as well), it is still not overly commercialised compared to Bali and Phuket. It’s definitely more of a family place than a party town.

Back to the familiar sight of vessels lining up along the surrounding ocean before we begin our descend into Singapore airport after the short getaway…

Other Related Posts:

• Horizon @ The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi
• Diavolo Restaurant @ Paresa Resort, Phuket
• Kaab Gluay Thai Restaurant, Phuket
• The Crab’s House, Phuket
• Savoey Restaurant, Phuket
• MK Gold Restaurant, Phuket

Kani-Honke かに本家, Sapporo

How could one visit Hokkaido and leave without trying their famous crab feast? For our last meal in Sapporo, we made reservation at Kani-Honke where they offer several courses with a variety of different crab species.  Kani-Honke has 2 locations within Sapporo city and each is housed in a multi-storey building. Despite their large seating capacity, their restaurants were almost fully booked when we made our reservations about 1.5 months in advance, perhaps due to the influx of visitors during the Sapporo Snow Festival.

Although our offered seating time was earlier than our preferred dining time, we were glad to accept the only available slot at Susukino (one of the major red-light districts/entertainment area in Japan).  Even at 6pm, the sky was already dark and Susukino was already lit up by the bright neon lights. However the ambience in the restaurant was totally different from the streets. Once we step into the lobby of the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by kimono-clad staff and led to our private dining room with traditional Japanese set-up.

From their website we saw the minimum price for course menu was ¥6,700 per order. Upon further clarification with the staff, they explained that the price for per order is for 1 pax, and they require a minimum order of 2 pax for the same course. We went with the Gin no Mai (Silver Dance) at ¥10,000 per pax since we would very much like to try the “King Crab Steak” aka Grilled Crab Leg which is only included in this higher priced course.

The dinner commenced with 3 types of appetizers, followed by Crab Paste Miso platter, Vinegar marinated King crab & Hairy crab, Seaweed with Grated Yam Paste, close up shot of “Crab Paste Miso” to be added to the Kani Suki and Crab “SASHIMI” on ice. (photo order starting from top left, then counter-clockwise)

The Crab Paste Miso (the greyish green stuff) was something new to us. Apparently after some googling it is whatever is left after all the white meat is taken out of the crab – a concoction of internal organs such as livers and pancreas, intestines and a little bit of the brain.

In the collage of crab meat photos, there were several types of crabs: Snow Crab, Hairy Crab and King Crab with varying preparation methods. They were all really fresh crab meat but none of it left a wow effect on me.

We found two dishes that were more satisfying. One of which was the Kani Suki which used Snow Crab’s legs as key ingredients along with servings of tofu, cabbage, seaweeds etc.

The item that we were really looking forward to – Grilled King Crab Legs came last. The succulent crab meat was the highlight of the meal. I would have loved it more if they could let us grill it on a shichirin (Japanese earthenware charcoal stove) ourselves.

After we finished the Sukiyaki ingredients the staff added rice to the remaining crab stock to transform it into Porridge with Crab Meat. After the rice had a good soak in the stock from the sukiyaki, an egg was added to the boiling pot together with some shredded crab meat to turn it into the final product. The egg crab porridge topped with shredded seaweed was served with pickles. The porridge was filled with essence of the fresh crab meat cooked earlier and was a luxurious upgrade for the otherwise simple comfort food.

We heaved a sigh of relief when we finally saw the dessert of Musk Melon presented at the end of our 2-hour meal.

Seriously even as crab lovers, we found the crab feast overwhelming…There were simply too many variations and too many small items to eat. In honesty we did not feel “shiok” after the meal. We felt we could have made do with the Kani Suki and the Grilled King Crab Legs and would feel just as satisfied without having to go through the whole crab feast.

I guess most people list Crab Feast as a “must-do” activity when visiting Hokkaido. For me once is enough just to check that item off my list…It is not something that I would try again if I visit Hokkaido next time – not the full works, but I’m always open to enjoying fresh crabs!

Earlier Photos Taken:

Caught some ski-jumping performance at Odori Park that started at 5pm. Yes, the sky was totally dark by then in winter…

They were an enthusiastic bunch of school boys and girls, with the exception of 1 uncle aged around 40. When the MC introduced the uncle, the crowd gave him a thunderous applause, perhaps like me, we were impressed by his courageous effort to perform these high-risk stuns given his age.

As with many other elaborated celebrations in Japan and cashing in on the consumerism opportunities, they  introduced limited edition Coca Cola cans to commemorate the 12 days of Sapporo Snow Festival.

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• Le Musée ル・ミュゼ, Sapporo
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• Ebisoba Ichigen 一幻拉面, Sapporo
• Shiroi Koibito Chocolate Lounge, Sapporo

Gotsubo 五坪, Sapporo

Found Gotsubo while reading the blog of a foodie who had featured this tiny hole-in-the-wall stall for their CHEAP and FRESH oysters. Mind you, its really CHEAP…you’ll be amazed that it only cost ¥105 (less than S$1.50) for 1 of those plump and succulent shellfish, from Akkeshi Town in Hokkaido. The catch? We read that they only have very limited supply and it was recommended that we arrive within the 1st hour of their opening which is at 6pm, else it would be sold out.

Since we were hanging out at Susukino area since afternoon to look at the ice sculptures on display in conjunction with the Sapporo Snow Festival, we made our way to queue at 5.40pm. When we arrived, there were 3 pairs of people ahead of us and they were queuing in the lobby area to the side of the stall to hide from the cold weather.

When the lady came to prepare for opening about 5 mins prior to 6pm, she then asked us to line up along the walkway. While waiting in the queue, there were several other locals who came and were allowed to be seated at the handful of counter seats inside the tiny shop. We guessed they are probably regulars…

As for the rest of us, we were happy to be able to secure some of the oysters and savour them on the sidewalk. Unfortunately there were no scallops or surf clams available on the day of our visit.

We ordered 3 fresh and 3 grilled oysters and received total of 8 instead. The lady said 2 cooked oyster were on-the-house. =)

Being 4th in the queue meant we finished our oysters within 30 mins of their opening and were ready to go off for the 2nd round of dinner! It was well-worth our time queuing up for this superb value-for-money gem!

北海道札幌市中央区南6条西4
4 Minami 6, Jonishi, Chuo-ku

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