It was a toss up between Tung Lok Signatures, Club Chinois and East Ocean Teochew Restaurant at Shaw Centre. I think it was the availability of parking near Lido that eventually clinched the deal for East Ocean. I hate the Central carpark, but I guess I could have parked at Forum if we went to Club Chinois. Anyway, between Shaw Centre, International Building and Palais Renaissance, I was fairly confident I could get a parking lot quickly.
After a delayed flight and scraping a nearby car (yes, seriously, but fortunately no visible damage), we made it just in time for our reservation only to be told our table wasn't ready. There were a few others in the same predicament, and I think it's only fair that if the restaurant wants to seat people before the reservers arrive, the earlier patrons should be told that there is an upcoming reservation and to be mindful of the timing of their meal. East Ocean doesn't have that many seats outside as well, so we ended up standing around for about 20 mins.
After we got to our table, which was actually located in a makeshift area along the exit corridor, we managed to order our Hairy Crab Set B for $88++ per person. It came with some cups of tea....which we didn't realise was meant to cleanse the palate. So it grew cold, but they were good enough to replace the cups.
First dish: One Hairy crab xiaolongbao. The photo is deceiving in that it looks like a giant xiaolongbao - the one that they served looks very regular. It was pretty good, with firm and soft skin. The liquid inside was sweet, and the filling was a good combination of lean and fatty minced pork as well as sweet crab. But - only ONE!
2nd course: Chicken soup. This was very enjoyable...the taste of the chicken was pretty intense.
3rd course: Stewed pork ribs with mantou and broccoli. I'm not sure why the pork ribs were selected as a filler to fit into the hairy crab menu - this arrived not-too-warm, and the fat had congealed by the time we ate it. Very average and ordinary.
The highlight of the evening - 2 female crabs from the (can't recall the name now) freshwater lake in some southern province of China.
The server cut up the crab and removed the inedible bits. I didn't get her name, but this was one friendly and attentive waitress. She made the meal a much more enjoyable one. If not for the high price tag for the set meal, I would have given her a separate tip.
The main body of the crab plus shell - this was where all the roe was
The pincers and legs with the shell crushed and removed, so we could eat every single little bit
Next up was a mixture of crab meat and roe on top of noodles. The crab mixture had a bit of salt and ginger in it. I don't usually like ginger, but this was absolutely divine. The meat was sweet, and the roe made everything really smooth. The noodles were nicely cooked al dente.
Dessert - ginger tea with one little sesame-filled tangyuan, as well as cut fruits.
88 bucks (in the end, $212 for 2 people including taxes) was spent just like that. After I heard about the 10RMB hairy crabs in Shanghai, I felt this meal was really not worth the price for the food alone. But a happy mummy made the hole in the pocket feel a little bit better.
East Ocean Teochew Restaurant
1 Scotts Road
#02-18 Shaw Centre
Tel: 6235 9088
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