Hairy crabs to dine sumptuously on at Elegant Inn

There are those who can’t have enough of hairy crabs when the season comes in October. There are also those who don’t like the fiddly work of eating these crabs. But it’s all worth it  especially that creamy luscious roe of the hairy crab that’s been likened to the runny yolk of a half-boiled egg. But it’s way more delicious!

The fiddly work of cutting up the crab is all done for you at Elegant Inn HK Cuisine, even the legs are so expertly cut that you can easily pull out the meat with your lips. It’s such a fine and elegant way of eating hairy crabs.

For the hairy crab season which goes on till November, Elegant Inn has put together two 6-course set menus, as well as an a la carte one with hairy crab roe dishes. You could pick the set menu with a steamed 5 tael live hairy crab as the main course (RM228 per pax) or the Hairy Crab Roe & Abalone Set with hairy crab roe and crabmeat dishes but without the whole crab (RM338 per pax). It’s a minimum of 2 pax per set.

So I got off to a Happy Start with the Hairy Crab Roe & Abalone Set, to be supplemented with a 5 tael hairy crab (extra RM118).  First it was the flavourful Crunchy Prawn & Meat Parcel, then the exquisite Silky Egg with Hairy Crab Roe which completely bowled me over. Imagine dipping into a thick orange layer of creamy crab roe and sweet crabmeat into soft curdly steamed egg. It was mind-blowing.

Then I was on to the Double-boiled Fish Maw Village Chicken Soup with Black Garlic & Dried Conch. I once tasted a tiny slice of Japanese black garlic at an international food fair and its aroma and deep sweetness were unforgettable. The Black Garlic Soup at Elegant Inn adeptly expresses these, drawing further deliciousness from village chicken and dried conch. Crown it with a luxuriously thick, smooth fish maw and I’m sold. It’s one of my favourite soups here.

Our main course is the Braised 7-head S.A Abalone, Sea Cucumber & Golden Fried Fish Fillet in Abalone Sauce. Abalone and sea cucumber are a luxury treat here. Elegant Inn always does this so well. Savour the abalone with the braising sauce that’s smooth and thick enough to coat the back of your spoon and delivers marine flavours that open up layer by layer. Then scoop up every bit of the delicious sauce with a teaspoon. Sink into the soft, luscious sea cucumber, and be surprised by the fried fish fillet dredged in the sauce.

Hairy Crab is the star of our lunch: the crab flows with scrumptious golden roe. The flesh is lovely and sweet. A special ginger sauce is served with it. The hairy claws and legs are all cut up for you, so that you will not miss even a sliver of flesh. A sweet and hot ginger tea is served after this to balance up our yin and yang, as hairy crab is considered a “cooling”food. I love the tea and had a couple of refills.

Roast Spanish Olive Pork Wrap & Organic Quinoa Tomato Salad with Homemade Honey Soya Dressing is our meat course. It’s tender pork infused with its marination, and baked wrapped with Japanese pumpkin and spring onion. The quinoa tomato salad matches it perfectly – juicy and tangy with a balanced dressing.

Then it’s back to Fried Rice with Hairy Crab Roe & Crabmeat. It’s fried rice to ditch your no-carb rule for. It’s just so good, relishing the crab meat in the rice, as well as in that orange creamy roe and crabmeat sauce crowning it. The other Hairy Crab Set has a Fried Rice with HK Dried Prawns, Chicken and Prawn Roe.

Double-boiled Snow Pear with Chuanbei Citrus Peel and Bird’s Nest Tartlet are a fitting end to our hairy crab indulgence. The still crunchy pear is lightly sweet, with zest from Chuanbei citrus peel. And who can resist a flaky, buttery tartlet with bird’s nest?

The other set (RM228) has a similar snow pear dessert, but with a yummy mini  pumpkin ball filled with organic black sesame. Crunchy Prawn & Meat Parcel & Panfried Blazei Mushroom Radish Cake kicks off this menu, followed by the Black Garlic Soup (without fish maw), Steamed Live Hairy Crab and Spanish Olive Pork Wrap.

Elegant Inn HK Cuisine is on 2nd Floor, Podium Block, Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur. It also offers takeaway sets (refer to Facebook Elegant Inn HK Cuisine). Contact 03-2070 9399, Alan 019-215 6052, Yan 012-722 3873, Josh 012-603 9300.