9 Dishes That Prove Our Obsession Over Chilli Crab

Chilli crab is undeniably one of our favourite dish created right here in our homeland. And it stands for everything that we love – something spicy, something fresh and something that’s finger licking good. More than just a dish on its own, we seem to love this salty-sweet-spicy dish so much that we’ve started infusing it into other Asian and Western dishes alike. Here are some chilli crab flavoured dishes we’ve rounded up to prove our nation’s obsession over this uniquely Singaporean creation.

1. Mingle Mangle

Frozen treats are perfect for cooling off in the tropical heat. But throw in some fiery spice and what you have on hand is a savoury icy dessert that’s confusing on the tongue. In fact, we were intrigued and bewildered by Mingle Mangle and their unexpected flavour options, and particularly so by the scoop of Chilli Crab ice cream ($4.60) we had. Arguably an acquired taste (spicy ice cream really takes some getting used to), try this if you’re a die-hard fan of the dish. Churning chilli crab into a dessert certainly is prove of our obsession over this dish.

2. Fish & Chicks

If you’re planning on braving the heat and hour long queue to sample the famed fish and chips from the modern hawker Fish & Chicks, don’t. In keeping with the same hawker spirit, they’ve opened up another outlet in Orchard Cineleisure’s Koufu serving the same decadent golden brown fillets. We had their Chilli Crab Fish And Chips ($10.90) that came with fries and your choice of an additional side. The fish was moist and the batter was a delectable crunch, but the chilli crab sauce felt more like a sweet chilli sauce and left more to be desired.

3. Antoinette

Finding it hard to keep up with Antoinette’s huge array of croissant options? Well we feel your woe too. With so many options, it’s easy to miss out on their Chilli Crab Croissant ($7.50) where buttery pastry layers come enveloping a strongly flavoured spicy center. It’s heavy on the palette and bold on taste, almost like biting into a French curry puff.

4. Artistry

Sure, we don’t exactly know how does a krabby patty taste like. But if it were to taste like anything, we’d hope it would taste like the Artistry Chilli Crab Burger ($25) from Artistry. It was hard to choose our favourite part of their signature burger – the thick patty was bursting with swimmer crab meat, and we wished we could douse their house-made chilli crab sauce over our entire plate filled with brioche buns and shoestring fries. Regardless, this hearty burger was a good attempt at replicating the familiar flavours from our favourite crab dish.

5. Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung is mixing things up a little by incorporating crab into their various dim sum dishes. The Steamed Chilli Crab & Pork Bun ($2) comes stuffed with pork and shredded crab meat, with a mild chilli crab flavour lingering as you bite into it. Also making a special reappearance from now till 31st August is the Steamed Chilli Crab Dumplings ($7.50 for four pieces), which comes with a pork and crabmeat mixture and spicy chilli crab broth.

6. The Fabulous Baker Boy

It seems like adding cheese to a dish makes it better – from Korean ramen to fries and now, chilli crab. The Chilli Crab Mac And Cheese ($18) is the perfect harmony of east and west, with elbow macaroni suspended in a cheesy béchamel sauce, topped with chunks of chilli crabs and herbed panko crumbs. We loved how the spiciness cuts through the richness of the cheese, and the generous chunks of juicy crab meat that accompanied every bite.

7. Loof

Known for putting a local spinning their menu, this rooftop bar’s rendition of Chilli Crab Cheese Fries ($14) makes for a great drinking companion. The thick cut fries soaks up the sauce from the chilli crab that reminded us somewhat of an Asian poutine. It was a little heavy on the salt and spiciness, which make sense when you wash the fries down with a pint of cold beer.

8. Habitat Coffee

You’ll want to skip the standard brunch items on the menu and order the Chilli Crab Linguine ($17) just like what we did. The rempah, or spice blend used to concoct the sauce threaded the fine balance between sweet, spicy and savoury. The generous chunks of crab meat made for a juicy bite, and the fried mantous mean that you scoop up every last drop of the sauce and leave none to waste. Read the review here.

9. Platypus Kitchen

The Chilli Crab Asian Buns ($10.50 for three pieces) do away with the usual fried mantou and replace it instead with some steamed buns. We liked how the fluffy and soft buns made for the perfect canvas for the sweet and savoury chilli crab sauce, while the fresh greens and fried wanton skin adding a nice crunch to the whole dish. Read more about Platypus Kitchen here.