Crab in da Bag, a Southern Louisiana style seafood restaurant with a local twist, opened its doors in early September at Big Splash, East Coast.

The owners love the atmosphere of seafood restaurants in California where diners eat off the tables and tear into the plastic bundles, which inspired her to bring this casual and fun dining experience to Singapore. Concept here is simple. Put the bibs on, eat off the tables lined with clean wax paper and get your hands dirty with crustacean goodness.

What’s the best thing about Crab in da Bag? No crockery or cutlery for you, just eat with your hands (make sure you wash your hands clean first)! I thought this is a super marvelous idea! Sometimes I really hate technology even though I have a blog, I have a twitter account and I have Facebook. My dinner with the boy is never a truly enjoyable one. Because I will probably be busy take photos and uploading it on Instagram, while he will be using one of his hands to eat with a spoon and using the other hand to PLAY GAMES. And it always makes me so pissed off because whenever he is with me, his eyes will be glued to his mobile games instead of me. humph.

Ok, enough of complaining. So I was saying, it feels so good to eat with our bare hands because we spend more time enjoying the experience and engaging with our friends rather than getting distracted by our mobile phones. And for me, food always taste better when I use my hands. That’s why I have to eat chicken wings with my hands!

To start, have some side orders first. I like the Sweet Potato Fries served with homemade Zesty Mayo Dip, which were sweet and light. I feel it is good on its own without any dips. Or have the Somersby Garlic Shrimps, a dish created by marinating shrimps in garlic and Somersby Apple Cider beer for a night before deep frying.

After the starters, things get more interesting. You can have your crustacean of choice tossed in Crab in da Bag’s special seasoning sauces – Ultimate Curry, Caboodle mix, Mum’s Special.

Ultimate Curry is Crab in da Bag’s signature Northern Malaysian Curry mix that is tweaked to perfectly complement the seafood of your choice. We paired it with clams and they were perfect, every piece is so juicy.

Caboodle mix (not to be confused with The Caboodle Boil) is another one of Crab in da Bag’s signature sauces made with a combination of local and Cajun spices, garlic and butter, which will leave you dapping the sauce out of the plastic bags with rice.

Mum’s Special is a homemade recipe adapted from AP’s mum, prepared with sautéed onion rings and garlic in a savoury, sweet and sour brown sauce. All these sauces can be enjoyed on its own or with tubs of rice. But you probably want to think twice about “drinking” the sauces because all three of them were too oily.

The star dish at Crab in da Bag is The Caboodle Boil ($299). ‘Caboodle’ is an American slang for “everything”, this Southern Louisiana seafood boil consists of mini lobsters, Sri Lankan crabs, King crab legs, Yabbies, prawns, clams, chicken bratwurst sausages, corn on the cob and potatoes boiled in a blend of herbs and local spices.

The pot of The Caboodle Boil, drained from the boil, is emptied directly on to the table in true Southern Louisiana style. Just pick what you want to eat. The massive dish is complemented with self-concocted homemade dips, such as the ‘Exotic’ Soy Dip, Green Bird Dip and Zesty Mayo Dip, and is best enjoyed between parties of 6.

We end the dinner with a old school looking Fruit Boat ($5) which was a slice of honey dew filled with jelly and lychee, very refreshing! You can also wash it all down with a pint or two of Kronenbourg 1664 Lager or Somersby Apple Cider on draft.

Crab in da Bag

Address: 902 East Coast Parkway, Big Splash Block D #01-25
Tel: 6440 0083 (Call to make reservations and/or advanced bookings for The Caboodle Boil)
Website: http://www.crabindabag.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crabindabagbigsplash/
Opening Hours: Tues – Fri 4pm – 12am; PHs, Sat & Sun 12pm – 12am

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