Holy Moment at HOLY CRAB Jakarta

Been so curious with the existent of one of Seafood restaurant in Jakarta. Holy Crab placed in a strategic area called Gunawarman. Not too far from SCBD area. Thanks so my mates Aline who introduce me to Holycrab. So that night was a girls night out.And on my second visit, it because suddenly my friend Yenny who really craving for this Holy Crab. So here's our story...

Holy Crab is not just an ordinary seafood restaurant. Entering Holy Crab area, you will find many nautical things like paddle, sea-shell and even the big ropes. This Louisiana Seafood style has pretty spacious place to dine. Holy Crab have 2 floor that fit for at least 130 person. There's also a private dining area. We seated infront of the dummy board. Dummy board is a guide how to eat your crab. So hillarious.

Holy Crab Facade

Private Room

Even the door handle is look like paddle

This Dummies Guide To De-Shelling really help a lot

Holy Crab served a very tempting seafood. From crab, Lobster, Shrimp, Clam, Fish and Calamari you named it. Looking at the menu it self already making me mouthwatering. For crab, Holy Crab have selection of import and local. For import, I can't give you specific price. Because Holy Crab set the price into seasonal price. Last time, I went there, the price around IDR 80.000 for 100gram for the dungeness crab. Beside the Dungeness Crab, other import crab are King Crab Legs and Snow Crab Legs. The size of the legs is so huge. Beside crab other import product is definitely Lobster.

The plastic napkin to keep your clothes clean

Eating in Holy Crab means forget the table manner, forget all the knife, fork or spoon. Its a place where you can get dirty and lick your fingers with no hesitate. And where's the plate? There's no plate also y'll.... The seafood will spread upon your table. Of course after it cover with paper napkin. Get down to the mess and enjoy the crab till the last bite.

Those are the only tools we used - to smashing and dig in the crab

SNACKS

Cajun Fries - IDR 25.000

Love this cajun fries. A really crisp and well seasoning of french fries. Just dip it into the sauce that you get when you order your seafood. The taste become more tasty.

Onion Ring - IDR 25.000

Look at that gigantic onion ring. Usually I only had an onion ring size thinner than that. But Holy Crab have the big version. It coated well and it taste great.

THE STAR OF THE SEA

MUD CRAB - IDR 45.000 / 100gram
The crab above was around 500gram's weight. I thought the local crab, was not going this big. It's enough for 2-3 person though. The meat is so so juicy and tender. The sauce it-self really soak in to the crab. I don't mind have to struggle with the crab shell. I just need to smash it with the wooden hammer. The crab taste fresh. I even didn't smell any fishy smell at all.

SHRIMP - IDR 28.000 / 100gram
The size of the shrimp also pretty big. It so fresh and not fishy. I can taste the juiciness, sweet, tender and so smooth in the very first bite.

THE SAUCE

Holy Crab have 3 spiciness level from the sauce that you can choose.
MILD
                    MEDIUM
                                             HOLY MOLY!
Since I ate with my Yenny who couldn't handle the spicy taste, so we ordered for the mild sauce. The sauce texture just like bolognaise. Even though it called mild, but I still taste a bit hint of spiciness in it. The mild not only for the spiciness. But also in its texture. So when we combine it with the seafood,  it doesn't make it too overpowering. So it make the seafood still the main star. And in our second visit, we're so curious with the HolyMoly sauce. Yes, we dare our selves to try that sauce. And yess... it so hot like  hell! It really burn my lips and my throat. But the weird thing is, it make us want to grab it again LOL.

BEVERAGES

Lemonade (Free Flow) – IDR 25.000

The sourness & the acidity from this drink can balance the heat from the sauce

Ice Tea (Free Flow) – IDR 25.000

Complimentary Orange - to reduce the heat from the sauce

One more thing that can be the fun effect from this restaurant. I guess this is the only restaurant that rent a "Selfie Stick" or we called it "Tongsis (tongkat narsis)" and yes, we use it several times just for fun hehehe...

Overall, we're have so much great time to have dine here. With the good service and good quality of food. I hope Holy Crab keep maintain the quality of the food and the service in the future.

The Menu

The Holy Crab

Jalan Gunawarman No. 55

Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan

Jakarta Selatan 12110

021 - 2923 6155

Opening Hours:

5 PM - 10 PM (Weekdays), 12 PM - 10 PM (weekends)

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

SHANG PALACE AT SHANGRI-LA HOTEL

A weeks ago I got a chance to visit Shang Palace at Shangri-la Hotel Jakarta. Located in a busy area Jl Jend. Sudirman, Shang Palace offer the traditional Cantonese Cuisine. Hhhmm... I'm pretty curious. I had ate a lot of Chinese food. But to look for the traditional and the authentic one, I guess it's pretty rare.

Forgive me for the blurry picture. Since my battery camera was run out when I capturing the scrumptious menus from Shang Palace hohoho...

Entering Shang Palace, we can feel the Chinese ambiance. Dominated with red and gold make this restaurant looked so bright and elegant. So typical in Chinese restaurant. 

the magnificent aquarium, relax your eyes while you eat

The Shang Palace Chinese restaurant combines contemporary and classic Chinese décor.  It has 327 seats, six private dining rooms and the Lotus Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 200 people for a standing reception, 100 guests for a banquet with a dance floor and stage, 120 people for a banquet without a dance floor or stage, or 100 people for a buffet-style function.

I like how they decor their restaurant. With a big paintings, wooden unique shelves and flowers on the tables.

After a quick tour and some room photo taken, it's time to reveal Shang Palace menu. Since it's breakfasting time, Shang Palace gave us takjil (lite bite) before enetring the Shang Palace menu.

Kurma & Kolak (Banana Stew)

Before I make you drooling with Shang Palace menu, let me introduce you with Shang Palace's Chef. His name is Chef Benson.

Benson Fok Ping Kong have joined the Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta family as the Executive Chinese Chef and led the Shang Palace versatile team of chef since 2008.

Chef Benson believes in creating authentic Chinese delicacies by combining the freshest ingredients and cooking techniques to retain the flavours, scents and textures.  Chef Benson also shows his versatility when serving guests.  Whether he is cooking for a banquet of 4,000 people or for a small gathering of 5, he always keeps the consistency of the quality of the dish. 

That's about the Chef. About the menu, Executive Chinese Chef Benson Fok, prepares a range of special dishes presented in the Shang Palace signature dishes menu.  The signature dishes include Lobster Fried Rice with Shang Palace Premium XO Sauce, Steamed Alaskan Crab with Spring Onion Oil, Pan Fried Lamb Steak with Wild Chilli Sauce, Baked Goose Liver with Scallops, Chilled Tiger Prawns with Home-made Orange Sauce, and Deep Fried Chicken with Spring Onion Oil.

Shang Palace also carries a wide range of vegetarian dishes for vegetarians. For dim sum lovers, Shang Palace offers a wide range of dim sum.

Guests at Shang Palace can also enjoy fresh seafood, which is another speciality of the restaurant.  Guests can choose fresh seafood from the restaurant’s crystal clear water fish tank, including lobster, clams, geoduck and a variety of fish, guaranteeing fresh quality and offering guests an interesting sight.

 

菠菜牛肉羮 Minced Beef Soup with Spinach – IDR 60.000

Our food journey begin with the warm one. A tender minced beef mixed with spinach with half boiled egg. Better eat it in a warm condition. Because seasoning would more tasty.

辣汁龙球 Lobster with Spicy Sauce – IDR 228.000

Fresh lobster combine with sweet mango with spicy sauce sprinkle with raisin and almond. First I looked is the presentation. The lobster stood with elegant. The mango looked so bright and tempting. I swear, I'm just like a pregnant lady who really mouthwatering see the mango.  Not too forget the very tender and fresh lobster. This menu makes want to grab it all. Uumm... Can I have more? hehe...

西柠杏香鸡脯

Deep fried Boneless Chicken with Almond Flakes on Lemon Sauce IDR 78,000

Where's my chicken??!! Oopss... don't worry... your chicken is pretty shy. It hidden behind the crunchy almond flakes. The presentation is quite unique. Full of chicken almond pile, make it more like rocky canyon. The lemon sauce really add flavor to this chicken. The sour taste from the taste is so fresh. It'll be more good if it's a bit warm. But eventhough it's already cold, the almond still crunchy.

馒头秘制骨

Chef’s Special Stewed Pork Rib served with Chinese Bread IDR  88,000

Since I'm not a pork eater, so I skip this menu. But according to friend who ate that, the taste is great. Well... I can not describe it more.  Served in a gorgeous claypot. When it served, the mantou still warm.

原只鲜鲍百灵菇扣鹅掌

Braised whole Abalone and Goose Web with Bailing Mushroom IDR188,000

Another good menu that Shang Palace served. A big, tender abalone taste so yummy. Served with goose Web that also tender and bailing mushroom. Actually, this is the 1st time I eat Bailing mushroom. The taste is so good. If you so curious, with Bailing... let me goggled it for you 

Bai-Ling Mushroom, a new star in the edible mushroom family, is so named because of its beautiful pure white body and its similarity in shape with Glossy Lanzi. “Bai” means white in Chinese and “Ling” refers to Lanzi, a valuable edible fungus.

辣子活螃蟹
Live Crab with Chili Sauce IDR 38,000 /100 gram

From the presentation already make me drooling and mouthwatering. The red crab with chilli red sauce is so damn good. Eventhough the chilli sauce is a spicy, but I can stop eating this. This crab is so finger lickin'. I don't mind to get my hand dirty & have to wash my hands over and over again, because I have to manage between enjoying this fresh crab and taking picture. Love you Hot Crab!!

山野珍馐
Homemade Bean Curd with Vegetarian Ham, Shimeiji Mushrooms and Dried Scallops IDR 78,000

The appearance is not pretty as the other menu.  But when I tasted it, it's quite good. The bean curd is so soft topped with seaweed served with Vegetarian Ham, Shimeiji Mushrooms and Dried Scallops taste savory  balance the bean curd taste that a bit bland. There's also spinach hidden behind the Vegetarian Ham, Shimeiji Mushrooms and Dried Scallops.

鲜虾扬州炒饭 Shang Palace Yang Zhou Fried Rice IDR 88,000

I also have to skip this menu, since there's pork added. From appearance pretty good. With generous sides. The texture a bit dry.

DESSERT
After a scrumptious main course, time to relax my tummy with dessert. And Shang Palace never stop to spoiled my taste buds.

Almond Bean Curd with Mixed Fruits IDR 35,000

 Cold version of bean Curd. Texture is chewy. Mixed fruit added freshness to this dessert.

Chilled Lemon Grass Jelly with Lime Sorbet IDR 35,000

Lemon grass really dominated in Jelly.  Lemon grass in my mind really typical in Chinese and other Asian menu. I assumed this because my mum pretty often use it in her several menu, include for tea. I like the unique taste from the lemon grass jelly. Lime Sorbet make it more freshening.

Chilled Mango Pudding IDR 35,000

 The mango pudding is so delicate. So smooth. Mango that dominated this dessert really suit for a lite closing dinner. Served with pieces of fruits.

Chilled Avocado Puree topped with Coconut Ice-Cream IDR 35,000

Aakkk... me loved this one. Avocado Puree combine with Coconut Ice Cream is a perfect match. They really meant to each other. So fresh, not too sweet, and give a great ending.

Chilled Mango Sago Cream IDR 35,000

My other favorite dessert from Shang Palace that night. Sago really blend well with the mango. It really blew me away. Served with jelly and fresh fruits.

Overall, as a five-star Restaurant Hotel, Shang Palace really know how to spoiled their customer. The seafood and the other ingredients served fresh. The hospitality make me very welcome and pleased. I recommended you all to visit Shang Palace at Shangri-La Hotel

Shangri-la Hotel Jakarta
Shang Palace Level 1
Kota BNI JL. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1
Jakarta, 10220
Tel: (62 21) 2922 9999
FB Fan Page: Shangri-La Jakarta
twitter: @ShangriLaJKT