CHASING FOOD DREAMS: Fei Fei Crab @ Damansara Jaya, PJ

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Fei Fei Crab @ Damansara Jaya, PJ

Let’s Get Crabbing!

It’s been 8 years since Fei Fei Crab Restaurant started their first restaurant in Desa Aman Puri, Kepong. Fast forward to now, Fei Fei Crab has 4 outlets to date which includes Crab Generation and Crab Sifu in their family operated restaurants. The latest outlet to hit our PJ dining scene is at Damansara Jaya under Fei Fei Crab Restaurant.

Situated along a busy row of shoplots in an urban housing area, Fei Fei Crab Restaurant is now serving up a feast of crab and seafood treats to all PJ diners on daily basis. The restaurant is a no frill restaurant so diners should just expect a decent minimalist ambiance flagged in their themed orange color serving up signatures of Chef Minamikon.

From a young age, Chef Minamikon has been working up his experience under Chef Steven before he open his first Fei Fei Crab restaurant eight years ago. Garnering his own repertoire over the years, diners can expect lots of creativity and deliciousness in his menu at all his crab restaurants.

We arrived on a public holiday for lunch and there was a solid crowd already at the restaurant ordering up classic as well as modern Chinese dishes for lunch. The menu has lots of tempting photos of the dishes, so much so you might have a hard time choosing since they all look so good. Fei Fei Crab obviously is famous for their crab dishes so choosing one should be a no-brainer.

We started off with the house signature of Fried Pork & Chicken with Yam Cake (RM35). Showcasing best of duo of pork and chicken plus a yummy yam basket, one cannot go wrong with an order of this dish. The chicken was crispy and coated in a yummy sweet and creamy glaze while the pork rib was nicely crusted and flavour with garlicky bits. The creamy and crisp yam basket was decent. It’s a lovely combination of meat that goes well on its own or with rice.

Thai Style Sour Steam Seafood (RM98) has diners drooling over the array of prawns, squid and lala all nicely bathed in a tangy and piquant Thai style sauce. The sauce has a solid balance of sweet, sour and savory with some heat while the fresh onions and coriander as well as hints of lemongrass aroma really whets the appetite for more. The seafood is also cooked nicely and served on a warmer to keep it warm and comforting.

One cannot really go wrong with steamed fish as long as the fish is fresh and cooked just right. The Hot & Spicy Steam Tiger Grouper (RM13 per 100g) was another dish that warrants an order. Simplicity of the cooking method showed off the fresh and sweet notes of the highly prized tiger garouper. The mount of punchy spicy garlicky and black bean topping enhanced the flavours of the fish well, boosting extra umami notes. Hand me more steamed rice please…

Porky goodness prevails in Pattaya Pork Knuckles (seasonal price). A mega hunk of full glorious pork knuckle cooked for hours before being finished with a crispy deep fried bath is served with pickled onions and a moreish Thai sauce on the side. Some dishes just takes extra love and effort and this one pays off well.

The crispy skin coupled with soft and tender meat of the pork are lighted up with the tangy and bitey pickled onions. The sauce added more oomph to the pork. Bits of gelatinous fats of the pork also made the dish more heavenly on the palate. Minor quips but I wish for the skin to be more crispy evenly as some were a tad chewy. Other than this small quip, I really love the pickled onions with the pork knuckle a lot.

One of my personal favorite of the lunch was the Lala Veggie Soup with Black Pepper (RM28). Chef Minamikon really took a gamble and added black pepper and butter to the soup, making the dish more delicious than the classic version. The soup was so creamy and rich with a good hint of peppery notes that really went well with the fresh sweet clams and soft spinach. I polished my bowl and had extra soup because I enjoyed it so much.

For diners of all ages, one cannot go wrong with an order or Scallop, Prawn and Clams Tofu (RM38). Housemade bean curd made from egg and soy bean milk, the tofu was superb. Smothered in a typical brown gravy, the tofu also comes with some scallops, prawn and pacific clams with broccoli and a topping of crispy kai lan leaves. Comfort food at its best…

The time came for crabs and we had two sauces whipped up with XXL size crabs. Currently on the market price, 2 pieces of XXL crabs seen here are about RM136. Prices changes according to market price. Fei Fei Crab also serves Large and XL size crab for affordability.

While there are plenty of sauces to choose from in their signature list of crabs, one cannot go wrong with the Salted Egg Crab – Creamy version (depending on sizes and market price). Take a serious look at the glorious and sinful this crab looks! All golden and glistening in full glory, the salted egg crab sauce is unctuously superb. Enjoyed it hot for best flavours. The richness of the sublime salted egg yolk and cream hit all the right flavours of what we love in a salted egg yolks. One can still enjoy the sweetness of the crab flesh despite all the richness of the sauce too. Must order!

While you are at it, order their Fried Chinese Bun (RM5 each roll) to mopped up the sauces.

Our next sauce was the Claypot Kam Heong Cheese Crab (depending on sizes and market price). While Kam Heong sauce is usually a much pleaser on its own already, this version is amped up with cheese. The spices of the sauce reminded me more of curry notes than the usual Kam Heong and with the addition of cheese, the sauce is made extra rich and creamy with peppery spices. Served in claypot, we enjoyed the dish slowly as the sauce is better when its warm. Our table of diners favored this sauce over the first one while I enjoyed the Salted Egg one more. A solid adversary to the first crab dish in its own way.

Fei Fei Crab has got so much more to offer on their menu. The restaurant serves comfort Chinese dishes with lots of crab dishes for crabbies like me. No frills, just solid Chinese comfort food for daily savoring. Prices are decent for the quality and portions. They have branches in Cheras, Puchong, Kepong and now Petaling Jaya, so head on over to your nearest location of Fei Fei Crab, Crab Generation of Crab Sifu!

FEI FEI CRAB

PJ Damansara Jaya

19, Jalan SS 22/11,

Damansara Jaya,

47400 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor

Tel: 013-207 9978/ 010-270 9978

Business Hours:

Lunch 12pm-2:30pm

Dinner 5pm-10:30pm

Closed on Mondays

Kepong HQ