Roe In Abundance At “The Gold Rush”
Peony Jade Restaurant at Keppel Club is where I first sampled the popular Shanghai hairy crab that is typically an autumn delicacy. First opened in 2004 at Clarke Quay, the diner that specializes in traditional Szechuan and Cantonese cuisines unabashedly favours scenic locations- a full view of the placid Singapore River is featured at Clarke Quay, and the quaint road along the golf course’s perimeter up to Keppel Club exudes a certain picturesque exclusivity, though the arduous walk in was more like a hike to me.
With a carpeted staircase leading to a woody dining interior, I felt that the restaurant spares no expense at providing the consummate oriental experience. Inside, warm lighting furnished by a ceiling speckled with lanterns falls on customarily round tables where diners can rest on ornate seats and enjoy mellow Chinese songs of yesteryear.
For my first taste of the hairy crabs (or Chinese mitten crabs) that the restaurant imports solely from the treasured Yangchen Lake in eastern China, I found it to be a setting as good as any.
Let’s check out some of the a la carte items offered in this limited Hairy Crab promotion for 2014.
Mister Crab 水 晶 大 闸 蟹 先 生 ($14.80 for 3 pieces). We opened the promotional “gold rush” hairy crab session with Mister Crab, an orange-skinned crystal dumpling that cutely shaped like an actual crab, stuffed with a medley of shrimp and crab meat. I was beginning to wonder what a dim sum spread would be like with crab meat being its focus.
“The Golden Charm” Pomegranate hairy crab meat topped with creamy golden roe 蟹粉石榴头 ($58). When the bun doused in an incredibly rich and golden roe gravy arrived, I knew I had found my favourite dish of the day.
This massive Xiao long bao variant that is supposed to be shaped like a pomegranate has skin just tender enough to hold the luscious dressing of steamed prawn and tobiko roe that went pleasantly with dips of the potent cream that I quickly expended. Save for the two seemingly superfluous pieces of gilded lard on the side, this crab-intensive dish should satiate all devotees of The Golden Egg Roe.
Steamed hairy crab with homemade Chinese rice wine 家 乡 姜 酒 蒸 大 闸 蟹 ($48). The much awaited/feared tall task of getting one’s hands gooey with a full crab then presented itself. As with most Chinese meals, some soup is nothing out of the ordinary, so I was most excited to have a sip of the stock that looked all too nourishing.
The simple blend of the rice wine boiled with the crab, minced ginger, and black fungus was impressive for homemade wine. I just thought that the acridity from the ginger bits was a little over the top and honestly quite unavoidable if you insist on having more of that amazing stock. The ‘heaty’ yang Ginger however, is always paired with hairy crabs so as to reduce the ‘cooling’ yin effect that the Chinese believe hairy crabs to have.
We were presented with a most elegant and efficient de-shelling demonstration of the diminutive steamed hairy crab, where the presenter did as a surgeon would and dissected the crab with precise steps. Being quite the meticulous eater, I personally found the work to be incommensurate with the meat reward. The generous offering of creamy roe within the crab is greatly appreciated by many hair crab aficionados though, including myself.
La-mien soup topped with hairy crab meat garnished with golden caviar ($16). A light staple teeming with more crab elements, the bowl of la-mien sitting in a rich lobster consommé appeared close to my saturation point of the exceedingly creamy and increasingly wearying (jelat) roe.
Much to my surprise, this bite-sized noodle dish topped the night of crabs off very well with a balanced sweet and salty mix of meat and caviar. Extremely concentrated crab guts and roe blended within the golden caviar will please the rare few who crave the limited essence within prawn and crab heads.
Boiled hot ginger tea with glutinous rice dumpling ($7). For dessert, we were first treated to a ginger tea that may have evoked a few cringes with its unparalleled spiciness. Again according to Chinese traditionalists, hairy crab meat has that excessive cooling quality that needs to be counteracted with warm foods like the chosen ginger tea to maintain the body’s equilibrium. The glutinous rice dumpling filled with sesame was a classic match with the ginger tea.
Mao Shan Wang durian mochi ($12 for 3 pieces). The durian mochi that lay unassumingly beside the intense tea serving was a splendid ending to the night. It is hard to forget how smoothly that icy goodness burst in the mouth for an explosion of the piquant durian flavour that many crave.
I was not necessarily filled by the time I left, but was certainly left inspired by the slew of creative dishes that Peony Jade Restaurant offered for the session. If the copious servings of roe is any indication, the restaurant appears bent on delivering a rich eating experience, and I believe I will be returning to taste the rest of the items on its menu.
Related Guide: Peony Jade Dim Sum Buffet
Expected damage: $103 per pax for set menu | $162 per pax for premium set
*Promotion available till 30 November 2014
