Crab and Claw

Crab and Claw

Bangkok Foodies Review – Carb&Claw

With such mixed reviews on this place, I  decided to avoid it for the longest time. That was until the New Year kicked in and I become resolute on a resolution to gorge on seafood. Hotel buffets were the obvious choice but after hearing how fresh the lobsters were at Crab and Claw, the most common complaint – “it’s too expensive”, “it’s not worth the money”- wasn’t going to deter me this time.

Located at the Helix at Emquartier on the 7th floor, there was already a cue of pushy Chinese tourists and determined local families vying for a seat. We waited for half an hour, not too bad in the scheme of New Year’s Day mayhem.

We were tended upon by a jolly big fella named Darren, who was surprisingly light on his feet and provided us with his uniquely open and attentive service.

We went for the small (or as Darren says “medium”) sized lobster and were upsold,unbeknownst to us, the Prawn and Manila Clams pot special. Bloody Darren! Thankfully, for 790 THB, it was well worth the add-on. The pot was bursting with fat, juicy, shell-on prawns  and big, buoyant clams covered in their own briny juices. Deeper inside were chunks of steamed potato which proved to be an excellent seafood liquid sponger. Cobs of corn were placed haphazardly amid the bounty. Scrumptious, yet unfortunate to report, the ‘sweet’ in sweet corn was still amiss.

Now for what we came here for. Our lobster (700-800 GRAM/ 1900 THB) arrived laid on its belly with its deep golden shell glistening and its great big claws reaching out in dire need to be consumed. It was relatively easy to access the meat as the lobster was cracked in all the right places prior to its arrival. No need for a hammer or those shameless branded bibs. What we discovered inside was an absolutely divine, mildly sweet and perfectly textured lobster meat. The lobster was accompanied with melted butter and green Thai seafood sauce. And don’t you dare dip that fabulously cooked, f*&$ expensive lobster in the latter! It’s murder… well, for the second time.

We did not leave there disappointed, even if the bill made us break out into sea salty sweats It was pretty much worth it. For a treat to stretch out few and far between, Crab and Claw is worth a visit and you should never go solo . Let’s face it, we can quite easily drop two grand or more on a big night out on the booze. The place could do a little tweaking however; like on some of their Spongebob, pirate decor and cold, stone hard seats. (Tip: Ask for booth seating) But with a champ chef and seafood expert in the kitchen, you’re in safe claws. Just don’t ever compare his incredibly tasty hand cut fries to McDonald’s. You were warned.

Crab&Claw
693 Sukhumvit rd.,Klongtan-Nua Wattana, Emquartier
10110 Bangkok
Tel: 02 261 0249