Dancing Crab

Modesty aside, this in not an ordinary blog post. Dancing Crab, although it reminds me of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, is not a club. Yes, I indulge in good food and seek out new cuisines when I travel, but I do not write food reviews. In the days before social media and the blogosphere, I enjoyed sharing stories about the food and restaurants in Singapore and the countries I travelled to. That have led some of the friends listening then to think that I was bragging. Now I share my dining experiences selectively on Facebook using photos, sans ratings.

Going The Extra Mile

I enjoy restaurants which go the extra mile to do different things or do the same things differently. Enjoying their creative offerings contribute to the much-vaunted term called ‘Lifestyle’. So, when my wife, Melinda told me that she would like to experience TungLok’s new restaurant, Dancing Crab, which replaced MAD, I said “Let’s go!.”

TungLok Group

Why?  The TungLok group of restaurants has consistently introduced new cuisines and restaurant concepts to Singapore. It has its beginning in Charming Garden, famed for its minced pigeon soup in bamboo and Hunan cuisine.

For Peking duck, my favourite place was the former TungLok at Liang Court. I remember it went the extra mile to seat all 18 VIP guests in one table for a Chinese dinner. The solution was simple. TungLok had one large table top custom-made.

In the early 1990s, Noble House started business with dim sum lunch and top-end Cantonese cuisine on Shenton Way, just across the road from my Robinson Road office. It was my “canteen” for entertainment. That was the time when business relationship became cemented with friendship.

The group now owns and manages over 40 restaurants in Singapore, Indonesia, China, Japan and India, and continues to set hallmarks of excellence along the way. Its milestones are trendsetting and impressive, and I believe it is helping Singapore to shine in the hospitality and the F&B sectors.

At The Dancing Crab

Even before I could take my seat to join Melinda and our daughter Carolyn at our table, there was Andrew Tjioe – a  trendsetting restaurateur, keen gourmand and multi-award winner in the food and beverage scene; the Executive Chairman of the TungLok group himself. Dressed in a tee, he confidently told me “Steven, you will enjoy this place.”

Since there were only the three of us we ordered their piece de resistance, the $80 Combo Bag #01, comprising a Sri Lankan crab, 300gm of prawns, 250gm of mussels plus corn, potatoes and cut sausages. And we had a choice of 3 Dancing Crab Signature sauces – in mild, spicy and extra spicy. We chose ‘mild’ so that we can savour the seafood’s natural flavours.

There was no cutlery, save a pair if nutcracker, on the paper-covered table. Eat with your hands, fingers and all. Rustic and so casual, like the way the Vikings eat in the TV series.

The next order was the Boston lobster rolls and it came in a pair.

Just a close-up picture can make you yearn for a bite 🙂

And as were wondering if we can order some mantou buns, Andrew happened to be nearby and he recommended, what else, cornbread. Eat them with the sauce whilst they are hot and fresh from the oven he advised. Yes, the cornbread combined perfectly with the Dancing Crab Signatory sauce.

Yes, I Shall Return

Yes Andrew, I enjoyed the place and it was unanimous. I would return with a bigger group of buddies or family members to sample more items, in particular the Moonshine Prawns (at $8 per 100 gms, with 500gm as the minimum order) and the Alaskan King Crab Legs (at $13 per 100gms). Dress as casual as you like too.

Important Info For You

Related Post : Dancing Crab, Grandstand ~ by A. Nathanael Ho