Long Ji 龙记 @ 253 Outram Road

Mention Long Ji and almost automatically, one would associate it with wok hei crab bee hoon (龙记螃蟹米粉). A group of us foodies decided to trudge to this place to try out this popular dish. Reservations is necessary. The restaurant seemed to be favoured by tourists and there were many tables of foreign friends enjoying their meal day on our day of visit. Why, we too brought our foreign friends to try the famed dishes together!

menu

For a table of 11 pax, we ordered two plates of Long Ji Bee Hoon Crab with estimated price for each plate of crab bee hoon to be $70++ per plate, with the crab weighing in at 1kg each. Other dishes include deep fried tofu with cereal and pumpkin sauce, salted egg yolk fried pumpkin strips, green dragon vegetables, prawn paste chicken and fermented pork belly.

cover charge

The noise level in this restaurant was so high till normal conversation with your table mates were almost impossible. We could either shout till our voice gone hoarse, or just eat our meal in silence. The restaurant staff seemed harried as well and at times, could be quite difficult to get their attention.

Plates after plates of bee hoon crab were seen at each of the tables. It's almost certain that everyone who's here at Long Ji would be ordering this. Similarly, our cameras started working once the star dish arrived.

Long Ji Bee Hoon Crab 龙记螃蟹米粉 @ $70++

The first time that I had dry version of crab bee hoon was at De Classic Golden Spoon at Seng Poh Lane. The sauce was of a darker colour and minimal excess as most would have been soaked up by the bee hoon and the wok hei was the best then. That was the epitome of dry bee hoon crab for me. With that gold standard, I was eager to try the Long Ji version. Not sure if the kitchen was in a hurry that day, but while the broth was sweet it just didn't packed that umami punch. The bee hoon could have been braised a tad longer too. Thought the chili sauce provided along with this dish was really good and did its job to elevate the taste of the bee hoon with its spicy-kick and tangy-ness.

Shrimp Paste Chicken 虾酱鸡 @$18++

Shrimp paste chicken was well-fried with juicy moist meat but the shrimp paste taste was a tad lacking. This would be rather suitable for friends who dislike the strong pungent smell of shrimp paste.

The Green Dragon Vegetables is from the chives family. Reminds me of char kway teow, ee-fu noodles, kuchai kueh and the likes. Fried with bean sprouts and offered a refreshing change from the meat-heavy dishes.

Green Dragon Vegetable 青龙菜@$18++

Fermented Pork Belly @$20++

The appetiser somehow managed to appear along with all the main courses. Nevertheless, the Salted Egg Pumpkin was rather enjoyable. Golden brown, thick cut slices of deep fried pumpkin, well coated with that grainy tasty salted egg yolk sauce. Another well loved dish was the deep fried tofu with cereal and pumpkin sauce. There's something about golden deep fried that they did very well here.

Salted Egg Pumpkin 咸蛋金瓜 @$18++

Deep Fried Tofu with Cereal and Pumpkin Sauce 麦香豆腐 @$16++

All in all, it was great dining with fellow foodies. Great to have met @batamliciouz and @singaporeliciouz
and it was a pleasure to have gathered with Damien, Jennifer, Justin, Kris, Ivan, Shermaine and Tiara.

Expect to spend about $30 per pax for a group of 10 pax.

Long Ji 龙记

Address: 253 Outram Rd, 169049
Contact: 9790 5682
Opening Hours: 
Daily 5pm to 10.30pm

Spice Brasserie: Return of the Battle of the Crab Dinner Buffet @ Parkroyal Kitchener Road

Crab lovers, rejoice! For Parkroyal Kitchener Spice Brasserie is back with Battle of the Crabs Buffet. Executive Chef Low Hoe Kiat once again, prepares to battle with these hard-shelled crustaceans, and transforms them into delectable flavours of delights that we, can tuck in and enjoy, all in one sitting. WoOhOOo! Imagine ordering two flavours of crabs at your favourite stall/restaurant and the bill would likely come up to at least $120 for that dish alone. However, with just $60++ per adult (for UOB, DBS and Maybank card holders and $75++ for non-card holders), we get not just 2 flavours but 12 delicious flavours! Hurry now and make your reservations for "The Return of the Battle of the Crab Dinner Buffet" that starts from 17 September and is available on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only.

Am making a beeline for the slow-braised pumpkin crab in claypot. Grab those delicious 'crisp on the outside pillowy soft on its inside' mantous and mop up the sweet, savoury, creamy pumpkin sauce. Not a drop to be missed! Look at those pincers and you'll know that you're in for a treat! Firm, fresh sweet crabs that were so good! Nothing else is needed when you have these. Except, that you will want to have more crabs and more mantous!

Slow-braised Pumpkin Crab in Claypot

deep fried mantou 炸馒头

For appetisers, there is the baby crab salad with green mango. Served in cute stone mortar, with table-side service.

Baby Crab Salad with Green Mango

salad making in progress

ready-to-eat Baby Crab Salad with Green Mango

While I liked the green mango tartness and it tasted much similar to our beloved rojak, am of the opinion that the baby crabs ought not to be mixed into the salad dressing but as a crunchy topping instead.

The next appetiser, is the deep fried soft-shell crab with meat floss, served with wasabi mayo. Flawlessly fried to a deep golden brown and the coating of floss kept it interesting. Yums. Think it will pair very well with a glass of iced cold beer.

Deep Fried Soft-Shell Crab with floss

Perhaps, when you are here, it might be good to start off with a lighter flavour of crabs. How about Steamed Marinated Spicy Crab with Light Sauce? Indeed, it was light on the palate and the freshness of the crabs shone through. A tad spicy though it looked pretty mild. No worries though, as the heat dissipates as soon as it comes.

Steamed Marinated Spicy Crab with Light Sauce

The restaurant provides plastic aprons for diners, so no worries about flying crab shells or splatter of sauces while enjoying the crabs here. So let's tuck in!

plastic apron - battlewear for the diners

For fans of Korean-flavours, the buffet has Stewed Kimchi Crab. Spice level was pretty mild and lots of kimchi to pick if you'd like some.

bubbling hot

Stewed Kimchi Crab

Not all crabs are saucy. The Wok-fried Crab with Garlic and Scallion fits into this category and scored points with its spot-on homely Asian flavours. It had some of that kiss-of-fire flavours of the wok.

Wok-fried Crab with Garlic and Scallion

Another style of crab that shared the closest in appearance with the wok-fried crab, was the Stir-fried Crab with Jalapeno and Fermented Black Beans. Had to do a double-take. Taste wise, my preference between these two, is still the Wok-fried Crab with Garlic and Scallions.

Stir-fried Crab with Jalapeno and Fermented Black Beans

Of course, flavours that most of us are accustomed to, which include the Braised Beehon Crab, Chili Crab, Salted Egg and Pepper Crab are also available in the buffet.

Salted Egg Yolk and Butter Crab

The Salted Egg Yolk and Butter Crab dish is heavy-duty one, and the amount of salted egg yolk and butter that went into it, was highly evident from its taste.

My top 3 picks of the crabs are:
#1 - Slow-braised Pumpkin Crab in Claypot
#2 - Wok-fried Crab with Garlic and Scallion
#3 - Steamed Marinated Spicy Crab in Light Sauce

Thank you Parkroyal Kitchener, Spice Brasserie, Chef Low and Cleo for the crab buffet preview.

Indeed, the Return of the Battle of the Crab Dinner Buffet offers an excellent choice for diners with its variety and quality crabs.  Last run was in October 2014. Returning on 17 September 2015. The wait was long enough. Not to be missed.

Spice Brasserie @ Parkroyal On Kitchener Road

Address: 181 Kitchener Road, Singapore 208533
Contact: +65 6428 3160
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PRSKT