Clawing its way to victory

Clawing its way to victory

Crab and Claw brings the tastes of New England, with a twist, to Bangkok

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Clawing its way to victory
The wild Alaskan white king salmon with squid-ink Hollandaise sauce.

Trends do take quick and astonishing turns in modern gastronomy. The day has come when an exceptional meal, according to discriminating epicures, is to be found at places like a restaurant in a shopping centre.

I have been among the many witnessing the sensational hype for Crab and Claw, which opened a year ago at EmQuartier, with a certain, rather old-school, perception.

For me, the place sounded nothing more than another eatery that attracted trend-followers and easily-excited diners with pricey, imported seafood.

But that was until a couple of weeks ago when Crab and Claw surprised me and my dining party of four.

Only 10 months after the instant success of the original restaurant, its second outlet opened in Siam Paragon.

Visual-wise, the 110-seater where we had a casual lunch looked less of a place "to be seen at" than I had imagined. Tables and chairs were simply set on the front patio, along the wall down the lengthy dining hall and in the restaurant's somewhat hidden upper-floor space.

The menu was unpretentious and the description of the dishes were easy to understand.

Crab and Claw's second outlet opened in Siam Paragon 10 months after the original.

Reflecting what's in season, Crab and Claw's cuisine was typical to that of a New England-styled seafood shack, with the addition of originals by Hawaiian head chef Colin Stevens.

The humble but adventurous chef was born to a New England family in New York but developed his love for sustainable cuisine and organic harvests (and also surf boarding) while growing up in Hawaii.

His cuisine exhibits classic New England flavours, while honouring genuine quality and freshness of the ingredients -- mostly sustainable cold-water produce from Europe, USA and Japan.

Uni crostini (320 baht), one of the chef's signatures, was ecstasy on the taste buds. Creamy lumps of certified organic sea urchin's roe were served on top of house-made squid-ink toast, which was drenched in uni butter and smartly complemented by plump and juicy sea grapes and marsh samphire (bai chakhram).

The signature lobster roll with a house-made bun and French fries.

Following the sumptuously addictive crostini was a hefty bowl of wedge salad (240 baht), featuring organic iceberg lettuce, snow crabmeat, boiled egg, roasted pumpkin and cherry tomatoes tossed in a honey mustard dressing.

Up to 300 live Atlantic lobsters are flown in daily from Maine to Crab and Claw kitchens. The gigantic crustaceans, which can be prepared in various styles, changed my belief that cooked lobster tends to be bland and stiff.

The steamed Maine lobster (1,900 baht) was served in traditional style with melted butter, known as drawn butter in culinary terms. Voluptuously springy, naturally sweet and in no need of extra seasoning is how I would define the lobster. Though the crystal-clear butter sauce also turned out to be exceptionally complementing.

It doesn't matter whether you're a fan of lobster or not, you can't afford to miss the lobster roll (950 baht). This American Eastern Coast roadside classic features a warm sandwich filled with butter-poached lobster meat. Instead of a soft hot dog bun, the restaurant opts for its home-made bread that is buttered and toasted until the exterior is crusty and the interior buttery moist.

Accompanying the perfect sandwich was a generous serving of French fries that had been prepared just as precisely to provide an impeccable accompaniment.

The next treasure of the sea was the Alaskan white king salmon (780 baht), a special wild harvest that's available only from February to May.

Pan-seared to yield an impressive succulence and flavoursome taste, the off-white fillet arrived with its skin intact and was enjoyed with confit cherry tomatoes and squid-ink seethed Hollandaise -- the chef's playful yet delectable rendition of the classic yellow-hued, yolk-based sauce.

Aptly titled "uni-ara", the house-made squid-ink fettuccine with pancetta, organic uni butter, uni roe and Parmesan (950 baht) was scrumptious evidence of Stevens' worldly-wise dexterity in orchestrating flavours.

This deep-sea translation of carbonara offered three layers of fresh sea urchin roe that exhibited a more delicate mouthfeel than its Italian cousin, resulting in an East-meets-West pasta dish that's worth sampling.

And if you don't mind a messy dig into the seafood bucket, Crab and Claw's New England-style boiled seafood (1,200 baht), featuring mud crab, Manila clams, imported Spanish chorizo, potato and corn on the cob, is also recommended.

Our very pleasing New England-style seafood lunch was given a delightfully comforting finish with a piping-hot baked fruit crumble (290 baht), featuring stewed strawberries, rhubarb and blueberries underneath buttery crumbs and accompanied by Tahitian vanilla ice cream.

Service, by English speaking staff, was enjoyable during my weekday visit when the restaurant wasn't fully packed.

Hawaiian Colin Stevens presents a Maine lobster.

Organic sea urchin roe with squid-ink fettuccine, pancetta and Parmesan.

The addictive uni crostini with local marsh samphire.


Crab and Claw

Siam Paragon, G floorCall 02-683-9300Open daily 10am-10pm Park at Siam Paragon's car park Most credit cards accepted

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT