Ouch!

Wu wu wu. We’ve ripped them out, all out. Our floor skirtings I mean. Why? Cause they were just not up to par with our expectations.

Which is why I love my contractor. He is reasonable and willing to listen and when he acknowledges work that’s not up to standard, he’s willing to fix it no matter how taxing it is. Without so much of a protest too.

Anyway, check out the sorry sight post ripping:

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And here are the new skirtings being painted…

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There’s also a minor problem with downstairs bathroom. We bought a full pedestal sink but totally forgot about the location of floor trap which, unfortunately for us is situated right where the pedestal is supposed to rest on, FOL. Thank goodness we’re only wasting a couple of hundred ringgit to discard the pedestal. But an even better alternative came up….my contractor offered to buy the pedestal from us to use for his own house haha. Also because he felt responsible that he forgot to warn us about the floor trap’s location. Have I mentioned I love my contractor? :)

Oh well, hope everything will be ok the next trip we see the house /cross fingers

Causeway Bay Spicy Crabs

Okay, finally got my arse around to blog about Causeway Bay Spicy Crabs. Thanks to KY, I got the opportunity to try out their menu and to say that I was impressed is a gross understatement. Granted it’s a little on the pricey side, but this place has possibly become one of my top choices for eating crabs. The truth is that after you have finished your meal, you’d feel that every cent you paid into the making of the dishes was worth it.

Originated from Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, the restaurant is located in Desa Sri Hartamas, just behind Souled Out. The menu is extensive and we got confused what with hunger and all so we decided to let the amiable manager to order his best stuff for us.

The first dish to arrive was the signature Typhoon Shelter “Bei Fung Thong” Crabs. Buried under a mountain on fragrant deep fried minced garlic was a couple of humongous Sri Lankan crabs. I like the natural taste of crabs so I was a little skeptical at first seeing so much garlic. I was almost sure the garlic was going to overpower the taste of the crabs.

# – Typhoon Shelter “Bei Fung Thong” Crabs.

My fears were unfounded. The crab flesh was fresh, juicy, flaky and pleasantly flavoured with a hint of garlic. It was especially delicious to eat the flesh with a sprinkle of the deep fried minced garlic – sweet crabmeat with a crunchy bite.

# – Humongous crab claw.

If you’re into that sort of things, which I am, then you’d love the duck tongues. My experience with duck tongues is few and limited but I almost never miss a chance to try these suckers out whenever the opportunity arises.

# – Duck’s Tongue with Garlic Chives.

The duck tongues were flavourful and surprisingly fleshy (maybe they got really fat ducks) and I loved that it was served with generous amount of garlic chives. I love garlic chives. Duck tongue is an acquired taste so if you’re not a lover of exotic animal parts, I’m probably wasting my breath trying to explain how it’s so awesome to you. On the other hand, if you appreciate eating anything with backs facing the sky that is not a chair, you probably don’t need any further convincing from me ;)

And then there’s frogs. I love eating frogs, especially exquisitely cooked ones. Causeway Bay Spicy Crabs serve one such exquisite dish, the Sauteed Frogs in XO Sauce.

# – Sauteed Frogs in XO Sauce

How did they managed to get the outside of the flesh crispy and the inside still juicy and sweet is beyond me. I could eat a few plates of this EVERYDAY, I’m not kidding you. I am convinced that it would convert a staunch frog hater like Suan, if only she was willing to take a bite. Just one tiny bite!

Next up, something almost poultry – chicken gristle lightly stir fried with chilli and salt.

# – Chicken Gristle with Chilli and Salt

What can I say? Another beer snack winner! Personally, I think it would be blasphemy to eat this with rice. It should be eaten out of a large grease soaked paper bag, right in front of the television. Very tasty and very addictive!

And how can you miss out on squid in a seafood restaurant?

# – Fried Squid Rings with Salted Egg Yolk.

Causeway Bay Spicy Crabs presented to us their version of ham (switch to malay now now now)dan sotong. It was good but a little ordinary against the other dishes for sure. A sure hit with the kids.

It’s a restaurant with the word crab in its name, so of course they’re going to serve us more crabs. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the most delicious crab porridge I have ever tasted.

# – Crab congee.

I’ve always avoided ordering crab porridge because it tends to be a generally bland dish. Not with the one from this restaurant though. The crabs were boiled together with the rice to make a super flavourful, super smooth, super tasty pot of crab porridge. I was half expecting the crabmeat to be all shrivelled up and dry but that was not the case. I was unable to stop myself.

Last but not least, a plate of tofu to cleanse the palate.

# – Steamed Fried Beancurd with Egg White and Seafood.

This was no ordinary plate of tofus, they were stuffed with all kinds of good stuff like prawns, scallops and mushrooms! The tofu was silky smooth but did not disintegrate upon contact with my pair of chopsticks. It was a nice break from all the rich food we had been stuffing ourselves silly with.

Overall, it was a very nice experience at Causeway Bay Spicy Crabs. I would definitely go back again especially for special occasions, such as a sudden crab craving. The atmosphere was nice and comfortable, it was packed when we were there but it did not feel like we were stuffed in a tin of sardines.

# – Horng and Suan devouring the Typhoon Shelter crabs.

# – KY and Haze. Not making out, fortunately for us.

# – Me and ST. Check out the size of the claw!

Certainly highly recommended!

Causeway Bay Spicy Crab
26 Jalan 30/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 60-3-6205 2280
GPS: 3.16347, 101.64898
E-mail: info.kl@spicycrab.com.hk

This is not my kitchen.

Nope, not even close but that’s what we’re aiming for. Hopefully it’ll work ;)

# – Not our kitchen.

Upstairs are 95% done, only left installation of toilets and bathroom sinks. But am not satisfied with the finishing work so far. Time to crack the whip!! They say the most headache inducing bit of a renovation is making sure that the finishing is flawless. Contractor doesn’t have the eye for detail like an owner does so it’s very important to keep an eagle eye on them no matter how awkward it feels.

Anyway my streamyx is still down but I’m tethering my Garmin Asus A10 so it’s not bad anymore. By the way am blogging from my A10 now. Android is unbelievably awesome! Didn’t like the touch screen so much but with this SlideIT app its even faster than typing on a real keypad! I think it’s a great alternative to SWYPE for those who have no access to it yet.

# – SlideIT ftw.

My blackberry has been relegated to the graveyard of phones temporarily as I just couldn’t tether it. Pretty sure it’s Digi’s blackberry service problem and not my phone since it did work for one whole afternoon last week. Oh well!

That said, kudos to Digi for trying its best to help me (calling me almost everyday to follow up and assist with multiple solutions). I am positive no other telcos would be able to show that level of customer service.

So yeah, my week is getting marginally better. Will continue to have positive thoughts and good will.