House of Crabs

When I first heard the restaurant name House of Crabs, my heart literally stopped. The thought of a place housing my favourite sea creature was just too much to handle, especially when I'm hungry. Turns out this place does stay true to its name. The crabs come out in boiler bags and the whole process is one delicious albeit a bit messy affair. If you're after fresh seafood and tasty seasonings to boot, this place is for you.  




House of Crabs is located on Level 1 of The Norfolk Hotel - the interior space is full of vibrant and bright colours. Loved the quirky atmosphere and the crab signage everywhere.




We were seated at one of these booths and it felt like we were at an American diner.










So basically this is how it works - you choose something from the boil and all prices are for per 500gm. You then decide on the sauce you prefer, either Mexican, Oriental, Cajun or Lemon Pepper. On the day there were some special additions as well, so make sure to ask what the daily specials are.




What's great is as you contemplate over the menu, you get complimentary popcorn that's spiced with cajun flavours. These were so dangerously addictive that I probably ate most of it before anything else was served. 




The Lobster Fries ($12) were just too tempting to resist. Topped with lobster gravy, bacon and corn - seriously how could anyone say no to that? Unfortunately I must say they weren't as good as expected. I guess with all that sauce on top of the fries, it was inevitable that they were going to taste slightly soggy. I definitely prefer crunchy fries but these were nice and creamy regardless from all the stringy cheese.




Both M and I decided to go with crab for the night - we are both huge fans.

M's choice of Snow Crab with Cajun Sauce ($34) came nicely sealed in a plastic bag and you can see all the sauce floating below. We were nicely armed with all the correct utensils needed to break into these babies. The key is to master the use of the scissors - once you got that sorted, it's super easy to take out the crab meat as a whole. The cajun sauce was nicely flavoured with strong spice seasoning - it tasted a bit like curry to me to be honest. The snow crab was also quite tender but my King Crab definitely trumped it.




My choice of King Crab with Butter and Garlic Sauce ($45) proved to be the best decision of that night. The sauce was tasty and creamy, resembling that of garlic bread. I was ferociously dipping the crab meat into the sauce to absorb as much flavour as possible. The result? Deliciously juicy and succulent bites of crab meat with just the right amount of flavour. Simply divine.





The whole idea is to tip everything onto the table (which is covered with paper table cloths) and really dig in to enjoy the crabs to its full potential - which we gladly did. Don't worry you get bibs and gloves but hey it's fun to get messy sometimes.

I must say towards the end we did get a bit tired. It's no easy effort to eat these but trust me it's totally worth it considering how delicious they were. Oh and you also get complimentary bread with the crabs so you can dip it into the sauce - genius. 





House of Crabs only has one dessert on the menu and knowing the two of us, naturally we had to order it. The Neapolitan Ice Cream Waffle Sandwich ($12) was drizzled with raspberry, almonds and chocolate sauce. The ice cream was great but the waffle bits were a bit too soggy. Nevertheless it was quite a unique dessert and we demolished it. Naturally.




Overall House of Crabs was a really unique and fun dining experience for both M and I. The novelty of breaking the crabs and dipping it inside the plastic bag was enjoyable and taste wise...crabs can do no wrong. The meal can get a bit pricey but you are getting quality fresh seafood so it's totally worth it. The staff here are also really friendly, especially the one that was serving us - he gave us some great recommendations. I wish I could've tried more of the dishes from the menu but all good, there's always next time :)










House Of Crabs
Level 1
305 Cleveland Street
Redfern NSW 2016
(Upstairs at The Norfolk Hotel)
02 9699 3177

http://houseofcrabs.com.au

House of Crabs on Urbanspoon

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