Capitol Restaurant 首都酒家

Oh me oh my, I love it when it's Hairy Crabs (aka Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, big binding crab (大閘蟹) and Shanghai hairy crab (上海毛蟹)), season although I hardly get to go enough these days ... partially cause of health reasons and partially cause I don't have time ... Wow, I can't believe that I am actually saying that I do not have time to eat HAIRY CRABS!

I usually make my way down to Capitol Restaurant 首都酒家 cause they have value for money Hairy Crabs and you don't have to go Yue Hwa or anywhere else to buy and steam yourself, plust to have to make sure you have the correct vinegar and make ginger tea afterwards ... what a headache! It's just as much of a headache with cold crabs.

Although I only make my way to Capitol once a year, the owners there recognize me ... which I like cause I've been going there for practically 9 years already ... since they were based at Cantoment ... they've moved around but have always stayed around the same proximity. They are now located at 323 New Bridge Road, but please remember to make reservations 6222 3938.

They bring in their crabs from Tai Lake in Shanghai, China.

The deliciously hot steamed crab with it's silky melting roe ... yummm I am getting hunger pangs just from writing that and thinking about it! Many people don't like to eat hairy crabs because it's just too much work ... but through hard work we are rewarded; once you dip that roe and some crab meat into the nice thick sweet tasting ginger vinegar mixture and you are shifted into another dimension... of course after eating too much you can expect to feel like you are going to have a heart attack soon because of the richness of the roe ... and by too much I mean 3 - 4 normal sized hairy crabs ... not the mini's!

To go with this wonderful delicacy is usually a hot chinese rice wine (usually fa tiu, like what we had); place a sour plum into the chinese rice wine to enhance the taste!