Chinese Daily 11am-10pm The Up Rama 3, Building B, 1F, Narathiwat Ratchanakharin Road, Chong Nonsi www.fb.com/chubbycrayfish, 02-057-6080
The Setting
You may have enjoyed crayfish parties hosted by Ikea or Scandinavian Society Siam before, but when it comes to these freshwater lobsters prepared Sichuan style, it is unheard of.
Last week, I discovered Chubby Crayfish, which claims to be the first restaurant to bring the crayfish craze from Shanghai and Beijing to Bangkok. The restaurant is in The Up Rama 3, a community mall with a Sino-Portuguese theme. In China, spicy and savoury crayfish with beer have become the food of choice for "yexiao" or a late night meal. How crazy Chinese are for their "xiao lóngxiā" or "little lobsters"? According to Chinese consumer app Meituan-Dianping, it was the most popular in 2017 based on a list of the top 10 most-ordered dishes. Type "china crayfish craze" in a Google search and -- voila -- you'll be shown to many reports on how cray-cray Chinese millennials are for the crustacean. And since I'm a token Chinese of Guru and among the oldest millennials, I couldn't refuse a check-in at Chubby Crayfish.
Interior-wise, the restaurant is a visual mismatch IMO. I don't know what direction the designer wanted to go for, having Chinese vintage posters, glittering utensils, chain curtain and a neon sign within the same space. Perhaps, creating a cohesive ambience isn't a top priority here.
The Menu
They prepare Thai crayfish in 16 ways with spices from Chongqing, which has been credited as where mala sauce was originally developed. You can have them served in beer sauce, chilled, stir-fried with garlic, with toppoki and more. They sell crayfish dishes in two sizes; S or 500g (B299) and L or about 1,000g (B580) and all 16 flavours are priced the same.
Equipped with a bib and a pair of plastic gloves, I was ready to dig in. To enjoy crayfish, first you remove the shell covering its head and suck on the juicy bits. Discard the rest of the head, before you work on the body by squeezing it until the shell cracks. Then, remove the shell and enjoy the meat.
Crayfish in mala sauce was flavourful and aromatic. Sichuan pepper did its numbing magic as I sunk my teeth into the crayfish, causing its juice to squirt a little onto my bib. The numbing sensation was slight so I could still appreciate all the flavours. For someone with a high threshold for spicy food, this dish was no biggie. Crayfish in beer was pretty gloved-finger-lickin' good. With the extra kick of "toban-djan" or chilli bean sauce, the dish was very tasty. The sauce was delicious but oily and had this slight sweetness that kept me going back for (few spoons) more. It also got extra points from me for having tender cloves of garlic. Crayfish in both dishes were cooked right. They were boiled before being stir-fried with sauces but didn't feel mushy.
Besides a variety of crayfish dishes, Chubby Crayfish also serves authentic Sichuan dishes. Fish soup (B299) reminded me of tom kha by its look but with a lighter consistency. There were many pieces of tender snakehead in the yellow broth that was both soothing and spicy. If the tingly numbness wasn't enough, there were some slices of fresh chilli for those with a high threshold for spice. Another recommended dish.
At the risk of sounding cliché, Frog stir-fried with herbs (B279) tasted like chicken but with a fishlike texture. Makes sense since it's amphibian, I guess. Those who don't like oily food may want to give it a pass but I found the frog meat tasty, while the cucumber added a much-needed refreshing contrast.
The Spicy salad beef with pig stomach in chilli soy sauce (B159) was meh. While pieces of stomach were smooth and palatable, the beef slices were tough to chew. Since we can't legally endorse having certain golden beverages with the food, may I suggest washing them down with refreshing Kale juice (B60) that had a hint of honey and lemon.
Insiders' Tip
Chubby Crayfish hosts crayfish dinner buffet on Fridays for B799 per person. Also during dinner time, every table will receive one free crayfish dish. Until Jan 31, diners receive 30% discount (except alcoholic beverage) from Mon-Thu and 20% off from Fri-Sun. They also have a private dining room, which they don't require minimum spending to use but your dining group must be of a considerable size to use it and it's subject to availability.
Final Verdict
For those who are curious about crayfish, I suggest you give Chubby Crayfish a try. The pricing is justified by the sizeable portion. This is where you, your friends and fam can tackle a big plate of crayfish together, and possibly talk to each other too, since you need to put down your smartphone. If Rama III isn't your turf, you can walk from BRT Thanon Chan to The Up in five minutes.
