So many Louisiana Seafood places in Jakarta, but there's only one that truly stuck in my mind, not only for its meaty crab claws with delicious peppery garlic sauce, but also (curiously) for its bowl of Gyu-Tan Don that, in my opinion, is the top 3 in town. Yehhh, I bet you're curious!
I went to the restaurant in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, which shares its space with a Chinese restaurant. I like this venue, which is rather small, but feels pretty intimate and the whole wall at the side is made of glass entirely. It's a jackpot for daytime photo hunters like me!
So what's good to order here? Obviously, the Mix Bag, which contains a combo (depending on your choice) of crayfish, clams, mussels, shrimps, corn, sausage & potato. The seafood will be served with the sauce and level of spiciness, of your choice. But since I went there just with Mum, and I'm not a big seafood eater, we opted to try just the famous full-meaty Papuan crab.
And the claim turns out to be true! Both me and my super critical Mum are impressed by the crab, the juicy & white crab meat fills the entire shell (not hollow, like at most other seafood places). Other sauces are also available, for example: smoked crab, angsio, black pepper, oyster sauce, Padang sauce, etc.
So, the crab passed our assessment with flying colours, it was time to sample the other dishes on the menu. The menu at Cranky Crab is relatively less than that at its competitor's, but if the few is done right, of course customers will keep coming back. I just couldn't get enough of the famous Gyu-Tan Don, which, based on my experience, I can safely say is on the top 3 gyutans sold in Jakarta.
Gyu-Tan Don with egg IDR 75,000
Cranky Fries IDR 55,000
Cheesy Prawn Crumble IDR 45,000
Flying Beer Citrus Mojito IDR 45,000
To unassuming customers, you may be a little uneasy to see the menu, which doesn't list the prices at all, I guess that's due to the highly seasonal price of the seafood, hence it's better to ask the staff for the price on the spot for the most updated price. But all in all, I had a great meal here and my Mum did too, so it's only a matter of time when we'll come back again the next time to try the Mix Bag or to get drunk from its assorted flavoured beers.
Open Hours:
11 AM - 11 PM
Cranky Crab
www.cranky-crab.com
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1. Kelapa Gading
Jl. Boulevard Raya QF 1 No. 1
(Samudera Rasa building)
Ph: +6221 45843837
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2. Kebayoran Baru
Jl. Wijaya 1 No.65 (next to Optik Melawai)
South Jakarta
Ph: +6221 7255042
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