Eats & Treats: Crab Bar & Cafe @ Akademik Suite, Taman Mount Austin

Do you like seafood? It's really one of life's luxuries for me to be able to enjoy the occassional seafood meal. So blessed that our country has abundant seafood which is readily available all through the year. One such recent seafood restaurants that have popped up is Crab Bar & Cafe at Akademik Suite, Taman Mount Austin. It's the place to go if you want fresh, delicious Western-style seafood in a comfortable environment.

There's a perception that most seafood establishments in Malaysia are open-air and usually situated by the sea, but not with Crab Bar & Cafe. You can say that it is a modern restaurant with simple American dining decor where you can sit down and enjoy a messy meal with your hands without people judging you :p Honestly, I thought the restaurant serves cajun table-style seafood at first, but it turns out that each seafood dish has been carefully crafted to bring out the best taste of fish, prawn, crab or more.

Mocktail (non-alcoholic) - Lemon, Wild berry, Pomme verte soda | RM10.90

One of the signature drinks at Crab Bar & Cafe is their mocktail. I picked this mixture as it seems interesting. I love the sweet & slightly sour berry taste, very refreshing indeed. However, I think the floating lemon skin inside left the drink a little bitter towards the end.

Hot Tea (Eden of Fruits, Jasmine & Earl Grey) | RM7.90 or RM8.90

We were also given three different tea to try as a palate-cleanser in between dishes. It really helped that the tea is only slightly sweetened and compliments the dishes nicely.

Soft Shell Crab Burger | RM18.80

One of the signature dishes of Crab Bar & Cafe is this Soft Shell Crab Burger. I can understand why because the crispy soft shell crab compliments the slightly charred buttered soft bun very well. The crab was a little salty, probably because of the cheddar cheese, but is also fragrant. The soft shell crab is crispy on the outside and is so.. juicy, if that's the right word. The portion is just nice for one person as well. This was so good that we actually ordered another set to share!

Sambal Grilled Crab | RM45.80

There are two flavours for this - original or sambal. The big crab comes with corn, lettuce, tomato salad and baked potato. The baked potato is worth a mention as it's baked with cheese and bacon, so tasty! The crab is super fresh, even the 'egg' inside tastes juicy even after grilling. For me, the sambal sauce is a tad bit sour and quite spicy. You'll also get a pair of crackers to crack open the crab shell. It tends to get messy when eating crab no matter the environment, so you might as well savour the moment and make the most of it!

Grilled White Tuna | RM30.80

The owner & chef Kevin, introduced this grilled white tuna to us as we've never tried white tuna before. Every single seafood is so fresh and handpicked, there is no fishy smell at all. The dish comes with side dishes like grilled corn, salad, crinkle-cut fries and barbeque sauce as well. The sauce goes well with the buttery fish. Squeeze a little lemon on the fish and it takes the fishy smell away.

Grilled King Prawns | RM35.50

Admittedly, the price kinda shocked me at first but the prawns are really big-sized. They're juicy as usual with a nice charred flavour, flavoured with spices. It's a simple dish, but really brings out the freshness of the seafood. Love the salad and baked potato as well!

Mussels with White Wine Sauce | RM16.80

This was hands-down my favourite dish of the night. This dish, consisting of white & orange mussels, is further enhanced by the white wine sauce that it is cooked in. The reason I loved this dish so much is because of the clear broth that had a surprise kick to it - it's peppered with cili padi! However, I couldn't taste much wine taste due to the overbearing spiciness of the cili padi (birds' eye chilli), garlic, chilli powder, pepper and parsley. Kim and Jia Ying couldn't take the spiciness so more mussels for me :p My favourite way to eat this was to scoop out the soup with the mussel shell and eat it with the juicy mussels inside.

If you're looking for a place to enjoy fresh seafood in a comfortable, cosy setting in JB, Crab Bar & Cafe is the place to go. What's more, they are having a promotion on the signature Soft Shell Crab Burger with French Fries this month! Buy 1 and get the 2nd one at 50% off. Bring your family there this weekend to enjoy some good ol' seafood :)

CRAB BAR & CAFE
Address: G-07, Blok A, Akademik Suite, Jalan Austin Heights Utama,
Taman Mount Austin, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor
Tel: 016-710 2808
Operating hours: Mon - Sat: 5.00pm - 12.00am

For more information on Crab Bar & Cafe, check out their Facebook page!

Disclaimer: Even though the review is sponsored, it is based on my honest personal thoughts, experiences and preference after personally trying out the food and services offered.

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