I was looking for a place to bring
Galen - celebration of his freedom, and motivation for his upcoming projects. I
really admire his courage for taking such a huge step to pursue what he really
likes to do, and not just going with the flow (like me). Anyhow, such a
milestone must be wildly celebrated, and what could do better than free flow
crab and alcohol?!
Momma Kong’s Crab Shack is nestled
among the shophouses at Mosque St in Chinatown. They don’t have the typical
large vertical signboard hanging by their shophouse unit, but you can just look
out for Da Tong Bing Jia, the traditional pastries shop. You won’t miss the
big, red and bolded Chinese characters. I love the juxtaposition of the old,
traditional bakery and the modern, hippie watering hole.
The interior of Momma Kong’s was
simple, Ikea-esque furniture still exuding the woody Ikea smell (you know what
I’m referring to right?). Whimsical elements of mismatched chairs and rubber
duckies were also present. Soccer fans would rejoice at their live telecast of
soccer matches, and their happy hour promotion of one-for-one alcoholic drinks
(which is like 50% off when other places are giving 25% off at most??). And
yes, you’re right, the iMac at the bar counter is showing the count-down timer
for the Free-Flo MmmMom-Bo
Sunday- Momma
Kong’s monthly free flow crab and alcohol event, complete with retro Mambo
songs!
Momma Kong’s Free-Flo MmmMom-Bo Sunday
(say “Free Flow Mambo Sunday”) happens on the first Sunday of every month. It
features free flow servings of their Chilli crab and Black Pepper crab (the
other two that is available on their ala-carte menu are Steamed crab and Crab
Bee Hoon Soup), side dishes like their home-made ikan billis and spicy
topshells, and happy food like fried mantou, French fries and chicken chunks.
On top of all these, if it is not already tantalising, is unlimited beer, wine and whisky!
We had the white wine- Pierre Jean Colombard
Chardonay 2011 from France, and whisky on rocks- Nikka Black Clear from Japan.
The white wine was not unlike the white wines that I’ve had before (hey I’m not
a wine expert), but the whisky was noteworthy! I think it exuded the charm of
Japanese culture – subtle and light (not obvious/ in your face), yet impactful
and memorable. I highly suggest that you give this Nikka Black Clear Whisky a
try and you can thank me after that hee.
We were served side dishes first,
and Galen and I were pretty shocked at the presentation of the food. They came
in aluminium boxes, the very same kind that you’ll find in the supermarket’s
freezer section used to contain pound cakes (think Sara Lee). Well, I know this
is a buffet event and they probably will end up with a lot of dishes to be
washed, but I think presentation of food should still be upheld. The taste and
presentation of food is intricately linked, and I think this is not a
compromise that should have been made.
Putting the thought of Sara Lee
pound cakes aside, the spicy tangy topshells went very well with our white wine
and whisky. The level of spiciness and sourness was well-tuned, and the
topshells were of the right chewy (QQ)
texture. The crispy chicken chunks was so crispy that the crumbs were flying
everywhere after my first bite- oops. Though the skin was so crispy, the
chicken thigh meat still remained juicy and tender. And oh my, the belachan
chilli that came with it was just awesome! Did I mention that the belachan is
homemade by Momma Kong’s? A heavenly match these two, and would go really well
with beer!
Galen shook his head when he saw
the two huge golden brown fried mantou, thinking that these huge buns would
just take up too much space in his stomach. Boy, he was so wrong because this
is so worthy of the space inside your tummy. Momma Kong’s fried mantou is
arguably the best fried mantou that we have ever tasted. The mantou tasted so
good even on its own. The skin was crispy and buttery, but the insides remained
fluffy and soft. It is amazing how they fry food at Momma Kong’s- the tender
parts remain tender while the crispy bits are so crispy the crumbs fly
everywhere.
The chilli crab came in a
microwavable paper box which was disappointing at first sight. However, we were
quickly overwhelmed by the spicy sauce and the juicy Sri Lanka crab to notice
the box anymore. Many people would hold Jumbo Seafood Restaurant as the
yardstick for Singapore-style chilli crab, and I would say Momma Kong’s chilli
crab is nothing short of that. The chilli crab sauce was very much akin to that
of Jumbo’s- a balanced concoction of spiciness, seafoodiness and egginess. The
crab, freshly flown from Sri Lanka daily, was fresh and slipped from the shell
easily.
Momma Kong’s black pepper crab is
not to be missed if you are a great fan of spicy food. The black pepper was shiok- there was a split-second burst of
flavour on my tongue- and then my brain told me to go for more, more, more!
Galen and I prefer Momma Kong’s black pepper crab to the chilli crab, but the
preference was more of a choice between heaven and paradise. If there was one
thing that we did not like about Momma Kong’s crabs, it would be that the crabs
were not consistent in size. In fact, it seemed like the crabs were getting
bigger as the count-down timer ticked closer to the end of the event at 10pm.
We were like the last table (men)
standing at 10 minutes 26 seconds to the end of Momma Kong’s Free-Flo MmmMom-Bo Sunday. We had a total of 6 Sri Lanka
Crabs, and of course many servings of the side dishes and drinks as there were
hardly any carbs lest the fried mantous and french fries. The service staff at
Momma Kong’s was extremely attentive- they cleared or refilled items very
promptly. Even after we foot the bill and was just slowly taking our time
to leave, the staff asked if they could get us another drink or one to bring on
the road. Excellent service!
I would recommend you to book well in advance as seating is quite limited at Momma Kong’s. This would be the
perfect place to catch a soccer match with the truckloads of seafood and
alcohol, and an awesome location for a friends’ gathering in a cozy setting.
And of course, a good place to bring your special one to, especially if they
are seafood crazy and can eat 5 Sri Lanka crabs at a sitting. It would be
totally worth it.
Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory
☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁
Momma Kong’s Crab Shack
34 Mosque Street Singapore
059512
5-11pm (Closed on Mondays)
62252722
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