Many eons ago (actually just a few decades), Hong Kong wasn’t exactly as developed as it is now. Among the settlers, traders, and foreign administrations, there were a group of people whom took home on boats. They were the boat people, and whenever the weather does not agree, they would seek shelter at Causeway Bay.

The boat people had a subculture all to themselves, living by the sea, when it comes to food, their speciality were undoubtedly seafood.

Update 10/7/2018: this place is permanently closed

Causeway Bay Spicy Crab at Hartamas
Causeway Bay Spicy Crab, now at Hartamas

Fast forward to 21st century, Causeway Bay is now a heavily developed area, but the subculture continues. A local businessman went over to Hong Kong, partnering with the original boat people and started the Causeway Bay Spicy Crab restaurant at Jaffe Road in Causeway Bay.

Building on the success of the restaurant in HK, the local owner now brought the restaurant back home. So now we have our very own Causeway Bay Spicy Crab right here at Hartamas, KL.

Causeway Bay Spicy Crab at Hartamas
signature dish – Garlic and Chili Crab

A couple weeks ago I was invited by one of the partners to have dinner at this very restaurant. Together with Haze, Gareth, Kim, Suanie, and Horng, we headed over to Hartamas with, I must say, quite a high expectation.

We left the task of ordering to the restaurant manager, and some 20 minutes later, our first dish came – Garlic and Chili Crab (RM 68/80), their signature dish. The gigantic crab’s covered with almost one whole pound of garlic with a bit of chili for that spicy kick. The crab was delicious, and the fried garlic positively addictive!

crab porridge, chicken gristle, garlic and chili crab
crab porridge, chicken gristle, garlic and chili crab

The rest of the dish came within a couple minutes of the first one, I’ve always hate it when restaurants take their sweet time serving between dishes, no such problem here.

The crab porridge (RM 68/80) was another winner. The huge crab and porridge were cooked to order so you really get the sweetness of the seafood well seeped into the congee. I think it’s big enough to feed at least 2-3 people.

Then there’s the chicken gristle, a definite must-order non-seafood item here. The texture of the chicken cartilage and the little chunk of meat/skin was perfect, this dish reminds me of the chicken gristle I had at Sumi-ka in the form of yakitori.

duck tongue, steamed tofu, squid with salted egg, frogs in XO sauce
duck tongue, steamed tofu, squid with salted egg, frogs in XO sauce

The “exotic” dish we had came in the form of a plate of duck tongue. The dish must have caused a whole classroom of dumb ducks. Tho I’m usually a huge fan of the strange and exotic dishes, this one did not impress me. It was my first time having duck tongue too, and while I didn’t find it gross or anything like that, it was just a little too soft and blunt in taste.

I did like the steamed tofu, stuffed with chunks of scallops, prawns, and other seafood, it provided balance to the other stronger tasting dishes.

condiments, Horng & Suanie, Kimberly and Gareth, KY and Haze
condiments, Horng & Suanie, Kimberly and Gareth, KY and Haze

Just like the garlic in their signature dish, Causeway Bay Crab does not spare the usage of salted egg in their salted egg squid. The excess salted egg covered every square inch of the squid and then some. It was another dish that we love.

Then there’s the frogs in XO sauce, Kim’s favorite. Really fresh tasting frog with generous amount of garlic, XO sauce, and peas to give it a bit of a crunchy texture, it was easily one of the better frog dishes I’ve had. I prefer it over the usual kam heong method of preparation.

Causeway Bay Spicy Crab
Causeway Bay Spicy Crab

Towards the end of the night, we were mixing garlic, salted egg, and the condiments from XO frogs and consuming them as is. These wasn’t exactly the healthiest way of eating but we just couldn’t help it.

While Causeway Bay Spicy Crab isn’t the cheapest places to dine at, but if you are looking for quality seafood and some huge Sabah crabs, you can’t go wrong at this place. The dishes were mostly excellent (with the questionable duck tongue, but it might be just me), a great ambiance, and on top of that, a slightly overly cold air conditioning too.

map to Causeway Bay Spicy Crab at Hartamas

Address:
Causeway Bay Spicy Crab
銅鑼灣辣蟹莊
26 & 26-1 Jalan 30/70A
Desa Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.16347, 101.64898
Tel: 03-6205 2280

Causeway Bay Spicy Crab all the way from HK, at Hartamas [Closed]
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30 thoughts on “Causeway Bay Spicy Crab all the way from HK, at Hartamas [Closed]

  • August 31, 2010 at 7:51 pm
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    Duck tongue looks promising though!

    Spicy crabs…looks pretty good.

    Reply
    • August 31, 2010 at 11:14 pm
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      Huai Bin,
      didn’t like the tongue that much tho, the crabs were fabulous

      Reply
  • August 31, 2010 at 8:00 pm
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    definitely a great place to go for seafood. Not cheap but will feel thatt it’s worth every cent n more.

    Reply
    • August 31, 2010 at 11:20 pm
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      kimberlycun,
      yeah totally agreed 😀

      Reply
  • August 31, 2010 at 8:12 pm
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    Hey thanks, I am now stupidly hungry after looking at all that tasty looking crab!

    Reply
    • August 31, 2010 at 11:34 pm
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      Keen,
      hahahah oh well, eat!

      Reply
  • September 1, 2010 at 4:26 am
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    The crab porridge looks so decadent!

    Reply
    • September 1, 2010 at 9:57 am
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      Michelle,
      it’s good! 😀

      Reply
  • September 1, 2010 at 9:48 am
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    wah the crabs looked so yummy… so did haze let you kiss her after all those garlic? lol..

    Reply
    • September 1, 2010 at 9:57 am
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      eiling,
      why not!? 😛

      Reply
      • September 1, 2010 at 9:07 pm
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        eeeeewwwww.. smelly lo

        Reply
  • September 1, 2010 at 10:33 am
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    You seem like a really friendly nice guy! 🙂

    Reply
    • September 1, 2010 at 10:44 am
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      Sarah: err.. i do? woooo

      Reply
      • September 1, 2010 at 5:26 pm
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        Take it as a compliment! 🙂 I think you radiate positivity to all your fellow blogger friends.

        Reply
        • September 1, 2010 at 5:29 pm
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          Sarah,
          I shall, thanks thanks. 😀

          Reply
  • September 1, 2010 at 4:12 pm
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    Oh I’d love to try that crab porridge some day. Looks so yummy!

    Reply
    • September 1, 2010 at 4:39 pm
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      Meena,
      do it, make it happen! 😀

      Reply
  • September 1, 2010 at 7:56 pm
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    i am back to visit here again…miss ur food website…came at the right time…my fav seafood crab…looks good…

    Reply
    • September 2, 2010 at 10:14 am
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      vialentino,
      thanks thanks, it was awesome 😀

      Reply
  • September 1, 2010 at 8:09 pm
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    They served duck’s tongue too, that’s a really HK specialty. Too bad still can’t eat crabs, crap… 😥

    Reply
    • September 2, 2010 at 10:15 am
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      JD,
      yah it is, didn’t find it that great tho.

      Reply
  • September 2, 2010 at 8:57 am
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    Glad to read reviews about other dishes that I didn’t try when I was there! Of coz, the common item that everyone ate was the Chilli Garlic Crabs – good stuff that!

    Reply
    • September 2, 2010 at 10:17 am
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      Pureglutton,
      yeah they do have a huge menu!

      Reply
  • September 3, 2010 at 12:05 pm
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    There is a restaurant in Plaza Ampang City – Eastern Crab Kitchen, they serve causeway bay crab and mainly HK dishes.
    The restaurant owner and operator is a HK lady and her bother the chef ; the taste there is same as what I have in HK.

    Reply
    • September 3, 2010 at 5:11 pm
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      TY,
      ohh cool, thanks for the tips 😀

      Reply
  • September 6, 2010 at 9:54 pm
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    must be very expensive lor

    Reply
    • September 6, 2010 at 11:35 pm
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      it wasnt me: I think the price’s pretty reasonable for what you get tho. 🙂

      Reply
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