Must-try Lousiana-style crabs in Bali

BALI - Bali is one of the best places to enjoy seafood in Indonesia. Jimbaran, for example, has long been one of the island's most popular spots to savour this particular dish while enjoying an amazing sunset.

For those longing for Lousiana-style seafood, there are at least two crab restaurants available in Bali; allowing you to eat with your bare hands on the table, without any fancy plates and cutlery to bother you.

The Holy Crab

Following its popularity in Jakarta as the 'it' place to eat Alaskan crab, Bali's Holy Crab on Jl. Petitenger No. 50 offers a great combination of world-class seafood and traditional Louisiana cooking techniques in a chic yet cozy dining atmosphere.

"There has been such a great response to The Holy Crab from food lovers in Jakarta that we are bringing the whole concept and experience to Bali. It has always been a dream of mine to be a part of the island's culinary scene, which has a broader international audience," said The Holy Crab owner as well as executive chef Albert Wijaya.

Choices available on the main menu include Dungeness crab, king crab legs, snow crab legs and lobster with prices ranging from Rp 88,000 (S$9.40) per 100 grams for the Dungeness crab to Rp 120,000 for the king crab legs - all served in a delicious secret recipe sauce with mild, medium and hot levels of spiciness. Sausages and corn are also available as additional dishes.

According to Albert, the restaurant's crustaceans are imported straight from Alaska and some are from Indonesia.

Crab Bar

Situated on Jl. Batu Belig 106 in Seminyak , the Crab Bar was founded by famous Indonesian chef Ragil Imam Wibowo in August 2014 with the aim of becoming the first destination for people seeking to savour Lousiana-style seafood on the island.

"In Bali, if people want to eat pork, they will head straight to Ibu Oka. We want that to happen to us too; we want to become the first place people recommend when they talk about eating crab in Bali," said the restaurant's general manager Don Domingo.

For newcomers, the Crab Bar's most popular dish is CB's Hot Bag which consists of 500 grams of mud crab, 150 grams of prawn, 200 grams of yabbies (Australian freshwater crustaceans) or clams, sausages and corn. A portion costs Rp 495,000.

The CB's Cold Platter, priced at Rp 450,000, is also recommended with cold Mud Crab, 200 grams of prawn, 200 grams of clams and four pieces of oyster or yabbies.

The Crab Bar offers six types of sauce for its hot-platter menus with three levels of spiciness (mild, medium and TNT).

The choices include original Lousiana-style with smoked Cajun butter, oriental-style CB's Bali Sauce, Bangka curry sauce, chili sauce, teriyaki black pepper and garlic butter.

While for the cold platter menus, foodies can try garlic mayo, tomato tartar and tom yam mayo sauce.