It was a dark and gloomy Saturday night when we were suddenly hit with a craving for crabs and we all know how crab craving almost never ever go away until the need is satiated. We made a quick Google search and was led to a little dim road through Kampung Kayu Ara, pleased that there was no need to take a long detour to Klang for seafood.
“Pantai Seafood” of Kampung Kayu Ara is set in a village-styled Kampung house with its solid wooden structures and flooring that gives one the impression of a fishing village by the sea. You can choose to sit inside where it’s air conditioned or outside where its usually cooling during the night. It can get pretty crowded during weekends and the crowd starts pouring in after 7pm for dinner.
A good method to judge the food at any seafood establishment is to test how good their fish is. The “Assam Fish” came in a relatively large portion and should be ordered if you have 3-4 pax. The fish was fresh and the assam gravy was one of the best we’ve ever tasted, a must try if you’re an avid fan of this ubiquitous dish.
For a healthier touch, we picked out the stir fried vegetable platter (RM22) which contained primarily of sliced lotus roots, mushrooms, peas, carrots topped with a sprinkle of pine nuts. A definite must who like it crunchy! Other leafy vegetables go from RM12 onwards.
Their star dish is without a doubt the crabs. We were told that their most popular crab dish was the “Salted Egg Crabs” but we were craving for some saucy goodness to go with the fried mantaus so we opted for the “Sweet & Sour Crabs” instead.
And the sauce? It was simply divine. Tangy with a hint of sweetness from the chili sauce without one flavour overwhelming the other. There was plenty of sauce to go around and the meat was juicy and succulent. Just make sure to have a spare shirt in the car because it can get quite messy. It costs RM48 per kilo for regular-sized mud crabs and RM78 for the King Crabs.
So the next time you’re looking to satiate your seafood cravings without heading out of the city, you know where to go!
Pantai Seafood Restaurant
Lot 13575, Jalan Cempaka PJU 6A
Kg Sg Kayu Ara
Petaling Jaya
Tel No: 03 – 7725 5099/1099
