A taste of nostalgia at Sang Seafood

 

Reputed as home of the first Halal-certified Chilli Crab and the first Halal-certified Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Johor Bahru, Sang Seafood is a modern Chinese seafood restaurant opened at Damansara Aliff in Johor Bahru.

 

Seafood was the star of the menu at
Sang Seafood, that serves modern Chinese seafood

When I received the invitation to a food review at Sang Seafood, I was happy to accept as I was keen to find out if the food tastes as authentic as it sounds.

 

Many Muslim-friendly Chinese seafood restaurants opened in and around the city that welcomed a larger community to savour fresh seafood but over the years, many have also closed.

 

My family and I have always enjoyed good seafood, with each family member having their own favourite seafood dishes – the must-order items – each time we dined at seafood places. While my dad preferred the taste of Flower Crabs to Mud Crabs, I always picked the meatier mud crabs.

 

Facade of Sang Seafood restaurant
at Taman Damansara Aliff, Johor Bahru

I remember, it was always fun to pick from live fish swimming in the tanks, so there was always a whole fish, prawns, crabs, squid, varieties of shellfish and sometimes, even geoduck, to enjoy together.

 

So when the good people at Sang Seafood extended their invitation to me, they had no idea about what BIG shoes they have to fill, in order to meet my taste for good seafood.

 

They were in fact, rather confident of the taste of their signature Chilli Crab dish, because they also invited our Singaporean friend, Tony of Johor Kaki fame, to have a taste. So it was good to meet Tony again at Sang Seafood that afternoon.

 

Entrance to the restaurant

Even though the varied recipes for this seafood specialty created using meaty mud crabs, have its origins in many South East Asian countries, our neighbouring country had claimed Chilli Crabs as their dish.

 

Our review kicked off with the introduction of three recommended dishes dubbed the Sang Three Treasures, comprising signature Chilli Crab, deep-fried Seabass topped with signature Nyonya sauce, and Golden Nestum Prawn Clusters.

 

The fragrant signature Nyonya sauce on the crispy fish was so tempting that we could chew up all the crispy bits and leave next to nothing for the hungry cats!

 

For diners who may not enjoy the fragrance of aromatics and spices, there is a recommended alternative fish dish in a HongKong style Steamed Red Snapper.

 

Sang Seafood restaurant for
Halal Chilli Crabs

When I sank my teeth into the Prawn clusters coated in Nestum, a familiar multigrain cereal, it triggered off thoughts of a bygone era when oats-coated-prawns were first introduced and made popular.

 

Another popular prawn dish was Indonesian Style Prawn Clusters in Claypot. As we enjoyed the taste of the whole prawns swimming in the rich gravy, we soon learnt that they were called clusters because the prawns were served without shells.

 

When the platter of Crunchy Baby Squid coated with Honey Sauce and sesame seeds was served, the very sight of this dish evoked pangs of nostalgia. This was because this was an all-time favourite for both young and older members of my family.

 

The familiar taste of these baby squid brought back a flood of memories and when we talked about it, I pictured myself eating this same dish with my family in a Muslim-friendly Chinese restaurant at Danga Bay, a long, long time ago.

 

Deep-fried Seabass topped with signature
Nyonya sauce; Crunchy Baby Squid coated
with Honey and sesame seeds [Right]

This Chinese seafood restaurant in Danga Bay may have started with a rustic setup but it gradually transformed into one of our city’s better banquet restaurants. I am familiar with this restaurant as it was our regular go-to place for Chinese seafood.

 

In fact, my nephew’s wedding banquet was held at this restaurant as it was then the only Chinese banquet restaurant, outside of hotels, that could comfortably host 100 banquet tables in a single sitting.

 

And more than 10 years ago, the grand dinner celebration for our school’s 90^th anniversary was hosted in this same restaurant, also for its Muslim-friendly menu.

 

A Chilli Crab claw!

So it was a pleasant surprise to discover that the legacy of this restaurant continues to live on in Sang Seafood and the original recipes since its founding are still being served here along with new items in a refreshed setting of a modern Chinese seafood restaurant.

 

When the Chilli Crab dish was presented, Tony and I could not resist reaching out for a first taste of the gravy and was pleased that it tasted of that rich familiar flavour.

 

There were deep-fried mantou or buns, to dip into the delicious chilli gravy and steamed white rice to eat with the tasty dishes.

 

The restaurant provided gloves and shell-cracking tools for use but I declined the gloves as I preferred to hold the crab with my own bare hands for a better grip.

 

Black Pepper Crab!

Priced at only RM98 per crab and RM188 for two crabs that weighed approximately 500 grams each, it was good value for a leisurely, finger-licking crab dining experience.

 

In addition to their signature Chilli gravy, there was a choice of flavours for the meaty mud crabs that included Salted Egg, Creamy Butter and Black Pepper.

 

In the menu, we saw the highlight of a Chef’s Hat with a small label for Uniquely Sang next to the Black Pepper Crab and could not resist having a taste of this recommended flavour.

 

Fans of Black Pepper or a peppery taste will also enjoy the taste of a Milky Lala Soup with Ginger, that has a pleasant peppery zing.

 

Tok Mak's Bee Hoon Taucu was
also a hit among us

Another preparation for lala shellfish was their Kam Heong Style Wok-Fried Lala that tempted diners to drop all inhibitions and shamelessly lick up every bit of flavour from the empty shells.

 

While seafood was the star in their menu, we were delighted with the refreshing taste of a salad dish of Chilled Ice Plant that helped to clean our palates and made us ready for the next taste.

 

For diners who must have a bit of carb in their meal, there are choices of stir-fried rice and noodles to choose from.

 

We tried their stir-fried rice vermicelli dish, Tok Mak’s Bee Hoon Taucu, and all of us agreed that we liked to have a bit more of it but was already full from so much of good seafood.

 

A pair of Sang Seafood ceramic bowls

To end the meal sweetly, there were Chinese desserts like Chilled Lemongrass Jelly with Longan and Lai Chi Kang, as well as a range of cakes that included slices of Biscoff Cheesecake and Walnut Brownie.

 

In a current promotion, diners who spent over RM300 in a single receipt will receive a complimentary gift of a pair of Sang Seafood ceramic bowls, while receipts over RM500 each will receive a complimentary Sang Seafood tote bag.

 

Sang Seafood Halal Restaurant is located at No. 29 Jalan Aliff 6, Taman Damansara Aliff, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor. Open daily from 11am to 11pm. Tel: +6019 7377556.

 

For dine-in, reservations are recommended. There are also delivery options by GrabFood and FoodPanda. For updates and exciting promotions, follow Sang Seafood official pages on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok@sang.seafood.my