Cycle 3 – Item 314

14 (Wed) November 2012

Singaporean Black Pepper King Crab

2.5

at Yummy Kampong

-Banpo, Seocho, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with W

Project 30/30/30: 14 of 45 (see also 45/45/45)

Throughout this November, I am challenging myself to eat 30 dishes from 30 countries over the course of 30 consecutive days.

Singapore is the 14th country.

Yummy Kampong is a Singaporean restaurant.

When W suddenly expressed a desire for black pepper crab – all my recent talk about foreign foods had stirred the memories from business trips to Singapore way back when – I did an internet search for “singapore cuisine black pepper crab”on the remote chance that the dish might be served at a restaurant somewhere, probably Chinese, maybe in a hotel.  To my surprise, I discovered Yummy Kampong.  A couple hours later, we were there.

Black Pepper Crab is a Singaporean dish.  The crab, traditionally mud crabs but any type will do, is hacked into pieces, parboiled and/or deep-fried, then stir-fried with aromatics, soy/oyster sauce, and loads of black pepper to make it white hot.  It’s one of Singapore’s national dishes, which is saying a lot for a country that takes special pride in its diverse culinary traditions.

Although I can’t speak to the authenticity of the food, and it didn’t taste all that great, the meal overall was a welcome departure from the typical Asian spread available in Korea.  However, because the high prices aren’t amenable to regular patronage, I’m not sure that I’ll be going back soon for further exploration.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)