Da San Yuan Crab Specialty Restaurant — Restaurant in Malacca

Very popular open air chinese restaurant that specialises in crabs. It is rather small compared to the other typical set ups - maybe five large (10pax) tables and 4 medium (2-6 pax) tables available. if it is raining not possible to dine because half the premise is not covered. Evenings would be the best. Street parking is easy by then plus it would be very cooling. The place was full when we visited. Service is functional. They don't speak English but there is a comprehensive menu with pics. The crabs are seasonally priced, with sizes and gender. (females with egg roe is expensive). Just need to trust the restaurant owner (he comes round to take the orders) when you choose your preferred style of cooking for the crabs. Other than specifying if you want female crabs and size, he will decide on the amount that you need. Simple milk bread is complimentary to soak up the crab sauce. Though - the owner was in a generous mood - he offered a platter of stir fried clams for RM10! He charged us med sized crabs (female with roe) RM150/kg that...

Da San Yuan crab specialty store offers a variety of fresh seafood options at inclusive prices, which already cover SST. While the seafood is consistently fresh, the taste can be hit or miss.

During my visit in early March, the dishes were exceptional, but the experience was marred during my mid-March visit, where the taste was notably average.

One thing to note is that this restaurant leans heavily towards spicy cuisine. Almost every dish seems to have a spicy kick, which may not suit those with a low tolerance for heat. I made the mistake of ordering cheese meehon for my child, only to find it excessively spicy due to the addition of chili padi. Similarly, the yam ring with pork ribs unexpectedly contained chili, which caught me off guard.

For those who prefer milder flavors, it's advisable to explicitly request the dishes to be prepared without chili. Despite the inconsistency in taste and the unexpected spiciness, the freshness of the seafood remains a highlight of Da San Yuan crab...

(do take note that there is a minimum order requirement of 1kg of crab in a crab dish to start dining-in. which is understandable as crab is their highlight and core attraction. you will not regret.)

generally, all the dishes are fairly priced and in fair portion too. staffs taking orders will also advise fairly to avoid over ordering and food wastage. highly recommendable 👍👍👍👍👍

taste wise, initially the dishes looked simple when arrived. upon tucking in, i was impressed. truly 大排档 style with good amount of wok hei. not over doing nor lacking. just nice. furthermore, the dishes were not overly seasoned.

highly mentionable is the salt baked crab /盐焗蟹。this method of cooking brings out the natural flavour of the crab. most importantly, infused into the crab meat the aroma of BBQ shellfish or the burnt aroma of shellfish. done just about right that the crabs are not...