At just RM50.50 for three small crabs, the buttermilk crabs are ridiculously, insanely, addictively good. — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star
The words “crab” and “affordable” haven’t traditionally been paired together simply because they don’t make sense. In fact, “affordable crabs” are the dictionary definition of an oxymoron, especially in the Klang Valley.
And yet this is exactly what Vicknezan Selvadurai, Joanne Lim Meng Huay and Md Irwan Effandy Md Salim were aiming for with the inception of their new eatery, Pondok Ketam in SS3, Petaling Jaya.
Vicknezan or Vicky as he is better known, and Lim are the people behind the hugely popular Lankan Crabs in Kuala Lumpur. With Pondok Ketam, the two – and partner Irwan – were looking at democratising the consumption of crabs.
“Everything that we are doing in terms of our crabs... we are very conscious about the price. The idea is that now every Malaysian can eat crabs,” says Vicky.
(From left) Vicky, Irwan and Lim are the trio behind Pondok Ketam, which offers affordable crabs as well as a range of other seafood-centric dishes.
This is what spurred the three to come up with the offer of three crabs (weighing approximately 220g each) for RM50.50, with two cooking options: the signature chilli crabs or buttermilk crabs.
The restaurant uses Indonesian mud crabs with sizes ranging from 220g to 550g per crab, though they also have crabs weighing 1.2kg each (all average sizes, give or take).
The kitchen is helmed by seasoned chefs Mohd Saiful Othman and Mohd Daud Ahmad, both of whom have chalked up decades in the industry.
To begin your meal at Pondok Ketam, indulge in the raison ď etre for the restaurant’s inception – the RM50.50 crabs. Start with the Buttermilk Crabs, which features crabs slathered in an unctuously rich sauce awash in curry leaves and red chillies. The crabs are small but packed with fluffy, sweet meat and this is accentuated by the creaminess of the sauce, which is insanely, addictively good. Unlike many other restaurants, Pondok Ketam has heaped the sauce very generously over the crabs, so there is plenty to go around, which also means fights are less likely to break out, because trust me, this is fight-worthy sauce!
The eatery is spacious and has an un-fussy natural charm.
Up next, try the RM50.50 crabs cooked in the style of Singapore Chilli Crabs. The restaurant’s chilli crabs have a distinctly sambal-esque undertone to them that isn’t exactly in the vein of more traditional iterations of chilli crabs, so if you’re expecting a more classic rendition, this isn’t going to be it. But the sauce is provocatively fiery and undulates with richness and this has seeped into every crevice and joint of the crabs.
If you’re looking to indulge in more substantial crabs, try the ketam besar (RM168 for two crabs, averaging 1kg in total weight). You could opt to have the crabs cooked in a simpler style, like the Spanish Black Pepper Crabs, which features freshly ground black pepper, garlic, Spanish olive oil and butter.
This dish is proof positive that sometimes less is more. Here, the crabs are the clear stars of the show – each one tough and sturdy and yet yielding to voluptuously pillowy flesh that is incredibly fresh. The flavour accompaniments – pepper, garlic, olive oil and butter add seasoning, garlicky nuances and a lubricious quality to the crabs that help each morsel glide down the palate like a gleeful child whooshing down a slide.
The Spanish black pepper crabs highlight the natural beauty and flavours of the fat, fleshy crabs while offering deliciously peppery, garlicky undertones.
If you’ve had your fill of crabs, move on to the other aquatic offerings – the restaurant has an impressive array of fish, squid, prawns, mussels and clams to satiate any aquatic leanings.
Of what’s on offer, definitely do not leave without sampling the Ikan Siakap Laksa Siam with Mee Sua (RM75.50). There are some things in life that simply have a Midas touch – it’s like the goosebumps you get when you listen to a singer with a dulcet, velvety voice. Why does your body respond that way? It’s because it’s a natural reaction – something you cannot control because your soul feels the same way too.
This is exactly what will happen when you indulge in this dish. According to Saiful, mee sua was chosen for this dish because it absorbs the flavours of the laksa without also making diners feel sickeningly full afterwards.
The noodle choice is inspired – sleek and slurp-worthy while the fish is packed with tenderly flaky flesh but the success of this dish boils down to the laksa Siam itself, which is rich, thick, has spicy undercurrents, a herbaceous overlay from the bunga kantan in the mix and a gilded edge that cannot be put down to a precise science. It is just something so good, you cannot deny its wondrousness.
The siakap laksa Siam is a soulful, heart-warming dish that is impossible to forget.
Next, try the Udang Harimau Sambal Melaka with Petai (RM58.50). Here, the sambal coats the prawns in layers and waves that highlight the work that has gone into making it. The petai adds a potent pungency to this configuration which is drawn together by the prawns, which are fat fellas – each one packed with fleshy prawn meat.
If you’re after something grilled, look at trying the Ikan Siakap Sambal Cili Kampung (RM65 for the whole fish). Here, the fish has been grilled to perfection and topped with the sambal. The dish is served with air asam and kicap hitam which serve to enhance the natural attributes of the fish to perfection, offering tartness, saltiness and a furiously spicy underbelly to carry this dish to its peak.
Sambal petai and large prawns. What's not to love?
Having had your fill of seafood, look at trying something from the vegetarian persuasion in the form of the Bittergourd with Salted Egg (RM22.50). Here, the bittergourd has shed its notorious bitterness from whence it got its name. Instead each slice has tiny particles of bitterness – the detritus of its former life – alongside a ridiculously good salted egg accoutrement that gives it rich new life and salty underpinnings.
This might sound like a strange thing to encourage someone to eat at a seafood restaurant, but one of the stars at Pondok Ketam is the eatery’s Sambal Belimbing Hitam (RM9 per portion). The sambal is made using belimbing buluh, which Lim harvests from six trees that grow wild near their office area. This is then used in the sambal.
Sambal belimbing buluh is not easy to find in the Klang Valley and this particular iteration – fashioned by Daud – is sensationally good. The sambal is thick and potent, with a lightly acerbic, slightly fruity underbelly courtesy of the belimbing buluh.
The grilled siakap with sambal cili kampung takes the natural flavours of the fish and elevates it to spicy new stratospheres.
End your meal on a sweet note with a traditional Malaysian dessert in the form of the Sago Gula Melaka (RM11) which features sago pearls, gula Melaka and coconut milk in a fail-safe combination that the restaurant does well without overdosing on the sweet elements.
The founders say the food at the restaurant is reflective of the diverse cooking styles and predilections of Malaysian diners. Which is why they hope to make it a truly inclusive Malaysian experience by gaining halal certification, something they are already in the midst of doing.
“The purpose of the halal certification is to help give confidence to our customers in terms of how we cook our food, the way our kitchen is managed – everything, really,” says Vicky.
Vicky also says that the RM50.50 offer for three crabs will remain in the long run – regardless of the market price for crabs, because this is something he and his partners are committed to doing.
The bittergourd with salted egg makes for a yummy deviation from all the aquatic offerings in place.
“So, what we’ve discussed internally is there are always going to be crab price fluctuations and we will do our best to try and absorb what we can to maintain the RM50.50 offer.
“Because the majority of our customers come here for that reason and we want people to associate us with affordable crabs,” says Vicky.
Pondok Ketam
16, Jalan SS3/5
Taman Universiti
47300 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 012-560 4435
Open daily: 11.30am to 11pm
