Crustasia Seafood Market: 9 dishes to try right now

Have you already traveled around Asia? If yes, I’m definitely sure you’re very picky when it comes to “Asian-inspired” food chains in Manila, and are very (if not little) specific with the authenticity of their taste. Well, if you’re not yet familiar with other dishes around Asia, we can only recommend the bestest restaurants and one of them – I’m super duper excited to share – is Crustasia Seafood Market.

What makes Asian cuisine very special is the wide variety of rich flavors — savory, spicy, sweet, etc. Food, unlike in other regions, is a must-try when visiting Asian markets and tourist spots. So it’s no big news that Asians are foodies!

Being aware that traveling nowadays is slowly becoming a luxury, it’s really a good thing that people in the food industry conceptualize on different cuisine from different places such as Crustasia. Crustasia Asian Seafood Market specializes Southeast Asian cuisines inspired by Thai, Malay, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Singaporean dishes.

From the words “crustacean” and “Asia”, came the name Crustasia. Imagine traveling to different Asian countries while dining in one. Housed in the luxurious Newport Mall, Crustasia’s interiors are just right to wow the dining customers and passers-by. Influenced by the arts and culture of different Asian countries, the restaurant indeed is an eye candy.

Now that you get the vibe from the wall arts and style, let’s get to the more exciting part. Sharing with you 10 of the dishes we had that we think you should definitely try:

◘ Crispy Catfish Salad (Php275*)
Made from shredded catfish, oils, and Thai spices, their Catfish Salad was undeniably good. The catfish was deep fried before it was flaked that made it more special. Best for appetizer or meal for when you’re “timbang-conscious”!

Most people think this is an exotic food, but it’s actually not. Well, not anymore, as you can actually easily find one around the world (so as Pad Thai) making it one of the widely-known Asian dishes.

◘ Thai Shrimp Pancakes (Php349*)
Little pancakes from heaven! Thai Shrimp Pancake is another crowd-pleasing starter from Crustasia’s menu. If you haven’t tried Shrimp Pancakes, Crustasia’s should be on your list!

◘ Mixed Seafood Tom Yum (Php535*)
You’re probably already familiar with shrimp-based Tom Yum, as that is the usual. Crustasia’s twist now is they cook and serve it with mixed seafood making it more tasty and tastebuds-friendly. Not your ordinary Tom Yum, huh?

◘ Nasi Goreng (Php349*)
Nasi Goreng literally means “fried rice” in Indonesian. Imagine our own sinangang mized and flavored with bits of meat and veggies and spiced up with Indonesian sauce. Hence, the taste is stronger and spicier with the usual Pinoy and Chinese fried rice.

◘ Javanese Beef Rendang (Php549*)
This dry curry is another personal favorite. I love how there’s a right amount of sauce for it not to be ‘too dry’. The thick sauce with chunks of carrots and potatoes really works with that soft beef meat that almost melt in your mouth. If I were to compare it with a local Filipino dish, it’s Caldereta but with a Javanese infusion.

◘ Calamari Char Kway Teow (Php365*)
“Stir-fried rice cake strips” or Char kway teow is a popular Malaysian dish. Crustasia’s version is a little spicy, so get yourself ready!

◘ Cereal Prawns (Php599*)
Cereal prawns, on the other hand, is a Sigaporean dish and said to be the most populat seafood hawker dishes in Asia.

◘ Seafood Laksa (Php445*)
Laksa is a spicy noodle soup popular in Peranakan cuisine. It is usually served with chicken or prawn or fish. Similar to Tom Yum, Crustasia’s version consists of mixed seafood. That’s more than three seafood served based with rich, spicy soup!

◘ Mango Sticky Rice (Php195*)
Another Thai food, usually dessert and favorites (as observed) of Pinoy titas. I personally am not a fan of the dish before, but I admit this one’s good. Not to mention very Instagrammable!

*rates are as of February 2019.
This article also appears in What to Eat PH.