A large, half empty rice bag comes out of the kitchen. Rather than the ubiquitous staple eaten throughout Asia, something rather different is contained within. The side of the bag starts moving. The anticipation rises.
The bag is opened. A huge, blue black arthropod emerges. Bits of coconut follow. It looks at you, hissing, brandishing its enormous coconut-crushing claws. This is Kepiting Kelapa, or the coconut crab. It is an intimidating beast, but it looked intimidatingly tasty. City Extra, in the western part of Manado in Northern Sulawesi, is famous for how they cook this exquisite specimen of seafood.
Firstly, the sauce. Lemongrass, chilli, turmeric, galangal were all in abundance, alongside coconut milk. But the balance was close to perfect – not too spicy, and the flavours of the aromatics complemented the sweetness of the crab, rather than overpowering it.
The meat itself, like any crab, varies in sweetness and texture depending on what parts you choose to devour. The claw was supremely sweet and extremely meaty (understandable for a beast that needs to crush coconuts), the part leading up to the claw was lobster-esque, and the body was tender. But undoubtedly the best part was its eggs (found in the abdomen) which was dispersed amongst the sauce.
These eggs added a subtle sweetness and a slight umami hit to lift the sauce to an elevated level of flavour, and added a dimension of creaminess to the sauce. More tasty than intimidating.
Pair this with white rice, and kangkung cooked with papaya flower, and you have a meal fit for four kings and/or queens. At 1.2MM IDR, it is extremely pricey by local standards, but considering that this is one of those rarely eaten treats, it is well worth it.
Pair this with white rice, and kangkung cooked with papaya flower, and you have a meal fit for four kings and/or queens. At 1.2MM IDR, it is extremely pricey by local standards, but considering that this is one of those rarely eaten treats, it is well worth it.
My only complaint would be that this meal took nearly one hour to prepare. Maybe it was because we arrived around 11am before most staff were ready, or maybe it was due to an epic struggle in the kitchen between chef and the eight-legged beast... But if you also have to endure a similarly lengthy wait, the view from the restaurant could be worse.
City Extra
Jl. Raya Tanawangko Kalasey, Manado, Sulawesi Utara 95116, Indonesia
Opening hours: Daily 10am – 10pm
+62 812-4226-5008
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g297721-d1034284-Reviews-City_Extra-Manado_North_Sulawesi_Sulawesi.html
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