By Gia Linh

Ten years ago, my grandparents took me to Phong Cua (Phong’s Crab), a seafood restaurant on the outskirts of HCM City, and the mouthwatering taste of its popular cua rang nước sốt (fried crab with sauce) still lingered in my mind after all those time.

Thus, there's no hesitation for me when it comes to bringing back my food nostalgia. The role has switched to me being the host in this return to the restaurant.

You definitely know you will get only delicate dishes from a place that’s still extremely packed after all those years. Established in 2004, Phong Cua has built its prestige to become a tiger among seafood restaurants, or crab restaurants, to be more specific, in the city.

Phong Cua is neither a fancy fine dining house where every dish is meticulously plated, nor a street food eatery in an alley that welcomes queues of eaters.

Blood cockles stir-fried with garlic pair perfectly with a glass of cold beer. – VNS Photo Gia Linh

Rather, it’s a casual, family-like ambience restaurant far from the centre of Bình Thạnh District, quite spacious with two separate floors, a generous number of seats, and also private rooms. Settling on the bank of the Sài Gòn River allows it to have enough ventilation, and an array of electric fans is an antidote to the scorching weather and heat coming from its open kitchen.

We quickly grabbed a seat, and the staff were attentive enough to guide us through the ordering process.

When it comes to crab and other seafood dishes at Phong Cua, you have to choose the main ingredients yourself. It’s quite an exciting process, I must say. We’ll get into that.

There’s a corner (on the right as you walk in from the entrance) where they have tanks filled with fish, crabs, and other seafood varieties. Prices vary depending on the season and kinds of crabs, so it’s up to you to decide the kind and amount of crab you’re going to have, and how the dishes will be prepared.

If it sounds like a bit of a burden, take mine as a reference. I picked two fat, lively crawling crabs and half a kilogram of blood cockles, got the crabs weighed, and ordered the types of dishes I wanted them to be made into. Steamed crab is kind of mundane, at least for us, so I chose to have them fried and covered in sauce. The blood cockles are best stir-fried with loads of garlic.

Then we were on a quest for appetisers, as the menu was filled with so many options, ranging from salads, to entrees like rice and hotpot, and tonnes of other side dishes. It’s best to have something light before the protein-packed feast, so we opted for a plate of gỏi củ hũ dừa (coconut core salad).

Phong Cua nailed the salad. The crunchiness from the fresh coconut core, julienne carrots, and peanuts, together with the sweet and sour sauce, was a great refresher for the palate. The amount of thinly-sliced pork belly and chewy shrimp was generous compared to its price of VNĐ109,000 (less than US$5). That was a perfect starter.

The main dishes were fired out while we were half-way through the salad. The fried crab with sauce hit me right in my childhood memory.

Its flavour didn’t change after all those years – a thick, reddish sauce packed with the umami from crab mustard, bits of beaten eggs, and onions – and all of it was too good to be true. The dish was served with baguette, and it’s heaven dipping the hot, soft bread into the sauce.

'Cua rang nước sốt' (fried crab with sauce) is one of Phong Cua restaurant’s specialties. VNS Photo Gia Linh

Our star of the day was definitely the crabs, which looked, for lack of a better word, promising. Every single part of the crab was so meaty, and so fresh that every bite tasted amazing. The balance of natural saltiness and sweetness in the flesh was incomparable. All of that with my all-time favourite sauce created an irresistible combo. We left not a single drop of sauce behind.

As for the fresh and tasty blood cockles, my sister loved the extra-crunchy fried garlic and bits of pork fat outside. The cockle’s flesh was savoury and chewy, and the fragrance from the garlic completely eliminated the fishy taste. Ended with a gulp of cold beer, I genuinely thought there’s no wonder why this restaurant is a top pick of every seafood lover.

Our total meal for four cost only VNĐ700,000 ($30), of which we spent around VNĐ350,000 ($15) for the two crabs, and VNĐ122,000 ($5) for the blood cockles. Prices here are totally inviting compared to other seafood places.

Besides the amazing dishes from the menu, getting to self-pick the ingredients and dining at Phong Cua would be a great experience for seafood lovers. And for its exceptional calibre, Phong Cua is always among my top recommendations for those who want to enjoy seafood to the fullest. – VNS

Phong Cua Restaurant

Address: 1019A Bình Quới Street, Bình Thạnh District, HCM City

Hotline: 028 355 61363 or 028 355 65683

Website: www.phongcua.com

Opening hours: 10am to 10pm

Comment: A prestigious 20-year-old seafood restaurant with an interesting dining experience