I've always been very interested in how the Japanese converted various international cuisines into a version that suited their own taste buds. Examples include Japanese versions of French pastries, Indian curries, Italian pastas and Chinese noodles. And now, I finally get my question answered on how the Japanese would Japanify a local cuisine of ours - chilli crab. Indeed, they seem to have a fascination with the dish - it was even woven into the script of the Singapore performance of the Naruto Live Spectacle, when the actor playing Naruto mentioned chilli crab to the delighted cheer of the local audience, although I forget the context.
Anyway, this is chilli crab croissant by St Marc Cafe @ Raffles City, Singapore. It's basically croissant with a chilli crab filling, and reminded me Old Chang Kee's chilli crab puff concept. But there were major differences.
Firstly, as you can see in the image above, there's an unexpected hard boiled egg in this one. Secondly, there wasn't as much chilli crab gravy as in the Old Chang Kee puff. Thirdly, the croissant pastry is obviously very different from the curry puff pastry - much crispier and less of the heavy wheat flour taste of the latter.
Differences aside, I thought this croissant version was interesting because overall, the chilli crab filling came across as rather... sanitised, and neat... very Japanese in that sense. The little gravy that I could taste wasn't as diverse in its taste composition as most Singaporeans would expect in their favourite local dishes. What I mean is that I couldn't taste much, or any, of the crab roe flavour, or of the Kaffir lime leaf flavour. It may have been there, but it wasn't obvious. Like how Japanese curries don't have much chilli oil, curry leaves or coconut milk. So most Singaporeans may not like it.
But, having said that, it was still nice in the clean and neat way, like a savoury and comforting chilli-based snack. And the egg also added to the overall wholesome feel of the snack (never mind that they may have used margarine for the croissant). So if you change your expectations, you could like it the way some people have grown to like Japanese curry.
Besides that, the presentation of the sliver of crab stick peeking out of the flaky layers was very pleasant. And I also appreciate that it was one of St Marc's savoury croissant flavours. Also, given that the local dish is often accompanied by deep fried mantou for dipping into the sauce, this use of croissant with the chilli crab filling mimicks the fritter-sauce combination quite well, like the Old Chang Kee chilli crab puff.
Nonetheless, I would still have preferred if they had added more gravy, simply because I like more of gravies in general. But I can also understand why that may be difficult when they are trying to keep the croissant crispy.
Overall, worth trying definitely, and it gave me a very interesting insight into the Japanese take on things. But it probably wouldn't be a favourite of mine.
Differences aside, I thought this croissant version was interesting because overall, the chilli crab filling came across as rather... sanitised, and neat... very Japanese in that sense. The little gravy that I could taste wasn't as diverse in its taste composition as most Singaporeans would expect in their favourite local dishes. What I mean is that I couldn't taste much, or any, of the crab roe flavour, or of the Kaffir lime leaf flavour. It may have been there, but it wasn't obvious. Like how Japanese curries don't have much chilli oil, curry leaves or coconut milk. So most Singaporeans may not like it.
But, having said that, it was still nice in the clean and neat way, like a savoury and comforting chilli-based snack. And the egg also added to the overall wholesome feel of the snack (never mind that they may have used margarine for the croissant). So if you change your expectations, you could like it the way some people have grown to like Japanese curry.
Besides that, the presentation of the sliver of crab stick peeking out of the flaky layers was very pleasant. And I also appreciate that it was one of St Marc's savoury croissant flavours. Also, given that the local dish is often accompanied by deep fried mantou for dipping into the sauce, this use of croissant with the chilli crab filling mimicks the fritter-sauce combination quite well, like the Old Chang Kee chilli crab puff.
Nonetheless, I would still have preferred if they had added more gravy, simply because I like more of gravies in general. But I can also understand why that may be difficult when they are trying to keep the croissant crispy.
Overall, worth trying definitely, and it gave me a very interesting insight into the Japanese take on things. But it probably wouldn't be a favourite of mine.
Found this pastry interesting? Check out other unusual pastries here!
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