XLX Asia, Ipoh - Crayfish and a little bit more

Located at a intermediate corner shop nearby East Gate, there is this seafood themed restaurant among these "new shops". It shares the same road as Trio Cafe (I still have not try this Punjabi cuisine) and it is somewhere opposite GP Food Court. Opens only for dinner, welcome to XLX Asia!

 Their famous dish would definitely be Crayfish or literally translated as Little Lobster (Xiao Long Xia - thus the name XLX). I hope by now I have shed some light that crayfish is not a type of fish. It is actually a type of farmed freshwater lobsters also fondly known as Yabbies by the Americans and the most famous place if you google Crayfish is none other than Louisiana. Or perhaps the nearest place is your aquarium if you remember keeping similar species of such crustaceans inside your tank.

Price at RM55-57 for a medium portion, there are almost 16 crayfishes served for this price tag. For the Crayfirsh, there have two serving portions and four cooking methods. The traditional one is the dark soya sauce infused with garlic flavor. We had another portion of Salted Egg gravy which I believe is the one termed “Golden Sand”.

Eating the crayfish is much of a new experience to most but fret not as the friendly owner will be gleefully demonstrating on the proper way to deshell it. They provide disposable gloves for diners while they deshell the red crustacean. I prefer the salted egg gravy and I felt like ordering a bowl of white rice or fried mantou to mop the gravy clean. Overall, it was a new experience but to be honest, there is not much flesh after you deshell it. The flesh has texture which is similar to mantis prawns though.

The Rosemary Lamb Chops (RM28) arrived in big portions and the cuts were quite lean. Not bone dropping tender but again it requires some light chewing jaw exercise. A little meat tenderizer during the marinade stage could've solved the issue. Coupled with some broccoli and cauliflower, quarter slab of corn and some mashed potatoes, this appeared to be quite a wholesome meal on its own. And for light eaters, you could share this dish between two person by just complementing it with another salad perhaps.

For the white meat lovers or those who opt for a healthier pick, this is the Grilled Salmon with Peach Sauce would be probably your preference. I couldn't make much comment as I am never a fan of cooked salmon because I dislike the fishy smell from the skin. I only eat my salmon raw and usually in the form of sashimi.

Asking for first hand reviews prior to dining here, I have got two recommendations for the Roasted Pork Knuckle (RM45). And by the time this blog post is up, it will gladly be three as I do agree that it was properly done. With the skin crispy and crackling (do bear in mind that practice caution as certain portion of the skin may be a bit hard. This dish is definitely meant to be shared by at least two people. There is a serving of salad to balance out the guilt and some mashed potatoes for your carbo fix. There are to sauce to go along it - the brown sauce and also a pear/apple jam.

The Smoked Duck Salad (RM16) was good. Romaine lettuce and onions are generously drizzled with sesame dressing. The sesame dressing is more like vinaigrette based as opposed to typical creamy mayonnaise based. It has an appetizing roasted aroma with some sweetish and fruity taste thanks to the generous sprinkling of raisin which makes sure you finish your vegetables. With the slices of smoked duck and also quartets of hard boiled eggs, this is indeed a balanced meal for those on a diet.

As mentioned, there is actually options of white rice, fried rice and blanched vegetables (Chinese version in oil) for those who have Asian tastebud. Beer is reasonably priced here and so are other drinks. There is a "gold leaf" ice cream at RM12 which I have no idea what it is.... ShellOut is outdated now, so treat yourself to a new experience of munching on crayfish! :)