BEST ROASTED CRAB EVER AT ANQI!
Review by Sheryll Alexander
We were seriously wowed recently by a dinner of roasted Dungeness crabs prepared personally by Mama Helene An using her signature family recipe at the House of An’s South Coast Plaza location, AnQi Bistro.
We had heard of Mama An’s garlic-and-pepper roasted crab, which is available at AnQi only on Tuesdays during dinner service.
Why Tuesdays only? That’s the day when Master Chef and Matriarch “Mama An” travels from her home kitchens at Crustacean Beverly Hills with dozens of 2.5 lb. Pacific waters Dungeness crabs in the trunk.
Once she arrives at Costa Mesa’s AnQi Bistro, she starts cooking them in her “secret kitchen.” What’s a secret kitchen? It is literally a separate space from the main kitchen and only chefs who have worked with the family for 10 years or more can cook the real “secret family recipes,” so says Mama An.
We arrived a bit skeptical on a Tuesday night. Already, two large groups were sitting along the restaurant’s stunning catwalk crunching claws and slurping the most tender crab meat right off the shells.
Prepared in a savory Asian style with lots of oil, garlic and pepper, Mama An’s renowned roasted crabs are definitely worth the price, especially when paired with the stick-to-your-bones garlic noodles (or coconut rice for those who are cutting down on gluten) and a glass of semi-sweet Riesling.
You can order your crabs roasted in the shell ($48) or shelled ($53) for easier eating. Mama An recommended the shelled crab as she says it is more juicy. We must agree. After a few minutes, we were cracking away, sucking meat and licking our fingers just like everyone else without a care as to our fashionable surroundings.
Because Mama An only brings a limited amount of crabs on Tuesdays, guests are advised to reserve the dish at least 24 hours in advance (dinner only).
AnQi by Crustacean, Bloomingdale’s at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St. Costa Mesa, 714-557-5679, http://anqibistro.com/.
Sheryll Alexander runs a news media agency based in Costa Mesa, California. Follow her! @sheryllalexande or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheryll-Alexander/252517508109644.
