It's easy to mistake Long Beach for a tourist trap with the tables of Caucasian diners at its perennially packed Dempsey outlet but there's a good reason
everybody heads there when the craving for black pepper crabs hits. That's because Long Beach is the birthplace of the dish that was created by managing
director Andrew Wong and his chefs three decades ago at its original Bedok Rest House location. The restaurant's spokesperson says Mr Wong came up
with the idea after he realised some Caucasian diners had problems stomaching the spiciness of chilli crabs. He experimented with over 100 different recipes
before he hit the jackpot and a national icon was born. Today, Long Beach's black pepper crab is world famous and its fans include foreign dignitaries as
well as celebs like Lady Gaga who said it's her favourite restaurant in Singapore. For obvious reasons, the recipe is top secret but Long Beach also has
33 different ways of serving crabs. It sells 13 varieties of crabs - all air-flown live, not frozen - including premium ones like the Alaskan king, Australian snow
and Canadian dungeness. Each has its own unique taste and preferred cooking style. Because of its thick shells, the Sri Lankan crab and Sri Lankan yellow
roe crab are best cooked in black pepper or chilli; while the Australian snow crab is recommended for white pepper which can penetrate its thinner shells.
The Alaskan, a winter delicacy, is going to be in season from next month to January and Long Beach's spokesperson says while the meat is not as solid as
the Sri Lankan's (the one we tried cooked in the mildly spicy black pepper style was extremely fleshy and firm like a chicken drumstick), it's softer and boasts
a natural sweetness. Each crab is typically about 3kg but can go up to 5kg. Long Beach also takes the rest of its seafood on the menu seriously
- it was the first restaurant to import razor clam, abalone conch, mouse cowrie, tiger sea mantis, Alaskan hokikai and more during the 80s.
Worth a try is the geoduck which it imports from Canada. The shellfish can be eaten raw or poached in superior stock but we ordered it with XO Sauce
which gave it an extra oomph. The crunchy deep fried baby squid is also popular and great as an appetiser while waiting for your crab to arrive.
Each piece is about the size of a peanut and the black sauce it is generously coated with is sweet and salty at the same time.
Despite the large crowd that was there when we visited on Monday evening, the wait staff was friendly and attentive. But the thing that takes the cake
when it comes to service for Long Beach is this - if you don't want to get your fingers dirty or ruin a new top, just ask and the kitchen will happily peel your crabs for you.
