So remember how I discovered Claypots Seafood Bar last year? Well, it has become part of my Melbourne eating ritual ever since.
I'm back in Melbourne later this week so thought I should post up all the delectable meals I had during my previous Melbourne trip (a few months ago), before this one!
Luckily for Zen & I, most of them need tables of four or more so our table for two is fast tracked. We're seating in the back for the first time, beneath the large octopus light installation.
The blackboard menu is seasonal which means there's always something new to try. But first, we must start with the garlic king prawns ($9 each). They're served sizzling hot in a mini cast iron wok and taste even better than what I remembered them to be.
As we're here quite late, we're advised that most of the large fishes have already sold out. I'm not disappointed at all since I had my eyes on the mud crab the instant I saw it on the menu!
At the envy of all nearby tables, our mud crab with gumbo ($80) arrives on an enormous platter, beckoning to be photographed and eaten.
The gumbo is tucked away neatly beneath the beautiful pile of mud crab and mussels. The thick sauce is well-spiced and flavoured with the succulent crab juices. The mud crab shell has been smashed in all the right places, making it such a bliss to eat. There's an abundance of moist, flaky, sweet flesh.
It is so so good.
The fine bones are a nuisance but it is otherwise delicious.
A lot of you ask which Melbourne restaurants I would recommend... Well, this one is high up on the list and I'm sure you can now see why.
Claypots Seafood Bar
213 Barkly Street, St Kilda, Melbourne, VIC
Phone: (03) 9534 1282
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