crabby (krăb’ē) adj. grouchy, ill-tempered
That’s the typical definition of the word. But it could also be said this way:
crabby (krăb’ē) adj. meaty, juicy, delicious and savory seafood
It takes a very different meaning when you push your sleeves up your arm, put on a giant orange bib and bite into succulent crabmeat with roasted garlic and olive oil. Gah. Talk about crab heaven. H & I were at Clawdaddy.
My mother-in-law was raving about this restaurant one weekend, and she pushed H & I to give it a try. “Their crabs are REALLY big,” she said then emphasized this point by putting her hands up about a foot apart. Hmmm. Well, that triggered our curiosity so off we went!
H & I went to the branch at Bonifacio High Street. The staff was very friendly the moment we stepped in. Our server was a lovely lady named Jane. We told her it was our first time at the restaurant, and any recommendations would be great! She willingly answered our questions and always had a great smile on her face.
Okay, first up was the corn on the cob. It was sweet and just enough to whet our appetites. They were on the house too.
Then we were given big orange bibs to wear. Good thinking! You’ll never know where that claw will end up. The bib says “Who’s your Clawdaddy?” Heehee. Jane helpfully tied the bows for us. After our meal, she also helped untie the bows as our fingers were still hungover with crabmeat and some olive oil.
And boy, oh, boy. The highlight of my Clawdaddy visit was this appetizer: Jalapeño Poppers. Their menu described it as “Panko-crusted and pickled jalapeño with Monterey Jack cheese, served with ClawDaddy’s barbecue ranch dip.” In one word: “Yummy.”
I told H, if I were to marry a dish, I’d marry these Jalapeño Poppers. 😀 And I ate most of them, truth be told.
We also ordered a half-slab of ClawDaddy’s Smoked Baby Back Ribs with side dishes Mashed Sweet Potato and Broccoli. Delicious too! I liked how sweet and flavorful the meat was. The downside is there wasn’t much meat on our ribs. But doesn’t it look good?
Then a stone came. “What’s it for?,” I asked Jane. It’s for cracking those tough crab claws open. Aaaah! I see. I was expecting a little contraption that looked like a nutcracker, but I suppose if you’re using your hands to eat, the gadget could slip through your hands. The primitive way of bonking till the shell splits will do too!
And then came the crab. Mommy, it wasn’t a foot big. But it was every bit as delicious as you described! Jane recommended the Crab Maritess, crab sautéed in olive oil, white wine, and chilies.
Obviously, I enjoyed it very much.
Each table has a bucket in the middle of the table. Here you can throw in your crab shells and ribs. Pretty neat!
Overall, we had a great experience. We loved our server Jane, and hopefully she’ll be our server again when we go back. I’m looking forward to trying the other dishes. The funny thing is the dish I loved the most didn’t have claws. I’m definitely going back for another round of those Jalapeño Poppers!
😀
Check out the Clawdaddy site here.
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
ayen
May 16, 2008 at 6:44 pm (16 years ago)Hi Toni!
I saw this resto the last time I’m at BHS and just reading from their menu (which was available oustide so anyone can easily check it out) I wanted to try it out. At that time though, we’ve already had our dinner. Wow, thanks for your mouth-watering review, I might eat at this resto next time I’m at the Fort area. Too bad, my bf is allergic to crustaceans. hehehe.
Were the Jalapeno Poppers spicy?
Stop-over at Bay, Laguna
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Gracey
May 16, 2008 at 6:45 pm (16 years ago)OMG, drool fest! I have been wanting to eat crabs but I know it’d cost an arm and a leg to eat to get that here. Those are really good food, Toni… and I haven’t had my lunch yet. :/ lol
dyanie
May 17, 2008 at 3:27 am (16 years ago)Whoa! What a big crab! So, ok lang na maging maingay kaka-pukpok nung bato? Heheheh 😉 I want to eat crab but I don’t know how to eat it!
dyanies last blog post..Junior’s Cheesecakes = H-E-A-V-E-N
J.
May 17, 2008 at 8:11 am (16 years ago)That looked like so much fun! I love the bibs! I know this is strange, but I actually don’t like crabs. The ones you have look almost bearable!
(By the way, I’ve been trying to send you a Twilight tidbit for the past half hour. My Gmail seems to be on the fritz. Let me know if you got it!)
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Em Dy
May 17, 2008 at 8:49 am (16 years ago)Hi Toni. Eaten here only twice. The first was to scout it out. I ordered the fish and chips kiddie meal. Okay but pales in comparison to Fish and Co. The second was with balikbayan relatives. Yummy. We had the steak platter, ribs and the prawn rhapsody. Too bad they took the last one off the menu.
Your post reminds me that it’s about time I go back.
Em Dys last blog post..Calm Before the Storm
ganns
May 17, 2008 at 9:43 am (16 years ago)I was at ClawDaddy myself recently. It’s a nice place. Yeah, the service is quite good.
(I think it’s cute that you’re using ‘Twilight’ words for your keywords.)
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mary
May 17, 2008 at 11:02 am (16 years ago)hey, me and my family ate there at clawdaddy’s during my brother’s birthday, we also ate at new orleans (the one next to clawdaddy’s).
The food was really great in clawdaddy’s I really liked the….wait, what was that dish called again? heheh!
The dish I ate had no crabs.
To be honest, I don’t really like crabs…because I’ve never tried it.
Hm…maybe I will someday. Maybe. 😀
caryn
May 17, 2008 at 5:47 pm (16 years ago)wow! that looks really nice!
it made me smile because i learned how to eat crabs the last time i went home. we went to the ‘dampa’ near the mall of asia and ate seafood and everybody insisted i learn so i did. hehehe. i was so happy to be able to do so! i passed by clawdaddy’s the last time i was there but we ate at the restaurant near it. was it new orleans? will give it a try soon. thanks for the tip toni!!!
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odette
May 17, 2008 at 6:57 pm (16 years ago)sarap na sarap ka talaga, kakainggit!
you’re cute and funny by the way, in your takam look!
tin
May 17, 2008 at 9:09 pm (16 years ago)yum, yum. a must-visit place come december! thanks, toni!
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justice
May 19, 2008 at 1:12 am (16 years ago)wow! next uwi ko i hope i remember to visit this place
here we go to jumbo seafood and feast on the black pepper crabs *yum*
dhey
May 19, 2008 at 2:00 pm (16 years ago)hahaha… i love the story that goes with the pictures. i can really imagine your puzzled face when the brought a rock to the table. 😀 it makes the restaurant more interesting. i’ll check it out after i settle my tuition.
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lady cess
May 19, 2008 at 8:38 pm (16 years ago)yum! i’m a crab lover so this is a must-visit resto!
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Meeya
May 20, 2008 at 4:59 am (16 years ago)i loved your expression as you were about to savor the (gigantic) crab’s claw. ganyan ang itsura ko (times ten) when i dig into crabs, too, haha! yum!
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Hiro
May 20, 2008 at 1:02 pm (16 years ago)one of my faves….
Hiros last blog post..Caffe Puccini – Fort Strip, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
Rach (Heart of Rachel)
May 21, 2008 at 9:16 pm (16 years ago)Definitely worth a try. Thanks Toni for sharing another great restaurant.