Ho Chiak: Jade Garden in Sungei Ringgit: Lobster Capital of Malaysia

Lobsters...this crustacean conjures up certain images in one's mind when it comes to cuisine. Luxury, tasty, high end. This is one such adventure to taste this elixir of life.

My cycling group made a trip there one day...take a ferry from Changi Point Ferry Terminal to Pengerrang, Johor. And a short ride to Sungei Ringgit, a fishing town by the coast, also known as Lobster Town. They even have a giant stainless steel lobster in the middle of the town.

We also had several very fresh seafood items for lunch, here is the tale

Started with the topshell

Some call topshell a poor man's abalone...though it is more a snail than abalone...this creature lives within a shell looking like a top...conical shaped. The meat is chewy, but as one chews releases some rather nice flavours and sweet notes. A bit more flavourful than abalone on its own. But not special enough.

Next up herbal chicken

Great herbal flavours...from the aromatic whiffs, to the rather strong taste of the soup. The chicken is rendered very tender, fall off the bone on a prodding of the chopsticks. But still rather tasty and not dry.

We also had a fishmaw braised with vegetables

A bit fishy in aroma...but tasty...the fish maw a bit resilient in texture, but giving way to the a crunchy like mouthfeel. The braising liquid is rather tasty. I rather enjoyed this dish.

We also had some lala, stir fried with spring onions and ginger

This dish is rather tasty, but I would have preferred larger lala (clams), which are perhaps more meaty.

As there was an ostrich farm nearby, we tried the stir fried ostrich

This was a bit of a disappointment. The meat was sinewy, quite tough, though nice deep flavours with only a hint of game. We tried some ostrich steaks later that afternoon at the ostrich farm, but that experience was totally different...much more tender, almost wagyu like without the marbling. Perhaps different quality of ostrich.

Another slightly disappointing dish was the squid

The squid was supposed to be crispy and tasty, but it was neither. A bit too chewy.

A bit of tofu, which I found to be quite good

Regular readers would know I have a soft spot for tofu...this one is rather enjoyable. The tofu is fragrant, and very smooth, creamy inside the slightly springy, deep fried exterior.

And finally what we came there for...the lobsters

Technically not a real lobster, as a lobster by definition needs to have claws. This is more correctly called spiny lobster or crayfish (though crayfish sometimes confuses with another crustacean.

The lobster is offered in various cooking methods...we opted for the house special sauce. One whole lobster per person, and costed according to the size...we had large ones.

The taste was excellent. The meat had a consistency and texture more springy and firmer than prawn, but the flavours were deeper and more pronounced. The crustacean sweetness was very nice. The sauce compliments the meat. Very good. Definitely will come back for more...watch this space, sometime in 2013, I will do a lobster vertical tasting...a whole meal, perhaps 2 full lobsters, halfed, each half done in a different style. That would be a meal to look out for!!

The seafood is generally fresher than most of the stuff we get in Singapore, and the lobster was outstanding. Prices were kinder to the wallet than in Singapore, but the entire meal, fed 10 hungry cyclists cost about MYR750 (about S$300). The prices have obviously been adjusted to cater for the mainly Singaporean crowd...banners of Mediacorp artises endorsing the food is all over the restaurant.