You'll love Crab Craze at Benjarong, Dusit Thani Dubai

Sawasdee!

In a crab shell or, a nutshell, Benjarong's first offering of their Crab Craze goes beyond your traditional crab festival. This promotion boasts of 6 appetizing crab dishes prepared with a touch of subtle royalty.

I came prepared to crack shells and clippers.  I expected to get my hands busy and messy, but actually it's not. No hammering, no cracking throughout the night - not in this Crab Craze. The dishes were served out of the shell or partially cracked and ready to eat. Very suitable for a low light yet elegant ambiance of the restaurant.

Benjarong is an award-wining restaurant situated at the 24th floor of Dusit Thani Hotel. It offers gorgeous views of the Sheikh Zayed Road skyline, the Burj Khalilfa at the Downtown side and the Financial District, whilst serving the unforgettable flavors of Royal Thai cuisine. The restaurant’s majestic interior resembles the royal dining halls of King Rama IV, and the gentle sounds of classically trained Thai musicians add to the authenticity of this unique dining experience.

With the elegance, you may be thinking this must be pricey.  Well, not really. The prices only range from AED 35 to AED 75 and are already inclusive of municipality fees and service charges.

Pu-Ja

Pu-Ja is a deep-fried crab meat and minced chicken in a crab shell with sweet chili sauce.  This reminds me of a lean 'embutido' stuffed in a shell.  The concoction of chicken and crab with select Thai herbs makes it heavenly. It was an instant favorite.
Price: AED 35

Som Tum Punim

Som Tum Punim is made of spicy green papaya salad with crispy soft shell crab.  I thought it could be compared to 'atsara,' but the green papaya shreds are really spicy for me. Mix it up with the fried soft shell crab and we have a good combo.
Price: AED 45

Gaeng Som Puma Normai Dong

Gaeng Som Puma Normai Dong is a hot and sour curry with blue crab and sour bamboo shoot. I'm not much a fan of hot and sour soups but this one goes well with the white rice - lots of white rice that is.  I should've paused after that spicy papaya shreds before having a mouthful of another spicy bite.
Price: AED 70

Pu Pad Prig Gaeng

Pu Pad Prig Gaeng is a stir-fried Alaska King Crab with  red curry paste, string beans and sweet basil.  Another dish I like with lots of white rice.  I think the flavor of its paste/gravy comes out very well with rice.
Price: AED 75

Sen Jun Pad Pun

Sen Jun Pad Pu is a fried rice noodles with crab meat.  Its flat noodles suggest that it has resemblance with Pad Thai. No. It doesn't have a strong saucy flavor, but the crab on top of the noodles fits well for the overall.
Price: AED 55

Lon Pu-Kem

Lon Pu-Kem is a salted crab in coconut cream dip served with vegetables. Looking at the presentation though, it's like the other way around - a veg salad platter with it as a dip.
Price: AED 65

Indeed a classic line-up of Thai cuisine specials, great for crab lovers!

Thanks to renowned Chef Narue Mol Poolkuan, who has been personally serving many royal Thai families until today, for generously introducing every dish she prepared for us that night.

Miang Kham

Oh, before the crabs, we had a taste of a traditional Thai street snack, an appetizer called Miang Kham. The name means, "eating many things in one bite."  Ground nuts, some little dried veggies (or fruits?) and roasted coco shreds were on top of the leaf.  Rolled it and finished in 3 bites.

Green Curry Chicken

We were also served with Green Curry Chicken. A bonus I must say. Who could resist Thai green curry?

Did I say I finally had a taste of an authentic and fresh coconut juice? Yes indeed! Welcome to Thailand in Dubai!

Always a favorite (don't call it Buco juice, they don't know that)

The ending? Oh well, Mango and Sticky Rice lang naman. This was one of the best sticky rice I've ever tasted, and the mango was fresh and sweet! Perfecto!

The hospitality of the staff adds warmth to the experience.  We were welcomed with wai - the traditional Thai greeting wherein they slightly bow and join their palms together like in a prayer.  They did it again when we were leaving, apparently to express gratitude. The servers, chef, the management... they were all smiles from start to finish.

Traditional Thai music and performances also in the house

Note!
The Crab Craze ends on 31st January so you better do your reservations and never let this experience pass.

It is available lunch time 12 - 3pm, and dinner, 7 -11pm, again, until 31 JANUARY 2015 only.

You won't go wrong with Benjarong, so book it at Dusit!

Follow them on Facebook and Instagram to learn more of this and their future offerings.

with Sheila, Chef Narue Mol, Carla, Doc Gelo and Kenneth

I had a magnificent time with fellow bloggers so please do check their reviews as well:

• Carla - My Yellow Bells
• Doc Gelo
• Ken Surat
• Sheila - AB and Me 

Thank you D and Dusit!