Fans of Chinese cuisine, listen up: Xia Mi Hao Liao, a Hubei-style restaurant, recently opened its doors in the Jalan Besar area. It specialises in crustacean dishes such as hairy crabs and, more crucially, crayfish.
If you’re up to date with food trends in mainland China, then you’ll know the absolute chokehold that crayfish has on the Chinese. Having first originated from the Hubei province, the trend took off to such an extent that 90% of the world’s crayfish consumption can be attributed to China.
The reason behind this craze? One oft-cited reason is that, because you need to manually deshell crayfish to consume, people appreciate how it forces them to put down their phones and enjoy the moment with their friends.
You can now see what all the fuss is about at Xia Mi Hao Liao. To start, we recommend ordering the Signature 10 Spiced Combo ($125++), a Hubei specialty that sees a pile of crayfish and hairy crabs prepared in a blend of 10 spices including Chinese cinnamon, star anise, bay leaf, and licorice root. This gives the crustaceans plenty of piquant flavour and aromatic goodness.
Another way to have these crustaceans is the Bi Feng Tang Combo ($125++), where the crayfish and hairy crabs are stir-fried with breadcrumbs and minced garlic on top of another spice blend.
You can also choose to have these crustaceans in a purer form—steamed. Order the Steamed Crawfish ($48++) or Steamed Hairy Crab (seasonal price) together to enjoy the best of both worlds.
To fully appreciate Xia Mi Hao Liao’s seafood offerings, bring your friends and family here for a feast—and remember to pair these flavourful dishes with some Chinese beer!
For a seafood bucket buffet from $39.90++ per person at Downtown East, read our Bucketta review. For a popular seafood restaurant near Havelock MRT, read our Angie’s Oyster Bar & Grill review.
Address: 20 Upper Weld Road, Singapore 207377
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 4pm to 1am, Sat-Sun 11am to 1am
Tel: 8314 5451
Website
Xia Mi Hao Liao is not a halal-certified eatery.
Photos taken by Paula Formantes.
This was a media tasting at Xia Mi Hao Liao.