Get Cracking at The King Crab Fest at Mekong

Mekong is a popular Pan Asian restaurant in Hotel Marigold, Hyderabad, known for its fantastic ambience, décor and food. Popular with the Who’s Who of Hyderabad, Mekong is named after the Mekong river which is a trans-boundary river, the world's 12th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. From the Tibetan Plateau the river runs through China's Yunnan Province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam and the restaurant serves food primarily from these countries, giving a wonderful glimpse into the fascinating food-scape of the region.

I visited Mekong restaurant for a preview of The King Crab Fest being organized from 19^th Aug-19^th Sept 2017. Even otherwise, Mekong has a fairly impressive array of seafood dishes, making it one of the most popular seafood joints amidst connoisseurs of Hyderabad and beyond, from film director S. S. Rajamouli of Bahubali fame to leading actors of Telugu cinema to Food show hosts Rocky and Mayur, the restaurant has received rave reviews.

As you enter Mekong, a feeling of calm and serenity overcomes you, thanks to the cool blue interiors with a stunning wave patterned roof. An understated and fluid feel, clean lines, wooden cage shaped hanging lamps and attractive blue and green table placements prepare you for a soothing journey into the heart of Asia. It is a modern, contemporary Pan Asian restaurant in every way, right from the décor to focus on healthy cooking techniques and fresh ingredients.

The Crab Fest tent card is hoisted on the table along with neat aprons and all the implements one would require to crack open the crabs. Throwing caution to the wind and our table manners out of the window, we don the aprons and start sharpening our claws. For if you want to enjoy crabs, you have to get down and messy. The regular menu has some enticing items too, so we do take a sneak peak and try some items. The popular dishes in the special crab menu may be continued after the festival. 

Crab in Singaporean Chilly Garlic Sauce

So we start with a Salmon Sashimi which is absolutely fresh and great on the palate. Sushi and Sashimi are being served extensively these days but very few places have absolutely fresh ingredients. This was one helluva fresh fish. Next we have a delightful shrimp and water chestnut crystal dimsum which is light and easy on the palate. Of course these are just a prelude to the sensational main course of crabs. Soon there is an attractive platter of a huge King Crab in Singaporean Style Chilli Garlic Sauce staring at us. After a few moments of admiring its abject beauty, we get cracking. My companion who happened to have stayed in Singapore for thirteen years mentions that it is the real taste one would find in Singapore. The crab was huge and absolutely fresh with its characteristic orange shell and soft white meat inside.

 

Fresh King Crab with Garlic Butter

We also tried the irresistible Butter Garlic Crab which makes it even easier to eat as in this dish the crab meat is already extracted and lightly cooked to perfection with two magical ingredients-butter and garlic. This was simply melt in the mouth.

From the main menu, another enticing dish was the shrimp with egg white and broccoli, a bit bland and simple, which would be a great dish for weight watchers. We avoided carbs in the form of rice, keeping the accent totally on the enticing protein that tugged at us with its tantalizing tentacles, namely crabs!

 

Wasabi Ice-cream

In desserts we tried the Jaggery and Coconut Icecream and Tub Tim Grob which kind of passed muster. However the star of the desserts was the light green Wasabi Icecream that has the requisite kick and yet not too overpowering. Guzzling down sips of fragrant jasmine tea, we savoured a few moments in the lap of Mekong in appreciative silence and harmony.