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MELBOURNE | House of Crabs St Kilda is the Melbourne outpost of House of Crabs Sydney and brings a similar concept to this part of the country. That concept is fresh boiled crabs, prawns and mussels along with a selection of grilled seafood, sides and snacks in a casual, fun environment. The St Kilda House of Crabs is located in the basement of the Newmarket Hotel and is a low-lit, nautical themed affair. A bit on the tacky side, but purposefully so. Tunes span all genres with a pop lean from the 70s through to the modern day, with an unusually high number of Presidents of the United States of America singles (on the night we visited Lump, Peaches and Mach 5 were all played).
On the drinks front its a small selection of local and international beer and wine, along with an assortment of cocktails, including 2 large “fishbowls for 2”. When it comes to the main attraction, the crabs, House of Crabs doesn’t disappoint. Diners can choose from locally caught mussels, prawns and 4 types of crabs boiled with one of five sauces. We went for the Spanner Crab with Cajun sauce and Port Arlington Mussels with Spice Malay sauce and were impressed when the bags came out onto our butcher paper lined table. Don’t be afraid of getting messy here – spill the seafood onto your table and go for it. The seafood was boiled perfectly and the sauces were both very tasty.
The snacks and sides that we ordered were hit and miss. We’d heard a lot of good things about the lobster fries with bacon, cheese and lobster gravy however what came out were fries with a very thin, watery gravy which soaked right through the fries and far too much cheese. The soft shell crab tacos were much better, with the crispy fried crab blending well with the jalapeno mayo and apple. The smashed corn with Dorito crumb, chilli and cheese was acceptable while the freshly shucked oysters worked best natural rather than with the Bloody Mary sauce.
Our verdict? House of Crabs succeeds when it plays to its strengths – fresh seafood without too much done to it. The sides are hit and miss, with the simple ones that focus on seafood coming out on top. It’s a casual place with a fun atmosphere, the kind of place that works best with a group of people. So grab a group of friends, order a few kg of seafood on the boil and get cracking.
House Of Crabs
Newmarket Hotel Basement
34 Inkerman Street
St Kilda
Victoria 3182
Australia
Telephone: (03) 9810 0031
E-mail: n/a
Website: http://houseofcrabs.com.au/st-kilda/
Open
Tue – Thu: 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Fri – Sat: 5:00pm to late