在場客人唔多, 因為商業區星期日關係吧。
1) Steamed Hairy Crab Dumpling (7/10) - the dumpling was a bit bigger than your typical xiao lung bao. The pork filling inside was mixed with hairy crab cream. While I can definitely taste the crab in the dumpling, the skin was a bit thick and the pork filling was too mushy. The broth inside was also not as rich as the ones at Liu Yuan. It was still good though and at least didn't have a fishy scent which is a problem I sometimes encounter when ordering crab dumplings which indicates the ingredients were not fresh.
2) Abalone Soup (8/10) - a very clear broth with one small abalone, mushrooms, dried scallops, and lean pork. The broth was light and slightly sweet to drink while the abalone was nice and tender. A great way to cleanse our palate before moving on to the heavier dishes of the night!
3) Hairy Crab x 2 (8/10) - we each got 2 hairy crabs each! The crabs were decent sizes of ~400-500 gram (according to our waitress). There were plenty of roe in the crabs - especially my second one. The roe was rich and flavorful to eat, and it was satisfying to just suck the roe straight from the crab body! There was plently of meat in the body and legs as well, although the crab meat was not as sweet or firm as the one at Liu Yuan. Nonethless, the hairy crabs we got were very good and satisfying for the price!
4) Hairy Crab Cream with Garlic Bread (8/10) - we each had 2 pieces of large garlic bread to eat with the hairy crab cream. The hairy crab cream sat above a candle stand so it can continue to keep heat. The cream was rich and flavorful, but a bit oily. It was too rich to eat alone so best to use it as a spread to put on the garlic bread. The garlic bread was nicely toasted so it was warm and crunchy. The garlic was not strong so as not to overpower the hairy crab cream and they went perfectly together. I love garlic bread and I love hairy crab so this is one of my favorite ways to eat hairy crab!
5) Sea Cucumber with Mushroom (8/10) - we got one thin slice of a sea cucumber and one mushroom. Both the sea cucumber and the mushroom were cooked just right as they were soft and tender to eat. The oyster sauce drizzled on top was light and not overpowering which enhanced the taste of the ingredients well.
6) Steamed Chopped Chinese Preserved Meat with Rice (7/10) - at least they were honest about the name as there were some finely chopped preserved pork belly, chinese sausage and duck liver sausage over rice. Even though it was served in a clay pot, it wasn't clay pot rice as the rice was not crispy along the sides of the pot. It was just regular steamed jasmine rice and some sweet soy sauce was provided separately for the dish The preserved meat was fatty and delicious while the rice needed the sweet soy sauce to enhance the taste. It was not bad but obviously could be much better.
7) Sweet Dumpling in Ginger Tea (8/10) - the dumpling had black sesame paste inside, which I love! They were a tad overcooked though as the outside skin was a bit gooey. The ginger tea was refreshing and 'spicy'. Almost wished the ginger tea was served earlier so we can drink it right after our crab dishes.
Although their hairy crab may not be the best in town, it was still pretty good given the reasonable price for the amount of food we got. The service on the whole was pretty good although the dishes came out too fast in the beginning - i.e. the hairy crab came while we were still drinking the abalone soup. Luckily they slowed down as we were eating the crab and started to ask us if we were ready for the next dish etc. We were also given new bowls of tea to wash our hands when the old bowls got cold. Overall, I think that the hairy crab set menu for $348 per person at East Ocean is a great deal!
I've also been here for their hairy crab, where they will usually offer set menus especially when hairy crab is in season. The crabs are big and fresh with plenty of roe. The prices are pretty reasonable as well.
桌上除了餐具之外，還兼備各人一套食蟹工具，方便食用！服務貼心！
一心滿足御蟹宴 $298 ( 8 折優惠，另加一服務費 )
蟹粉小籠包
據知，時令大閘蟹是先食雌蟹，後食雄蟹！
生拆新鮮蟹粉蒜蓉包
臘味蒸飯
上湯灼時蔬
薑茶湯丸
家鄉紅燒肉 另加
酒樓方面，相當環保！見食客不斷埋單，店方不斷關燈！ 最後，只剩我們這枱！那麼！關剩我們附近及通道的燈！ 幸好！臨走見到酒樓旁邊的貴賓房尚有食客未走。
這張大型掛畫，攝於灣仔海港中心的戶外處，至於選擇何間分店，已是不言而喻。
除包上茶介之外，桌上亦備有一套吃蟹工具，分別有蟹剪及膠簽等，雖然沒有傳聞中的蟹八件，對生於現代的一眾來說，已算足夠合用。
除了器具之外，嚐蟹亦注重相關的佐料配套，看過集團的電視廣告介紹，除用上陳年的鎮江黑醋外，除散發出香氣之外，更加入薑米煮過等功序，亦添上袪寒的作用，吃起來可更有風味。亦因為古人有「持蟹斗酒」之言，即使其實不太知懂，也點了一枝細瓶的花雕黃酒，看色澤估計約有十年之齡，用上燙水鎮暖之下，入口上可甚為香醇。
每人兩隻的蟹粉小籠包，可比想像中來得大件頭，因為外皮柔韌有餘，挾起上來可沒大難度。論入口的蟹粉湯汁可為豐滿，稍嫌欠上一點燙口之感，亦沒有想像中那麼重身鮮甜，還是亦帶出應有的濃香，近年不少坊間食肆也是爭相供應，水準卻是良莠不齊，總括之下，這裡味道仍是令人滿意。
素有九月圓臍十月尖的說法，當踏入農曆九月的交配時刻，雌蟹的產卵儲備可為高峰，到了農曆十月的排卵期後，養份則不免有所損耗，相對上雄蟹的生殖力仍來得頻盛，內裡湧現不少白羔，當中何物亦是不言而喻。只見桌上呈上的「巨無霸」，沒有水草捆著之下，估計已過五両之重，可算足秤。
始終味道才是重點所在，打開蟹殼之後，雖未達「爆膏」的指標，還是佈滿不少黃白雙色軟羔，再淋上些許香醋，論質感可軟如滑蛋，卻是極盡的濃郁甘香味道，那刻已肯定知道，這是一個無誤之選。跟著擘開蟹身，剔走一些寒涼及不潔部位，看大半處亦已「嵌入」了豐滿的蟹黃，這略帶黏身的質感，可軟滑如半熟的蛋黄一般，期間夾雜著半透明狀的白羔，已極盡鮮味之極致。
首隻已是令人滿意，吃到接近尾段之時，侍者乃就呈上每人的第二份蟹隻，只看那圓身的個子，那刻也真懷疑有否六両以上的「蟹皇」級數，只知內裡肥羔的豐胦程度，與首隻相比之下，只有過之而無不及，美味程度實在無以復加。所謂寧缺勿濫，計上家中那一躺，今年的蟹興已極盡回味，除非是被動的程況下，相信應不會再作追加了。
按：原本以為每人只得兩隻，會否來得有點不夠，結果約兩個半小時的用餐時間，就花了逾半光陰來剝殼拆肉，最後其中一位食友，還要將剩下那隻取走，想到自己已是最快完成那位，如果真的來上三隻的話，真不知何時才能完成全餐?!
遇上不足秤的細蟹，也不好原隻奉於桌上，不妨改為生拆蟹粉作入饌之用，這亦是東海的拿手好戲之一，此時侍者奉上了原個砂煲蟹粉，更用上蠟燭爐用來存溫，看內裡色澤鮮黃，當中夾雜著不少碎肉，確稱得上為「貨真價實」。與此同時，更端出了一盤金黃香脆的蒜蓉包於眼前............
事前已有了一個大概，但想不到用上蟹粉來伴著的蒜蓉包，效果會是那麼絕配，趁尚有餘溫之下，出來的味道固然香口，至於蟹粉的濃香鮮味，相對上更加明顯，比起小籠包可印象更佳。吃了多道濃味之物後，還是來一份清灼時蔬作解膩之用，本身味道已見軟身清甜，如果仍嫌味寡的話，不妨再淋些蟹粉上去，又是另一番的滋味。
常言道「食七」意頭不佳，決意來多一道菜式，大閘蟹本屬准揚菜系，乃就點了一個流行於當地的家鄉紅燒肉，需時廿分鐘之下，結果上桌時已將近十時半，總算味道來得不俗，內裡五花腩肉入口腍滑，卻是肥而不膩，而瘦肉部份亦見鬆化，配合香濃的醬油調味，如稍為淡身一點的話，食味可會更佳，至於伴菜所用的野菌，問個了侍者之後，最後還是弄不清品種名目。
最後的甜品是薑茶湯丸，原意是作袪寒之用，可惜因為臨近打佯的緣故，最後隨著其餘食品一湧而上，當吃完主食之後，這碗湯丸已經放涼了一段時間，即使內裡薑茶來得更加香辣，外皮麻蓉怎樣的軟糯香濃，味道上仍不免打了折扣，還是出現些許遺憾。
