Soft Shell Crab in Saigon

A reader recently wrote me to ask where she could enjoy some great soft shell crab in Saigon during her upcoming visit here?  Great question!  Mmnnn …

Let’s see, I recall Hai made perhaps the world’s best soft shell crab in tamarind sauce for me for my last birthday.  But, of course, that was a very special birthday gift to me and I couldn’t impose upon Hai to cook up such a special feast in our living room for 10 visitors from Malaysia.

So, duty called.  Off to the streets of Saigon to find some great soft shell crab.

The obvious place to consider that these visitors try was Quan 94 in District 1.  (It’s always the first place that appears and is recommended in any web search for soft shell crab in Saigon.)  But, we needed to know for ourselves – first hand -whether we could recommend it to our readers.  It’s a job  – off to eat some crab 🙂 .

It was a rainy evening (downpour style). We jumped off our motorbike, draped our áo mưa (rain ponchos) over the bike, carried in our helmets to keep them dry while we ate, and grabbed the first small metal table with metal high back chairs on the ground floor (beside the cooking area).

Both Hai and I quickly jumped up to watch the young girl and older woman do their magic in vats of boiling fat and large stir-fry pans.  They seemed to be enjoying themselves swirling various-sized crustaceans around the large pans filled with garlic and oils and quickly serving them up on plates and over piles of noodles.  Of course, I had to snap a few photos!

OK, for sure we wanted to try the cua lột chiên bột (soft shell crabs) – but what else?  We decided to add the chả giò cua biển (deep fried crab spring rolls) and the miến xào cua (vermicelli noodles stir-fried with crab meat.)

Interestingly, the main event turned out not to be the main event!  That is, the soft shell crabs were good – but not amazing.  (What was all the internet fuss about??)  Meaty, yes.  Crispy, yes.  A bit expensive, yes. A tad oily, yes. World class memorable, not really.

And the deep fried crab spring rolls … so-so.  (I’d skip these next time – if there should be a next time).

But the main event turned out to be the vermicelli noodles stir-fried with crab meat..  So much crab meat!  And sweet and flavorful! And the glass noodles – done to perfection, al dente.  A mildly flavored dish that allowed the subtle flavor of the fresh crabmeat to shine.  Very nice indeed. This is their signature dish in my opinion.

If we return, the miến xào cua with a glass of beer or iced tea would be just fine for a yummy, reasonably-priced dinner.

And the search for that perfect soft shell crab dinner (other than in my own living room) shall continue.  STANDY BY for future results. Our work is never done 🙂

Overall, an interesting eatery that’s retained its simple local ambiance, but become tourist-targeted in its menu and prices.  Prices are very high by local Saigon standards, but reasonable for a “tourist” restaurant.

In balance, here at Eating Saigon! we left with a Yum result on our Yum Meter.

Quán 94
94 Đinh Tiên Hoàng
(on the corner)
District 1
38258633

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