SINGAPORE — The restaurant called Dancing Crab, the latest in a spate of Louisiana-styled restaurants, is Tung Lok’s answer to Cajun seafood boils. But Dancing Crab’s prices are slightly more reasonable.

The feasting remains delectably casual, so be prepared to dispense with fussy etiquette and dine sans cutlery. Yes, it’s messy, but so extremely fun and liberating.

Dancing Crab offers three types of sauces to choose from: Signature (a sweet-spicy blend in mild, spicy or extra spicy), herb butter or beurre blanc. We went with the signature for the combo bag (S$80, serves four comfortably, six if paired with a few side dishes), which is a hefty serving of Sri Lankan crab, prawns, mussels, sausages, potatoes and corn. Among these, the Sri Lankan crab and the clean-tasting mussels stood out for their plump meat and fine texture. Chilli addicts may be tempted to turn up the heat, but you could lose the nuanced natural sweetness of the mussels.

A lobster roll (S$23) isn’t exactly Cajun, but the restaurant considers it part of the “trifecta of American seafood”. Sandwiched in a crisp brioche, the lobster meat is simply dressed in mayonnaise and sprinkled with chives. It isn’t the best in town, but its delicateness left us wanting more.

That said, there are a couple of side dishes the kitchen does exceedingly well. The half-dozen fried oysters (S$18) are nicely plump and tender. And the crab cakes (S$13) — crisp on the outside and moist within — are impressive with their wonderful meaty texture and flavour. The cornbread (S$5) fell short of expectations. It was a tad too fine in texture and dull in taste.

Although the restaurant is unmistakably Cajun in concept, a couple of the items on the menu bear some semblance to Asian dishes. The flaming moonshine tiger prawns (S$8) has live prawns flambeed at your table side in a mixture of vodka, rum and rice wine. They taste clean and sweet, with a slight alcoholic hint.

Desserts don’t get more American with offerings such as cheesecake (S$6) and apple crumble (S$7). The latter received a revised recipe, with an additional layer of custard between the filling and the crust. It’s a simple, hearty and near-faultless pie.

Dancing Crab

Where:

200 Turf Club Road, #01-20/21

Telephone:

6466 3303

Opening hours:

Tuesdays to Fridays, 5pm to 10.30pm. Saturdays to Sundays, 11.30am to 3pm, 5pm to 10.30pm