For a long time, I have always wanted to try out fresh oysters. I was thrilled when I heard that YummyAdvisor team were scheduled to visit Ainol Kerang Bakar 223. This particular store has 2 outlets. The one we visited is located in a beautiful food court in Petaling Jaya called Ra.re Foodspace. They even provide a QR on every table for ordering drinks, so you don’t have to walk far from the food stall you are in to make your orders. Scan it on your phone, choose a drink, pay, and they will deliver it to you.
The seafood served here is absolutely fresh, pulled alive right out of the water tank before getting into the fire.
Let's get right into the exciting part without wasting any more of your time. Yeah, that's right, the food! We tried 4 different item off the menu, and a few stole my heart. Let's see what we had!
Oysters
Cik Ainol, the store owner, suggested we try these 3 different oyster-serving styles. One is raw, one is mildly cooked, and the other, with grilled cheese. The oysters have a mild fish flavour with slight mineral notes, and the texture is very plump and springy. The raw oysters are supposed to be eaten with their special homemade sauce and squeezing the cut lemon on them. The sauce has a pleasantly sweet and sour taste, and the YummyAdvisor team loved it! They also separately sell it in bottles; one of us even wanted to buy it. Unfortunately, they ran out of stock due to high demand. The other two are eaten with the same lemon squeezed and tabasco sauce. Overall, they tasted nice, but due to the texture, I may not be a big fan, especially of the raw oyster. But that’s just my personal opinion. I’m confident that any other oyster-loving person will enjoy their time at this store.
Kupang Cheese Bakar
Also known as mussels, their “kupang cheese bakar” dish was astonishing, and they even looked beautifully pleasing. The fresh mussels were put on a griller with burning charcoal from the bottom and a high-temperature fire from the top to cook out the mussels and melt the cheese. It was tasty. The dish tastes exceptionally creamy with the cheese topping. On the other hand, the mussels had a slight “ocean” flavour, with a slightly sweet and mild mushroom-like taste, and their texture was chewy. The best way to enjoy the “Kupang Cheese Bakar” is by sprinkling some chilli flakes on them before squeezing the lemon to add a little sour taste to your dish.
Belangkas Bakar Kerabu
Belangkas, also known as the Horseshoe Crab.
Apart from the limited amount of meat you obtain from the Horseshoe Crab, many cultures in Asia find their eggs to be a true delicacy for eating. Ainol Kerang Bakar serves their horseshoe crab with a unique fusion, Kerabu, a traditional Malaysian salad. Their Kerabu consisted of fresh young mangos, cut chilis and a few other vegetables, which had a fantastic effect on the taste of the horseshoe crab eggs. The horseshoe crab eggs basically have a flavour similar to fish eggs. They were well-cooked and delicious. In addition to the Kerabu, this dish's served sauce was their special homemade sauce.
Kerang Bakar
Growing up in Malaysia, shellfish are found in almost every dish here. So shellfishes are easy to get and familiar to us Malaysians. This was a complimentary item added to our menu by the owner of our team. Their grilled shellfish was served wrapped in foil to maintain the heat. It had a mouthwatering sweet and smoky flavour with a mildly chewy texture, making it easy to eat.
Overall, we loved it here! The food, the service from the owner, the ambience and everything. If I was to choose my favourite dish, it’s going to be the Kupang Bakar Cheese! The creaminess and the fantastic taste are what I loved the most about it, apart from how it was served.
Price: 9/10
Ambience: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Address: “ra.re Foodspace, Taman Sains Selangor, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.”
Operation hours:
Weekdays - 5.30PM to 12AM
Weekends - 5.30PM to 2AM