I like soft shell crabs and laksa. So, when I saw that gCafe in Mount Austin, Johor Bahru launched a soft shell crab laksa, I quickly went to try it. (There was a nice soft shell crab laksa place in Indahpura, Kulai but it closed a year ago.)
gCafe's Soft Shell Crab Laksa costs RM19.90+ a serving. In the shallow pool of curry laksa, there were spaghetti topped with an egg, taupok, and a deep fried soft shell crab sitting high and dry above everything.
The soft shell crab slightly smaller than the size of my palm was wrapped in batter and deep fried till it was crisp outside.
The entire crab was soft with the crispy batter providing a bit of crackly firmness outside. There was a bit of sweetness in the moist crab meat. The batter spiked with spices provided a bit of subtle savoury spiciness to the outside. I ate and enjoyed everything including the shell, claws and legs which were all tenderly crisp.
There was the option of spaghetti or slender egg noodles (wanton mee). I opted for the spaghetti which was done a notch softer than al dente i.e. just nice for laksa.
gCafe make their own curry laksa from scratch using fresh coconut milk, lemongrass, chili, ginger, dried shrimps, and spices like turmeric etc. The thick curry laksa tasted mildly sweet spicy savoury (from the dried shrimps). It was not greasy as it doesn't have a floating layer of chili oil. I like this curry laksa and wished there was a little more in the bowl.
If you like to boost your laksa flavour a bit, their sambal chili adds a bit of spicy sweet savoury kick.
This egg was deep fried so there's a slight crisp outside. Inside it's a bit like soft boiled egg. Nice.
👉 Overall, gCafe's soft shell crab laksa is pretty nice and reasonably priced. Right now, I know of no other place in JB that serves this dish since the one in Indahpura, Kulai closed.
gCafe in Mount Austin is a good place to hang out. Comfortable and quite elegant interior. Nice plush furnishings. Plenty of parking at the door step.
The house blended coffee made with a blend of Arabica and Liberica beans is nice too. Mild aroma and flavour, it makes for easy drinking and is widely appealing.
There is a small selection of cakes made in-house.
I tried the Matcha Tiramisu which replaces the chocolate with matcha. Worth a try if you are a matcha fan.
Restaurant name: gCafe
Address: 147, Jalan Mutiara Emas 10/19, Taman Mount Austin, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°33'24.1"N 103°46'57.6"E 1.556702, 103.782666
Hours: 8:00am - 10:00pm
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert
Date visited: 19 Apr 2018
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Oleg by gCafe is opened by the same people behind Mount Austin gCafe. Same group.
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