The words “crab” and “affordable” haven’t traditionally been paired together simply because they don’t make sense. In fact, “affordable crabs” are the dictionary definition of an oxymoron, especially in the Klang Valley. And yet this is exactly what Vicknezan Selvadurai, Joanne Lim Meng Huay and Md Irwan Effandy Md Salim were aiming for with the inception of their new eatery, Pondok Ketam in SS3, Petaling Jaya.
Vicknezan or Vicky as he is better known, and Lim are the people behind the hugely popular Lankan Crabs in Kuala Lumpur. With Pondok Ketam, the two – and partner Irwan – were looking at democratising the consumption of crabs. “Everything that we are doing in terms of our crabs.
.. we are very conscious about the price.
The idea is that now every Malaysian can eat crabs,” says Vicky. (From left) Vicky, Irwan and Lim are the trio behind Pondok Ketam, which offers affordable crabs as well as a range of other seafood-centric dishes. This is what spurred the three to come up with the offer of three crabs (weighing approximately 220g each) for RM50.
50, with two cooking options: the signature chilli crabs or buttermilk crabs. The restaurant uses Indonesian mud crabs with sizes ranging from 220g to 550g per crab, though they also have crabs weighing 1.2kg each (all average sizes, give or take).
The kitchen is helmed by seasoned chefs Mohd Saiful Othman and Mohd Daud Ahmad, both of whom have chalked up decades in the industry. To begin your meal at Pondok.