Eat out royally on the king of crabs

Sen-ryo's seasonal special include the grilled king crab and the crab sashimi, which were freshly caught in the waters of west Pacific, and seabream sashimi that features a spongy yet firm texture.

The hairy crab season is over, sadly. But it doesn't necessarily mean another eight or nine months' wait for the hallowed, plump, autumn delicacies that make many foodies' mouths water just by their mention.

As the river crustacean is away, the sea spiders - the king crabs freshly caught in the waters of the west Pacific - are coming into play. While the former are more succulent, the Pacific rivals are dubbed "the king of crabs" for a reason. The newly opened sushi bar Sen-ryo in Shanghai proves its size, reaching more than 3 meters from claw to claw at maximum, is not the only reason for the title.

It's no surprise that Japanese eateries excel in preparing seafood, but Sen-ryo, from Utsunomiya, north of Tokyo, and most famous for its unusually fresh sushi for the past decade at its hometown and in Hong Kong, is introducing a menu of "one crab, three eats". That is to say: Eat one crab in three different ways.

There is the crab sashimi, which best preserves the juiciness of the crabmeat, and the grilled crab, which is most similar to the Chinese hairy crab in taste, especially after a dip in the "secret sweet-sour sauce" prepared by the chef. The favorite of our lunch table, however, is the crab in dashi, fish stock and seaweed broth. Although the crab no longer dominates the plate, it gives the winter-warming soup a subtle flavor.

My suggestion, after sampling all three at one meal, is to pick one as the highlight for a feast to your heart's content.