GenSan’s twinbill diners: Grab A Crab and Coffee Club 101

Fueled by a maverick owner, a new fine-casual dining restaurant in General Santos City pulsates and invigorates the budding urban sprawl’s day and night life.  Soulful sounds, soothing lighting and   sleek leather couches spell modern glam. This is not your typical fine-casual dining restaurant -welcome to Grab A Crab. (Click on each image for a larger view please.)

Leading the dining revolution in General Santos is Michael Wee.  Grab A Crab is his first restaurant business venture and so far, business has been doing very well. Having always dreamt of opening his own restaurant where he can chill-out with friends, Wee finally decided to push through with his culinary vision.

“Grab A Crab essentially represents my passion, love for classy lifestyle,” says 41-year old Michael who also owns a construction firm. “It’s a venue where young, progressive and responsible citizens can come together and dine and hang out,” he adds.

The place is a veritable melting pot as urban professionals and coffee aficionados all meld together in pursuit of good food and great times. Opening at 11 o’clock in the morning, loyal customers come in droves to fill up the dining area just in time for lunch. Dinner time is no exception either, as Grab A Crab will be at its peak operating capacity all through the wee hours of the morning, usually closing at 2 am.

“We are jam-packed on weekends! We offer  palatable  gourmet fare, all-time Filipino favorites and noodles,” enthuses Michael Wee. The restaurant also offers vegetables and rice, its ubiquitous crab dishes, grilled specialties and Chinese cuisine. Even after a hearty dinner, Grab A Crab gives one a reason to stay until the late evening.

Nearby is Coffee Club 101, a coffee shop which serves not only aromatic coffee but it offers  two computers and a mini- library where you can do your homework after a sumptuous lunch or dinner.

Other than their own coffee concoctions, Coffee Club 101 also offer smoothies, cold blends, sandwiches and pasta delights.   For the sweet tooth, there’s their pastries and home-baked cookies and mini-cakes.

Classy interiors, superb music, excellent service and great crowd aside, Grab A Crab’s real star is its delicious food.  Their menu is well thought of, thus offering dishes that are imaginative and scintillatingly mouth-watering. The creativity in the kitchen does not end with its fantastic set fare as new standards in cosmopolitan dining are also in store for the resto’s guests.

“Basically, it means that aside from the items offered in the menu, we can prepare whatever dish you crave for, as long as we have the ingredients in our kitchen,” explains Michael.

Grab A Crab bestsellers and specialties include, for appetizers, the Sliced Marinated Beef Kimchi and the Sharksfin Supreme Soup or the Fishlip and Sea Cucumber Soup.

Being the Tuna Capital, any visitor to the city should try the Grilled Tuna marinated in Grab A Crab special sauce.

Michael also suggests the Crab by the Bucket Big ( 4 pcs of 400 grams crab served with soup of the day and plain rice  for P850) where the crab  is de-boned and covered in breading infused with different spices to enhance the flavor.

Bariles Republic’s favorite however is the Grab A Crab Rice which is a complete meal in itself.

Other menu items that come highly recommended are the ever-present San Francisco ‘s Wharf  Spicy Salt and Pepper ( deep marinated in herbs and spices).

For diehard seafood lovers, the Pampano Sea Bass is highly recommended, along with the Sea Asparagus with 3 Kinds Mushroom.

Whew!  And that’s not even a fourth of their menu.  To all of that, Bariles Republic can only toast a glass of Grab A Crab’s Margarita and say, “CHEERS!”

– by guest writer, Ayo Gunting

Grab a Crab is located at Laurel East Avenue . For reservations , please call (083) 553-5430, 553-4878, 301-0555 (look for Arnie or Rick) OR email them at coffeeclub_101@yahoo.com.  Rooms are available at the 2nd floor for PRIVATE FUNCTIONS.

Grab A Crab and Coffee Club 101 are proud sponsors of the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit.