Gastronomic Study · Issue No. 01 · Jalan Besar, Singapore
Xia MiHao Liao
Where Hubei Ritual Meets Singapore Night — A Study in Shell, Smoke & Spice
To eat crayfish in the Hubei tradition is to participate in something older than any single restaurant — a ritual of communal labour, fragrant smoke, and deliberate slowness that China has made entirely its own.
Tucked behind the bustle of Jalan Besar on a quiet stretch of Upper Weld Road, Xia Mi Hao Liao opened in August 2024, importing not just the crustaceans but the cultural architecture around them: the late hours, the beer-adjacent conviviality, the insistence that food should slow you down. The name — rendered loosely as “the shrimp flavour is tremendous” — announces its intentions without apology.
The restaurant occupies the distinctly xiaolong xia (crayfish) market that has swept mainland China since the mid-2000s, with Hubei province — specifically the Qianjiang and Jianli counties — functioning as the spiritual and agricultural epicentre. That Singaporeans, already steeped in crustacean culture through their own chilli-crab canon, would find kinship with this tradition seems inevitable in retrospect. Xia Mi Hao Liao is not a novelty; it is an inevitability.
The Room as Argument
Ambience in a crayfish house is not incidental — it is thesis. The dining environment at Xia Mi Hao Liao frames the food philosophically before a single morsel arrives. The space is functional without being spartan, warm without theatricality. Exposed lighting casts an amber cast over long communal tables designed for parties of six or more; this is deliberate architecture for a cuisine that demands witnesses.
The hours tell the story most succinctly: weekdays from 4pm to 1am, weekends from 11am to 1am. This is a venue calibrated for the night — for the kind of unhurried, beer-punctuated dinner that stretches past midnight because nobody checked a phone. The kitchen does not rush you. The environment will not allow it.
Lighting & Atmosphere
Warm tungsten-adjacent tones bathe the tables, softening faces and deepening the already ochre-red hues of the dishes arriving from the kitchen. The overall effect is intimate despite the communal scale — analogous to a Wuhan night-market stall rendered indoors.
Sound Ecology
The restaurant is aurally alive. The cracking of shells, the clink of cold beer bottles, Mandarin conversation at full volume — this is a space that celebrates noise as a sign of abundance. Quiet diners invariably become noisier ones.
Olfactory Environment
Star anise and Chinese cinnamon announce themselves from the kitchen before any visual confirmation. The deep, sweetly medicinal perfume of the 10-spice blend hangs in the air as a perpetual promise. It is an extraordinary olfactory welcome.
Social Architecture
The design militates against solitary dining. Tables are wide enough for communal spreading, bibs are available, and the deshelling process itself functions as a social leveller — everyone’s hands are occupied, everyone is present. This is the restaurant’s deepest argument.
In-Depth Meal Study
The menu is structured around two premium crustaceans — Procambarus clarkii (the red swamp crayfish, known in Mandarin as xiaolong xia) and the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis, the celebrated hairy crab of late-autumn season). Each can be taken across multiple preparation styles; the restaurant’s artistry lies in how dramatically each preparation transforms the same underlying ingredient.
Signature 10 Spiced Combo
十香秘制大闸蟹 · Crayfish & Hairy Crab
The Signature 10 Spiced Combo is the flagship preparation and the most conceptually complete dish on the menu. A mountainous pile of crayfish and hairy crabs arrives at the table already glossed in the braising liquor, the 10-spice blend having been slowly bloomed in oil before the crustaceans were introduced. The heap is dramatic; the fragrance is arresting.
Colour Palette
Texture Profile
| Facet | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Aroma | Immediately complex — cinnamon’s warm camphor note leads, followed by star anise’s anethol sweetness, grounded by bay leaf and dried citrus peel. There is a secondary medicinal undertow from the licorice root (gancao) that rounds rather than dominates. The olfactory experience precedes the plate’s arrival by several metres. |
| Flavour Arc | Entry is sweet-savoury with pronounced umami from the crab roe; mid-palate develops a slow heat from dried chillies and Sichuan pepper; the finish is long and aromatic, with lingering star anise and the faint bitterness of licorice root — a satisfying resolution rather than an abrupt ending. |
| Temperature | Served hot, near steaming — the braising liquor retains heat admirably. The manual deshelling process means each piece is consumed at a slightly different temperature, creating temporal variation in the eating experience. |
| Tactility | Unavoidably physical. The crayfish carapace requires torque at the tail joint; the hairy crab demands prying at the apron. Fingers are stained amber-rust within two minutes. The process is messy, pleasurable, and deliberately slow — a form of enforced presence. |
| Structural Integrity | The 10-spice braising has not softened the crustaceans to collapse; the flesh remains cohesive, pulling cleanly from the shell. The roe in the female hairy crabs holds its shape as a semi-solid amber deposit — the textural crown of the dish. |
| Spice Depth | Chinese cinnamon (rougui) contributes warmth distinct from Ceylon cinnamon — earthier, less sweet. Star anise (bajiao) anchors the blend. Bay leaf, licorice root, dried tangerine peel, and Sichuan peppercorn provide aromatic counterpoint. The 10-spice formula is a studied piece of Chinese culinary pharmacopoeia applied to a feast context. |
Bi Feng Tang Combo
避风塘 · Salt-Crisp Style
The Bi Feng Tang style — named for Typhoon Shelter cooking, a Hong Kong tradition born of fishing boat kitchens — takes the same crustaceans and subjects them to a categorically different logic: rather than long aromatics infusion, this preparation privileges textural contrast via breadcrumbs fried to a crisp golden matrix and minced garlic rendered to its sweetest, nuttiest register.
Colour Palette
Texture Profile
| Facet | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Contrast Logic | Where the 10 Spiced Combo is enveloping and monolithic, the Bi Feng Tang preparation is articulated — each element (crustacean, breadcrumb, garlic) retains a discrete identity. Textural contrast is the organizing principle: the crunch of the crumb against the pliant flesh is the argument’s resolution. |
| Garlic Character | The minced garlic has been fried long enough to lose raw pungency and develop a caramelised sweetness — closer to confit than sauté. It clusters between the breadcrumbs in golden aggregates that dissolve in bursts of mellow allium flavour. |
| Secondary Spice | An underlying spice blend prevents the preparation from tipping into mere Western-style breaded crustacean. Dried chilli and possibly Sichuan pepper introduce a building heat that reveals itself only after the initial crunch and garlic sweetness have registered. |
| Comparative Note | Diners familiar with the Cantonese canon will recognise this preparation’s genealogy immediately. Xia Mi Hao Liao’s interpretation layers additional spice complexity onto a recognisable framework — a productive dialogue between Hubei and Hong Kong culinary traditions. |
Steamed Preparations
清蒸 · The Purist Argument
To order steamed at a spiced crustacean restaurant is a deliberate act of restraint — a request for the thing itself, unadulterated. The steamed preparations at Xia Mi Hao Liao serve a different but equally serious function: they permit comparative evaluation, isolating the intrinsic quality of the product from the artistry of the spice kitchen.
Colour Palette
Texture Profile
| Facet | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Roe Quality | In the hairy crab, the steamed preparation presents the roe in its most unmediated form: a dense, almost jammy deposit (in autumn females, crab paste) of complex flavour — simultaneously saline, sweet, and intensely marine. The quality of the roe is the hairy crab’s primary measure; the steamed preparation is the honest test. |
| Flesh Character | Steaming preserves the integrity of the protein matrix. Crayfish tail meat cooked this way shows its natural sweetness most clearly — a clean, subtle flavour that the spiced preparations amplify and alter. This is the baseline from which to appreciate the complexity of the other dishes. |
| Dipping Protocol | Typically served with a ginger-rice vinegar dipping sauce — the acidity cutting the richness of roe, the ginger providing its own faint warmth. The interplay is a minor classic of Chinese condiment philosophy. |
Hubei 10-Spice Crayfish
A Home Interpretation
The following recipe is a considered home interpretation of the Hubei spiced crayfish (mala xiaolong xia) tradition. It does not replicate Xia Mi Hao Liao’s proprietary blend with exactitude, but reconstructs the conceptual logic: a slow-bloomed whole-spice infusion, a carefully balanced chilli heat, and enough braising liquid to gloss and stain the crustaceans to deep russet amber.
Hubei Braised Crayfish
十香麻辣小龙虾 · Serves 4 · Approx. 1.5 hrs
Ingredients
- Live crayfish, purged 1.2 kg
- Neutral oil (peanut preferred) 80 ml
- Dried red chillies 8–12
- Sichuan peppercorns 1 tbsp
- Chinese cinnamon (rougui) 2 sticks
- Star anise 4 pods
- Bay leaves 4 leaves
- Licorice root (gancao) 2 slices
- Dried tangerine peel 2 pieces
- Cardamom pods 3 pods
- Cloves 4
- Sand ginger (shajiang) 3 slices
- Garlic cloves, crushed 10 cloves
- Ginger, sliced thick 40 g
- Doubanjiang (Pixian) 2 tbsp
- Shaoxing wine 80 ml
- Light soy sauce 3 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Rock sugar 20 g
- Chicken stock or water 400 ml
- Sesame oil, to finish 1 tsp
- Spring onion, sliced to garnish
Method
- Purge the crayfish. Place live crayfish in a large basin of heavily salted cold water for 1 hour minimum, changing the water twice. This purges the intestinal tract, which is essential — unpurged crayfish carry off flavours that compromise the final dish. Scrub the shells with a stiff brush under running water.
- Despine and devein. Grip the central tail fin firmly and twist it clockwise 90°, then pull firmly — this extracts the intestinal vein intact. Clip the rostrum (the sharp forward spike) with scissors to improve presentation and prevent injury at table.
- Bloom the whole spices. In a heavy-bottomed wok or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-low. Add Sichuan peppercorns, dried chillies, cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves, licorice root, tangerine peel, cardamom, cloves, and sand ginger. Fry gently for 90 seconds — the oil should shimmer with amber and smell intensely aromatic. The spices must not burn; reduce heat if needed. This step is the dish’s olfactory soul.
- Build the aromatics base. Raise heat to medium. Add the crushed garlic and ginger slices; fry 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the doubanjiang, pressing it flat against the wok surface and frying 3 minutes until the oil runs red-orange. The Maillard reactions occurring here develop the deep savoury bass note underlying the dish.
- Introduce the crayfish. Add the crayfish in a single layer if possible; toss to coat in the spice oil. Pour in the Shaoxing wine — it will hiss and steam dramatically, lifting the aromatics. Toss vigorously for 1–2 minutes over high heat until the shells begin to deepen in colour.
- Braise. Add both soy sauces, rock sugar, and stock or water. Bring to a vigorous boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cover and cook 12–15 minutes. The crayfish are cooked when the shells are a deep brick-red and the flesh has turned opaque white at the cut joint.
- Reduce and glaze. Remove the lid and increase heat to high. Reduce the braising liquid by roughly half, stirring and tossing constantly — this concentrates the spices and creates the characteristic lacquered gloss on each shell. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon. Adjust seasoning with additional light soy if needed.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Drizzle sesame oil over the top; toss once. Transfer to a wide serving vessel, allowing the braising liquor to pool visibly — it is the dish’s most flavourful element and should be presented, not discarded. Garnish liberally with sliced spring onion. Serve immediately with cold beer, bibs, and no agenda.
Cooking Intelligence
On the spice sequence: The order of introduction matters as much as the ingredients themselves. Whole spices bloomed first in cool oil release fat-soluble volatile compounds that would be destroyed by higher-temperature aromatics. The doubanjiang follows because its fermented chilli paste requires sustained heat to lose its raw edge. Garlic and ginger, the most volatile and heat-sensitive aromatics, come after — protecting their brightness.
On the crayfish itself: Procambarus clarkii is remarkably tolerant of overspicing but will not survive overcooking. The flesh of the tail should, when perfectly done, retain a subtle spring under the teeth — firm, not rubbery. Overcooked crayfish tail is cotton; undercooked is translucent and faintly resistant. The 12–15 minute braise window is accurate for medium-large specimens; adjust for size.
On the reduction: The final high-heat reduction is not cosmetic. It concentrates the spiced braising stock into a coating medium that adheres to the shells and is subsequently transferred — via fingers, inevitably — to lips and palate. The reduction is the delivery mechanism for the dish’s most intense flavour.
On accompaniment: The Hubei crayfish tradition pairs with cold beer, specifically a lager with enough carbonation to scrub the palate between mouthfuls. A clean Tsingtao or Harbin is historically appropriate; a hazy Singaporean craft lager is geographically apt. Wine, while not prohibited, struggles against the dish’s assertive spice architecture.
The Verdict
Final Assessment
Xia Mi Hao Liao makes a serious and coherent argument for Hubei crustacean culture on Singaporean soil. The 10-spice preparation, in particular, achieves a depth of flavour that earns its price point; the Bi Feng Tang offers a textural counterargument of equal merit. Go with many people, stay late, and surrender your phone.
Address
20 Upper Weld Road
Singapore 207377
Opening Hours
Mon–Fri: 4pm – 1am
Sat–Sun: 11am – 1am
Note
Not halal-certified.
Reservations recommended for groups of 5+.
Tel: 8314 5451