Whenever some time has passed without visiting Vecrīga, Riga’s Old Town, a new restaurant has sprung up. Le Crabe, which seems inspired by the best of French bistros, is one of them.

The associations with France begin the moment the chalk board listing the day’s specials catches the eye – I have always wondered why most restaurants in Riga don’t have them. What can be better than “Les moules sont arrivées!” (The mussels are here!) or “Happy Hour 6-8 p.m.”? Reading something like that would certainly get a hungry (or thirsty) man (or woman) inside.

Another inviting touch is the open terrace – great for people watching, of which Vecrīga of course has all kinds: from touring senior citizens from faraway places like Japan or the United States to local young set out for a night of clubbing. Alas, the evening was cool, so we opted to sit inside.

A glance around the place and a quick perusal of the simple menu and you get an idea what kind of restaurant this is.  The menu, filled with dishes collected from France and Italy, goes naturally with the exposed brick and wooden beams of the dining rooms: down-to-earth and cosy yet not without sophistication. 

One of the things that definitely set Le Crabe apart from other restaurants is the variety of crab dishes on the menu. This is partly due to their head chef, Andrey Shmachenko, whose reputation in one of Riga’s premier seafood restaurants, Skonto Fish Restaurant, is well known. The pool of quality, experienced and above all creative chefs is as limited in Riga as in any other city its size, and Le Crabe has addressed this by hiring one of the best seafood chefs available.

Wanting to try as many namesake dishes as I could, I started with the crab tempura with mango salsa. The crab was ground and mixed with cream cheese, and lightly battered and fried.  The combination was a surprise, as, contrary to what I expected, it was not too sweet -- unless of course you dipped it in the mango.  A delightful touch was the perfectly splayed parsley branch garnish, also delicately battered and fried.  My dinner partner ordered the Octopus Carpaccio, a Mediterranean dish made of paper-thin sliced octopus.  This dish, like most seafood, is best when served simply, letting the natural flavours of the seafood do the talking.

We both had the crab bisque, which may have been the biggest treat of the night.  The bisque had a smooth, silky, buttery texture. The taste of the Madeira was in full bloom, having slowly come into its own as the stock simmered for four long days. I can only hope to have the patience to try to imitate bisque this good.

The service had been so unobtrusive that I had hardly noticed our waiter until he brought us a rhubarb sorbet to cleanse our palates between courses.  The sorbet had just a tiny tang to it, making the taste fresh and alive.  As our wine glasses kept being replenished to just the right level, I thought that the best waiter is one that guides you through the meal, without becoming a major part of your dinner party.

Next up for me was the red king crab legs baked in Provençe butter.  It can be difficult to consistently provide the high-quality seafood needed for a menu, and Le Crabe has turned to fish suppliers in Germany to benefit from a steady stream of quality fare.  The crab legs were steamed with a mildly spicy seasoning, and had a satisfying texture. 

Throughout our meal we enjoyed another very special side of Le Crabe, which is their wine list, or more precisely, their champagne selections.  Le Crabe’s owners have put a lot of thought into all of their wine selections, reds, whites and rosés, but are understandably most proud of the champagnes on offer.  On the menu the champagnes are listed under the heading “Bubbles”, a light-hearted way of introducing you to the fifteen or so different varieties.  They range from a very reasonable Philip Brugnon Premier Cru to a top-shelf Krug Grande Cuvée, so there is something for every taste and pocketbook. 

For those who, for whatever reason, may not care to eat crab, Le Crabe offers a small but well rounded selection of meat and vegetarian dishes, in addition to other fresh seafood, both local and imported.  My dinner companion had the duck breast with warm apple-fig salad and orange & pistachio sauces, of which she ate every last morsel.  The tempting beef filet on the menu will have to wait until my next visit -- unless of course I opt for the gambas with beluga lentils, which looked terrific when I saw them brought to some other lucky customer.

To top off the evening, we each picked a dessert from the short but – oh yes -- sweet, dessert menu. For me it was an easy selection, as I love crème brûlée served with fresh berries.  It was the perfect combination of thin, glassy caramel and rich, velvety custard -- exactly as I remember from my last visit to France. 

The finishing touch was the hand-made chocolate pralines and ice-creams.  Either of these is worth a trip to Le Crabe, and of course they will go well with a glass of champagne. And then there is cheesecake…

I can very easily picture myself lounging on the patio of Le Crabe, enjoying the late light of a summer evening.  The neighbourhood is becoming more pedestrian, despite Riga City Council, which, for some unknown reason, has opened the Old Town to car traffic. Jauniela is a small brick street, with recently restored Art Nouveau buildings, the large ornate faces on their facades looking down on us. Those aside, I might as well be sitting under an olive tree somewhere in Southern France or Italy: the crab legs, the champagne, the pleasant service evoking the Mediterranean in the middle of a big city. The illusion can only last if the people providing it are enjoying what they do. At Le Crabe they clearly do.

Marc Gaber, June 2009