Transport back in time and feast like a Viking at the biggest Crayfish Party in Asia!
The Kräftskiva (Crayfish Party) is a traditional Swedish eating and drinking celebration, symbolizing the end of summer for Nordic countries, usually in August. The celebration is made complete with the serving of the sought-after delicacy, the Swedish crayfish. But what is crayfish? Crayfish, also known as freshwater lobster, is found in the Northern Hemisphere and is not native to Philippine waters, which explains why we’re not that familiar with it. Due to a plague that almost wiped out the crayfish population, a law has been made to prohibit the fishing of crayfish year-round except during the crayfish season that starts in August. This is the reason why the crayfish is rare and expensive.
Feast on bountiful servings of imported crayfish and Nordic spreads, drink free-flowing beer, dress in Viking costume and dance to the festive music with NordCham Philippines in partnership with Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila on September 14, 2019 at the Sofitel Harbor Garden Tent. Here’s what to expect from this year’s event…
Last year’s event welcomed more than 1,000 guests at the most authentic Crayfish Party in Manila. The harbor tent was decked in Nordic-themed flags and transformed into a mini Viking-themed Coastal Village.
What to Wear: You can come in casual attire, but guests are encouraged to wear their own Viking ensemble. (I heard there will be prizes for the best in costume.)
The Program: Enjoy singing, dancing and playing games in true Nordic fashion, with an ABBA musical tribute by the Silk Band. And DJ Yuki continues the celebratory momentum with her playlist of the newest chart-topping tunes to turn up the night.
The star of the night: Crayfish is flown in exclusively for the party to ensure authenticity.
The taste? It’s delicate, sweet and a bit salty. You eat crayfish by twisting off the head and sucking it—the best part! Remove the body like how you eat your shrimp and pull the lower end of the claw to get the meat!
As in 2018, the sumptuous Nordic feast also highlights several traditional dishes, including…
I have always loved smoked fish, especially salmon. Here’s a twist on the Gravadlax: pair it with the traditional sauce of mustard-flavored mayonnaise lightly sweetened with honey.
Staples in the Norwegian diet, potatoes will be served in different ways at the Crayfish party. My favorite side dish last year was the lightly cured herring potato salad! A must try!
Artisan bread with 3 kinds of cheeses (brie, gouda, edam).
What’s a Nordic party without Swedish meatballs? A Swedish specialty made with ground beef and pork, gently spiced, baked and smothered with brown sour cream gravy.
The meatballs were packed with delicious flavor and went well with the creamy gravy sauce. You can also pair them with lingonberry jam. A must try!
The sausages & surkal were also good. I accidentally paired them with the meatball’s lingonberry jam, and I loved it!
Cod and salmon fillets and sailor’s stew for protein.
And of course, no party should end without a sweet finish! Toscakaka is basically a light vanilla sponge cake topped with a caramel almond layer. It’s all the rage in Sweden, and we found out why! Yum!
But the best one among the desserts was the Kladdkaka (Swedish Chocolate cake) that tasted like very soft and moist chocolate crinkles!
Of course, the hearty feast would not be perfect without pairing it with free flowing ice-cold San Miguel beer!
Tickets are available at Php 3,900 per person and at Php 72,000 for a table of 20 pax. After an evening of gastronomic indulgence and festivities, retreat to a relaxing stay at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila for a weekend getaway with special room rates. For tickets and inquiries, visit crayfishparty.ph or call +63 966 453 7178. For room reservations, contact Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila at +63 2 573 5555 or e-mail h6308@sofitel.com.
Live an Awesome Life,
ABI of Team Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: We were media guests of Sofitel Manila. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions and insights.
P.S. The Crayfish Party is held for the benefit of Chosen Children Village (CCV), a foundation dedicated toward providing a home environment and care facility for physically and mentally-challenged children. Over the last four years, the event has raised 1.4 million pesos which has been used for the daily operations of the facility and improving the quality of life of the children.
ow All it seems very tasty.keep going
Thank you for writing this.
Wow cool!
thanks a lot for this info article