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When I finally managed to get delivery of a restaurant food pedido via Rappi.com (a play on °ùá±è¾±»å´Ç) in Quito, the seafood stew I ordered arrived with an entire crab in its shell separate from the rest of the dish.

Now who came up with the idea that restaurant-delivery customers have shell-cracking equipment in their kitchens?  (I don't have.)  Or did this genius assume that home diners would risk their fingers attempting to crack open hard-shelled cangrejo with just their ten digits and a straight knife?

I made a decision I don't regret -- I tossed the crab away and ate the rest of the seafood stew without it.

C'mon, Balcón Masquería of Quito ... crack open the crab in the restaurant kitchen .. or else supply a shell-cracker as part of the delivery package!

cccmedia in Quito

Interesting post cccmedia, for me at least, because I make myself smoked salmon on a bagel with cream cheese at least once or twice a week and I learned something from your post, namely that lox is not smoked (always assumed lox was brined and smoked, until to today, after looking it up). Anyhow, I know a lot about Pacific salmon, the various species, habitat, food, life-cycle, stages etc. I've brined and smoked a lot of salmon over the years. I'm hoping your brined salmon is only Sockeye and not farm raised due to what they feed the fish in pens and the environment they are raised in. Personally, I only eat wild caught.

Funny story about the whole crab, if you have a solid cutting board, you can whack the claws with a hammer or the back of a good chef's cleaver, but i'm sure you know that and just didn't want to fuss with it. Where I live, that crab would be very expensive, probably not so much on the coast of Ecuador.
Cheers!

After two visits to Imperium Asian restaurant in Quito, it has become my favorite in the city's Asian category.

Imperium's "contemporary Asian food," on Avenida Eloy Alfaro, is several steps up from the typical 'chifa'. 

Established last year, Imperium is in a stand-alone building and has finer decor than the chifa promedia, with the chefs working in plain sight, and well-dressed waiters on hand.

You will find dishes unheard of in the chifas... Nem Vietnamita (Vietnamese shrimp-and-vegetables rolled in rice paper/appetizer), Langostinos al Wok, Wok de Hongos (mushrooms) con Brócoli, Pulpo al Grill (octopus) and Uñas de Cangrejo (crab's nails), as examples.

Naturally, prices are more sofisticados than in the chifas.  For an interesting first date, there are Hot Pots that come to table with raw ingredients, soup base(s) and boiling water from which the diner essentially creates his/her own concoctions via mix-and-match.  I was charged $24 for a hot pot (the menu price is $18 p/p for vegetarian hot potting, or $30, normally based on minimum two persons).

Desserts are playfully named Yin Yang Fusion, Dark Cravings, Sweet Delights and Jardín de Nieve (Snow Garden).

You can locate the menu at imperiumrestaurante.com ...

Imperium is at Av. Eloy Alfaro N10-16, a few blocks up from the Ecovía transportation line. 
Hours vary (closed Mondays).
The restaurant does not have home delivery.  Staff I spoke with indicated this would be off-brand.
Google imperium quito for more details.
This poster does not receive financial compensation -- nor victuals -- for the mention or recommendation on this thread of any restaurant, service or food(s).

  -- cccmedia