The Search for Steamed Fish

I don't know why, but it is becoming increasingly challenging to find a place that serves good steamed fish on the island.
Perhaps it was my own picky taste buds creating the barriers, but at the same time, most of the restaurants do not seem to have the exact fish that I want, to begin with.

I don't ask for much, just for a simple dish of steamed fish served in that appetizing sauce (yes, I am not referring to plain Chinese steamed style with soy sauce).
The fish that I am craving for, which would fit the bill to be served in such a manner, is none other than the snapper species.

Red snapper, to be precise.
Don't ask me why, I just have specific cravings during those specific periods, enough said.

At this point of time, I just crave for red snapper to be steamed the Teochew style (think a combination of salty and sourish plum sauce loaded with pickled vegetables, tomatoes, thin slices of mushrooms and white beancurd, garnished with coriander leaves).
For somewhat reason, I just know that's the one plaguing my mind and the taste just rolls on the edge of the taste buds, and no, I am not pregnant, despite all these cravings.
They are just my usual seasonal cravings that just come and haunt me once in a while.

The search took months, seriously, and I think I may be the one running out of places on my mind for good seafood restaurants.
Then I decided to revisit this seafood restaurant in Teluk Kumbar; Hai Boey Seafood Restaurant, which I have previously blogged here.

Well, it was a good thing I thought of Hai Boey, because they met my requirements and I almost squealed for joy when they told me that they have the red snapper fish.
On top of that, they can even customize to a smaller-sized fillet portion to accommodate the two of us.

I would have suggested the Teochew style that I craved for, but then I was enticed by one of their styles which brought back memories and ignited another craving, so this was what I settled on;
Steamed Red Snapper fillet with sour lime juice and garlic



The fish fillet is weighed by the size and weight, but approximated to a range of MYR35-40 for a serving like this.
I had this twice, and both times the price fell in the range mentioned.

It was the right choice definitely, and I never looked back since; after all, how else could one explain the repeated visit to enjoy this, like two times in a row.
I was hooked on the flavorous tastes of the exotic yet appetizing sauce; which is sweet, sour and exciting all at the same time.
It is teasing to the taste buds, and is simply irresistible to keep away from.
The flesh of the fish was smooth and succulent, and I am pleased that it was fresh, which is just the primary requirement (or the basic) for a fish to be steamed to enjoy the real tastes of the juicy fish fillet.




The bird's eye chili seeds and the red chilies added just contributed that hint of spicy taste; just a tiny weeny bit but also sufficient to fuel that excitement in the flavorful sauce to complement the tender fiesh.




I would be happy with the fish alone, but then again, a trip to a seafood restaurant located at the far end of the island thronged by crowds of seafood enthusiasts comprising of local and tourists from other states/countries would not be justified without having a real meal accompanied by other seafood served in the restaurant.

It will be terribly unjust to the restaurant which had all the large aquariums filled with swimming fishes and live seafood greeting their patrons at the entrance of the restaurant, promising that fresh variety and that one will not leave dissatisfied with their fill of fresh local seafood.

Deep fried Mantis prawns with dried chilies/Kung Pow style (MYR12) - one of my usual favorites.
(I have tried their other style; which was quite unique too in my previous visit here, equally relish as well)



They have done this dish quite well, I must say, as I am also, again, particular with the way the mantis prawns are fried that they do not end up too deep fried to the extent of dried hollow.
The juicy flesh is to be maintained at a medium done level; maintaining that balance between the crispy outer part and the moist trapped for a tender bite into the flesh of the prawns.




Another side order of Spicy Stir Fried Clams/Lala (MYR12) also promises more appetite stimulating experience to the meal.



I am not big on shell stuffs or clams, but I have to say this is one fiery way of serving the clams which were again, amazingly fresh and made its worth to be added to our list of orders.

I guess I could say that the search is over for my favorite steamed fish, until, they tell me that they run out of my favorite fish, but I can see that is highly unlikely.

So here I have come, and here I will stay (at least when I crave for that zesty lime sauce drizzling my juicy snapper flesh) ~






Don't Forget to:-

Check out my MAIN PAGE here

LIKE my Facebook Page to stay updated on all my posts and random updates here

FOLLOW me on
Twitter @Angelstar
Instagram @Angelstarchristy
Google+ 

With Lots of Love and Thank You for your support!

An Evening with Seafood at Hai Boey

Literally translated to the "End of the Sea" in the local dialect of Hokkien (common language spoken on the island of Penang), Hai Boey Seafood Restaurant is a resident seafood eatery located at the far end of the coast of Teluk Kumbar; a district located between Bayan Lepas and Balik Pulau in Penang.



It has been a few years since I was first here, and my recent visit to this restaurant was indeed a far cry from its heydays during my first visit. The restaurant has fully developed into a systematic and organized outlet, with well-planned facilities for the convenience of the customers and also the efficient system in which the dining orders were taken. I have to commend their ordering system which was well-thought of; with the waiters/waitresses attending to each customer with a PDA in hand and keying in the orders to be sent directly to the kitchen. Of course, this has been practiced in many restaurants for some time now, but I really mean it when I say that their system works quite the way it was intended to, or at least when I was there.
It is also worth mentioning that the restaurant's kitchen was lined with a team of chefs; in a count exceeding five, all busily tossing and frying at their woks and pans to cook for their customers.
Then there is the serving team, who pushes metal carts around (like in a dim sum restaurant) with all the ready-to-serve dishes to multiple tables at the same time. This whole scenario really sped up the entire process from the ordering to the serving, and keeps their customers happy, which is key to their success.

One of the house specialty as recommended by the waitress is this Braised Prawns with Hor Fun (Thin and Flat broad  rice noodles) (明虾河粉)(MYR26.00)



The thick sweet and sourish flavored gravy enriched with the addition of generous amounts of stalks of spring onions and slices of ginger added to the relishing factor of the dish. Of course, the star of this is definitely the fresh and succulent prawns, which were well-sliced to permeate its natural sweetness and juicy taste, and along with hor fun, it is an appetizing combination which makes this an indefinite memorable dish. Truly, this is a specialty here worth the recommendation.

Having used to the usual style of Kung pow mantis prawns, I was enticed by the mention of their other styles to prepare the mantis prawns which was quite distinct from the regular cooking methods in most restaurants.
Kerabu Mantis Prawns (MYR12.00) is an interesting palate teaser with a burst of sourish spicy mix  to complement the dry crisp taste of the deep fried mantis prawns, which, was tender and squeaks with a juicy flavor inside.



This has totally recreated and rebuffed the regular styles of serving mantis prawns, as it introduces a more refreshing and exciting sensation to the tender tastes of mantis prawns. I might try another style on my next visit, as I hear they have other creative cooking styles for this tantalizing sea creature.




If you are bored of the usual stir fried lala (clams) or the steamed style in superior stock, look forward to the way they spice up the dish with this slightly spicy yet flavorful
Steamed Lala with Sour Plum and Chilies (MYR12.00)



The flavorful yet light broth is really enticing to the taste buds, and the addition of garlic and coriander leaves just elevates to the appeal of the dish, and the clams were really fresh and juicy to begin with that it was just the perfect marriage for the fresh sea ingredients and the accompanying cooking ingredients.



The restaurant is fond of serving their fish in clay pots, which they will always recommend to their customers as one of their regular serving styles.
Claypot steamed Red Snapper (MYR40.00) 
(~MYR7 per 100g)

Coriander leaves are served separately, for folks who are not fond of the addition of them beforehand.
It is indeed a thoughtful move, as I do know of many who would shy away from this and it is often a love-or-hate relationship most have with them.

The fish was cut up into large chunks to fit them into the clay pot; and it did seem a little queer though that the fish seemed to be a little uneven on the portion and I believed it was one-sided.


The texture of the fish was smooth and well-immersed in the light tastes of the soy sauce which gave it that extra flavor on top of its natural sweetness owed to the freshness of the fish.




Stir-fry Baby Bok Choy (Siu Bak Choy) (MYR8.00) with garlic was a simple yet healthy finish to the above seafood fare.
The soft and crunchy texture of the vegetable accompanied by the garlic and simple broth made this a light option away from the flavored dishes we had.


Sour Ambra plum juice which comes in bottles are perfect for larger groups.
Priced at MYR12.00 per bottle, it did come across as a little pricey compared to the usual but the juice was rich with the flavors of the fruit combination, giving it that less than the usual diluted tastes we get at some of the places out there.



Compared to my last visit here, I would say the quality has improved in terms of the food and also the overall system in place here.
It is definitely another reason to indulge in seafood when you have interesting places like these, and on an island known as a food paradise.

There are ample parking space for the cars, and the restaurant has even organized their parking lots by stilts to guide their customers to a well-arranged layout on their premises.
It seems that they kept everything in order here, and nothing seems to miss their mind.



With the typical setting of the countryside in the background and the seafront dining before the you, it is definitely an authentic island environment to enjoy your seafood in much more atmospheric style.

Seafood with a View at the Tsunami Village Cafe

When you are on an island surrounded by the big sea out there, the thing that comes to your mind besides the sun, sand, shady trees and awesome view plus a pina colada in your hand is definitely the fresh seafood. After all, you are right there by the sea, right, and what other food besides fresh seafood, caught straight from the sea?
(I almost felt it sound cruel, with the sentiments developed for the friendly sea environment but we are thinking of eating the creatures living in it? Oh well, let's just put the blame on the works of nature then, and as long as we are not coveting the extinct or protected species, like some irresponsible folks are).

Seafood restaurants are abundant in Penang, with the location by the sea which led to the birth of a well-sized population of fishermen making a living by casting their nets out there in the sea in the ungodly hours while we are enjoying our beauty sleep.
It is amazing what these men do, and the risks they take to bring the freshest of the sea to our shores and tables; or rather, the middlemen who are in the trade. The process from the nets to these traders to the fishmongers and to the restaurant proprietors is just a common protocol, and can vary as well, subject to the terms and conditions set in the trade.

There are also those who own their own fishing boats and run a seafood restaurant, or locate their restaurants in the fishermen's neighborhood, and that is just the benefit of being on an island where the coast area just happens to almost everywhere on the island.
It is also the reason why the seafood restaurants are so popular on islands; besides the availability and accessibility to fresh seafood, there is also the awesome view of the sea while diners are enjoying the catch of the sea on their table.

One of the popular stretches for the coastal view, and definitely the most tourist-infested area in Penang has got to be the famous Batu Ferringhi stretch which runs from Gurney all the way to the Teluk Bahang area. Hotels line the stretch with their seafront locations, alternating with restaurants and beach sports activities. Seafood restaurants can be found along Gurney area, Tanjung Bungah, Batu Ferringhi and Teluk Bahang area.

Tsunami Village Cafe is a unique name for a seafood restaurant which may be mistaken for just a coffee shop, but to the locals, this is definitely a seafood restaurant which is hidden along the stretch slightly after Tanjung Bungah and on the way to Batu Ferringhi.



It is hard to find a parking space if one were to visit the restaurant, as the restaurant is located by the roadside and right beside the traffic light. Most patrons park on the road, but at their own risks and to be cautious of being a hindrance to the oncoming traffic flow from Batu Ferringhi.

There is a sign from the restaurant leading patrons into the place as it can be rather confusing with the few shops located side by side; with sundry shop and also two other seafood restaurants beside it.
Step into the restaurant and one will be taken by surprise by the amazing view they have here.
There are two sections; from the inner dining area to the outer dining area which offers a breathtaking view of the sea and the local fishing scene along with the high rise condominiums lining the seafront and some of the eye-catching landmarks of Penang. It can be a promising experience indeed to be seated outside facing the sea view if the weather permits, and the restaurant staff would advise you on on the weather as well.



The view from the outer dining deck


The famous floating mosque




Yes, even my watermelon juice is enjoying the great view of the sea out there! :-)
Order from a variety of fresh juices, or the herbal tea and local favorites from their drinks menu.





Stir fried Kangkung (Water spinach/convolvus) with belacan (dried shrimp paste) and prawns (MYR8.00)
This has got to be one of the local Malaysians' favorite and most ordered vegetables dish, for all the reasons and of course, because of the availability and the affordability.





Deep fried Mantis prawns Kung Pow style (Dried chilies with Lea Perrins sauce and spring onions, onions) (MYR15.00)
There are two types of mantis prawns; the large ones which are usually good to be steamed to maintain the natural freshness and sweetness and these are the smaller ones which can be cooked in various styles as well, though this remains one of my personal favorite style.


Finally, a Steamed Red Snapper in the good old Teochew style (MYR28.00)
The fish is priced according to the market trends, and do check with the staff on the prices and sizes of the fish before you order.



Usually I would love my fish to be steamed the plain and simple way, but depending on the type of fish, I do like a little different taste to the way it is steamed too.
Teochew style gives that extra kick of sweet and sour taste to the fresh fish; especially those with a thicker flesh such as snapper and sea bass, with the addition of pickled vegetables, spring onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes that makes it extremely appetizing and naturally sweet.



It was an enjoyable seafood dinner here, not just because of the view and the sea breeze though we were also quite fortunate to duck a storm on its way as we left just right before the heavy downpour, but the seafood were fresh and reasonably priced.
Also, the staff were quite attentive and friendly, and explained patiently as we ordered our food and that deserves a praise for their customer service.
After all, the service besides the food and the environment can be a real deal maker or breaker to most of us patrons right?



I'm just glad that I've finally found another seafood restaurant that suits my tastes and that I can add to my personal list of favorites~

Malay Seafood at Medan Selera Teluk Tempoyak

The best part about living in a multi racial country like Malaysia is the fact that our culture is an assimilation of different ethnicities; and all mixed up like a big potpourri of a nation.
There is endless choices to opt from when it comes to food; and we also top the list as the country with the most festive holidays, with the many celebrations observed by the different races and religions. It is something we all grew up with and we are more than proud to be part of this colorful nation where it is like a big family with unseen barriers from the races and religions, it doesn't bother us, at all.

Why would it bother us, when we can speak different languages and go to our friends' houses for different festive celebrations? Then there is the food to pick from, one can have nasi lemak in the morning, curry mee in the afternoon, with pisang goreng as a snack before going for a seafood dinner, and perhaps completing it with a roti canai and the tarik for supper at night with friends.
It is really just a tip of the iceberg on the food varieties we have in this country.

For instance, just the other day, I just thought of having seafood, and I have been hunting for seafood restaurants around the island of late when I was introduced by surprise to this place in Bayan Lepas.
Folks who work in the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone would be familiar with this place which has been in business for some time now.

Located in a Malay fishermen settlement near the Fishermen's Association, the Medan Selera Teluk Tempoyak is a sea-facing eatery outlet with few stalls run by the locals specializing in home-cooked style seafood.





The humble eatery is home to two main seafood stalls and a drinks stall, and they serve fresh seafood from the sea, perhaps they were the fishermen who just put their cooking skills to work after returning with their hard day's work at the sea.
There are a few seafood to choose from; fish, prawns, clams, squids and crabs and the cooking styles are as listed or will be explained by the owners.
Standard cooking styles will be Tiga Rasa (Triple Flavors), Spicy style (Cabai or Sambal), Goreng Tepung (Deep fried with flour coating), Halia (Ginger), Kicap (Soy sauce), and even steamed if you want.

There are different types of fish available; from the Black Pomfret (Ikan Bawal), to Tilapia and Siakap and the prices are according to the market price. Check with the owners and they would gladly name you the price directly, they are really friendly too :-)

The best part about dining here is not just the friendliness of the people running the stalls and the freshness of the seafood, but also the view.







The friendly stall owner, who was also the chef himself




Stir fried clams with Ginger (Lala Masak Halia) (MYR10)
Recommended by the chef himself, the clams were fresh on that day and we opted for ginger to go with the fresh clams, which is always the best style, in the humble opinion of our taste buds :-)





Triple Flavored Black Pomfret (Bawal Tiga Rasa) (MYR27)
I have to say, this dish reminded me of my childhood when my parents would bring us for Malay food once in a while and the Malays really perfect this dish.
Deep frying the black pomfret fish before cooking it together with a combination of spicy, sweet and sour sauce with lemongrass, pineapple cubes, tomatoes, onions, capsicums and cauliflowers and chili, this dish is by far, the most memorable and a clear winner.


The black pomfret is a fish which is thick in its flesh and it is not as popular as its white counterpart in most Chinese style cooking. Most of the cooking styles revolving the black pomfret requires stronger tastes and longer cooking time; such as deep frying and also serving it with spices and curry which would enhance the tastes of the fish.




Sweet and Sour Squids (Sotong Masam Manis) (MYR10)
Fresh squids and since we have already had the spicy fish with its triple flavors, we had the squids done in sweet and sour style and the squids were just so large and juicy that it was indeed a treat.
I think the freshness just contributed to the yum factor of the dish, and it could be just any style of serving and the squids would still taste good.

en" width="640" />

The servings are generously portioned, and could easily feed more than 2-3 at a go.

Wash down the spicy tastes with the variety of drinks available from the stall nearby; from sour plum juices to fruit drinks (ranging from MYR1.50 to MYR3), there is bound to something for everyone.
(Choose from jugs or individual servings for your drinks)

Asam Boi (MYR1.50) and Carrot Juice (MYR2)


Order a Ais Limau Sirap (Lime with Iced syrup) (MYR1.50) and watch its transformation of colors

First you see it in triple tones


Now, all Red! :-)



What a delightful meal, and a satisfying one, with the flavorful and fresh seafood before us!
Now, what's next, maybe prawns and crabs soon?

Sunday dinner at Sunshine Bay Seafood

Weekends are synonymous with crowds and holidays here in Penang island; and we have gotten used to the trend here where there are always eager tourists hanging around our little island.

It is not an out worldly thing when you are living in a world famous (if not Malaysia alone) island, famed for food, heritage and the hills and the sea and is one of the world's most livable cities.

With the island filled with tourists almost every weekend (and sometimes even weekdays during the peak seasons; public and school holidays), there is pretty much no place for the locals to escape to a quiet little sanctuary to have that piece of local life. Not that we are complaining much; but traffic can be really horrendous and worse, seems like the costs of living are just increasing exponentially, and there are just so many places which are falling into the zone of over-commercialization that sometimes, to be honest, it just gets a little tad, well, frustrating.

Anyway, as the saying goes, the going gets tough, we, just play tough and get going; hunting for different places to try out sometimes whenever we get bored of our usual places, or they are just starting to move into their tourism zone. *Laughs* Now it sounds like the locals are running away from the tourism, how ironic that sounds!

We are not really active hunters for new food places; mainly because I am also a rather habitual person where I tend to sink into the comfort zone when I like a place and the food served that I would tend to stick to that place and frequent it until I decide that I am bored, and usually that is not in a short term.

However, the good thing is, recently, I am starting to, and wanting to check out some new places because there is just way too many new places and I haven't been doing it in a while. So it seemed like a great time to spice it up again and just, be a little adventurous.

Sunday dinners, like everyone is usually with the family (unless we have prior plans or events) and we don't usually go to new places unless otherwise requested by the elders.

This round, we decided to go to this seafood restaurant in Tanjung Bungah.

Well, they have all visited this place before, and I was the only one visiting for the first time.

Sunshine Bay Seafood restaurant is located right before the traffic light and after the post office if you are coming from the Gurney direction, facing Harmony Residence in the opposite direction.
If you are at the traffic light, you can see Maybank. Therefore, you should turn left/keep left when you see the post office (which can be quite hidden) on your left and there is a slightly upward slope heading into their premises.

We were there quite early on a Sunday evening, and the place still looked pretty vacant at around 6-ish. However, we noticed that there were two tables with the reservation tags; reserved by their regular customers I suppose.

We had an elderly woman who came over to help us with the ordering and she gave a list of recommendations based on the menu they have and we just ordered a couple of simple dishes which would suit the tastes of the elders as well. (In fact, our parents decided on the ordering as well).

With the hot and dry weather in the afternoons, coconut juice seemed to be a perfect choice to complement the meal.
The coconuts were priced at MYR5.00 each.



Coconut juice is always a good thirst quencher and one can only understand the cooling sensation when the soothing taste of the clear liquid gushes down the throat. It is indeed a refreshing treat, and the best part is that it is rarely overwhelmingly sweet (unless it was sweetened in some way) which is the reason the coconut juice is also always referred to as coconut water, because it is just so similar to the pure H2O in so many ways except with that slight hint of sourish sweetness and that it comes in a hard husk.


Kung Pow Mantis Prawns (MYR10) is a delightful combination of deep fried mantis prawns which were then stir fried with the light touch of Lea Perrins sauce (or other similar sauce) along with spring onions, onions and dried chilies as the main ingredients.

There are many other ways to enjoy this delicacy of the mantis prawns, such as salted egg yolk being the other popular choice, but I would not have it any other way except this. It is just my own definition of the perfect way to enjoy this; provided that they do it well.
Somehow, I found this version a little salty for my liking and also, the mantis prawns were inconsistent with some being a little over the top in the deep frying process. It is never easy to perfect the deep frying of the mantis prawns, as I was told, as too much would lead to it being totally dried and crispy while an instant deep frying might lead to the prawns being undercooked.
The perfect texture is in the equality of the outer crispy texture, while maintaining the soft and juicy flesh inside when one bites into it, and so far, I have only found probably, less than 3 restaurants which could really perfect this dish.

(I am not sure about you, but it seems to be rather tough to find this dish being on the menu of many restaurants; perhaps of the scarcity of its kind? In Penang, it is still generally found in most restaurants, thankfully, but they are still seasonal items).

Homemade Signature Beancurd (MYR10) is a recommended dish by the restaurant; with their fresh and smooth bean curd braised with a light broth served with finely minced chicken meat and spring onions tossed atop the dish.

Most of the restaurants these days are all proud to call their own signature homemade tofu dish, and it seems that all the signature tofu dishes are made from their own kitchen. I am not complaining, as undeniably, the texture can be really smooth (though not fully delicate) and there is that tinge of freshness when one bites into the juicy bean curd.

Stir fried Qing Miao vegetable with crunchy fish crisps (MYR12) is another interesting vegetable dish, which was something new to me as I have often known the Qing Miao or any Miao suffixed vegetable to be in the form of a fine and thin shoot/stalk-like type of vegetable. After all, it is indeed a type of pea shoot. Therefore, when we first saw this dish, it seemed like it was a wrongly prepared dish.
It was still quite an enjoyable dish, as the vegetables were quite crunchy and fresh, though the same cannot be said of the fish crisps which did seem like they could do with a little bit more to kick that goodness into complementing the vegetable.

To complete the meal is this Steamed Fish (a sea perch) with sour lime sauce (MYR36)
The fish was half of a whole fish; and the spicy and sourish sauce was the highlight of the dish and was indeed an appetizing addition to the spread we have on our table. In fact, this dish stole the limelight (pun intended) from the other dishes with the slightly fiery taste of the wicked combination of pounded chili and finely grounded garlic mixed with the bitter and acidic sour juice of the lime as a surefire way to weasel into everyone's appetite. The tantalizing and tempting taste of the sauce, along with the freshness and lightly steamed flesh of the fish is the grand finish to the entire meal.

It goes without saying that this is my favorite dish of the night.

(Perhaps it was my personal tastes, but I did find the overall tastes of a dishes a little salty for my liking).

The overall bill costs approximately MYR85++ for four pax; and was a little higher than expected due to the price of the fish. This goes to say that the costs of dining out are indeed on the rise towards the higher end these days.

The restaurant do serve prawns, crabs and other seafood fare in a home cooked style and a homey environment.
This adds to another restaurant explored on my quest to hunt for more seafood restaurants on the island, to add to my personal list of favorite and frequented restaurants :-)