Golden BBQ Steamboat Restaurant, Penang

The key to good steamboat

By MARIE TAN KIAK LI

PENANG folk are famous for recognising a good deal when they see one – especially when it comes to matters of the stomach.

And wallet-conscious gourmands would surely agree that they have found the perfect place in Golden BBQ Steamboat Restaurant.

Wide array: An assortment of food to go into the pot or grill.

This eat-all-you-can buffet-style fusion restaurant, run by partners Joseph Yeong and Dennis Lim, occupies three lots of the heritage buildings along Nagore Road. This place offers its customers both outdoor and indoor seating options and exudes a welcoming, communal and festive air.

The steamboat set comes with a pot for the soup and a circular grill.

Some steamboat pots come in two halves so that you can choose to dip your sticks into either the clear soup, or the super-spicy Tom Yam soup for which Golden BBQ Steamboat has become famous for.

Diners are truly spoilt for choice, with a plethora of barbecue and steamboat food items to choose from. One will find at least four or five different varieties of marinated beef, fish and chicken; and a grand selection of assorted fruits de la mer. On certain “lucky” days, value for money pickings also include mantis prawns, better known in the Hokkien as heh-kor. A free flow of different types of drinks are also available.

There are also no artificial food enhancers that go into the making of the soups. Yeong reveals without hesitation that, “It’s no secret recipe, we just use lots of fresh ingredients, and put many different types of vegetables into making the stock, with lots of corn included.” Indeed, one can taste the unadulterated flavours that are satisfyingly delicious in their own right.

Come join in: Yeong (left) demonstrating how to cook it right.

A local Penang boy himself, Yeong believes Golden BBQ Steamboat has continued to attract diners because of its authentic food offerings. Golden BBQ Steamboat Restaurant is open from 4.30pm to 11pm daily, except for the first Monday of each month.

For more information, check out the restaurant’s website at http://www.goldenbbqpg.com .