Sunday, December 02, 2007

Bali Hai Tim Sum / Seafood market – Gurney Drive.

2nd night in Penang, fine weather, hungry tummy and thanks to a Penangite’s recommendation, we landed in this famous dinner hangout. Indeed, this place was almost full when we arrived but thankfully, the wait for food wasn’t that long. Parking was also effortless, thanks to an official attendant who was very efficient. This place seriously reminds me of KL’s Pantai Seafood Centre. The decos, fish tanks and the arrangements were pretty much identical.

First came our drinks, an apple juice and a fresh coconut followed by a plate of stir-fried venison with ginger and spring onion. Widely available in KL, this dish went well with our rice and has always been one of my firm favourites as the ginger and spring onion work wonders in “re-setting” my digestive system.

Next came our Lo Hon Chai, a common order during family dinners to fulfil the vegetable quota, to bring balance to our orders often filled with meaty dishes. At Bali Hai, Lo Hon Chai is served with cauliflower, mushrooms, ginkgo nuts, abalone mushrooms, dried fungus, water chestnuts and various types of tofu skins. The vegetables were fresh and not overcooked, lending it a nice texture and taste with minimal monosodium glutamate.

We ordered 3 mud crabs, done salted egg yolk style – my current favourite. The ones here are rather different, less oily while the crab appears to be dipped in batter with curry leaves and deep-fried. Thankfully, the waiter assured me that it was my order. This dish was superbly done. Rich in flavour and flesh, I didn’t just enjoy sucking the flesh off the shells but also, licking almost every inch of the shell and of course, my fingers towards the end of the meal. I’m so hungry now…..

The bill was as follows:

1) Coconut – RM 4
2) Apple Juice – RM 2.80
3) Crabs – RM 65.00
4) Venison – RM 15
5) Vegetables – RM 15
6) Rice (1 bowl) – RM 1
7) Govt tax – RM 5.14
8) Service tax – RM 5.14

Total – RM 113.08
Tummy rating - 8.9/10

16 comments:

Big Boys Oven said...

The food looks gorgeous, but how many kilo of crab did you order for RM65? If it is only a kilo, it sounds a bit expensive compare to KL is within the range of RM20-RM50. But I think it is ok to pay for a delicious and enjoyed dish! lol!

yammylicious said...

omg.. the salted egg yolk .. look so thick!! feeling licking it clean!

Precious Pea said...

Crabs! Yums! Price quite reasonable too.

HairyBerry said...

the venison looks good...goes well with the rice! the salted egg yolk crab looks different, but sounds good :>

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

wah the venison caught my attention..the oil glistening..omg..

rm65 for 3 crabs..its not too bad..around 2kgs?

Fezzaboy said...

Hi folks, i seriously can't recall how heavy the crabs were.... but it was certainly more than enough for the 2 of us... what more when my other half isn't a big fan of crabs. The crabs were big.. on a scale of 10, i'd say 8 out of 10.

I didn't expect much from this place... but i'd certainly put this place on my MUST MAKAN places in Penang.

Collecting Moments said...

ARGH i see crabs everywhere!!! I love salted egg crabs...so so sinful. Your pics is making me hungry too :) You bad bad girl!!!

Christina Kim said...

Ooo....crabs again...:D
Haha...simple dinner yet simply nice:D

Kenny Mah said...

Wow, the crabs look good... didn't know they could be done that way... so crusty and encrusted and crustacean... hehe. All things "crust-" lar...

*slurps*

New Kid on the Blog said...

I live in Penang yet I have not visit this place... hahahahah....

Ms One Boobie said...

That's really cheap.. for such great food..!

UnkaLeong said...

wah...the venison looks really tasty!

Jason said...

Crabs overload la!

Fezzaboy said...

Ya... i still drool over these pictures when i'm in the office...

Must go Penang again soooon...

Rasa Malaysia said...

Not that expensive...my friend went there with 10 people or so and got hit with a RM1K bill...wah, very scary, not sure what they ate.

Anonymous said...

KL's live seafood restaurants are far better and more reasonably priced. Bali Hai is overcharging - we ordered steamed garoupa and the fish that was served was only around 1/2kg but cost RM63 and it wasnt even really fresh! Wont ever go there again!!! There shld be other places in Penang which are better.

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