When my wife and I were in Penang, along with eating all sorts of marvelous street food, we also went to a few indoor restaurants. One evening, we decided to try an old school restaurant by the name of Goh Huat Seng Restaurant, specializing in what’s called “steamboat,” which is basically an old school hot pot.
You can probably already tell from watching this video how steamboat got its name - the fire pot looks pretty much like a steamboat with its metal chimney. A hot pot steamboat is basically a round circular pot that’s shaped like a donut and elevated. Inside the middle of the pot there are hot charcoal coals that are placed, then the soup is placed around the edges of the pot in the trough, and finally a big chimney is placed on top to release the heat and extra smoke that comes out of the steamboat - it’s an amazing pot that keeps soup hot and boiling for hours as you enjoy your meal.
Goh Huat Seng Restaurant in Penang is a seriously old school restaurant that has been serving Malaysian Chinese style steamboat for many years. Located right on Kimberly street, a famous place for Penang street food, Goh Huat Seng Restaurant still remains a very popular and very local Penang spot. They don’t really have a menu, but you basically just sit down and order a few sets of different ingredients. My wife and I got the 2 plate combination plate that came with a host of random goodies like shrimp, pork, meatballs, and a bunch of different vegetables. Our steamboat arrived in all its glory, and I could hardly contain my excitement for such a beautiful cooking device.
The soup was nothing too crazy, just plain broth that had a fried garlic flavor. Likewise the ingredients were all plain and just boiled in the soup until cooked. They provided a sauce that included soy sauce, sliced chilies, and fried garlic. Though simple, it was surprising quite good, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve eaten a lot of hot pots in my days of living in Southeast Asia, but this old school Malaysian Chinese charcoal steamboat was pretty amazing.
If you’re looking for a unique meal experience in Penang, a restaurant that’s not written in all the guidebooks, Goh Huat Seng Restaurant is a pretty cool spot. The food was plain as this type of hot pot normally is, but it was still good, and the experience was fantastic.
Goh Huat Seng Restaurant - Penang, Malaysia
Address: 59-A, Lebuh Kimberly, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Prices: We paid 68.05 MYR for 2 of us, but looking at the menu, it looks like it gets less expensive if you have more people - cheaper the more food you eat
Music in this video is from Audio Network
This travel food video was produced by Mark Wiens and Ying Wiens, check out our blogs: http://migrationology.com/blog & http://www.eatingthaifood.com/ & http://www.travelbyying.com/
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