Eam Huat - Kala fish in a Mongolian hotpot

Anytime you see these brass coloured funnels at dining establishments around Penang , it means that charcoal is used as the means to boil the hotpot soup .

Steamboat misadventure at MK - mmmmnnnnokay

You won't catch me having steamboat  or hotpot out of Penang . The only other place which I've actually enjoyed the steamboat / hotpot experience , was in Cameron Highlands ( covered somewhere in my backposts )

Since the first time I arrived in Bangkok , MK has been a fixture , it's been around that long !

I'm curious ...it's always full . Damnit let's go try it out today shall we ?

Sin Hong Keng - deep fried fish steamboat with yam

I'm very particular about the fish I eat .

It should not reek of a fishy pong but should smell like the ocean .

Though I'm not expecting sashimi grade flesh , if it arrives on my table with an odour straight out of a market drain , no matter how many people are enjoying it , I will not touch it .

And it's pretty telling of the sad state of affairs when one can find fresher fish in Kedah than in Penang , even though by virtue of Penang being just next to the sea , fish meat supplies ought to be super fresh , right ? Wrong a lot of times before I finally learnt my lesson and stopped ordering steamed fish at any chu cha place on the island .

Anyway , we're having the rare fish meal today . 

Deep fried red snapper ( it's all farmed off shore today ) boiled with round cabbage and yam .

Not only is it succulent and naturally sweet , he cannot remember when was the last time he actually had snapper this fresh . We'd probably have to pay a bomb for it on the island but even though what we had here is not THAT cheap , it still cost less than that airconditioned giant garoupa place near Chew jetty .  

Tastewise : oily , plain , with a slight hint of Chinese wine , full of aromatic yam flavour ( the root is the very fibrous type )

Hong La Jiao Steamboat - deadly , very deadly

Though we arrived close to midnite , the restaurant was running full  .

Open till 4.30 am , I consider this a necessary service that caters to the many hungry night owls in Georgetown who otherwise would have to make do with the same ole boring mamak or fastfood .

2 sisters get wicked at the steamboat place

 We enjoyed a steamboat dinner last night .... a meal that is supposed to symbolise family togetherness .

I shouldn't have eavesdropped but the family next to us , the dad especially, he spoke so loudly and clearly , I can let on , on what the sisters grumbled about after they were finished .

Chicken Claypot House - Phoenix Reincarnation , an Imperial soup you can now afford

Chicken Claypot House has managed to draw in quite a crowd. Located in the former Joo Seong restaurant on Macalister Road , it is Singaporean in origin with 3 outlets on the republic and Penang is so blessed to be chosen as the venue of their very first foray on Malaysian soil .

Double steamboat - a partition of torture

The steamboat is a modern version of the Mongolian hotpot. With the latter, charcoal is used to heat the soup while steamboat relies on gas or electric stoves to do the job. 

Most people do not find this concept appealing .Me too initially, until the day it dawned on me that hey, I actually know how to develop a hearty soup on the spot. While satisfying, the whole steamboat experience isn't very exciting. We need a little spice in our lives.

So last week, we ended up here, where half the excitement lies in that nasty red looking half side. The soups are partitioned and they will never mix, thus you've got the best of both worlds. Crazy  Spicy hell on one side and normality on the other .

Strawberry View Steamboat - Kea Farm, Cameron Highlands

There's a photo of Chef Wan , at the main entrance of this restaurant. Judging from the sweater that he's wearing , it must have been ages ago and while the place is rather worn and tired, who cares, it IS cold in Cameron Highlands...so let's huddle round and eat !

At RM $18 per head , the portions here are sooooo much more cheaper compared to what we get in Penang ( oh yes, lotsa Penang plates to be found up here ) . Needless to mention, the other thing that sets it apart, is the farm fresh produce. However, since it's super peak season, one is left with no other choice but the set menu. No changing or swapping one ingredient for something else.

Golden Gate Steamboat ( NH )

This restaurant has been around for some years already.

Some people having been patronising it from their childhood days

It's housed in a grand old bungalow....