[Penang, Malaysia] Cantonese, Sichuanese and Dim Sum options at San Xi Lou, Gurney Paragon

[klyeoh (Peter)]

Yum cha today with a couple of old friends at the 1.5-month-old Penang outpost of Hong Kong-based Sichuanese/Cantonese fine-dining restaurant, 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗫𝗶 𝗟𝗼𝘂. Its first Malaysian branch is located in the upmarket Gurney Paragon mall.

Its name in Chinese characters, San Xi Lou (Chinese: 三希樓) which translates as “Three Treasures Pavilion”, was adapted from the famous Qianlong San Xi Tang (Chinese: 乾隆三希堂), the famous Hall of the Three Treasures, belonging to the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty in the Forbidden City. The “Three Treasures” referred to his three prized calligraphy scrolls which provided the inspiration for many Qing Dynasty imperial seals and art pieces.

Over at San Xi Lou, its “Three Treasures” refer to the restaurant’s specialisation in Sichuanese, Cantonese, and Dim Sum cooking (Chuan Xi, Yue Xi, Dim Xi).

The obligatory fish-tanks filled with live sea creatures near the entrance.

Our lunch orders:
𝘏𝘢𝘳 𝘬𝘰𝘸 ( 蝦餃) - shrimp dumplings with translucent skin.

𝘚𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘪 (燒賣) - minced pork-shrimp dumplings.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘢𝘰 (叉烧包) - Cantonese-style steamed buns with caramelised BBQ pork filling.

𝘓𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘪 𝘨𝘢𝘪 ( 糯米雞) - glutinous rice filled with chicken, Chinese mushrooms, Chinese sausage, and salted egg-yolk.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘶 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘰 (叉燒菠蘿包) - sweet-crusted buns with Cantonese-style caramelised BBQ pork filling.

𝘒𝘢𝘪 𝘣𝘢𝘰 (雞包) - steamed bao with ginger-flavored, minced chicken-meat filling.

𝘒𝘢𝘪 𝘬𝘦𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰 (豉汁凤爪) - chicken feet with spicy black bean sauce.

𝘓𝘢𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘰 (流沙包) - steamed buns with molten salted egg yolk custard filling.

Fried radish cake in XO sauce.

Mixed meats platter, consisting of 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘸 (Cantonese-style caramelised BBQ pork), 𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘬𝘦 (crackling-skinned roast pork), spiced jelly-fish, cold pork roll, and 𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘯𝘨𝘰 (Cantonese-style roast goose).

Dessert
𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘩𝘶𝘢 (soybean curd) dessert - served warm from a wooden barrel. The junket pudding is served with either a delicate, floral-scented sugar syrup, or brown sugar granules.

Best dim sum spot in town at the moment.

Address
San Xi Lou
163D-6-20, Level 6, Gurney Paragon Mall, Persiaran Gurney, 10350 George Town, Malaysia
Tel: +60 12-391 8168
Opening hours: 9am to 10pm, daily.

[PedroPero]

OMG! That looks so delicious, I’m salivating over here

[Lefty]

Thanks Peter:
San XI Lou is now on our list. We are from Canada ( Toronto area) and will be staying in Penang in late January for 3 weeks so I have been following these posts to get our restaurant list. But I have a question. In Canada fried squid tentacles ( my favourite ) are as common as Har Gow and Shiu Mai on dim sum menus but I don’t see them on any Penang menus. Am I correct or just missing something. Thanks again.

[klyeoh (Peter)]

@Lefty

But I have a question. In Canada fried squid tentacles ( my favourite ) are as common as Har Gow and Shiu Mai on dim sum menus but I don’t see them on any Penang menus.

You’re right - we don’t get squid tentacles on our dim sum menu here in Malaysia. Ditto in Singapore!

[klyeoh (Peter)]

Back at San Xi Lou today for lunch:

1. Suàn Ní Bái Ròu (Chinese: 蒜泥白肉) - this is the classic Sichuanese cold appetiser of thinly-sliced, poached pork belly with fresh cucumber, topped with mashed garlic. The whole concoction is drizzled with a spicy garlic-chili oil dressing. Absolutely delish.
   
   

2. Century Eggs with Green Peppers - this is San Xi Lou’s adaptation of a fiery Hunanese dish, but made less aggressive and more acceptable to the Cantonese/Hong Kong palate. Topped with soy-marinated green peppers and toasted sesame seeds, the perfectly textured century eggs were simply the best one would’ve ever tried.
   

   

3. Char-Siu (Cantonese-style caramelised BBQ pork) and Siu-Yoke (crackling-skinned roast pork). This is probably the best rendition of Cantonese roast meats in Penang - both meats cooked to perfection in their respective preparations.
   

   

4. Zhong Shui Jiao (Chinese: 钟水饺) - Sichuanese-style spicy pork dumplings in chili oil. Again, perfectly-executed - tiny wantan-like pork-filled dumplings, smothered in a hawkish chili-garlic-vinegary dressing with a faint numbing effect from Sichuanese peppercorn. Garlic, ginger and scallions contribute to the pungent aroma and overall taste of the dish.
   

   

5. Mapo Tofu (Chinese: 麻婆豆腐) the classic fiery-red, tongue-numbing Sichuan dish of silken-soft tofu cubes simmered in a spicy, oily sauce with fermented broad-bean paste (doubanjiang), fermented black beans, minced beef, garlic, ginger, and copious amounts of Sichuan peppercorns to obtain that signature “mala” (numbing-spicy) sensation.

The version served here was truly scrumptious, and 200% beyond my chili-tolerance threshold! I’d often wondered about people who kept on eating delicious but super-incendiary food, whilst tears streamed down their faces. Today, I understood why - this dish was simply irresistible!

6. Fujianese Fried Rice (Chinese: 福建炒饭) - despite its name, this fried rice dish originates in Hong Kong, not Fujian. Invented by Hong Kong restaurateurs based on what they think the Fujianese/Hokkien people might like to eat, it’s a flavorsome dish consisting of a rich, savory gravy replete with meats (roast pork, chicken & shrimp), dried scallops, and vegetables (mushrooms, carrots, kailan stems, etc.) poured over a bed of fluffy egg fried rice.
   Not the most photogenic of dishes, but the rendition here was absolutely delicious. Fujianese fried rice is a departure of other types of (dry) fried rice due to its gravy topping.
   
   

7. Dessert was again, its incomparable Tofu Pudding, served with two types of sweeteners: red sugar and osmanthus-scented sugar syrup.
   
   

[sck]

i highly recommend their ‘upgraded’ water boiled fish with some fresh fish. Flaky fish, spicing perfectly balanced.

[Google_Gourmet]

Definitely whetting my craving for Chinese food!!

Landing in TPE in about an hour for a 5 hour layover and a couple of Kavalan.

Will be tucking into some Cantonese food in Guangzhou before the sun sets today. WhooHoo!!

Dying for some dim sum, which will have to wait ‘til tomorrow morn.

[klyeoh (Peter)]

@sck

i highly recommend their ‘upgraded’ water boiled fish with some fresh fish

Thanks, I’ll try that on my next visit.

[klyeoh (Peter)]

@Google_Gourmet

Will be tucking into some Cantonese food in Guangzhou before the sun sets today. WhooHoo!!

Very cool! Looking forward to your reports. Enjoy Guangzhou!

[klyeoh (Peter)]

We celebrated the 7th Day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Day of the Man, with a Sichuanese dinner at 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗫𝗶 𝗟𝗼𝘂 in Gurney Paragon this evening. Our dinner spread:
Bàngbàng jī (Chinese: 棒棒鷄) - chicken with dried chili-toasted sesame dressing.

Pídàn suān jiāng (Chinese: 皮蛋酸姜) - century egg wedges with pickled ginger.

Mápó dòufǔ (Chinese: 麻婆豆腐) - literally translates as “Pock-marked Old Woman’s Tofu”. Soft tofu cubes in a spicy, minced beef gravy. An absolute winner, with the piquant flavors and aroma from the crushed Sichuan peppercorns and the pronounced nuttiness from the doubanjiang (fermented spicy chili bean sauce).

Xiāng là yú piàn (Chinese: 香辣魚片) - fragrant-spicy fish fillets, with pig’s blood pudding, bamboo shoots, cucumbers, mung bean noodles and soybean sprouts.

A simple rice vermicelli stir-fry with garlic sprouts, chives and leeks for a traditional carb finish to the meal.

Sichuanese cuisine, with its emphasis on ma-la (“spicy and numbing” flavors) is not my usual preference amongst the various Chinese regional cuisines, but this was a family dinner and Sichuanese had won the vote amongst my dining companions. Still, San Xi Lou trumps with its meticulous attention to detail and some of the most authentic Sichuanese cooking on the island.