[Penang, Malaysia] Local-Chinese banquet dishes at Leong Hee Seafood

Dinner at the always-dependable ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ this evening. Popular as wedding dinner caterers back in the 1980s, ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ was established in 1979 by the Yeoh family. It has been managed for much of the past 20 years by Mr Lau Teik Seang, whoโ€™s an adopted son of Mr Yeoh, the family patriarch.

In 2016, ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฒ opened its own restaurant in Paya Terubong, allowing its many fans to enjoy its specialty dishes without having to be invited for a wedding dinner. Its current outlet is managed by Mr Lau Teik Seangโ€™s daughter.

Our dinner this evening:
:small_orange_diamond: Red snapper curry with okra - this is the restaurantโ€™s piece-de-resistance, and is the most-ordered item on the menu. Served to the table bubbling-hot in a claypot, the curry was heavy with South Indian spice mix. The fish pieces were cooked together with okra, tomatoes, and onions, with curry leaves thrown in. Itโ€™s garnished with fresh mint leaves before serving.

:small_orange_diamond: Chicken cooked two-ways: crisp batter-fried and coated with plum sauce, and braised chicken in Chinese ham-chili-mushroom sauce - this is a popular banquet dish from the 70s/80s, and rarely found nowadays - perhaps because of its very simplicity.

:small_orange_diamond: Braised whole pigโ€™s trotter with peanuts

:small_orange_diamond: Steamed โ€œkappaโ€ shellfish with lime juice and red chilis

:small_orange_diamond: Stir-fried โ€œsiew pak choyโ€ and carrots - the obligatory greens. The vegetables were given a quick toss in the wok over very high heat. Light, flavoursome sauce with hints of oyster sauce & garlic.

:small_orange_diamond: House special braised egg tofu with powdered, dried shrimp - this was the best-tasting dish for me this evening. The powdered dried shrimp is a very โ€œCantoneseโ€ condiment, and lent a deep, umami flavor to the tofu dish.

Perhaps because of its wedding banqueting pedigree, ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑโ€™s kitchen worked at breakneck speed in churning our dishes. We were amazed when all 6 dishes which we ordered were delivered to our table within 20 minutes! :joy:

A steady stream of customers, mostly large family groups, showed that the restaurant had not lost any of its popularity after all these years.

Address
Leong Hee Seafood
1235-C, Lebuh Paya Terubong 3, Bandar Baru Air Itam, 11500 Ayer Itam, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +6012-679 5617

Operating hours:
Mon-Tue, Thu-Sun: 5.30pm to 9pm
Wed: Closed

14 Likes

Is it just me or did anyone else think, โ€œThat trotter looks really good, but if I order it, I will wear it. Or the person sitting across from me at the table will wonder where I learned to eat?โ€
It is like chili crab and Dungeness crab. I really want to try both, but I am not sure how to go about it.

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Iโ€™d been eating chili crabs almost my whole life - and I still make a mess each and every time. :joy:

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Eat with someone who has been eating it their whole life. Otherwise get it shelled. Itโ€™s a tougher to figure out on your own, like lobster (which, even as a crab aficionado, I had to be taught to eat the first time I encountered it whole).

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Is it mess, or is it just the way itโ€™s going to be? :smiley:

(We have been putting off eating crab all week because I donโ€™t have the energy to sit at the table for an hour plus to deal with it, even though itโ€™s one of my favorite things to eat. My brother downright refused because he didnโ€™t have the mental energy :joy:)

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