Goh Huat Seng @ Kimberley Street

Goh Huat Seng Restaurant at Kimberley Street has been around for decades offering delicious steamboat dishes at affordable prices. It is indeed a heritage trade right in the center of historic George Town. While most modern steamboat restaurants use electric stove to heat up the pot, Goh Huat Seng still sticks to its tradition of metal steamboat pot with a long chimney in the middle that serves as exhaust to the burning charcoal underneath. Yes, they use the good old charcoal instead of gas or electricity to heat up their delicious soup.

This place is very popular with the locals and if you are not from Penang and wish to experience the local cuisine that is delicious, value for money and rich with traditional values, then wait no more and head straight to Kimberley Street for an unforgettable dinner!

Sawara Clay Pot Fish Head

Pulau Tikus, the conurbation of George Town with many religious buildings, variety of hawker stalls, Japanese restaurants and the famous wet market; has always been the favorite place to visit among the tourists as well as locals alike. Its appeal lies in its diversity in culture and cuisine. Its human scale and leafy streetscape also make it suitable and comfortable to walk around.

Located right at the heart of it is Sawara Restaurant which specializes in clay pot fish head. This place is always fully occupied for dinner due to its delicious and fresh fish head and fish fillet. The interior is actually not spacious with only about 4 rectangle tables and 2 big round tables. There is a big model ship hanging on the wall with its front facing the inside of the restaurant; a common Feng Shui believe that wealth can be brought in by placing it in this position.

The signature dish of Sawara is the clay pot fish head with yum accompanied by various other delicacies according to your own preference such as mushroom, fish cake wrapped in seaweed and others. Another popular choice is the Shanghai noodle that goes very well with the soup. A big clay pot is served that helps to contain the heat of the broth which continues to bring out the sweetness of the seafood /ingredients in it. It is much like steamboat just that it is served in clay pot and without the internal pork organs that you would normally find in steamboat outlets. Together with variety of vegetables, fish cake, bean curd, bean curd sheet stuffed, abalone mushroom, cuttlefish, sliced fish, prawn, homemade fish ball/paste, Enoki金菇 and other mushrooms, the dish is definitely one of my favorite choices for healthy food!