Maple Palace Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in George Town

Traditional and avant-garde Asian cuisine at Maple Palace

When my classmates from Han Chiang High School decided to have a mini class reunion, Maple Palace was our top choice. The restaurant serves mouth-watering cuisine that is both traditional and avant garde at the same time. It also offers festive Chinese New Year dishes synonymous with good luck and prosperity. On top of that, the quality of the delicacies at Maple Palace has been consistent throughout my visits in the past.

We started our dinner with Yee Sang, one dish where everyone joins in the fun to Lo Hei. We tossed the salad as high as we could using chopsticks while shouting out good stuff in Hokkien of what we hoped would happen in the coming year – "Heng ah! Ong ah! Huat ah!". It is call for our lives to flourish, to prosper and for our dreams to develop into reality. After such a rambunctious start, we were in for a real treat. Next was a truly unique four seasons creation of exquisite cuisine. Artistically presented, it is a visual feast as much as a gastronomic delight. Hanging on a Chinese brush rack was a string of crispy chicken wings stuffed with Tobiko (flying fish roe). In small little glasses below, skewed pan-fried scallops with red and green peppers coated with a dark savour sauce. On white little saucers lay golden breaded prawns. And on a platter was spread Spanish Iberico Char Siew Salad with lotus root chips. It looked so beautiful. The cameras certainly had their full share of the dish before we dug in, doing justice to today's dining prelusory experience of photographing one’s dinner treat.

Being the Chinese New Year season, we next had the popular assorted preserved waxed meat claypot rice (Lap Mei Fun). This dish had different types of waxed meat including Chinese pork sausage and Chinese duck or goose liver sausage. I am glad that the chef served a plate of greens on the side to balance out the high fat content of this item. The next dish was simply delicious. Braised broccoli topped with scrambled egg white and crabmeat. It was such a lovely combination and we enjoyed this dish very much. This roast chicken dish was served with crispy salmon skin flavoured with salted duck egg yolk. It was a welcome surprise compared to the mundane roast chicken topped with prawn crackers. The chicken was tender and its skin crispy. Buddha's delight, often transliterated as Luo Han Chai is another popular dish during Chinese New Year. This authentic recipe has eighteen key ingredients which many find it is too tedious to get all the ingredients, and therefore omit some components without sacrificing the flavour. The chef at Maple Palace had done the same while creatively encircling the vegetarian dish with a yam ring, making it a more hearty dish. The flavours were still recognisable although he added broccoli and snow fungus to the mix.

Osmanthus and wolfberry jelly is a wonderful way to conclude a satisfying meal. Each serving consists of eight ingot-shaped jelly with a longan in the centre of each. It was so good that we just had to order another portion. To the Chinese, an ingot (is a form of ancient Chinese currency) is symbolic of prosperity and wealth due to their auspicious shape.

We were happy with the service at Maple Palace. It was additionally comforting as the waiters were attentive and responded quickly to requests. After every dish, they would came around to change the plates so that we could enjoy each dish without the sight of lingering sauces from the previous dish. With good food and service, it is no wonder that Maple Palace is popular...

Being a Penangite myself, currently residing in UK, the Maple Palace venue after various morphing, have always been a local popular reliable eatery, frequented by locals and internationals. Slightly pricey, but well mitigated by it's superb environment but primarily, reliably delicious food.

Naturally, I had a dinner for my relatives during my recent visit to my hometown, which in this occasion sadly accumulated into a rather negative experience.

We called into the restaurant and discussed our menu choice with the captain where we categorically requested for a normal sit down dinner format whereupon all the various dishes are brought out together for a hearty family type dinner environment.

However, on the night of the dinner, the various dishes were brought out erratically, basically one at a time with approximately 10 minutes intermission between them akin to a banquet style dinner where each dish cooked in size to equate to total number of diners is appropriately brought out simultaneously.

Naturally in this occasion, it is totally embarrassing to have a tiny dish placed in the centre of a large round table for 8 diners! Furthermore, by the time the other dishes arrived, the other dishes are cold. Worse still, no rice was offered and when they arrived, they were also rendered cold waiting for the dishes to slowly make their way to our table.

My only saving grace rests on the fact that all my diners were close relatives and the typical family banter aided to smooth the point blank chaos of the dining experience!

However, the final disappointment emerged when I tried to pay with my credit card which was declined. I then tried to pay with my bank debit card which was also declined! Luckily for me, I had just exchanged some sterling pounds to local currency and had enough to pay off this hugh bill.

Naturally, the refusal of both my credit and debit card rested on my mind the whole evening, have my accounts been hacked, fraud, etc? I know there is certainly more than enough funds and credit in both my accounts.

The next morning, I immediately rushed to the nearest ATM and tested both cards, and both cards worked perfectly! I was then advised by a local friend that certain commercial establishments practice this "refusal" to accept credit card payments in favour for cash!

Naturally I am in no position to verify the latest allegation, however, in conclusion, that dinner experience was certainly not enjoyable, most stressful right from the start as I endeavour to be a polite host and the fact that both my credit and debit cards are refused, considering one came from a bank, the other from a building society, both reputable sterling financial establishments in Europe, all accounts for my award of a single star in this review for this otherwise magnificent establishment.

I am sadly dismayed that slowly but surely one by one of Penang's iconic eateries are taking their clientele for granted by letting their standards...

The chicken rice at Maple Palace is one of Penang's hidden gem. I am an avid fan of Hainanese Chicken Rice. There's something about this dish that always leaves me craving for more. Fun fact: I was the assistant producer for ntv7 Top 10 Hainanese Chicken Rice back in 2017, which was also my first job after graduation.

During that time, I had the privilege of travelling to different places across Malaysia and even to Hainan, China, to taste and experience the local variations of this beloved dish. Each store I visited had their own unique flavour and cooking techniques, but I have to admit, I still prefer the Malaysian style of Hainanese Chicken Rice. It's simply more fragrant and flavourful.

Searching for good food is like embarking on a journey of discovery. Maple Palace in Penang serves incredibly delicious Hainanese Chicken Rice, but few people know about it.

Let's dive right into the chicken itself. They use 7-month-old corn-fed chicken, which weighs approximately 3.5kg. Instead of soaking the chicken in hot water, they steam it to preserve the essence of the meat. The result? Juicy, tender, and bursting with flavour. I'm usually not a big fan of chicken breast due to its texture, but Maple Palace's version is succulent, tender, and oh-so-flavorful. The use of corn-fed chicken instead of the usual chicken adds an extra layer of richness and depth to the dish, making it even more indulgent.

Now, onto the rice. The unsung hero that brings everything together. The right amount of ginger, chicken stock, and chicken fat gives the rice its distinct aroma and flavor. It's not overpowering, though, and doesn't take away from the star of the dish - the chicken. My fellow expat friend, Marco, couldn't get enough of it and ended up devouring four bowls! Trust me when I say that Maple Palace's rice is simply heavenly - it's not too strong, nor too bland, just perfect.

It's true what they say - 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅, Hainanese Chicken Rice is more than just a dish - it's a cultural experience that brings people together. Maple Palace's version of this beloved dish is a testament to the power of food in connecting people and cultures. So, if you're ever in the mood for some mouth-watering Hainanese Chicken Rice, do yourself a favour and head over to Maple Palace - you won't regret it! Please place a booking a day in advance...