Ong Cheng Huat Seafood — Restaurant in Penang

Penang Working Trip - pitstop Butterworth!

When going to Penang, have you ever thought of staying in the mainland aka Seberang Perai instead of the island itself? I'm guilty to be one of them too. And of course I know that the mainland is never short of good food. And their seafood is especially cheaper compared to dining in the Penang Island itself.

Ong Cheng Huat was featured in Axian's TV show before many many years ago and that time, this relatively hidden seafood restaurant was inundated with sudden surge of hungry foodies coming all over the country to eat. Even my friend also complained that he had trouble initially to eat lunch here after the restaurant got popular. Fast forward many years later, I drove to Butterworth again and we made our way here.. still as popular but not as packed. Quite secluded as you have to drive through narrow road to reach this place from the main road.

I left the ordering to my customer who has lived here all his life. What served in our table later were pretty much what was eaten many years ago when I first visited him.

◾Fried prawn crackers - apparently made with fried popiah skin and the crunchiness was next level. Very addictive stuff when dipped into the chilly sauce. ◾teo chew steamed fish - DO NOT, I mean do not ever miss ordering this fish... fleshy but steamed just nice with garlic, ginger and chilly - different from your usual teo chew style fish in Klang Valley. I'm not a big fan of fish but I love the flavour. ◾steamed clam - plump & juicy type, not those skinny ones that you'd usually get... steamed nicely with ginger and Chinese wine. Plenty of kick if you love your shellfish. ◾boiled octopus - drizzled with garlic oil + fried garlic, and then served with sweet chilly sauce + crushed peanuts ◾deep fried spring chicken - highly recommended.. seasoned and deep fried perfectly to a juicy and tasty fowl. I devoured at least half bird, wanted more but had to control myself. A savoury delight. ◾Fried mee hoon - a good dose of wok hei, not too oily and rather generous with the ingredients

For first timers, just order these signature dishes... They don't have physical menu and rather limited dishes. However they do have pictures of dishes plastered on the wall for you to...

Don't get worried by the small narrow winding road. It's just a small segment before you reach the restaurant. Fortunately it does have an adequate parking area for foodies.

This restaurant has a very simple down to earth kind of decor. No fancy adornment to detract you but the lack of it conversely turns off some diners. The eating area however is huge and very breezy from the multiple ceiling fans.

The most important drink to order is their TUAK. This is one of the freshest most delicious tuak you can find in this area. I personally don't like over fermented tuak so this is perfect for me. When mixed with black dog, it's a heavenly combination.

It certainly pairs well with their dishes. I wouldn't call their food a reinvention of dishes but they do an above average job of it. Their prawn crackers is a definite dish for the tuak. The fried quail / squab is also their speciality which taste surprisingly tender and delicious for snack-ish enjoyment.

I must recommend that you order the steamed squid. Perfectly done. Tender, juicy and delicious. The clam / lala is nicely seasoned but the fried bihun mee is average at best. I tried their mango kerabu but found it too wet, under seasoned and a little tasteless.

In short, order a tuak and black dog, complement it with prawn crackers, steamed squid and...

[ok la]

1. overall - Chinese stir-fry restaurant located at Butterworth with plenty of seating but limited parking, expect queue during peak hour but food served fast, handful of food selection with good steamed fish, steamed lala, popiah and prawn cracker to offer, average cleanliness offered by 王清发海鲜 Ong Cheng Huat Seafood.
2. steamed fish - fresh fish, plenty of fish meat, steamed with generous portion of ginger, stock was very flavourful and sweet, must order!
3. steamed lala - fresh lala was steamed with normal ingredient like ginger and cili pado but the stock was full of flavour, comes together with a hint of wine taste, must order!
4. steamed octopus and fish ball - loved the texture of the octopus as it was steamed to perfection without having to chew vigorously, fish ball was very fresh, came with a dipping sauce but never needed it
5. Kerabu - fresh and citrusy, nice to have to clear out the palette
6. sweet chilli mantis prawn - kid's favourite, tasted average
7. stir fry vege tasted average too
8. Fried bihun - below average as we barely could taste that it was fried, more like a bihun combine/mix with dark sauce
9. Aiyu drink - sweet, nice to have when you are having a hot day, would be nicer if it taste a...