Restoran Makanan Laut Sin Hwa Lam (新华南海鲜饭店) is located at the congested old town district of Bayan Lepas, which is immediately after the roundabout to the Penang International Airport if coming from George Town.
Located towards the end of a row of shophouses, the restaurant is quite modest in size and appearance. Parking is available along the dirt road directly behind it, or along the road perpendicular to the main road. Because the shop is in a shabby state, locals have a nickname for it: “Ai To Mai To” (要倒不倒), poking fun at its nearly-collapsed appearance.
This restaurant serves Chinese cooking but does not have a proper menu. The chef is familiar with most dishes, so customers can place customized orders or ask the server for recommendations.
The first dish is the Sweet And Sour Pork (咕噜肉). We really enjoy the nice tangy taste, as well as the tender meat inside which is cooked to perfection.
Next on the table is the Kam Heong Mantis Shrimp (金香虾蛄). The batter coating gives the succulent mantis shrimps a nice crisp. I like the way this dish is done. It can well be my favorite dish today.
As for the Curry Fish Head (咖哩鱼头), it is just mediocre in taste. The main ingredient is lady’s fingers, as there is not much fish meat to go around the table.
We also ordered a plate of Kam Heong Clams (金香拉拉). The gravy is quite nice and has a flavorful spicy aftertaste. This dish is mostly inedible shell, therefore it is just meant as a delicacy instead of a proper meal.
The Hot Plate Bean Curd (铁板豆腐) is another recommended dish. Served while sizzling hot, the egg gravy goes well with plain rice. There are two types of bean curd in this dish, both which are soft and delightful to our taste buds.
For vegetables, we have the Belacan Kangkung (马来风光), which is water spinach stir-fried with belacan (dried shrimp paste). This dish can be more spicy than what some people are comfortable with, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
The Pickled Vegetable Soup (咸菜肉骨汤) is the finale for our meal today. The soup is not too salty as served in some other restaurants.
The dishes are quite good, which explains why this restaurant is popular among the locals. It is also quite affordable, averaging out to less than RM15.00 per person.