Special thanks to Xin Man Yi Zhu for extending this food review invitation.
Update: This business has ceased its operations.
Xin Man Yi Zhu Porridge & Rice Restaurant (心满意粥饭) is a popular eatery at Perak Road (Jalan Perak). The restaurant is located at Harmony Square, a row of shops between Jalan Pasar hawker center and Restoran Joo Huat (裕发美食中心). This place has been operating for around 1.5 years now.
The primary business at Xin Man Yi Zhu is mixed rice (杂菜饭). This is a good idea because the local residents are generally sensitive to pricing. Compared to other restaurants, Xin Man Yi Zhu has an unusually large number of dishes for an eatery of its size. There are at least 80 dishes on any given day. Popular dishes are prepared daily, while others are served on rotation basis.
Chicken and pork are the primary meats at Xin Man Yi Zhu. Beef is notably absent from the menu because a significant proportion of the restaurant’s clientele does not consume beef. Examples of popular meat dishes here are Marmite Chicken (妈蜜鸡), Fried Roasted Pork (三宝炒烧猪肉) and Nan Ru Pork (南乳猪肉).
There is also a section dedicated to seafood. Recommended dishes in this category are Sweet & Spicy Fish (酸辣鱼片), Ray Curry (咖喱魔鬼鱼), Asparagus & Prawns (芦笋炒虾仁) and Fried Squid (爆炒鱿鱼).
As for vegetables, the bestselling ones are Dried Tofu & Chinese Celery (豆干炒芹菜), Fried Pickled Mustard & Minced Pork (榨菜炒肉碎) and Seasoned Cucumber (酸甜青瓜).
There are around 6 types of soup on any given day. Soup is kept warm in a steamer. Get help from the staff as the soup bowls are very hot.
Customers have a choice of either porridge or white rice. The porridge served at Xin Man Yi Zhu is of Teochew style (潮州粥). For this type of porridge, rice grains are largely intact as opposed to being disintegrated into the liquid. To take advantage of flavorful dishes, the porridge is unflavored except for a small amount of sweet potato cubes.
Xin Man Yi Zhu has 3 outlets in total. Besides this Perak Road outlet, there are also smaller shops at Macalister Road (Jalan Macalister) and in Tanjung Tokong. To maintain consistent quality, food served at all 3 outlets is prepared at the central kitchen just behind the main restaurant. As for pricing, a typical meal here costs less than RM10.00, but this also depends on the type and amount dishes selected.
Name: Xin Man Yi Zhu Porridge & Rice Restaurant (心满意粥饭)
Address: 332E, Jalan Perak, 11600 Jelutong, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 017-477-6717
Business hours: 8:00am-10:30pm, closed on Fridays
Website: https://www.facebook.com/chi6717
Coordinates: 5.39894 N, 100.31469 E
Directions: Driving northbound along Perak Road (Jalan Perak), Harmony Square is a row of shops on the left immediately after the junction with Lintang Slim. Xin Man Yi Zhu is one of the restaurants facing the main road. Street parking is available in front of the restaurant. There are also private parking spaces at the back section of Harmony Square.
