Special thanks to Zhonghua Gourmet for extending this food review invitation.
Zhonghua Gourmet (中华海鲜鱼翅) is a Chinese seafood restaurant in Cititel Penang. Located at the Lobby Level, the restaurant occupies the rear end of the hotel, right next to Main Street Cafe. Zhonghua Gourmet has been operating for 20 years, making it one of the longest-running tenant restaurants in any Penang hotel.
Despite its advanced age, Zhonghua Gourmet has a rather contemporary dining hall. A small stage at the front makes the restaurant suitable for wedding events. Towards the back are partitioned rooms for customers who prefer to dine in private. All in all, the dining section can accommodate around 300 people in a banquet setting.
Zhonghua Gourmet specializes in Chinese cuisine especially seafood. Marine delicacies include lobsters, abalones, scallops and sea cucumbers.
In celebration of Zhonghua Gourmet’s 20th anniversary, the restaurant is offering 20% discount on all dishes on the à la carte menu. This offer runs for 3 months starting 16 July 2019, and is valid for dinner on weekdays only.
Our appetizer is a platter of duck skin, whose crispy texture is gratifying indeed. One way to savour duck skin is to roll each morsel in a spring pancake. Adding sweet bean sauce and cucumber improves the taste and mouthfeel respectively.
Jelly Fish With Smoked Duck (烟鸭海蜇, RM22.00) is another scrumptious appetizer. In this dish, chilled slices of smoked duck are presented on a bed of seasoned jellyfish. Tangy orange sauce serves as flavoring.
Peking Duck (北京烤鸭, RM60.00 for whole duck) is Zhonghua Gourmet’s signature dish. Hailing from Beijing, the delicacy involves intricate steps from farm to kitchen. Peking Duck is prized for its savory meat and crispy skin.
Steamed Grouper With Nyonya Yellow Sauce (黄汁炡石斑鱼) is served with a thick, turmeric-based sauce. The fish is very fresh as evidenced by its fine texture. Usually the whole fish is served. But for fewer people, the kitchen can also prepare this dish in fillet form.
As for vegetables, the restaurant recommends Fried Scallops With Broccoli & Pine Nuts (松果玉带, RM38.00). Flavored with light oyster sauce, the juicy scallops blend well with broccoli, carrots and dried scallops.
Richman’s Fried Rice (有钱佬炒饭, RM28.00) has a peculiar name indeed. The name reflects the fact that this dish uses premium ingredients like scallops and prawns. Overall, the fried rice is nicely cooked and has an amazing aroma while it is warm.
For private events like wedding dinners, Zhonghua Gourmet has a range of course meals starting from RM568.00 per table. On special requests, the restaurant also provides off-site catering services. As for dim sum lovers, Zhonghua Gourmet offers 50% discount on selected items during lunch hours. I look forward to tasting the dim sum here.
Name: Zhonghua Gourmet (中华海鲜鱼翅)
Address: 66, Jalan Penang, 10000 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-818-2268
Business hours: 9:00am-2:30pm, 6:00pm-9:30pm (Sunday), 11:00am-2:30pm, 6:00pm-9:30pm (Monday-Saturday)
Website: http://www.zhonghua-seafood.com
Coordinates: 5.42149 N, 100.33232 E
Directions: Cititel Penang is a 16-floor building at Penang Road (Jalan Penang). Zhonghua Gourmet is located at the far end from the main entrance. To park, drive past the lobby and up the ramp to Level 2. Parking is charged at RM6.00 per entry. Zhonghua Gourmet rebates the parking fee during the next visit.
