KEN HUNTS FOOD: Qi Xiang Fish Head Steamboat (奇香铜碳鱼头火锅) @ Raja Uda, Butterworth, Penang.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Qi Xiang Fish Head Steamboat (奇香铜碳鱼头火锅) @ Raja Uda, Butterworth, Penang.

With so many festive seasons around the corner, eating hotpot is undoubtedly a fun thing to do with friends. The folks at Raja Uda would probably recommend Zi Wei Yuan Steamboat but the younger foodies may think otherwise. Another recommendation is Qi Xiang Fish Head Steamboat, a 4-month old establishment on along Jalan Raja Uda. The clamoring crowd does not lie; they have started the business operation for less than 2 months and has since, proven to be one of the favorite family restaurants by the local residents. They specialize in serving Fish Head Hotpot, just like the market leader- Zi Wei Yuan. There are of course, many other condiments that one could dump in but to save all the hassle, we'd recommend to go for their set menu. The place is fully air-conditioned, with ample seating space so we are not surprised on the popularity of the place.

Qi Xiang uses Charcoal as fuel so the temperature can be quite hot. There were more than 10 of us so we decided to go for their Rm 238 set (full menu available below), with some add-ons. The soup comes with some Deep Fried Fish Head and chunks of meat but there will be more that comes along with the set. We were pleasantly delighted to know that they cut their Fish Meat in huge slices and chunks, it could not be more satisfying than munching on a big chunk of Fish. Ingredients were fresh and cooking the food was hassle-free. On the soup base, it was slightly over-seasoned to taste and it gets a tad too salty towards the end. If anything that I was impressed with Qi Xiang... it would only be their Deep Fried Fish and their tangy, refreshing Chili dip.