Unlike the traditional hot pot where you dip the raw ingredients into boiling hot broth to make it cooked, there is a new serving method- Mala Xiang Guo... to stir fry the ingredients with sauce, usually inspired by the Sze Chuan Mala Hot Pot (the same Chili-Peppercorn combo). Mala Xiang Guo 无辣不欢 is one of the specialists in town that offers such cooking... there is a self-pick counter where one chooses his preferred ingredients (the usual range of Yong Tofu products and fresh vegetables) and pay according to the weight of the ingredients. Prices for both meat and vegetables can be different and are displayed right on top of the display counter. Once done with the weighing, the server will then ask for the preferred cooking method (soup version is also available) and if Mala Xiang Guo is chosen, the spiciness shall be indicated (from mild to insanely spicy). Worth trying if you are into the Mala series... but do be caution on picking the ingredients and it has potential to break the budget by overly taking more ingredients than necessary.
Individual Mala Base (Rm 3) + Meat (Rm 21.54) + Vegetables (Rm 7.61) + Instant Noodles (Rm 2)
Signature Soup (Rm 3) + Meat (Rm 14.16) + Vegetables (Rm 17.36) + Glass Noodles (Rm 2)
The base price for individual would be Rm 3 and Rm 5 for group (sharing); while every 100 grams for vegetables would be Rm 3.90 and meat would be Rm 5.90. It's a no brainer that most diners would go for the Mala version but we had both Mala and Soup versions. Mala Xiang Guo's rendition for Mala was quite good.... well-spiced backed with sufficient numbness and not overly greasy (though still greasy for us). The whole concoction (with the sauce) did not feel too salty and good enough to eat on its own (though some would prefer to go with white rice). The soup version was nothing out of the ordinary... something like any Yong Tofu place could offer. We suggest skipping the soup version and go straight to the Mala Xiang Guo.
Ratings:
Taste: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Price: 6.5/10 (1-3 expensive, 4-7 average, 8-10 cheap)
Service: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Parking: 6.5/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Ambiance: 7.5/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Non-Halal
Service Charge: No
Government Tax: No
Additional Information:
Business Hours: 11 am to 3 pm, 6 pm to 10 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.
Contact Number: 6010- 566 8373
By far this is the best MalaXiangGuo I've eaten in Penang. The first and the best.
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