KEN HUNTS FOOD: Soo Guan Restoran 思源茶室 @ Lebuh Presgrave, Georgetown, Penang.

Monday, July 27, 2020

Soo Guan Restoran 思源茶室 @ Lebuh Presgrave, Georgetown, Penang.

Originated from Kangar (Perlis), Soo Guan Restoran 思源茶室 is a long established restaurant specializing in dishing out Hainanese delights since 1950's. The place is known for its classic, traditional Hainanese eats... their Hainanese Chicken Chop is especially popular amongst the other dishes. In its 3rd generation, the proprietor decides to open a branch in Penang... with the restaurant located at one of the heritage houses along Lebuh Presgrave. The food offering still revolves around Hainanese delights- from Chicken Chop to Hainanese Toasts and Stir Fries etc. Nothing spectacular about the interior decor but comfortable enough for a quick fix.

Soo Guan Hainanese Chicken Chop (Rm 17.50)

Colonial Hailam Style Beef Stew (Rm 28)

Mee Hailam (Rm 12.90)

Home-Style Mushroom Soup with Garlic Toast (Rm 10)

Soo Guan's Mushroom Soup was lovely... thick, rich with bold earthy flavor; an instant differentiation between quality ones and watered down ones. The accompanying Garlic Toast was a lovely add-on. The highlight of the meal was probably Soo Guan Hainanese Chicken Chop... boneless Chicken thigh with batter fried till perfection and served with home-made Hainanese sauce.... which carried the unique, discernible Worcestershire sauce with a hint of Tomato. We were happy to see Onion slices on top of the Chicken Chop... which is deemed to be one of the important elements for Hainanese Chicken Chop. Great flavors, juicy Chicken but the portion can be a little larger. Equally delicious was the Colonial Hailam Style Beef Stew... a rich stew believed to have been cooked for hours; everything was cooked to fork-tender and carried a flavorful punch, would be even better if a puff pastry is served on top (to make it a pie). Lastly the Mee Hailam, classic stir fried noodles... the sauce was a little watery but the flavor was there. A pleasant surprise that they replaced Yellow Noodles with another type of noodles... which turned out to be firmer and less-soggy.