KEN HUNTS FOOD: Banana Beer Hauz @ Banana Boutique Hotel, Chulia Street, Penang.

Monday, December 21, 2020

Banana Beer Hauz @ Banana Boutique Hotel, Chulia Street, Penang.

Housed in one of the stately mansions in Georgetown, Banana Beer Hauz is the only restaurant found in Banana Boutique Hotel. It is easy to spot the boutique hotel but it is not a place that people would associate it with food. The exterior may seem overly simple but step in the place and you will be amazed by the beauty of old heritage design, gorgeously preserved from the past. You will be escorted to the main dining hall which has some basic tables and chairs. There's also a pond right in front of the dining area, bigger groups may request to take the private rooms (plenty of them) at the side. One would expect Nyonya or Western dishes here but the menu features quite a range of local delights- from Mee Udang to Hokkien Mee or Thai-styled noodles as well as various stir fries. Seafood is one of the key highlights here but fret not, items are reasonably priced here. The place also serves alcohols and could be a nice place for your evening chill outs.

Mee Udang (Rm 12)

Claypot Prawn Glass Noodles (Rm 18/ small)

Steamed Octopus (Rm 20)

The best seller and signature dish of Banana Beer Hauz is its Mee Udang. The broth may seem unpromising at first but the flavors were bold. It packed a powerful spicy kick as well. Not overly outstanding but definitely better than any average Mee Udang. We were also introduced to their Claypot Prawn Glass Noodles, a Thai-influenced dish. The flavor was alright but it was quite greasy, the glass noodles worked well with their home-made Sambal though. We also had an order of the Steamed Octopus which was less-satisfying. The portion seems to be smaller than expected and worst of all, the Octopus was overcooked. The texture was hard and plasticky, fortunately the dips were great.