Love to Eat: Weld Quay Seafood Restaurant; The Big Tree

Sunday 3 October 2010

Weld Quay Seafood Restaurant; The Big Tree

The Big Tree or 大树脚, a well-known name for seafood that is located nearby the Penang ferry port.

The name comes from the big tree in front of the restaurant, a giant tree that has grown through the roof top. In fact, the restaurant is called Weld Quay Seafood Restaurant.

There's a lot of fresh seafood here, ranging from various types of fish, crab, prawn, squid to different shapes of clams. All the fresh ingredients are put inside the big trays, to ease the customers to make our choices.

One of the specialty here is the welcoming snack; the small squares of papadum in the curry. I think it's fish curry as it turns out to be a little bit sour; a good appetizer to stimulate my hunger.

Our main character of the day is the Teow Chew Style Steamed Fish潮州蒸鱼. The fish is steamed together with tofu, tomato, mushroom, meat, plum and cili padi; that gives sourness and spiciness to the soup itself, very refreshing to open up our appetite. The soup is very sweet itself, till we can't stop if to lick the whole plate. Next big boss is the Pork Knuckle猪脚 that is boiled in dark soy sauce. It looks delicious? The dark soy sauce is having a nice aroma and on correct seasoning, but regretly to say that the pork knuckle is not boiled sufficiently. Both the meat and the skin are too hard, too chewy; imagining of chewing the rubber.

We've ordered their Herbal Steamed Chicken药材炖鸡 as well. The chicken is steamed with different types of herbs inside the tin paper. The soup is very clear yet very sweet. As well with the meat, it's soft and juicy as the herb taste has been absorbed into the meat.

I've ordered the Kung Po Style Prawn Mantis宫保虾羔. I've not much complaints as prawn mantis has always been my all-time favourite, but it's well expected that fried prawn mantis meat will not be so fresh. Anyway, the sauce is sour and sweet enough to go well with the white rice. Besides, here comes the

Sambal Belacan Kangkong马来风光 and the Fried Egg with Mixed Vege芙蓉蛋. I personally think that the Sambal Belacan is a little bit too salty but luckily it's compensated by the fresh, green vegetable.

芙蓉蛋 is the fried egg with various chopped vege and sometimes with chopped prawn meat as well. This is a great disappointment to me as the egg has been over-cooked that it has the burnt smell.