Do you love dishes cooked in claypot? Have you ever tried claypot rice before? Claypot cooking is a technique of cooking food in an unglazed claypot which has been soaked in water so as to release steam during the cooking process. Cooking with claypot has been stretching back at least to ancient Roman times, and is commonly used in several cuisines in Africa, Europe and Southeast and East Asia.
This round of introduction, we will be heading to the place that will serve most of the food in claypot. This place has been up and running for quite sometime. However the owner of this shop has changed, and so do the chefs and workers. This place is called Claypot Restaurant.
It is not hard to locate this place. If you know how to drive to hillside of Tanjung Bungah where 7-11 hillside Tanjung Bungah is located, the main road next to it is called Jalan Sungai Kelian. Just turn into that road and along the road you will see Huat Heng Cafe on your right. Keep driving for another 50 meters and Claypot Restaurant is just down the road.
There are both indoor and outdoor dining areas that cater for smokers and non-smokers. This place can cater up to 15 tables.
Meat Dishes are as below:
- Claypot Salted Fish Chicken
- Claypot Herbal Chicken
- Claypot Ginger Chicken
- Claypot Vinegar Pork
- Claypot Ginger Beef
Claypot Herbal Chicken – RM10.00. The chicken meat was cooked together with dried wolfberries, red dates, dang gui and ginseng root. This dish was prepared in traditional Chinese Tonic Soup.
The tenderness of the beef slices was so soft after braised for long hours. The gravy was not too salty and it is a great dish to go with rice.
Claypot Ginger Chicken – RM8.00, the chicken cubes were braised with chopped garlic, dried chilies, and ginger slices. The gravy was also mixed with seasoned bean paste that made the aroma thicker.
This is a hot and spicy dish with strong aroma. This is my favorite dish. For those who enjoy eating hot and spicy food, you will definitely love this dish.
Claypot Salted Fish Chicken – RM8.00. The chicken was cut into cubes and then marinated and stewed. After sometime it was then cooked together with salted fish and mushroom slices.
The scent of the salted fish was very nice and blended in very well with the chicken cubes.
The pork trotter cuts used were soft due to its amount of fat which might not be suitable to those health-conscious diners. This particular dish is very suitable for pregnant ladies or those with low blood pressure.
Vegetable Dishes are as below:
- Claypot Brinjal with Minced Pork
- Claypot Spinach Soup with Centry Eggs
- Stir Fried Chinese Chive Flower Buds with Shredded Meat
- Stir Fried Long Beans with Prawns
- Sambal & Stir Fried ‘Dou Miao’ (Snow Pea Shoots)
Stir Fried ‘Dou Miao’ (Snow Pea Shoots) – RM8.00. The snow peas shoot were stir fried with chopped garlic and some seasoning sauce.
It was a very simple yet tasty dish. It was not salty and you can still feel the freshness of the vegetable. I am a veggie lover, therefore I love this dish a lot.
This soup was nice but it still lacks some touch of salted duck egg and some dried shrimps. I would personally feel that this soup will be more perfect if added these 2 items.
The pan-fried aroma was very nice for this dish. The long beans were not over cooked while the prawns were fresh. It was a delicious dish.
The brinjal (eggplant) still managed to maintain its juiciness and were not overcooked while the sautéed minced meat was not too salty. It was a great combination.
There is a myth that by consuming Chinese Chives it will enhance “man’s power” and will be more durable. I am not too sure about that. The taste was all right with the fragrance coming from the sautéed chopped garlic but the vegetables were a bit too fibrous for my consumption. They should have chosen less matured ones with more flowers for this dish.
Drinks list as below:
- Loh Han Guo with Chrysanthemum
- Shan Cha with Appril
- White Nutmeg Juice
The dining arrangement that catered for around 10 pax with all the selected dishes above.
Overall, the taste of the food here is in acceptable range. The price of the food here is reasonable too and the ambiance here is cozy and family-friendly. The drawback here is there are limited car parks available and no private rooms provided.
Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):
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Quick Facts:
| Family Friendly |  |
| Parking |  |
| Pork Free | |
| Alcohol | |
| Credit Card | |
| Smoking | |
| Reservation | |
| Private Room | |
| WIFI Available | |
Operation hours: 12.00 noon – 3.00 pm, lunch; 6.00 pm – 10.30 pm, dinner (Close on Monday)
Contact: 04-899 7987
Address:48, Jalan Sungai Kelian,Tanjung Bungah, 11200 Penang.
GPS: 5° 46′ 41.99″ N, 100° 28′ 98.34″ E