Bali Hai on Gurney Drive in Penang has become somewhat of a local seafood institution over the past few years. It’s packed almost every day of the week and has a good mix of locals and tourists all clamouring for fresh fish.

It’s a restaurant where I always take out-of-town visitors to if they’re in the mood for seafood.

A couple of weeks ago I went with a good mate of mine, George, from Canada, who is currently living it up (expat style) in Penang.

One of my favorite dishes at Bali Hai is crab fried with salted egg. An unusual but super tasty combination, Bali Hai’s version is less oily than the ones I have sampled at other places which is why I prefer it.

The salted egg gives the crab a nice kick without having to resort to the normal chilli route.

Another seafood item at Bali Hai which I love is the “big head” prawn. I don’t know the proper term for it (it’s not a yabbie or slipper lobster) but whenever I order it in Cantonese the literal translation is “big head prawn”

I always have the prawns done their “signature” way – which is cooked with Marmite.

I don’t know why, but Marmite is a BIG ingredient in Malaysian-Chinese cooking. Many Chinese restaurants I have been to offer some sort of  Marmite dish – and it tastes so good! I would never eat Marmite normally, but slip in a crab or a prawn or even some chicken and I will drink that shit!

Ok here’s a Cantonese seafood staple … squid deep-fried with salt and pepper seasoning. I can’t say that this dish was done very well as it wasn’t as crunchy as I would have liked.

I’ve had some really amazing versions of this in many Chinese restaurants around the world, so I was kinda disappointed in Bali Hai’s version. Not recommended.

I don’t know what this vegetable is called in English but its some kind of bean shoot and if fresh they are crunchy as hell and delicious.

Bali Hai’s version is fried with little silverfish (like tiny anchovies) so they give the shoots  a good salty flavor that is not too overpowering. Highly recommended!

You can’t have seafood in Penang without having at least one type of clam. I’ve seen restaurants which serve more than 10 types of clams and before I moved back here, I wasn’t even aware that there were so many different types of clams.

This one is fried with ginger and spring onion and is a classic Cantonese recipe.

Ok … for this last one, I have no idea what these are called but they are a fun thing to eat.

Kinda like escargots or “balitong”, you’ve got to carefully coax them out of their shell with a toothpick.

They are usually just blanched or dry roasted and served with chilli sauce for dipping. Fun fun fun!

If you happen to be in Penang and are in the mood for a little seafood, do drop by Bali Hai on Gurney Drive and give it a shot.

And remember to tell them I sent you!

Posted on November 19th, 2009 by BadBoyBen
Filed under: Bad News, Food