Asam Belai Restaurant @ Nagore Square, Nagore Road, Georgetown, Penang
A new restaurant has taken over the shophouse that previously houses Money Houz which KayaButter blogged about last time. Two of the owners of Money Houz remained and they reopened the restaurant as Asam Belai. You will find some of the previous design and decoration in the shophouse. The most prominent change will be the signboard which says ‘Asam Belai, seafood in the pot’ for now. This is their 2nd branch as the main branch is somewhere in Jelutong market area. The restaurant is run by the daughter of the chef and her partner. The chef is her father who is a chef with more than 30 years of experience. The secret recipe used in cooking the ‘Asam Belai’ or sometimes spelt ‘Assam Belai’ is what makes their signature dish stands out.
Asam Belai is actually loosely translated from the Malay phrase which is Asam Pedas which literally means sour and spicy. It is a sour and spicy stew that comes with fish. It has some similarity with our Penang famous assam laksa.
*Update: These photos have been replaced with photos of their dishes.
They have more seats and tables on the 2nd floor. It is more suitable for youngsters as old people might have difficulties to climb their rather steep staircase. It is very typical of pre-war shophouses to have such steep staircase as they wish to optimise their space.
It is very generous of the owners to provide free water and Chinese tea for their patrons. It is indeed very helpful as it can be a bit spicy as you keep on drinking the soup of Asam Belai. The spiciness builds over the time but don’t worry, it is not very spicy and trust KayaButter, you will enjoy such spiciness.
Below are the 4 must-try dishes of Asam Belai restaurant as recommended by the owners and KayaButter confirmed that with our taste buds. In short and crude, ‘Damn shiok!’ The dishes come in two sizes; Small (2-3 pax), Large (5-6 pax). So, you can use this guide to gauge what size of the dish you should order for your group.
Asam Belai RM18 (Small) & RM38 (Large)
The sourness has enough ‘kick’ and the spiciness level is just nice to not overpower the sourish taste. Nice combination to make you keep wanting for more. It also serves as a very good appetiser. We literally nearly finished all the soup of this dish! Thumbs up!
Kam Heong Squid RM12 (Small) RM28 (Large)
The squid is nice and not too chewy! KayaButter love the sauce a lot. Kam Heong is a Cantonese phrase which literally means Golden Fragrance.
Asam Shrimp RM12 (Small) & RM28 (Large)
This is Kaya’s all-favorite dish and Asam Belai Restaurant’s version does not disappoint. It has strong flavour and ends with hints of sweetness from the sauce and also the seafood sweetness from the shrimps.
Tom Yam Chicken RM15 (Small) & RM35 (Large)
This is a rather unique dish which is the first time that KayaButter encounter. The fried chicken still retains some of its crunchiness and goes very well with the tom yam sauce. A very interesting dish. Must try!
For your information, you can actually ask the waiter/waitress about the dish of the day which is not found in the menu. You can also bring your own seafood and Asam Belai will prepare the seafood according to your request. You are to negotiate the price with the owner first before proceeding with your order. KayaButter heard that their Crab Meat Cuisine is good!
With a cosy environment, free flow of water/Chinese tea and reasonable price, Asam Belai Restaurant is the place to go for either your executive lunches or your family dinners whenever you are in Georgetown or Nagore Square.
Thanks Asam Belai Restaurant & Dr Hong from www.hcvvorld.com for the invitation.
contact information
Asam Belai Restaurant
77, Nagore Road,
10050 Georgetown, Penang.
Contact No: +604-226 3068
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/asambelai
business hours
Tuesday – Sunday
Close on Monday
11:30am – 2:30pm
5:30pm – 9:30pm