Little Yong Sing Restaurant

Little Yong Sing Restaurant (小羊城火锅店) is one of George Town's latest steamboat restaurants. It has been on the headlines of Penang's culinary scene recently due to its unique buffet style which includes premium items like beer and Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

This steamboat restaurant occupies two shop units on Lebuh Melayu. Tables are spaced well apart from each other to avoid overcrowding. The ambience is generally favorable due to good ventilation, with the exception of several "blind spots" like my table.

An induction cooker has been built into each table. Utensils like ladles, tongs and sieves are provided, as well as aluminum plates and bowls. There is a tiered rack beside each table to allow diners to clear table of food leftovers and used tableware.

Little Yong Sing Restaurant currently offers 3 types of soup. The signature choice is Fish Head Soup (鱼头汤). Meanwhile, Tom Yam Soup (东炎汤) is quite spicy and is better suited for certain items especially raw fish. As each table is limited to 2 types of soup, I was not able to try the Herbal Soup (药材汤) yet. According to the staff, more soup choices will be introduced in due time.

The seafood section of the buffet line is very popular, as the restaurant provides several premium items. The most highly sought items are crabs, including the large flower crab (花蟹) that is served as a whole. Horse crab (肉蟹) is also available, but it comes in smaller sizes.

Other delicacies of the marine kingdom are seawater shrimps, freshwater shrimps (also known as udang galah), scallops, mussels, clams, squid, sea cucumber and pomfret. It is soon evident that the restaurant spares no expense in its buffet line-up.

Meanwhile, other types of steamboat ingredients are nicely presented in refrigeration units with handwritten labels. There are several dozen of different items to choose from!

For fresh meat, Australian venison (澳洲鹿肉片) is a must-have delicacy if you do not mind its intense flavor. New Zealand mutton (纽西兰羊肉片) is not bad too; I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Australian beef (澳洲牛肉片) is another scrumptious treat. Meanwhile, spicy fish fillet (咖哩鱼肉) is best enjoyed with Tom Yam Soup. Local chicken (本地鸡肉片) and local pork (本地猪肉片) are also available too.

Should customers prefer minced meat instead, there are also minced chicken (鸡肉碎) and minced pork (猪肉碎). Each serving comes with a quail egg (鹌鹑蛋), which is meant to be mixed with minced meat to make it tenderer. Each plate is covered with food wrap to provide the meat from drying up.

Diners who fancy pork innards can help themselves with some pork stomach (猪肚) and pork intestines (猪肠). Meanwhile, fried fish (炸鱼肉) is also made available, although I personally prefer raw fish in this case.

As for processed meat, ham meat balls (火腿肉丸), lobster balls (龙虾丸) and cheese balls (芝士丸) are popular choices. These items have intrinsic saltiness within, so they tend to cause the soup to become saltier.

Taiwanese sausage (台湾香肠) and seafood tofu (海鲜豆腐) should not be alien to frequent steamboat-goers. I like the mild sweetness provided by the former.

For something handcrafted, check out the Fuchow dumplings (福州鱼饺) and fried dumplings (炸云吞).

Finally, there are also smoked duck (烟熏鸭肉) and pork rind (猪皮) which I highly recommend. I think they are better paired with Fish Head Soup as Tom Yam Soup tends to overwrite their flavors.

Are you fond of mushrooms? Little Yong Sing Restaurant has a freezer compartment stocked with shiitake mushrooms (新鲜花菇), oyster mushrooms (鲍鱼菇), enoki mushrooms (金针菇) and shimeji mushrooms (白玉菇).

As most steamboat items are meaty in nature, it is prudent to take some fresh vegetables to even things out. There are over a dozen types of vegetables to choose from, including yau mak (油麦), emperor vegetable (帝王菜), sweet pea (甜豆) and baby corn (玉米心).

There are also a handful types of noodle at the buffet line. Unfortunately, my stomach is reaching capacity, so I have to make a pass at the noodles section.

To certain people, condiments are also an integral part of the steamboat experience. In keeping tradition of overwhelming diners with choices, Little Yong Sing Restaurant prepares over 20 different types at customers' disposal. Examples of condiments are sesame oil (芝麻油), sweet chili sauce (甜辣酱), plum sauce (酸梅酱), sha cha sauce (沙茶酱) and tai jin sauce (太京酱).

At the conclusion of a hearty meal, visit the dessert section where there are various types of cut fruits to enjoy. Also included are corn desserts (玉米糖水) and snow fungus dessert (雪耳糖水). Each serving is individually packed in a plastic container for sanitary and convenience reasons.

Unlimited access to Häagen-Dazs ice cream is one reason why many people are attracted to this restaurant. There are usually 6 flavors available at any time, with new ones being introduced on substitution basis.

Vanilla, Coffee, Salted Caramel, Chocolate flavors are the crowd favorites. I like compact and creamy consistency in Häagen-Dazs' ice cream.

Mango & Raspberry is a less common but still delectable ice cream flavor. Diners who have an affinity for buttery flavors can also opt for Cookies & Cream. Customers can also indulge in Nestlé's chocolate-coated drumstick ice cream, which is of premium quality.

As for drinks, there are several types of herbal tea and carbonated drinks. The drinks refrigerator is placed behind a bar to minimize wastage. Just ask the bartender for help to get you your beverage of choice.

My personal favorite drinks are coconut water. There are two types of coconut served at Little Yong Sing Restaurant: Thai and pandan. Both are satisfying in their own ways.

Each customer to given a "casino" token which can be used to redeem a bottle of Skol beer. Served chilled, the beer is enjoyable for its frothy and smooth consistency. If you want more beer, simply surrender the empty bottle to get a new one!

The buffet at Little Yong Sing Restaurant is normally priced at RM88.00 for adults, and RM59.00 for children. This month, the promotional prices are RM69.00 and RM49.00 respectively. It is also interesting to note that De Paella will soon be reopened upstairs. I have been missing this Spanish restaurant ever since its original location at Lorong Seck Chuan closed.

Name: Little Yong Sing Restaurant (小羊城火锅店)
Address: 31 & 33, Lebuh Melayu, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-263-6333
Business hours: 6:00pm-1:00am
Website: Click here
Coordinates: 5.41352 N, 100.33501 E
Directions: Little Yong Sing Restaurant is located on the one-way Lebuh Melayu, just after its intersection with Lorong Ikan. Street parking is available on both sides of Lebuh Melayu.