Sometimes, all you want in a dine out menu is a trustworthy meal – a dish you know will satisfy the taste buds, you know what’s in it, and that won’t break the bank.
At Penang Palace, you know the staff care about their guests. No fewer than three visits to the table, and one from the boss, was a giveaway of that.
Salt and pepper spare ribs proved just the trick, with fried pork sprinkled with a delicate mix of capsicum, onion, garlic, chives and a spot of chilli oil.
Add a side of special fried rice, with prawns larger than those little tiny ones that come in the all-you-can-eat buffet version, and a generous portion of Chinese-style pork.
Portion that with some mussels and a smothering of chilli sauce, a couple of bevvies of your choosing, and if the Australian vernacular is appropriate for a Chinese-Malay restaurant, Bob’s your uncle.
Penang Palace, on Bryants Road, Shailer Park, has undergone a recent renovation which means it’s clean and tidy, set back off the main road with a convenient car park.
From the road, it looks like one of those exclusive clubs you need some sort of membership to enter. Rather, it’s a simple setting with Chinese decor and terrific service.
The most surprising part of this journey is perhaps the price.
Most dishes range from $12-$15, and the sizes are more than generous. Most couples will get away with a $50 or less bill here, including drinks. By today’s dining out standards, that’s a bargain.
There’s a sign at the front offering $8.90 lunch specials.
Not too many Chinese restaurants will offer two quail for $13, or boneless duck for less than $20. Like most Chinese restaurants however, there’s plentiful choice on the menu – either dine in or takeaway.
