Dehappy Seafood Restaurant @ Penang in Malaysia

The tummy was rumbling after we checked in to our hotel in Penang, St Giles Wembley and since it's our official first meal; let's have seafood! My last-minute research brought me to the nearby Dehappy Seafood Restaurant, that had the view of the towering Komtar at the back!

Commanding a decent review score of 4.1 from over 1,000 reviewers on Google Maps, we found a spacious non-air-conditioned restaurant. With its high ceiling, and ceiling fans, ventilation was good and I don't remember feeling hot and humid when I was dining there.

Live seafood tanks with their prices clearly marked out; crabs were RM200 per kilogram, Australian lobster was RM680 per kilogram etc. I am unsure about the prices for seafood, except for crabs where it would cost about S$100-S$120 per kilogram reputable seafood restaurants in Singapore. 

Loving the free tissue dispenser and the plastic gloves! In Singapore, the restaurants would have charged us for wet tissue, although some would provide us with a large bowl of lime water to wash our hands. Speaking of that, I think they stopped providing the lime water after COVID-19; guess for hygiene reasons. 

Mom would have nodded her head in agreement to see the cut green chilli. For me, I actually fell in love with the coarsely chopped garlic; more about it later. 

Pu-er Tea - knowing the amount of seafood we would be ordering for just two persons, a pot of tea would be the most suitable beverage to make us feel less sinful about our meal. 

Seaweed Seafood Soup - while I love seaweed and was looking forward to having a nice, steaming hot bowl of seafood soup to placate my tummy before the rest of the seafood were served. 

Although it also contained prawns, squids, mushrooms, crabsticks and baby corns, the flavor was more seaweed than seafood. Seafood was generally tasteless with the exception of crab sticks, which are actually processed than real seafood. Disappointing.

Singapore Chilli Crab - first thing I do when it comes to chilli crab was to have a spoonful of their gravy, to determine if it meets the cut! And this gravy was nice; not watery, with cut chilli spiciness and loads of appetising garlic to whet my appetite! 

Pity the crab was pretty small at just about 500 grams and the meat was just insufficient to make this chilli crab dish satisfying! The larger Sri Lankan crabs would have been much better. 

Crispy Mantou Buns - only starch for us that night.

Thin, crisp shell with soft, sweet insides; the optimal combination for a fried bun that was perfect with the thick, delicious chilli crab gravy! Shiok max! 

Salted Egg Yolk Crab - despite the light salted egg batter, the flavor was weak and the meat was stuck to the crab shells, making the dining experience very frustrating! 

Shell was soft enough to be chewed through and ingested but I needed a conduit to up the flavor; here comes the chilli crab gravy to the rescue!  

Boiled Live Tiger Prawns - at just RM45 for seven plump tiger prawns, these tasted so fresh, with the crunchiness and sweetness much sought after by prawns lovers! 

Prawn lovers like Alex! 

What better way to taste the freshness of seafood than to boil / steam them! And to enhance the flavor, you would need the coarsely chopped garlic. I never knew it could make boiled prawns taste so unforgettable amazing! 

So unforgettable we returned the next day for the prawns again.

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Even though I wasn't happy with the seaweed seafood soup and the salted egg crab (this was a surprise as it was recommended by a few reviewers), just the prawns alone would make us return if we ever go back to Penang!

Address

58, Jalan Macalister, 

10400 George Town, 

Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Pu-er Tea - RM 8.00

Seaweed Seafood Soup - RM 12.00

Boiled Live Tiger Prawns (S) - RM 45.00

Singapore Chilli Crab - RM 100.00

Crispy Mantou Buns (S) - RM 6.00

Salted Egg Yolk Crab - RM 100.00

(Subject to Service Charge and Tax)

Click here for my Five Days 

Itinerary to Penang in 2024

Raohe Street Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市) - End 2023 at Taipei in Taiwan

It was just the wrong date to go to Raohe Street Night Market; easily one of the more popular night markets in Taipei, we visited on New Year's eve and facing us a large crowd! 

I didn't have a choice as it would be our official last day in Taiwan and I still haven't completed my souvenir shopping! And my intention was to get some snacks, including their signature butter pastry, from Yu Jan Shin 裕珍馨.

Total damage: almost S$100! I could have gotten more but as some of you are aware, the expiry date for the products is very short and that could be problematic when you buy them as gifts for family and friends. 

Street was jam-packed when I exited! Given that I had visited this night market in 2014, I am aware of the navigation which was simple; one straight street with stalls in the center, for about 500 meters. Let's immerse ourselves in the celebratory mood for the new year! 

Synonymous of night markets in Taiwan, food would be the main draw and that's the one thing I hate and love; love because they look so tempting and hate because I don't have the stomach capacity to eat everything!

Dog lovers would go crazy over the cute winter wear for their canine kids! Singapore dog lovers will not be keen given the hot climate we have, although those who switch on air-conditioning 24/7 for their dogs can still consider.

Hitting my head for not trying the above; we have heard of stinky tofu but I didn't know there'a a fries version that would have made eating them much easier, and on the move! Cost: 70 Taiwan dollars. 

Sea snails with beer??

Sorry, I shall give a miss.

Plants in cans that bloomed so beautifully!The varieties included basil, cherry pepper,  cypress vine, dahlia, English daisy, geranium, violet, lavender, mimosa, morning glory, oregana, parsley, pine, rosemary, sage, strawberry, spearmint, sage, thyme, sunflower, tomato,lavender, tomato, marigold etc.

Three cans for 300 Taiwan dollars and six cans for 500 Taiwan dollars (about S$20). I figured variety like strawberry wouldn't be possible in hot and humid Singapore and opted for options like spearmint. p.s. the first can I attempted sprouted but didn't survive as an idiot added too much water.

Drawing customers with the UV lights, kids would be disappointed to know that the items for sale were not toys;it's a takeaway cocktail bar! For reference, a gin tonic cost 170 Taiwan dollars whereas a long island iced tea was priced 270 Taiwan dollars. 

Awarded Michelin Plate from 2018 to 2023?! 

I must give this muah chee stall a try! 

A small serving for 50 Taiwan dollars and they were satisfying, being bigger in size than their counterparts in Singapore! From what I see, the boss would flatten the dough, pull in a scoop of sugar and sesame seeds, roll it up and then cover with peanuts and sesame seeds!

Hence, the muah chee burst with sweetness as the teeth bit through, and enticing the taste buds were the aroma of sesame seeds! p.s. the dough didn't stick to the teeth and the only thing that would make this perfect is to have a warmer muah chee! 

Preserved fruits!

Generally, I am agreeable with all the food stalls in Taiwan night markets. Only exception would be the braised pork stall; I can smell the 'stench' from far away and I would literally breathe through my mouth, instead of my nose.

Kaoz, grilled abalones!

Pricing: 100 Taiwan dollars each.

Instead octopus, prawn takoyaki, these came with just oysters which cost 150 Taiwan dollars for every serving. Thankfully, I don't enjoy oysters. 

Roast pork with crispy skin! I would have gladly gotten a small serving to share if the Greatest Kon were with. But with dad, who would likely remove the skin for health reasons, I shall just move on. 

Games, for adults, and kids.

Winter scarves, hats and gloves! Now that I am preparing for my Hanoi trip in December, I am at e dilemma; should I buy now in Singapore or do so when I am in Hanoi?

Fireworks and sparklers to issue in the new year! Just wondering if I would be able to get my hands on some fireworks when I am in Taiwan in January 2025... Been a while since I last played...

Nougat crackers and Tiramisu for sale; I was just commenting to my sister that I never like tiramisu given the coffee content. Nougat crackers can be quite nice, a new twist to a traditional biscuit that appeals mainly to the older generation.

Pan-fried dumplings!

Small - 60 Taiwan dollars.

Another clothing stall for your fur kids.

The stitch one is so cute!

I am one of those who love fridge magnets but not just any; I took great pride in choosing one that would be fit for my fridge but they are usually so pricey! These ones here were one of a kind and at 90 Taiwan dollars; they were reasonably priced.

Boxes of delicious looking strawberries! 

A secret for you; I drank from a milk bottle until I was eight years old and the above stall reminded me of this secret of mine that I almost scrubbed from my memory! By the way, this was 70 Taiwan dollars, with the free milk bottle.

Oh my god, they had this one too!? Known as the scholar cake, I had it before at Guangzhou Street Night Market and recalled it's like a tutu cake made using a unique cooking vessel!  

So tempted to get this ice fire polo bun that cost just 35 Taiwan dollars! 

Other random photographs taken on this short trip to Raohe Street Night Market. Personally, this night market would appeal to those who want more than just food, and I guess that's the reason why it ranks as one of the more popular ones in Taipei. 

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Address

Raohe St, Songshan District, 

Taipei City, Taiwan 105

Map

As above. 

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers