Herbal Steamboat @ Restoran Kwan Kee (Brinchang, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia)

One of the things i regretted not doing when i was in Cameron Highlands back in 2009 was that i never had any steamboat! And this time, i swore to try it no matter what! Having my parents with me made it easier since my mom loves any hot, soupy stuff!

The problem was; which steamboat restaurant should i try? With almost every Chinese restaurant in Brinchang town having the steamboat option, the Teo family was spoilt for choices!

Eventually we settled for Restoran Kwan Kee partially because of its colourful facade and the use of charcoal (instead of the usual gas or electricity) for steamboat. Charcoal, according to my mom, almost always guarantees a better broth.

Offering up to three different soups, the popular Yuan Yang (combination of two soup bases) steamboat favoured by Singaporeans was not available for charcoal. Herbal soup was selected purely due to the uncertainty of what to expect.

At a great deal of only RM15 per person, you get a wide range of raw ingredients; meat, vegetables and noodles! The three pictures above should be sufficient to give you a rough idea of what we had.

The strong herbal soup base coupled with a sweetness from gou qi zi (Chinese wolfberries) was fulfilling for the family and especially suitable when it started drizzling in the cool Cameron Highlands!

Now's the reason why Kwan Kee was selected out of the many steamboat restaurants; this long and thick phallic funnel! Besides preventing the charcoal sparks from jumping into your soup, it has the cool function of hyping the overall dining experience!

For one, it was really exciting as i was under the impression that it will topple anytime! Like "Spin The Bottle", you never know who will be the lucky one!

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Location

In Brinchang town. Along the shophouses right beside the only KFC in Cameron Highlands!

Additional Information

Like many other steamboat restaurants, tze char dishes are available for ordering - with some that cost almost the same price back in Singapore! Seriously, it's enough (and filling) to just order the steamboat.