“If it swims, we have it” ??? Oh Right, I swim. Means I may end up in their wok? [Sorry: obvious cheap joke.] Anyway, during our April 2011 trip, we decided to give it a try, although personally I was not expecting a lot, even if the restoran was recommended by some local floggers.
I anticipated it would be expensive without reaching high-end quality service. Right I was unfortunately. On the other hand, their many cooks and chefs’ cooking skills were doing a correct and professional job. In fact, to be completely honest, Bali Hai is not really a tourist trap like many other places are. It’s a money trap, so, if you agree to pay their prices, food quality is not an issue. Fresh seafood is great and not that difficult to cook. In my book cooking, grilling, ‘wokking’ or steaming some nice garupa, crab, prawns or other seafood has to be done in the simplest way to get the best results.
Perhaps some readers might think I’m too critical. Well, yes I’m getting more critical when the restaurant charges top bucks and pretends to offer top quality. In fact I try to remain very much “feet on earth”. A small kopitiam or a big hawker centre in a loud environment? No problem. But if you want to charge big money, you better get me state-of-the-art service. Otherwise big no-no. Allow me to explain it this way: If I want to have some food in a small snack bar charging me a few bucks, I can be forgiving about service mistakes and will accept small bloopers. On the other hand, when my wife and I are going to take a bill of a XXX Euros/pounds/dollars in a so-called top end place, everything has to be just as close to perfection as possible, it’s as simple as that.
Back to Bali Hai: I asked for fresh live fish suggestions. The waitress came with a seriously declared and confirmed small dead fish of a disputable “brand”, size about 700 grams. Asked about the price: 100 Ringgit !!! Right, so… thanks but no thanks! My guess: if you are a western expat or tourist, price goes up by 25% at least? Anyone to confirm or deny this out there? This Ang Mo is not buying and is not buying fish or crabs from the live aquariums neither, as they sell at about the price of gold. If I would have ordered the same number of plates we usually order in other local seafood places, we easily would have spent 350+ MYR for food alone! According to what I regard as Penang standards, that is way overpriced, especially for this kind of more or less open-air setting. Those guys are competing in price with the 32Mansion without playing in the same league.
Anyway, finally we ordered some plates from their general menu - mixed fish chunks and veggies; deep-fried squid etc.- Stuff that didn’t need me to take out a second mortgage on our home. Quality wise, it was good and decent food without being exceptional. … I’m sure the crabs, garupa, sea bass etc would have tasted better. I just was not ready to pay the price.
In short, I made a mental note to myself, not to come back. I mean, in a place like Penang you can get very fresh and excellent seafood for prices that do not have to compete with Saint-Tropez’ like jet-set places. Doh! Doh! Triple doh-lah!!!
About the Bali Hai Seafood Market itself: it’s a nice restoran situated along Gurney Drive’s prime location coast-line . It reminds me in a way of my native Brussels’ ”Ilot Sacré“ touristic area near ‘La Grand Place’. Very much an eye-catching place but unfortunately also very much overpriced and good quality only in a few places. Locals know, unfortunately tourists get trapped!
Bali Hai employs a lot of friendly service staff ( although their training could be better) and a number of good local chinese cooks and helpers doing a fine job in the kitchen. I understand their system is attractive for tourists to whom it will look like the (real clean) tropical local food paradise. Indeed, I know the “looks” and (lack of) decoration of some smaller local restorans tend to put off less adventurous visitors. (Walls not Swiss-like clean-looking, cigarette butts on the floor, very basic tables and seats…)
Amazing as it sounds: for some of the local penangite clientèle, places like Bali Hai also tend to exert some kind of attraction (???), maybe for a special occasion when making a point (aka showing off) is more important than the price/quality relation. I believe it’s a cultural thing that westerners are not really grasping. I’ve seen the same happening in Hong Kong’s expensive restaurants when local Honky patrons were ordering bottles of Chateau Petrus to impress their guests. Followed then by adding ice cubes to their wine! Argh …pure and plain blasphemy in my book!!!
To conclude, Bali Hai Seafood Market is worth a visit if you don’t mind the prices they charge. If you come by car, you can park along the seaside for a minimal parking fee, or at a parking lot behind the restoran.
Personally, I prefer to patronize the many other good seafood places in and around Georgetown. If not looking as “nice” or trendy, they are [according to my personal taste] more authentic, serve great quality and are very much loved by people who don’t care for todays superficial bling-bling attitude.
Hey Jay-P, I agree that Bali-Hai is pretty much a tourist trap and over priced. But, both my partner and I love the food, the noise, the theatrical of the place, the noise, big fans blowing cold air, the “Carlsberg salesgirl” versus the “Tiger salesgirl” trying to get you to buy another bottle of beer!. Their best dishes are the Thai/Chinese style dishes which are really spicy, sour, sweet and salty. Anyway, we didn’t go there on our last trip since we found another place – better and cheaper at Batu Maung. Probably a bit too far for you and your wife to travel from town.
Hi Victor,
Yes Bali-Hai has its funny people & funny beer girls and yes it is maybe a must-try-once, but no, we won’t go back. There are many other places that offer quality seafood.
About Batu Maung, I think I know that restaurant. We ate there a few years ago when they still were operating from that older place on the beach. We haven’t tried the new place yet but we are planning a visit near the end of the year as too busy to take a break now.
But I’m feeling the need as our last vist was in April!
it is a nice restaurant but the price is way too expansive mostly double or triple compare to other restaurant,we order some grouper,local crab,noodles and 1 plate of clam,which cost us RM400.they mostly focus on foreigners,but the place is clean and tidy,a place for family reunion or special occasion.