宴宾阁酒楼 Yan Bin Ge Restaurant

You see, there isn't much option when it comes to dining in Damai Laut unless you eat hotel food which I do not really fancy. It's not that everyday I get to Fuzhou predominantly area so I want to eat the local food. Driving for 20km++ out to Sitiawan town again, we headed to Yan Bin Ge Restaurant for dinner. I have bookmarked this restaurant as one of our dinner places before our trip. ◾Oyster Omelette - true to Sitiawan's style, the omelette was very crispy and delicious. Oysters were a bit small but fair amount was given. ◾Nyonya style squid - whetted my appetite straight away and even the son added another bowl of rice because of the tasty gravy. ◾Kung Po mantis shrimp - they have done the Kung Po sauce justice, as their rendition of this dish was one of the better ones that I'd tried. ◾Fried Butter Chicken Cube - the safe choice for the girls who doesn't eat spicy. ◾Fried Taufu with minced meat - gotta love the crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside beancurd topped generously with minced meat and crispy chai por (if I'm not wrong) ◾Fu Zhou style sticky tofu soup as the minister couldn't resist drinking soup. Yan Bin Ge is one of the most popular restaurants in Sitiawan and I was made aware that waiting time can be very long if they are packed. Lucky for me, it was a weekday evening and I didn't have to wait too long for my food.

It was my first visit here. Interior was nothing great. We booked the food in advance but still needed to wait 45 minutes for it. It was full house on a Saturday night. The dishes were served all at once and in big plates. Table was too small to fit all. We had to divide out some of the food to clear the plates to make space on the table. That was a bit chaotic. The food was delicious. Although I don't find anything great about the signature sweet sour pork on ice. Prefer the traditional style anytime. Chicken was crispy and the citrus sauce was great, yam well with mixed veg was yummy but not enough, deep fried squid rings was crispy, hotplate tofu was soft, birthday noodles (fried longevity noodles) was tasty and not oily. Lastly the yin yang cod fish was smooth and delicious. It was so overpriced though. Cost more than the other dishes in total. The most expensive cod fish dish I've ever tasted (RM200++) for 8 pax per table. There was no fixed price when we booked and was told its seasonal price and needed to weigh before cooking. Really a dish I can do without!! Service was okay.

The hidden gem in Sitiawan! In my view better than the popular ones e.g. Lido Beijing etc. They were quite busy on weekends afternoon so do expect a waiting time, but the food is worth the wait. Fresh and yum! We ordered small and were pleasantly surprised by the size. Very reasonable price. The iced sweet & sour pork was quite underwhelming and the fish maw weren't of the best quality, but suits the price point. I'd recommend this place for group/family dinner.

Good place for dinner. Seems to be frequented by locals. Seafood was good and quite pleased to be able to order mantis shrimp here.

The foods overall was delicious. Really enjoyed our lunch. Highlighly recommended and will go again.

Hidden gem. Affordable prices, amazing amazing food packed with flavor. - their specialty clams were out of this world. Clams used were very fresh and the flavor explodes in your mouth. - tofu had great texture and flavor. Simple yet scrumptious - curry fish tastes great! The original version of this dish was sold out, so fish meat slices were used instead as a replacement. - iced sweet sour pork. This is a weird one, just gotta ignore the ice. Sweet sour pork was flavorful and fried to perfection. Crispy fluffy exterior. The ice was a bit weird but the taste of the pork redeems itself.

The food here is unsophisticated but great to the palate. Will definitely come again!

Overall the food was good. I would recommend the assam fish and salted egg french beans. Their Thai style tofu was pretty good but the baby kailan with garlic could have used more flavour. Prices were a little higher than I expected but not by a great deal.