Taiwan Porridge Buffet Lunch, Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang

Taiwan Porridge Buffet Lunch (4 September 2016)

Taiwan Porridge Buffet Lunch is a porridge buffet held at Hu Ji Chinese Restaurant in Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang. The buffet is held during lunch on Saturdays, Sundays, and on public holidays from 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm.

My wife and I had the pleasure of trying out this buffet lunch on 4 September, 2016. Both of us love porridge, and it isn't often that we come across a porridge buffet. So we very much look forward to this buffet. The restaurant opens at 12:00 noon, but because I am meeting up with the restaurant team to do a session for my Tim Introduces restaurant series, we arrived half an hour earlier, and was warmly ushered into Hu Ji Chinese Restaurant by the Assistant F&B Manager, Mr Fauzi.

At the restaurant, Mr Fauzi introduced me to the various members of Hu Ji Restaurant, including the chef de partie, Chef Tai Kin Choy; the 1st cutter, Chef Ooi Boon Hin; the Chinese chef, Chef Phing Hon Loon; the F&B supervisor Mr Badlisham, and not forgetting the head chef, Chef Manokaran, whom I have met a few times before.

By the time I entered Hu Ji, I saw that the buffet has already been prepared ahead of my arrival. There is a choice of three different porridges namely the plain porridge, the sweet potato porridge and the monthly special, Szechuan-style chicken porridge.

At the main food island, I saw a wide array of dishes to be taken with the porridges. They include Fried Fish, Braised Chicken Feet with Black Mushrooms, Bitter Gourd Boat Stuffed with Minced Chicken, Stir-fried French Beans with Enoki Mushrooms, Yu Shiang Eggplant, Braised Vegetarian Kidney with Mushrooms & Ginger in Sesame Oil, Stir-fried Beancurd with Chives Flower, Omelette with Dried Radish, Steamed Chicken with Ginger, and the Monthly Special: Fried Rice with Seafood & Silver Anchovies.

Porridges aren't complete without its accompaniments, and they are all here, the eu char koay, salted duck egg, fermented beancurd tau joo, pickled radish, salted fish, salted vegetables, bird's eye chili, anchovies and peanuts.

In addition to the porridge items, the buffet also includes various desserts, including fruits, jellies, puddings, cakes and double-boiled papaya with white fungus. This being a Chinese restaurant, there's free flow of Chinese tea.

I enjoyed the buffet very much, and have to admit that I ate more than I should (and felt very full after that!) I particularly enjoyed the Szechuan style chicken porridge and the fried rice. As for the dishes, I love the Braised Chicken Feed with Black Mushrooms and the Yu Shiang Eggplant.

I noticed that the restaurant was quite full on the day of our visit. Perhaps quite a number of Chinese families enjoy coming here for a family lunch on weekends.

Booking a table

The Taiwan Porridge Buffet Lunch is priced at RM25.90 nett per adult, and RM15.50 nett per child aged 4-12. To book a table, contact Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang at 04 892 3333 ext 8960 during office hours, and ext 8701 after office hours, or email fb.cop@millenniumhotels.com