Penang diners keen on Taiwanese food have a new reason to head to Shangri-La Golden Sands this month. The hotel is running “The Essence of Taiwan” buffet from 16 to 25 July at Garden Café, bringing in two guest chefs from Shangri-La Far Eastern, Tainan, to cook up regional specialities not often seen on the island.
For ten nights, the hotel’s usual spread makes way for dishes drawn from across Taiwan, from coastal seafood towns to inland night markets. It gives diners a chance to try food that rarely appears on menus in Penang, cooked by chefs who trained and worked in the regions the dishes come from.
Chef Arthur Chen and Chef Wusen Lin have put together a menu built around Taiwan’s classic street and home-style dishes. The lineup includes Braised Flower Crab with Sesame Oil and Goji Berries, Chiayi Dongshi Oyster Omelette, Donggang-style Glutinous Rice with Sakura Shrimp, Shilin Crispy Chicken Cutlet, and Wok-fried Soft-shell Crab with Salted Egg Yolk, alongside other authentic favourites from across Taiwan.
The two chefs bring different strengths to the table. Chen draws on years of experience refining traditional Taiwanese recipes, while Lin brings a younger chef’s eye to regional dishes that rarely travel beyond the island. Together, their menu spans the range of Taiwanese cooking, from delicate seafood preparations like the flower crab and soft-shell crab dishes, to hearty fried and braised items such as the crispy chicken cutlet and glutinous rice. Each dish points to a different part of Taiwan: Chiayi’s coastal oyster trade, Donggang’s fishing culture, Shilin’s night market scene.
The buffet runs nightly from 6pm to 10pm. It costs RM198 nett per adult and RM99 nett per child, with prices inclusive of 10% service charge and 6% government tax. Diners can also redeem the meal through Shangri-La Circle points, at 713 points per adult and 356 points per child.
There is a buy-one-free-one promotion running throughout the period, applicable to adult buffet diners only. It gives couples and families a more affordable way to sample the full spread without committing to a full-price meal each.
Given the short ten-day window, those keen to try the menu should book ahead, especially over the weekends when demand for hotel buffets in Penang tends to be higher. Reservations can be made by calling 04-886 1911 or via WhatsApp at +6019 4090 726. In-house guests can also dial extension 7848 to reserve a table.
