Yang Yang Ho River Food 洋洋好中泰河鲜 @ Bagan Samak, Bandar Baharu, Kedah

If we were yearning for a nice seafood meal yet wish to enjoy it in a quiet manner, we would head to the quiet new Chinese village in Bagan Samak, Kedah instead of the heavily visited restaurants in Tambun Penang. After two positive experience in Kang Fresh Water Food and Ng Hang Kee Fresh Water Seafood there, we decided to splurge at another restaurant - Yang Yang Ho River Food 洋洋好中泰河鲜 and it turned out to be another pleasant palate experience there.

Establishment of Second Penang Bridge aka Jambatan Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah has indeed bridge the connection between Penang Island and Penisular Malaysia. Using second Penang bridge, we reached Bagan Samak within 50 minutes from Penang town area. Although we arrived at Yang Yang Ho River Food during dinner hour, there were still plenty of tables available in this spacious restaurant.

Our main objective here is to test Marble Glory (RM 130/kg), or better known as "Lam Kor" among the locals. Lam Kor is one of the precious catch in river and second to Empurau. Having said that, Lam Kor is considered as an expensive fish due to its firm texture and relatively higher fat content. It is best eaten by steaming it and drenched with premium soy sauce.

We were served a 900gm Lam Kor (RM 117) and the cooking was well done to preserve the fish freshness and firmness, though the pectoral's flesh may feel a tad stiffness. Try not to put chili or garlic as it will kill the natural pleasant taste of the fish. Overall, a worthy dish to try, though you may opt for wild catfish should you prefer a fish that offers more flesh.

Another memorable dish we had was Curry Prawn (RM 100/kg). We enjoyed thoroughly the thick curry and how it wonderfully coated the big prawns. If you are a fan of prawns roes, then you may have a chance to strike the prawns with roes here. Sometimes it may be a tad difficult to separate the shell from the prawns, resulting the curry not fully coating the prawn flesh. In this case, always get the excess curry available and carefully coated the entire prawns with it.

How wish if we had some Benggali breads to have it with the curries!

Steamed Lemon and Chili Lala (RM 15) is an alternative budget yet great selection should you yearn to enjoy some seafood in affordable price range. The clams were fresh and the tangy gravy makes a great pairing with white rice. Paku vegetables (RM 7) is a good selection as well, though it may taste more tender than usual.

Overall, Yang Yang Ho River Food offers great selection of meal in reasonable place. If you are on the way back from elsewhere using North South Highway to Penang, why not make a detour and stop here for lunch or dinner?