Golden Sun Seafood for the Eclipse

How did I celebrate 2009 Solar Eclipse? Eat out with mates at the Golden Sun Seafood Restaurant this afternoon. The haze and the not too favourable course of the eclipse means it is not worth watching in Malaysia except for the astronomer.

The last total eclipse I was in attendance was in 1995 over Korat in East Thailand. As the sky darkened I could see confused flocks of birds flying erratically and a sudden eerie chill that came over me as "night" fell over a supposedly very bright afternoon. The CNN 1995 posting wrote these, "In central Thailand, people came to a 70-kilometer-wide area by the thousands, most by car, driving six or seven hours to ensure a good seat for "the show.""

I was one of the solar eclipse-chasers. I took a overnight bus from Chiangrai to Khon Kaen and supposed to go up north to Nong Khai at the border of Laos and then take the train back to Bangkok. Caught in the euphoria I boarded a local bus and detoured south to Korat. The road was so jammed up by cars, chartered buses and other vehicles that we had to park at the side of the highway as the time for the eclipse neared.

Now back to food! This place has good ambiance and excellent service. Ample space and lots of tables. Food arrived promptly.

This bowl of watercress soup came FOC.

Wow, Fried Tiger Prawns! Fresh enough. 7/10.

Hong Kong Styled Crispy Roast Duck. Skin exactly as was described. 7/10.

Claypot Pork Belly with Salted Fish. 6.5/10.

Steamed Red Tilapia with Black Fungus and Beancurd Sheet. 6.5/10.

Shrimps and Onion Omelette. 6.5/10.

Claypot Japanese Beancurd. 6.5/10.

Braised Assorted Vege. 6/10.

The Bill: RM138 for a set meal of 7 dishes. This set can feed about 9-10 pax.

We should have stopped there but due our group having 12 pax we needed two more dishes that were ordered ala carte. Big mistake. The Claypot Braised Yam and Pork Ribs (no pic) cost RM60 and the Stir-fried Lettuce (no pic) another RM20.

They have Set Meals for 3-4 pax (RM48.80) - 4 dishes, 5-6 pax (RM68.80) - 5 dishes, 7-8 pax (RM98.80) - 6 dishes and 9-10 pax (RM138.80) - 7 dishes. There are 90 dishes to order from but must conform to conditions set. One dish can be ordered from a selection of 15 dishes from each segement: Fish, Prawn/Squid, Chicken/Duck, Pork, Beancurd/Egg and Vegetables. For cheaper sets one may not get to order from all the high value segments.

My verdict: The Set Meal is worth it.

Map, address and opening times. Click to open into bigger Jpeg picture.