Heap Seng 協成 @ Penang

For some reason the portions are quite large and suitable for sharing. No wonder it’s a favourite among the girls in the office.

Heap Seng at 29 (Formerly Heap Seng House) has built its reputation over the last 7 years providing the best imported oysters Penang has to offer. “Heap Seng” (协成) generally means “harmonious success” or “achieving success together”—a strong and auspicious name, especially for a business. It conveys prosperity, teamwork, and smooth progress.

An ever changing menu is offered every three months, with weekly specials also being created depending on seasonal availability of products & ingredients. The cuisine provided can be described as British, due to the many influences found in modern day British cooking, but with a decidedly more prominent Italian influence.

Irish Dozen

Four Gallagher’s, Four Irish Premiums & Four Tragheanna Bays

Nestled in the heart of Georgetown Penang, their specialty lies in serving the freshest air-flown oysters, sourced all the way from the pristine waters of Ireland, Europe, and Australia. Shucked, served naked on ice and ready to be slurped since 2018.

Tragheanna Bay Oyster

These smaller “nuggets” in Edwards’s range are named after the pristine bay where they are grown, Young sweet, and satisfying with a good meat-to-shell ratio. Nose: hints of the salty breeze, iodine; Body: plump and firm with parsley and melon; Finish: lingering sweetness to savour.

Irish Premium Oyster

Irish Premium Oysters are the younger siblings to the Gallagher Specials – grown on the other side of the estuary away from the freshwater stream they have a great texture with a lovely sweet finish. Nose: Soft fresh sea breeze; Body: Plump and firm with parsley and melon; Finish: Clean with traces of minerals.

Gallagher Oyster

Their biggest oyster, grown over four years in wild and beautiful Donegal, where a pristine peaty stream flows into the tidal Tragheanna estuary giving a smooth and mellow flavour. Nose: Clean open sea breeze; Body: Apple, melon, wood, plump with a range of textures; Finish: wonderful sweetness with mineral hints.

Balsamic Char Siu Pork Belly

Served on a bed of charred spring onion and lemon wedges

The first appetiser after the wonderful oysters, the char siu pork belly with a balsamic reduction was not your typical Chinese braised pork. Could not place what it was, much like a sticky pork rib Texan BBQ style. Or it could be Chinese pork ribs from old school Cantonese chefs. One would not know where the inspiration was from.

Fresh Local Clams

Steamed in white wine, garlic & lemongrass served with ciabatta bread

The second appetiser was local clams called La La cooked in a white wine sauce and served with toasted ciabatta. The toast was perfect to soak up the white wine sauce. The clams were a bit too small but flavourful.

Pan Seared Sea-bass Fish Tacos

On a bed of shredded greens, cherry tomato salsa & jalapeño aioli

For our third appetisers, the girls went for the fish tacos. Not a big fan of Mexican tacos, but this one was quite well executed. The pan seared seabass was on point and went well with the spicy mayo. Never understood why people like to sprinkle in the pomegranate as the seeds were quite a chore to chew for old people like me.

Surf and Turf Platter

Chilled black angus ribeye (250g+/-), crispy calamari, hokkaido scallops, grilled tiger prawns accompanied by a house salad with balsamic drizzle, roasted baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, sweet potato fries, thyme butter sauce, thai chili sauce and lime chili butter

The scallops and grilled prawns were very nicely cooked and all the other sides were robust and tasty and supported the multitude of flavours. The ribeye was the only item that was out of place and served chilled, which was kind of weird.

Hoisin Babyback Pork Ribs

Tender baby back ribs braised with a house special glaze, served with a shredded papaya, red cabbage & baby spinach salad accompanied by a dipping sauce

The pork ribs were delicious and fell off the bones without any resistance. It was tangy and savoury at the same time, and again the Chinese/Cantonese influence was pretty pronounced with the use of the hoisin sauce.

Prawn Bisque Risotto

With seasonal grilled seafood

And the final course, prawn bisque risotto that tasted like muifan from a local tzechar store but without the wokhei. Maybe we were stuffed at this point and could not properly enjoyed this dish, or maybe it was rather tasteless.

I have been coming to Penang for work and this is still one of our office’s favourite places to come for a gathering. The food is fresh, full of flavour and excellent quality. The staff are absolutely amazing, friendly and accommodating. It’s nice to see that amidst all the new restaurants that open and close in Penang, some places have remained consistent in their integrity and quality.

Heap Seng @ 29 協成贰玖
29, Lebuh China, George Town, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Tel : +60 (04) 261 1177 (Reservations)

Visited Jun 2025