Maple Palace Chinese Restaurant is one of a famous restaurant among the locals, used to be known as Maple Gold. This place had been my childhood place till now. With the owner now who are constantly upgrading their restaurant to create more comfortable dining for their regulars. certainly is one of the best restaurant in Penang.
Usually they have functions on weekend and it is constantly full house. Best advise to make reservation.
Maple Place offer classic Cantonese cuisine with its owner cum chef is the main person behind the menu. Not only that, with strong demand as more people have traveled across continents coming back with variety of expectation. The owner and team constantly challenge the team and by being creative to design their special new hidden menu which is Modern Cantonese cuisine. All the dishes are require to pre-order 24-48 hours in advance so that the chef team can prepare the freshest ingredient for this.
There are also constant demand on surprise me menu with customer giving them a budget. This have to be 7 days in advance booking and will be more like Omakase style. Diners would not know what will be serving out. It will be a suprise ingredient, style and dishes. So really depending on your budget that you wish the chef to surprise you with. this is also another segment that is growing its popularity besides the classic menu.
Part of their hidden or surprise me menu as below:
Seafood Ice Plant Salad (海鲜冰菜沙律)
This is indeed recommended. Its a entry dish that definitely stir up your appetite which is currently part of their current menu. Nice bite of mixture of cripsy ice veggie, soft boil prawn. Sauce A great balance of sourish, hint of salty and more like Chinese Kerabu. It is like an uplift of classic veggie. Satisfying entree
One of their best seller dish.
Stuffed assorted Seafood Crab Meat and Black Truffle on Crab Shell with Pan-seared Foir Gras (黑松露海鲜酿蟹盖拼香煎鹅肝)
For Chinese food, this is defiantely the elevated version. When I saw this, it is like woah, they moving to healthy eating too, as it is serve with bed of barley. Nicely presented with chunk of foie gras just top ontop of the crab.
Love this dish. Look simple yet taste is unique. Hint of truffle that is not ovepowering, with fresh crab meat and I wish the foie gras to be torch burn to give me exxtra umami flavour, then will be perfecto.
Four Treasure Soup (美宝阁秘制椰皇黄焖四宝羹)
A bowl of soup that is pack with flavour. Creamy yet every bite is generous with ingredients. Serve with fresh scalllop and prawn. 
Double-boiled Abalone, Corn Lip Soup served in Coconut (椰皇鲍鱼螺唇鸡汤)
If creamy is not your preference then you can let them know you prefer clear soup. Love this too as the soup is packed with flavour. Simple yet satisfying.
Maple Palace Style Golden Flaxseed Corn-fed Chicken (4 months Corn – fed Chicken) 名鸡*美宝阁脆皮金麻籽槽鸡
I used to have this dish in sesame seed. Yet they have make a slgiht twist on this by replacing with a unique healthy ingredient. Carefully selected with 4 months corn fed chicken as with this cooking style, it gives you the juicy flavour of chicken. Surprisingly soft even on the chicken breast area. Perfectly cooked as the skin is crispy on every bite.
One of my favourite dish is this Braised Aromatic Duck with Abalone Sauce & 5 Heads South Africa Abalone (鲍鱼汁焖香酥鸭扣5头南非鲍鱼)
Duck just sitted there that looks like a perfectly crips skin which is actaually not. A unique vision that give you a mind twist. Its soft skin is meant to go well with its 8 hours cooked abalone broth. White raddish is superbly good as it is cook in their superior soup stocked. Duck is cook to perfection, juicy, soft and can even tear the meat with chopstick easily.
Toasted Wild Patin Ulu with Scallion (葱烧油浸野生黑金巴丁)
I have never had wild Patin before and this certaily caught me off guard. Fish meat is so fresh that near to melt in your mouth fish meat texture. (I am not sure is this suppose to be but was told yes). Chef did not want to over do this fish as it is hard to get yet handle with stim and some dressing of fried garlic slices with its special soy sauce.
Spinach w/ Egg White, Dried Scallop and White Truffle Oil (白松露脆贝西施炒菜苗)
Never had dishes that in this style. It is fried with white truffle sauce, not overpowering yet egg white can still be tasted.
BBQ Iberico Pork Loin Rib (香料2烤西班牙黑毛猪小排骨)
This is actually one of their best seller. Can be ordered with normal ribs or Iberico. They carefully curate Iberico ribs that suitable with their cooking style. Ribs that gets you finger licking good. Well carramelize, and every mini bite you take is pretty spot on
Boiled Superior Chicken Rice 名鸡*黄油槽鸡王，鸡油饭 ( 3.5kg 7 Months corn fed chicken) ( 3.5 公斤 7个月玉米饲喂槽鸡王）
I must say this is one of the best chicken rice I have eaten over the years. Not to mention those old classic this but this is cook with generous flavours.
Chicken is cook to the right style, soft inside out yet chicken skin is smooth and glistering. Meat is soft and juicy. Soy sauce with some hint of sesame oil is at the right amount.
The most addictive is their chicken stock rice with hint of ginger and oil rice. Once you start its hard for you to stop. just drech it with their side sauce with Chili, soy you can even just finish the rice it self.
I am sure this does not come cheap if you were to compare on those hawker/ kopitiam but indeed will be highly recommended by me.
To end your meal, you can opt for Pork Lard Rice with Char Siew and Egg (黯然销魂饭) or even for your simple lunch to pair with some other dishes. A bowl of rice that is pack with flavours. top with pork lard and char siew sauce is just sweet caramelize that make it even more appetizing.
For classic dessert you can go with their signature Chilled Mango Sago with Pomelo, Deep-fried Sesame Ball (杨枝美甘露，芝麻枣)
This will be highly recommended dessert to end with. Chilled Herbal Jelly with Almond Milk (杏汁龟苓膏) . I am not a fan of almond soup but this is so good. Creamy to a point that I like the taste of almond and the bitterness of Herbal jelly is just a perfect combination.
Location:
Maple Palace Chinese Restaurant
47, Jln Sultan Ahmad Shah,
10050Penang
Operating Hours : 12pm – 2.30/ 6pm – 10pm
Tel: 042279690
Looks like an awesome session, I really want to try their chicken rice!