There’s steamboat and there’s hotpot but have you heard about saunaboat? Basically, saunaboat it’s about steaming food, in the true sense of the word. The regular “steamboat” is such a misnomer – food is cooked in boiling soup and not steamed! Whereas, saunaboat is much like in a sauna – placing food in a closed space and cooking it in high-heat steam.
DZH Seafood Saunaboat in the entertainment mecca of TREC started off in Johor about a year ago. Apparently it’s so popular that they have decided to venture into the Klang Valley and this outlet in TREC opened in January this year. The concept is all about steaming the freshest raw ingredients using high-powered turbo steamers thus cooking food in the shortest time to retain the natural flavours and goodness. It’s food at its most basic and original form as no MSG or even salt/pepper is added during the steaming process.
The steamers in DZH are custom-made and they come paired with a pot at the bottom for cooking congee. This is done at table-side where the fresh raw ingredients are placed into the pot. We had their Chicken Sweet Corn Porridge (RM25.80-medium/RM29.80-large).
So, right before us, sweet corn, chicken breastmeat and rice were placed in the pot before boiling water was poured in. Within minutes, the congee started simmering and then a perforated tray is placed above it where our selected raw food would then be placed for steaming. As the food was being steamed, juices from the steaming process would flow onto the simmering congee below. You can bet that after your last food item has been steamed, the resulting congee below will be very well-flavoured!
Chicken Sweet Corn Porridge
Believe me when I say food is cooked super fast in the turbo steamers. A regular portion of seafood (clams, prawns, crabs) practically just takes 2-3 minutes to cook. A filleted 1.3kg soon hock takes only 3 minutes to be steamed perfectly.
Excellent service: their service crew even peels your steamed prawns for you!
DZH’s menu focuses much on its selection of live seafood, many of which can be found swimming in tanks within the restaurant. Diners can take their pick from crabs, abalones, lobsters, geoducks, oysters, tiger prawns and mantis shrimps. Fish selection is more towards the premium breeds like groupers (various types), jade perch and soon hock. Even their clams are of premium quality – check out the Scotland clams, razor clams and their signature premium clams from Sabah. Prices of seafood are at market rates, charged according to weight. As mentioned, it’s premium seafood so do expect prices to be premium as well.
Signature Premium Clams – plump, juicy & sweet!
Sweet succulent Kampung Chicken
Just look at all that roe!
For those who prefer some meat, there’s also American wagyu slices, Australian beef slices, house-made meatballs and fresh kampung chicken to pander to bigger appetites. For some healthy fibre, there’s a good repertoire of fresh vegetables and mushrooms.
Eat up your vegetables yo!
Upon request, house-made chilli sauce and premium soya sauce is served if you find the steamed food really bland. And that’s about it. It’s all about healthy and clean eating here where flavours are natural and unadulterated. If you find dipping your entire meal in soya sauce (or nothing at all) is not to your liking, then this will not be your cup of tea.
DZH also has pork-free dim sum on its menu. We’ve tasted better dim sum elsewhere but then if you have been partying (in TREC) and feeling peckish way past midnight, then I guess their late-night offerings would suffice. Their late-night dim sum is available from 11pm till 3am.
DZH SEAFOOD SAUNABOAT
大中華蒸汽火锅
T-G-03 Terraces
TREC
436-438 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 019-2302633
*Pork-free