Feasting on Family-Style Faves at Golden Palace

On any given day at Golden Palace Seafood Restaurant, the Lam family, who own and operate the establishment, can be found making customers feel at home in their traditional Chinese eatery.

Three generations of the hard-working bunch are often under one roof as founder Howard Lam greets customers, his son Gary manages the floor and Gary’s three-year-old daughter Bianca pays frequent visits, spreading her joyful spirit about the 11-year-old dining spot.

Golden Palace’s expansive menu of dim sum classics as well as a la carte items also fill the spacious interior with happiness, and there’s one dish in particular that gives an extra dose of comfort. Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli with Lap Cheong ($7.95) features a bright heap of carrots, green onion, straw mushrooms, Chinese broccoli, lap cheong and minced garlic.

“It’s more of a family-style dish,” explains Gary. “You wouldn’t find it in most big restaurants, but I do know a lot of people who grew up with it, where their moms made it at home, and they are looking for it when they go out to eat.”

In addition to childhood favorites, regulars also enjoy Beef with Malaysian Sauce ($8.95), which is served on a sizzling platter that lets off the enticing aroma of tangy black bean sauce when it is brought out of the kitchen. Shredded onion, green onion, bell pepper and beef tenderloin soak in all that flavor to complete the dish.

And Gary suggests trying Cashew Chicken Taro Basket ($7.95), literally filled with straw mushroom, carrot, green onion, broccoli, cashews and chicken that have been prepared in a savory brown sauce. “The chef shreds the taro, then deep fries it to cook and set the shape of the basket,” he says when describing this entree’s edible outerwear.

So the next time you are weaving your way through Chinatown’s vibrant streets, stop in to Golden Palace and feel part of the royal family.

Golden Palace Seafood Restaurant

111 N. King St., Honolulu
521.8268
Open daily, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.