Find “Shelter” in These Creature Comforts

Golden Palace Restaurant in Chinatown introduces three new dishes for a limited time. Known for its Hong Kong-and Southern China-style cuisine, the landmark eatery located next to Bank of Hawaii has been a longtime local favorite.

Available for about a month, guests can enjoy Typhoon Shelter Crab ($30), Cucumber with Lup Cheong ($7.95) and Curry Chicken Pie ($1.98, three pieces) — three classic dishes commonly found in Hong Kong.

“The Typhoon Shelter Crab originated in Hong Kong Harbor more than 30 years ago,” explains manager Gary Lam. “They came up with this in the typhoon shelter on one of the boats and it got passed around. There’s fried garlic, minced scallions, chili peppers, a little bit of chili oil, and the crab is also fried. The main focus of this dish is spice because during a typhoon, the spicyness helps keep them warm and that’s maybe how it started,” he adds.

Cucumber with Lup Cheong, which has never been offered before at Golden Palace, is one of those homey Chinese dishes you’d find on your family’s dining table. It’s stir-fried, and also has carrots, straw mushrooms and garlic. Curry Chicken Pie, which was recently introduced has become a popular item at the restaurant, however, only a limited quantity is made fresh daily.

The restaurant, which has been around for decades, is locally-owned and operated by Howard Lam who purchased it in 2001. The Lam family also owns neighboring Hoong Wun Market where they pick many of its vegetables, meat, fish and seafood.

“We don’t sacrifice quality for price,” adds Lam. “We try to stick to very authentic Hong Kong and Southern China cooking (which is where our chefs are from), but at the same time we will try to cater to people’s tastes and we can adapt to pretty much anyone’s special diet requests.”

Golden Palace is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offers an extensive menu, including dim sum in the morning and daytime. There also is a banquet hall on the second floor that was recently renovated and can hold up to 500 people.

Golden Palace Seafood Restaurant

111 N. King St., Honolulu
521-8268
7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily