Head to Bao Teck Tea House if you fancy an Afternoon Tea Time Yum Cha (‘drink Tea’ in Cantonese) with attentive service and quality bites.
For my non-Yum Cha kakis, who fancy a spot of English afternoon tea with a pot of Earl Grey and delectable bites.
You’ll enjoy the relaxed ambiance and eclectic furnishing of a refurnished shophouse, rickety staircase, and all.
What is Bao Teck Tea House?
Operated by the people at Ming Xiang Tai, this Chinese/English Tea house is rare in Lebuh Melayu in George Town, Penang.
Parking in the Georgetown Heritage Zone is difficult to find, so you might have to park a bit further and walk.
Bao Teck Tea House is a charming two-story restaurant with lower and upper floors.
The exterior of the Tea house belies what lies inside.
I got some Green Apple Enzyme for takeaway.
The Ambiance
We were surprised when we stepped into a different old-world romance.
It was a place to breathe from the hustle and bustle of our daily worries and escape, slow down, and drink Tea.
The Teay thing missing was an old gramophone playing and Lin Dai’s classic Mandarin song ‘Bu Liao Qing’ *Love Without End.
We took a moment to drink in the atmosphere of the Ground Floor.
Kath and Eas looked at me and said,
“A place to rest your mind.”
That is what friends are for.
Lower Level
To the left is an antique bar where baked goodies are on display as you enter.
To the right is a Tea corner.
The Mystery Garden is a small courtyard air-well decorated with an indoor lush moss garden and the tranquil sound of running water.
Three white reindeer stood guarding the fish in the small pond.
The most exciting part is the dramatic dry ice-white mist effect.
Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide and is commonly used primarily as a cooling agent – remember the fog machines at theatres?
While it looks pleasantly pleasant and reminds Kath of her time in the Mossy Forest.
I wasn’t keen to sit and be enveloped in the white mist throughout my meal.
The interior is winsome, and the ladies loved the retro style of olden times.
The Mystery Garden is the little courtyard air-well decorated with an indoor lush moss garden.
Upper Floor
Several beautifully restored antique Peranakan Straits Chinese wooden display cabinets were used by a Baba Nyonya family in the 1920s.
The seating on the lower floor is a Kopitiam marble top table and matching chair accessories from yesteryear.
Go up a rickety staircase, and you have two areas.
A lounge settee with a low table towards the front.
After the air well, you have another dining area with a large round marble top table to seat 4 to a table.
The hardwood floors are decorated with area rugs to create a consistent theme.
The rug and hardwood combination highlights the wooden decor and ties in with the ambiance of green walls and a wooden strip ceiling.
The air well separates two sections to the Upper Level. The washroom is at this level.
The menu at Bao Teck Tea House
While the menu is bilingual in English and Chinese, we found that a picture menu helps us order Dim Sum.
For years, we have been used to pointing visually at the items on Dim Sum carts to order.
The young man was lovely and showed us how to view the items on their IG.
The menu offers steamed and deep-fried dim sum items along with traditional Chinese desserts.
The menu has limited selections; however, the dim sum is freshly prepared when you order it and serve piping hot!
Tea Menu
There are several Chinese Tea options available for Tea connoisseurs.
We are not Chinese Tea drinkers and are pleased that there are English Tea options.
We chose a pot of Earl Grey.
The Chinese Teas
- Big Red Robe (Yan Cha)
- Big Leaf Tea (Gu Yun) reserve year of 2018
- White Tea (Shou Mei)
- Oolong Tea (Yan Yun)
- Liu Bao Tea Reserve year of 2008
Guests may also bring their Chinese Tea; a Teamall fee is charged per pax.
Kath enjoying her tea time treats.
Dim Sum Menu
The hottest Dim Sum spot in Penang offers the right mix of English and Chinese culture, but expect the food to be pricey.
We are talking about old-school Chinese restaurant Dim Sum with pushcart prices.
The menu is not small.
You will do well learning some basic dim sum etiquette.
Most people visit to enjoy the ambiance and have a little tête-à-tête, post for some photos, and eat a little.
As with most small plates dining, you could order more dishes if you have more friends.
We started with Tea and ordered a pot of Earl Gray RM38 for the three of us.
The best part of dining here is not chasing carts, washing your utensils with hot water, and waving your card to order.
Here, the experience is more “cultured,” whatever culture may mean to you.
Most of all, be warned that you may need to use your credit card to pay if you order without reading the menu—the food items are priced above average.
Bao Teck Tea House Menu Image: Facebook
Eas picking up the Prawn Roll And Beancurd Skin, Kath with her cuppa, and Dory capturing the action.
What We Ordered At Bao Teck Tea House
We asked the staff to recommend some must-eat items packed with Dim Sum’s goodness from the list of menu items.
Dim Sum Deep-Fried Menu
Prawn Roll And Beancurd Skin 3pc RM8.80
The Prawn Rolls are delicious. They are filled with generous fresh and plump Prawn filling, wrapped in thin beancurd skin, and deep-fried.
Dim Sum Steamed Menu
Crystal Seafood Dumpling 4pc RM23.80
Served in a wooden box and individual spoon, the dumpling is expensive at almost RM8 a mouthful.
Snowy Char Siew Bun 3pc RM8.80
The bao skin is soft and fluffy, but I’m not fond of the sticky starch filling with little Char Siu, and a little too salty.
Dim Sum Special Menu
Golden Sesame Ball 3pc RM8.80
I’ve had some good ones in KL where you can squeeze out the gooey custard filling.
The deep-fried glutinous rice ball is coated with white sesame seeds and filled with a lava-textured salted egg.
The filling for this is different from my expectations.
I expected the Chinese Fried Sesame Balls to be served during the Lunar New Year with a filling of mashed red beans.
Signature Egg Tart 3pc RM8.80
Flaky pastry is not too sweet, just lovely.
L to R: Crystal Seafood Dumpling, Golden Sesame Ball, and Signature Egg Tart
Review of Bao Teck Tea House
If you love afternoon Tea but don’t fancy scones with jam, clotted cream, and sweet cakes, this is the place for Tea and Dim Sum.
Dim Sum lovers enjoy a good brew of either Chinese or English Teas with your Har Gow, Siu Mai, Char Siu Bao, and Egg tarts galore.
Aside from dim sum, Bao Teck Tea House prides itself on serving high tea.
AlasTean the day we went they either ran out or didn’t have enough three-tier stand sets.
I find it challenging that the staff speaks to me in Mandarin just because I’m Chinese.
Overall, the experience was well-rounded, with attentive service, useful recommendations, and an explanation of the food.
My only comment is that the aunties and uncles appreciate a picture menu.
We can’t read the small menu fonts.
My favorite cafes will read me the menu and tell me the items and amount on the receipt when I pay.
But then again, that is just me, so Aunty.
The girls were happy to pose for “that” perfect photo.
They busied themselves over the Tea sets and helped me arrange the food for the photoshoots.
The ambiance is good, but as all good things do, Instagrammable places come with a certain price tag.
Do check out the menu price before going.
Business hours start early, from 8.00 am until 8.00 pm.
Bao Teck Tea House closes on Wednesdays.
Bao Teck Tea House
Address: 25, Lebuh Melayu, 10100, Georgetown, Penang.
Operating Hours: 8 am to 8 pm. Closed on Wednesdays.
Contact Number: 604- 263 1100
Google: https://g.co/kgs/KvUmCVk
Blog Disclosure: This is a NOT sponsored blog post. All opinions are mine. The writer and friends paid for their meal.
Bao Teck Tea House MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
