Eighty Eight BBQ Steamboat Restaurant, Klang

rif and I have a lot of common interests, but we don?t share the same opinion about steamboat. I love steamboat, but he doesn?t care much for it. Eighty Eight BBQ Steamboat Restaurant was perfect for us, because it offers a 3 in 1 buffet deal ? steamboat, grill and BBQ. The restaurant was packed with people when we got there, and there was no place to sit. We were lucky to secure a good table outside the shop. As soon as we sat down, the staff prepared the steamboat + grill set, and set up a mini barbeque pit at the side of our table. The variety was pretty good. There were various types of marinated chicken, beef, lamb and fish for the grill, chicken wings (pepper & curry flavour) and skewered prawns for the barbeque pit, and an assortment of fishballs, meatballs, clams, fuchuk, tofu and etc. for the steamboat. I added plenty of tomatoes and prawns into my tom yam soup for extra flavour.

rif and his parents liked the curry flavoured chicken wings, but I preferred the black pepper version. The former was a tad too powdery and it wasn't spicy enough. Black pepper chicken had a hint of sweetness from the barbeque marinade. The skewered prawns were also not bad; we ate plenty of those. I took some crabs and grilled them over the barbeque pit, but they turned out horrible. The roe was bitter, so I threw it away. One of my favourites was the marinated black pepper beef. It was tender and oh-so-good when grilled with butter.

It's best not to wear your best outfit if you plan to eat here -- the butter might leave oil stains on your shirt if you're not careful. Also, be warned that you'll walk out of there smelling like grilled meat. The crowd was quite aggressive when I was there. I got pushed aside by greedy kids and adults, three times. I spotted a man who was so impatient, he used his bare hands to scoop the meatballs. Good thing the owner told him off.
Ice cream and drinks are included in the buffet (RM23.80 per adult, RM8.80 per child). If you're a student, you only need to pay RM18.80 by showing them your student ID. I wanted to take more pictures of the buffet spread and the shop, but they didn't allow me to take any photographs.

The food was pretty good value for money, I think. It?s best to go around 6pm when they open, or after 9pm, once the crowd subsides.

Ambiance: 5/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 6.5/10 (pork free)
Verdict: Good variety, and decent quality. Food is replenished constantly.

59, Lorong Batu Nilam 21B,
Bandar Bukit Tinggi,
41200 Klang, Selangor
012 772 0400 (Sam)
Opens 6pm ? 12am
GPS Coordinates: N02 59.873, E101 26.624