Yee Sang or Yusheng (鱼生) or Prosperity Toss or Lo Hei (撈起) in Nan-Yang (Malaysia and Singapore) has its origin from Mainland China brought in by the immigrants during the colonial occupation era when both Malaysia and Singapore were still one. It is one of the must have festive dishes during the Chinese New Year celebration that signifies the hope for a better harvest and prosperity for the year to come.

Eating raw fish slices or Yusheng dates back before the Qin Dynasty (秦朝) were the main ingredient is the thinly sliced raw fish and some condiments that changes according to the seasons changed. During Spring a spring onion sauce is the compliment and during Summer Chinese mustard is paired with the thinly sliced fish meat. As there was no cold storage in the olden days, the fish is usually caught live, and kept separately in clean water and fast to rid it of the excess fat to make the meat firmer. Then when it is time to serve, the fish is drained of its blood by making incisions on its abdomen and tail area and placed back live into the water; this process is to induce the sliced fish meat to achieve a silky smooth transparent appearance.

The Yee Sang that is being widely served during Chinese New Year in Malaysia and Singapore has a close resemblance with the Cantonese version (GuangDong佛山九江魚生) found in GuangDong China. This variation has 19 individual ingredients, ribbon shaped fritters, deep fried vermicelli, deep fried shredded yam, scallion, shredded ginger, shredded radish, shredded chilies, Chinese olive, pickle scallion bulb, raw sliced garlic, peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar, vinegar, peanut oil, salt and pepper.

The Nanyang Yee Sang is a culmination of the Cantonese (ingredients and tossing) and Teow Chew (the Plum sauce) variety with the addition of five spice, and this should have at least the following ingredients to make up the dish:

• Raw fish (有魚/余), symbolising abundance and excess through the year.
• Pomelo pulp or lime (大吉大利), lime juices added to the raw fish brings together the meaning of good luck and smooth sailing.
• Pepper (招财进宝), dashes of pepper symbolizes the attracting of more money and treasures.
• Oil (一本万利), with oil circling the ingredients denotes the encouraging of money to flow in from all directions.
• Shredded carrots (鸿运当头), the red colour of the carrots symbolizes the blessings of good luck.
• Shredded green radish (青春常驻), is placed to symbolize eternal youth.
• Shredded white radish (步步高升), meaning better prosperity in business and career.
• Ground peanuts (金银满屋), the sprinkle of ground peanuts symbolizes a house filled with wealth, gold and silver.
• Sesame seeds (生意兴隆), the seeds symbolize a flourishing business.
• Golden browns crisp crackers (满地黄金), shaped in a golden pillows, it symbolizes  abundance of gold.

Visually, there should be 7 different colours in the Yee Sang that represents the 7th day of the 1st month of the Chinese Lunar calendar, which is also the “renri” (人日) or literally translated to “human day”. On the 7th day, Chinese’s will celebrate the birth of human and thus celebrating ones “birthday”. The 7 colours of Yee Sang also shares the folklore of the Hakka dialect, where 7 different vegetables with 7 different colours are either stir-fried or made into a soup chowder that is savoured during this auspicious day.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

恭喜发财

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A recent trip to Gurney Drive took us to the newly open Gurney Paragon Mall and to Brussels Beer Café that was recently opened. Brussels’ heart and soul is their bar that serves a wide variety of imported and draft beers, like Belle-Vue, Hoegaarden, Stella Artois, Leffe fresh, etc. Although beer is like the blood in their veins, but the Belgian cuisines that are churned out from their kitchen are like the air they breathe.

Brussels Beer Cafe also serves a variety of Belgian dishes that will tantalize the taste buds and fill the hunger puns. Listed in their menu, we have found Crispy Roasted Pork Knuckle, Braised Lamb Shank, Belgium Foot Long Doggies, Moules Mariniere, and Homemade Belgian Waffles.

Before the light meal that we had, we cleanse our palates with Belle-Vue Kriek which was much recommended by Caryn who also likes to savour great beers. Belle-Vue is a Belgian lambic beer made through spontaneous fermentation of Morello cherries by the wild yeasts/bacteria that are native to the Senne Valley. The beer has a vinous or red-wine appearance with a sweet foretaste and a cider-tart aftertaste. It is sweet, fruity, and creamy but lacks a full body.

To pair Belle-Vue we asked for the Blind Finches, meaty minced pork balls wrapped with a slice of salty and smoky pork bacon slowly braised in a sautéed  onion and Laffe Blonde sauce.  The sauce was slightly sweet, herby (oregano) and peppery with alcoholic aftertaste.

One of the main courses that were well recommended by their staff was the Moules Mariniere. It is a pot of 500gm fresh live imported mussels steamed with garlic, celery, onions, thyme and white wine. The mussels were smooth and tender with a sweet earthy taste, but the white wine sauce was over salty. If the mussel flesh had a bigger size, thus bigger bite then it would be more attractive. They also serve other moules varieties that are prepared with beers.

Last but not least and our favourite was their Braised Pork Cheek, a slab of sinful porky and sweet well proportioned fat and meat lean pork cheek slow braised until tender and served with rye bread, fluffy buttery potatoes, crisp sautéed asparagus and a malty Franzikaner sauce. Though fatty the cheek was it was not greasy, and the proportion was just nice to flavour the lean meat and give it contrast of texture.

Our overall experience:

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The Chinese New Year of the Golden Dragon is just 7 days away, here are some dining ideas for the traditional “Reunion Dinner” at some of the well known hotels in Penang.

Starz Diner at Hard Rock Hotel

Hard Rock Hotel’s Starz Diner

•  20 to 24 January 2012
• Buffet Lunch: RM68++
• Buffet Dinner: RM88++

Tamarind Brasserie at Parkroyal Hotel

The Bungalow at Line Pine Hotel

Line Pine Hotel’s The Bungalow

Chinese New Year Eve Dinner – 8 course sit down dinner

•  22 January 2012
• 7:00pm to 10:30pm
• RM888++ (menu1) RM1,188++(menu 2)

Chinese New Year Buffet Lunch

• 23 to 25 January 2012
• 12:00pm to 3:00pm
• RM68++ (Adult) RM38++(Child)

Chinese New Year Buffet Dinner

• 23 to 24 January 2012
• 7:00pm to 11:00pm
• RM98++ (Adult) RM48++(Child)

Garden Cafe at Golden Sands Resort

Golden Sands Resort’s Garden Cafe

Chinese New Year Eve Prosperity Buffet Dinner

• 22 January 2012
• 7:00pm to 10:00pm
• RM108++ (Adult) RM68++ (Teens) RM42++ (Child)

Year of Dragon Buffet Brunch

• 23 & 24 January 2012
• 7:00pm to 10:00pm
• RM88++ (Adult) RM48++ (Teens) RM38++ (Child)

Chinese New Year Roast & Carvery Buffet

• 25 January 2012
• 7:00pm to 10:00pm
• RM69++ (Adult) RM29++ (Child)

Shangri-la Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa

Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa’s Spice Market Cafe

Reunion Buffet Dinner

• 22 January 2012
• 6:30pm to 10:30pm
• RM198++ (Adult) RM99++ (Child)

Chinese New Year Buffet Brunch

• 23 & 24 January 2012
• 12:00pm to 3:00pm
• RM120++ (Adult) RM60++ (Child)

Chinese New Year Dinner

• 23 & 24 January 2012
• 6:30pm to 10:30pm
• RM198++ (Adult) RM99++ (Child)

 

Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa’s Pinang Restaurant & Bar

Prosperity Sunset BBQ Dinner

• 22 January 2012
• 6:30pm to 10:30pm
• RM198++ (Adult) RM99++ (Child)

Sesame & Soy and G Cafe at G Hotel

Sarkies Corner at E&O Hotel

E&O Hotels’s Sarkies Corner

Prosperity Chinese New Year Dinner

• 20 to 22 January 2012
• 7:00pm to 10:30pm
• RM88++ (Adult) RM44++(Child)

Chinese New Year High Tea

• 21 to 24 January 2012
• 12:00pm to 3:00pm
• RM68++ (Adult) RM39++(Child)

Chinese New Year Dinner

• 23 to 24 January 2012
• 7:00pm to 10:30pm
• RM88++ (Adult) RM48++(Child)

Popularity: 7% [?]

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Located in Campbell House, an old vacant run down pre-war building turned new breed of heritage hotel, Il Bacaro is a traditional Venetian street tavern which serves authentic Italian dishes in a nostalgic setting with black and white photos of the owners’ childhood memories.

Roberto Dreon is the owner cum Chef of the hotel and restaurant. Like most Italians, the emphasis on freshest ingredients only has “forced” the kitchen to make and serve freshly baked breads, handmade pasta varieties and their homemade sauces and gravies. All the cooking, baking and roasting is all done in their fully equipped kitchen that even has a custom built wood fired oven. Supporting Roberto is Nardya Wray who is also the co-owner of this cosy restaurant and hotel.

First up was their self baked bread served in a Chinese bamboo steamer with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The bread was soft and fluffy with a slight chewiness, the olive oil was fresh and buttery and the balsamic was sweet and tangy.

For salads, we had their Rocket Salad with Poached Pear & Goat’s Cheese. It is a medium salad with loads of bitter nutty Rocket leaves dressed in a caramel flavoured balsamic vinaigrette, thick slices of light and creamy goat’s cheese and generous portions of sweet tender poached pears in red wine.

For pizza we had their White Pizza with Rucola, Cherry Tomatoes, Egg and Parmigiano. The crusty pizza base was thick and firm with a slight smoky taste plastered with a luxurious coating of fragrantly baked cheese topped with fresh bitter sweet Rucola, juicy cherry tomatoes, a smooth and rich sunny side up egg and sprinkles of shaved savoury Parmesan cheese.

Main courses, we had their Pan Seared Salmon with Green Beans and Orange & Saffron Sauce and Homemade Tagliolini Siciliana. The Catch of the Day came in the form of a tender medium-rare steak of salmon that has been lightly seared and served on a bed of crisp sweet green beans and fruity orange and saffron sauce. Texture contrast was firm meat, crisp beans and smooth sauce.

The other main we had was Homemade Tagliolini Siciliana. Well cooked homemade Tagliolini pasta served with their homemade tomato base Siciliana pasta sauce which was tart with a hint of sweetness that came from the fresh tomatoes used to prepare the Spanish, Greek and Arab influenced sauce.

Final course of the day was their Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis dessert. The firm and smooth milky Panna Cotta pudding served chilled with a thick room temperature strawberry purée sauce that was acidulous with a sweet end was pleasing to our taste buds and comforting after a heavy meal. 

Our overall experience:

Campbell House

• Add: 106 Lebuh Campbell, 10100 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
• Tel:  +60 (4) 2618290
• Email:  info@campbellhousepenang.com

Open  daily

• 12.00pm-3.00pm Lunch Menu
• 3.00pm-6.30pm Light Snacks & Drinks Menu
• 6.30pm-10.30pm Dinner Menu

Popularity: 2% [?]

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‘Mee Goreng’ or ‘Mamak Mee Goreng’ is one of the many favourite fab foods that Malaysians enjoy and there are many comments on who fries the best. What we look for is not the best but the one that can deliver a more traditional bouquet of flavours. The best is only if we have tasted all the Mee Goreng in the world, or at least in Penang for this case.

Mee Goreng literally meaning fried noodles is myth to have originated from Chinese ‘chow mein’ and believed to have been introduced by Chinese immigrants to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia when they immigrated from China. In its’s basic form it consists of  yellow noodles, bean sprouts, egg, bean curd, crackers, fritters, chili and each individual cooks specially concocted gravy. Some stalls may also offer stewed squid or cuttlefish.

The Mee Goreng stall that is found at Chuan Foong (Yok Fong Cafe) on the junction of Jalan Tanjung Bungah and Jalan Chan Siew Teong reminded us of the oldskool flavours that we very much enjoy and look forward for. The stall has been in business for around 37 years in Tanjung Bungah and has been based in Chuan Foong for 20 years and opens 6 days week, resting on Fridays. Business hour starts from 2pm daily.

The stall still practices cooking with open charcoal flames that maintain a more distributed heat wave that will would evenly cook food and enhance its taste. 

Their Mee Goreng is sold at RM3.70 per serving. It has a balance of savouriness from the special gravy used to braise the noodles, sweetness from seasoning with sugar, heat from chilli and creaminess from egg.  Some lime juice from a wedge of freshly cut lime provided a taste of freshness to the plate of old flavours.

Other than Mee Goreng, they also have Mee Rebus and Pasembur which are also favourite items sold by Mamaks in Malaysia. Their Mee Rebus is sold at RM3.70 per serving. Although it is not exceptional, but it is still good enough satisfy the occasional cravings.

Their Pasembur is price at RM3.50 per serving which come with juicy and crunchy roughly julienne cucumber and jicama (sengkuang in Malay), crispy prawn crackers, fluffy fritters, firm bean curds cubes, and a rich hardboiled egg. We especially like the prawn crackers, which were well seasoned, that went well with its thick sweet and spicy gravy.

Overall, the Mee Goreng is well flavoured and has that unique wok sear aroma and taste, the Mee Rebus is a bit general in taste, and the Pasember is above average in texture and taste in terms of the ingredients and gravy. It would take us a few more visits to gauge their consistency for sure.

Popularity: 3% [?]

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