“Eng Aun” would not be foreign to those who frequent the aged and colourful Chowrasta Market in George Town. It is located in a corner shop house at the cross junction of Kimberley Street and Kangsar Road. There many regulars that patronise the place for their house specialties that is available on selected days; pork spare ribs in soy are sold on Thursdays, pork knuckle in vinegar and ginger are available on Saturdays and minced pork patty noodle and braised pork knuckle on Sundays.  The daily regulars are fish meat noodles, koay teow th’ng and stewed chicken feet. With their growing age of the business owners, the eatery only opens for business 5 days week from 7:00am to 12:00pm daily and closes on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Operated by a family, the food is prepared by a loving middle-age couple and the drinks are made to order by their sister. During our last visit we had the luxury to sample their Braised Pork Knuckle Noodle, slow braised pork knuckles in soy sauce and five-spice served with freshly blenched ‘yee mee’ or deep fried noodles. The meat was moist and the layer of skin and fats were firmly tender with a starchy texture. Each bite brings a complex bouquet of sweet meaty taste blended with savouriness and nuttiness with a hint of five-spice. The additional toppings of chopped coriander and spring onions gave it additional aromatics and freshness.

Their Minced Pork Petty Noodle is also something to watch out for. The juicy pan fried minced pork patties are braised in a special homemade gravy that resembles the taste of the “Loh Mee” gravy found Singapore that I have had many years ago while living there. It has a distinctive spice taste with a light sweetness that blends very well with the taste of the mince patties. The mince patties were pan fried until the surface was caramelised and the middle still moist and tender.

Choice of accompanying noodles to go with the minced pork patties is up to your preference of texture that one enjoys. Our preferred combination is koay teow + bihun in clear soup for a smooth and grainy contrast, with the braised pork patties on the side to preserve the original flavours of the braising gravy and pork patties.

Another special of theirs is the Stewed Chicken Feet in dark soy with thick shitake mushroom. The chicken feet were cooked until soft but yet still maintaining their shape and form, the shitake mushrooms tender and full of flavours from the stewing gravy and collagen rich chicken feet.

Popularity: 2% [?]

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Equipped with a business degree and “practically” trained by 1 Michelin Star (Wylie Du Fresne) and 3 Michelin Stars (Jean Georges Vongerichten) chefs, the German born Chef Tommes has currently made Penang its home base for culinary excellence and have created “That Little Wine Bar” and “Irrawaddy Fine Foods. Fellow food and wine connoisseurs that are constantly in search of good food and nice wine in Penang would not be foreign to “That Little Wine Bar“, especially.

To add another feather to Chef Tommes’ hat of achievement would be the soon to be aired Asian Food Channel original programme, Chalk & Cheese. The show’s first episode is set to be broadcast at 9:00pm on the 20th of February 2012.  Tommes who is the resident chef on the 12-episode cooking programme is paired with JoJo Struys to bring the audiences on a gastronomic tour of Malaysia while introducing local ingredients and sharing the untold tips and tricks of how professional chefs prepare and cook myriads of appealing dishes.

Chalk & Cheese’s concept is to take two rather diverse personalities (one that is a trained chef and one that has zero cooking experience) and throw them into a kitchen, exploring the various natural ingredients found in Malaysia and imparting some cooking knowledge with some trick of the trade at the same time. The interaction between Chef Tommes and his co-host will also leave a fit of laughter that is sure to entertain those who normally associate cooking shows as “boring”.

In each episode, Chef Tommes will use and explain one locally available ingredient, such as bamboo, strawberries, ginger and senduduk (an Asian herb with medicinal properties), and shows JoJo how to prepare exquisite dishes with them, including roast lamb with bamboo heart confit, scones with strawberry jam, black and white sesame tuna with ginger marinade, and senduduk chicken. Some of these dishes will be available at That Little Wine Bar on the week when the respective recipes are shared and aired. Now it is no longer a 2D cooking show, it is now a 3-dimensional cooking programme that lets you see, hear and also taste. Dinners would need to watch out for the episode or menu updates on TLWB’s Facebook or in-house menu boards.

Popularity: 3% [?]

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In the coming weeks or may be months, we will be working with the bubbly ‘Lonely Teacher’ from Lonely Classroom to produce and record a series of podcast that will touch on places of food interest, etiquette, culture, trends and most importantly the joy of savouring tasty food.

Our first studio recording was on buffets because we have just finished a month long event with SHangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa Penang.

Buffet, a system of serving meals by which food is placed in a public area where diners pick and choose what they fancy and help themselves until they have enough. The term buffet was originally referred to the French sideboard where food was served, but the buffet table originated from the Brännvinsbord - Swedish snaps table (Smörgåsbord) from the middle of 16th century. And was developed into the buffet spread that we know today back in the early of the 19th century.

Here is the recording of the first session in Cantonese. We hope that we will have time to do some recordings in English…

Enjoy!!!

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Popularity: 2% [?]

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http://hungerhunger.blogspot.com/2010/03/bao-hao-sao-full-well-little.html

This something that we wanted to share but have gotten out of sight. Finally we found this drafted post while doing housekeeping.

At times while dining out,  we get to chance upon people who order too much food and can’t finish their share, and there are occasions when we see parents having difficulty getting their children eating proper food that will be the basis for healthy living . Start them young, feed them real and proper food and reduce the opportunity for them to get in touch with junk food or fast food.

Popularity: 2% [?]

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Am i a zebra or a horse?

What is Marketing or Strategic Marketing and what is Branding? Are they the same? These are some of the questions that many are still not sure of the answer or have confused these two concept to be one. Therefore, we would have to begin from the very basics to answer these questions.

What is Marketing to me? Marketing is the management process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies customer requirements profitably.  Therefore, it forms a social and managerial process which individuals or businesses finds an unsatisfied need or want, creates a product or service and supplies it in the most efficient manner and price to provide value to the consumer or buyer and earn a premium or profit in the process. In short, the Marketing process places customer or consumer satisfaction in the focal point of all business activities.

Some of the important elements in the Marketing philosophy or concept are as follows:

• Marketing focuses on the satisfaction of customer needs, wants and requirements.
• The philosophy of marketing needs to be owned by everyone from within the organisation.
• Future needs of the market have to be identified and anticipated.

And what is Branding or what is a brand? A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, design or value, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services or businesses that differentiate one from another. Therefore, it is understandably that branding is about getting the potential customers to notice you as the most suitable solution provider to their needs and wants. Thus, the objectives of branding or a brand should be:

• To delivers the message clearly.
• To confirm your credibility.
• To capture the emotions of your target prospects.
• To encourage or motivates potential buyers to act to your benefit.
• To create and strengthen loyalty or emotional attachment.
• To generate value to the brand.

Therefore, to succeed in branding your business or products, one must first understand the needs and wants of your target audience or market and create something that can satisfy and give value to the target market.

To summarise, Marketing is the social and managerial process of satisfying customer needs and wants, and branding is the process of persuading your target audience to choose you from the others.

Popularity: 2% [?]

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Did you know that in 40 years we run the risk of not having any seafood to eat, if we continue to consume indiscriminately and irresponsibly?

As food lovers and bloggers, we live to eat but we do not waste food nor abuse it. Our food resources are getting less and less by the day due to climate change, wastage and especially over harvesting, we have to be mindful of our responsibilities towards nature and also the sustainability of our food source. With that in mind, we would like to share a small message booklet on Save Our Seafood (S.O.S) which we got with the purchase of the Nov & Dec 2010 Volume of  ”Flavours” food magazine by The Star publication.

Malaysian are the biggest consumers of seafood in Southeast Asia. About 90% of Malaysia’s bottom-dwelling fish stock has declined due to unsustainable fishing practices driven by the high demand for seafood. To try to improve or rebuild the stock levels we have to shoulder the responsibilities by making wise choices and demand for right or standard size/age seafood stocks. “When eating the stops the indiscriminate fishing will”. Use the guide provided by Flavours and S.O.S and start making the responsible choices.

RECOMMENDED, fish stock from well managed and not overexploited sources that are preferred for consumption.

THINK TWICE, fish stock that are at risk of becoming unsustainable. Choose wisely.

AVOID, fish stock from over fished species that we risk loosing forever. Avoid it now!

• PM – Peninsular Malaysia
• EC – East Coast Peninsular
• WC – West Coast Peninsular
• M – Malaysia
• SB – Sabah
• SW – Sarawak

Popularity: 1% [?]

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A very big thanks to all our peers and readers who have supported us from day 1 when we first published our first post under blogspot until here and now. Recently we have made some in roads with our blog and we will include some additions to spice up the blog so that everyone is “entertained” and “informed” of more food and lifestyle related products and advancements.

First up would be the “Podcast” section that we have collaborated with Lonely Teacher and Penang Hokkien. This section will be available in our “Tham Chiak Podcast” page which can be found on the Top of the page button in our home page.

Second will be the “Promotions” and “Promotion Reviews” category which will focus on the various promotions that we were sent with and or experienced with. The promotions may include food, food related products and other services.

Third will be a continuation of the “Product Reviews” that we have done but have not been publishing after trying them. A dedicated product category has been singled out and added with a “Product “Reviews” tab for the ease of locating these posts.

Fourth and last is the implementation of  a “Mobile Friendly” plugin to enable mobile users to reduce loading time and cost. This plugin has been activated some one or two weeks ago.

We hope that these additions and restructuring will provide you with more information and ease up the navigation. Plus entertain you!



Popularity: 2% [?]

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A few weeks ago we were approach buy Lonely Teacher to do a recording for Hong Kong Mobile Radio, after that we were invited to do a Hokkien dialect podcast that focuses in food. The recording and editing was done by Lonely Teacher and we only lend our eating skills and talk-cock abilities. We had lots of fun doing the podcast and we are glad that we will be able to continue collaborating with Lonely Teacher and Penang Hokkien to record more podcast on food.

This page is intended to share (delayed) the broadcast recordings that we have done. Please be reminded that there will be some “adult” language used!

Penang Hokkien Podcast – Tham Chiah – Eps 1 : Introduction


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Penang Hokkien Podcast – Tham Chiah – Eps 2 : Song River Kopitiam


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Popularity: 1% [?]

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This coming Tuesday, that is 12 of October, there will be a talk on the composition/writting of fiction and non-fiction books by 68 year old Penang-Born Singaporean author, Joan Hon. The talk will be hel at 56, Lorong Selamat, Penang. She has won the High Commendation Award from the Book Development Council of Singapore in 1986 for the book she wrote, “Star Sapphire”. And in the same year, she was awarded the Commendation prize for her book “Relatively Speaking” that talks about her father, Mr Hon Sui Sen a Penang-born former Finance Minister in Singapore, her family, the Japanese Invasion and her childhood memories in Penang.

The multi-talented Ms. Joan Hon was a Physics teacher who have taught and mentored many “Junior College” (a.k.a Form 6 or A level) students became an “accidental” book writer and now she will be sharing  her journey as a book author and the experiences of overcoming the obstacles of publishing books. The talk will cover some of the areas that would encourage wanna be book writers to achieve their dreams:

• How to overcome the difficulties of publicising a book. and the options nowadays.
• How to to sell books in schools and libraries, and book signings in bookshops.
• “Publish On Demand” publishing.
• Her attempts at printing her own books.

To register for this free talk, please email info@womenbizsense.com. And as a show of appreciation for those that will be attending the talk on the 12th of October, will be offering a 10% discount for all books autographed by Joan on that day itself.

Title: A Writer’s Journey by Joan Hon
Date: 12 October (Tues)
Time: 2.30pm
Venue: 1st Floor, 56, Lorong Selamat, Penang.

Popularity: 1% [?]

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你们有听网络电台的习惯吗? 有没有跟随一些播客-PodCast 的部落呢?

踏入2000年后, 网上竖起部落热潮, 令整个网络文化有新突破. 大多数部落格是以文字和图片表达, 也有些是用影像(Video)和声音(Audio)呈现.

在马来西亚, PodCast是非主流, 皆因需要少许”主持人的天份”条件, 所以很少人会去尝试.

一个月前, 有位播客 (PodCast Blogger) 邀我们做了个跟饮食有关的专访, 并在2星期前在香港网络电台上播放. 这个消息放上面子书 (facebook)后, 获众友人祝贺. 我们心感荣幸, 能够续上报后, 仍然有连带的效应.

多谢各位支持! 好让”真实食评精神”万岁!

由我来为大家做个简介, 访问我们的播客资料如下:

部落大名: 寂寞教室 www.lonelyclass.com & 香港网络电台 www.mobileradio.hk

部落台主: 寂寞老师 – 威吏 (Willy Wah)

部落主打: 广播 PodCast, 做专访, 诉心声, 偶尔献歌, 讲鬼故事

部落语言: 广东

受访内容包括:

• 为何当上博客.

• 对本地美食的见解,观点和热诚.

• 怎样成为美食博客? 有何条件？

• 食物评论和技巧

• 美食博客要注意什么？

有兴趣听我们的声音吗? 寂寞老师的嗓子很温文尔雅, 具有DJ风范的耶!

我们诚意邀请你到寂寞教室收听
“寂寞教室 Lonely Classroom – 第109集 我要做Food Blogger!”

贴示: 前15分钟是寂寞老师的报道, 广告后访问才开始. 整个专访长达一小时.

你可选择 “Download” or “Play” – (Life Streaming)

Popularity: 3% [?]

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It has been a busy weekend for the past 2 weeks. Last Saturday we were invited by Caffe Strada to review their outlet after operating  for about 2 months or so. When we first heard of their name we thought they were related to the Strada in Pulau Tikus, luckily they aren’t. But I have found similar named establishments in Australia & America.

Caffee Strada is located at the previous spot that housed the infamous Island Red Cafe. The place has been given a face lift internally and externally. The place is cosy and great for gatherings due to the spacious seating arrangements, but some sound deafening would be in oder for their air-condition section to reduce the noise level.

The review of Caffe Strada was arranged by Alan of All About Penang Food on the request of the owners of the cafe. Before the food tasting event begun, we were given a brief by Micheal the co-owner and person-in-charge of the cafe’s concept and theme. But before that the early birds that arrived were seen roaming around taking photos of the place and also doing some catching with some other fellow bloggers.

Before the food introduction and tasting begun, we were given a heads up that the cafe is not a FINE DINING restaurant but more of a place to meet up and chat with some dishes to munch one and drinks to quench ones thirst. But to my opinion as a gastronomist and a working restaurant consultant, I beg to differ. Any place that serves up food must have an acceptable standard in their product. When I say product I mean the food, drinks, service and atmosphere, and not just the atmosphere.

The review event saw us having a “feel” of what are the cafe’s menu and the samples quite long. I would say a bit over board because most of us could not really focus on their key specialties and have a proper tasting portion. The followings are the list of items that we had and their prices with thanks to our lovely Cariso for compiling it.

Appetizer

Green Garden Salad (RM8.90): Lettuce, capsicum, onion, croutons, sun flower, seed, egg and smoked chicken, served with house salad dressing.

Seafood Chowder in Bread Bowl (RM15.90): Chunks of seafood are simmered with potatos, onions, celery, real heavy cream and a touch of butter. Served in bread bowl.

Asian Delights

Kung Pao Chicken (RM9.90): Stir fried with kung pao sauce, served with cashew nuts, fried egg, prawn crackers and rice.

Kam Heong Seafood Combo (RM8.90): Stir fried with kam heong sauce, served with prawn crackers, fried egg and rice.

Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice (RM8.90): Served with prawn crackers, fried egg and chicken wing.

Bao Zhiang Mien (RM11.90): Noodle in house-blended gravy, with minced chicken and 3-colored vegetables.

Tomyam Seafood (RM8.90): A choice of bee hoon or instant noodles.

Western

Club Sandwich (RM12.90)

Spaghetti Bolognese (RM9.90)

Caffe Strada Roast Chicken (RM13.90)

Mongolian CHicken (RM15.90)

Cheezy Grilled Chicken (RM17.90)

Grilled Butter Fish (RM19.90)

Fish and Chip (RM8.90)

Grilled Lamb Shoulder (RM19.90)

Drinks
Fluffy Hot Chocolate (RM6.90)
Strawberry Kiss Frappes (RM8.90)
Choco Banana Frappes (RM8.90)

Mango Frappes (RM8.90)

Italian Lime Soda Float (RM6.90)

These are the drink items without a photographic record.

Chocolate Chips Frappes (RM8.90)
Orange Jewel Milk Shake (RM7.90)
Ice Bear (RM6.90)

Espresso Drinks

Espresso (Caffe= single shot espresso RM4.90, Caffe Doppio =double shot espresso RM5.90)

Review:
Cappucino (RM6.90 hot, RM7.90 cold)
Caffe Latte (RM6.90 hot, RM7.90 cold)

Dessert
Caffe Strada’s Ice Coffee Slush(which to me is just plain old affagato)

Snack
Caffe Strada BBQ Chicken Wing, served with house chicken wing sauce (2pcs RM5.90, 4pcs RM9.90)

Overall rating for Caffe Strada Krystal Point, Penang:

Taste & Texture: 2.0/5 (a lot of room to improve in areas of their coffee, drinks and food items)
Money Value : 2.0/5 (prices are not really attractive due to the quality of the products)
Service: -NA-/5 (cannot be considered as it was an arranged event)
Cleanliness: 4.0/5 (relatively new, thus a clean out look)
Atmosphere: 3.0/5 (nice place to gather but would be noisy due to the lack of sound deafening)

Address: Block 1-01-12, 13 & 14, Krystal Point Corp Park, Lebuh Bukit Kecil 6, Krystal Point II, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang.
Tel: 04-643 6643

Popularity: 8% [?]

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We have created an additional page to list the food blogs that are worth reading. We will continue to  update as and when we come by new or old food blogs that paints a straight forward picture of the food scenes and are not commercialized.

Popularity: 3% [?]

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Since our last review of Haven Delights we have not been back there ever since, but we have heard certain restructuring and changes that were done to the restaurant. Recently the owner of Haven Delights has finally closed down the business unit in Penang Times Square and opened a new restaurant in Gurney Plaza where Ko Fu Loft used to be. The new restaurant is named ‘小南国‘ or directly translated to  ’Little South Country’ after one of a quite well known restaurants in China.

The new restaurant shares some similarity in terms of interior with the Haven Delights. Food wise, after browsing their menu, seems to major in Chinese cuisine with some mixture of other Asian dishes on their ala-carte. They also cater to buffets, bento meal and set meal. May be we might take a chance and try out the restaurant and provide a clearer picture of it can offer and whether would it fit in our list of places to dine in Gurney Plaza.

Popularity: 11% [?]

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Starting your own business is the desire or dream of many working stiffs, and entering the F&B industry is one of the easiest choices by considered by many. But does the many have what it takes to be a successful and profit churning restaurateur?  Annually many enter in to this sexy industry which combines together science and art to produce creations that enticed our senses through the manipulation of flavours and sight, but as many as up to 50% to 60% are forced to leave this industry with their tails between their legs suffering huge losses within the first three years of operations. The failure rate is about 26% for the first year itself. Even experience and establish chefs are not spared this tragic ending if they are not well prepared and do not have what it takes to fully participate in the daily managing and marketing of their restaurants. Does your restaurant want to be part of these statistics or is your restaurant equipped to face the challenges to stay afloat or make a lucrative profit margin?

To become a restaurant owner is not difficult; one would just need to have the answers to the following simple but yet hard questions:

1. 1. What are your current and future plans for your career or business?
2. 2. What is the reason for establishing a restaurant?
3. 3. What kind of food do you have knowledge and passion in?
4. 4. What is the trend or market demand in your target area?
5. 5. How much capital do you have for start-up?
6. How much funds can be pooled for daily operational expenses? My suggestion would be a minimum of six months.
7. 7. What business or corporate structure should be chosen?
8. 8. Who and how many competitors are in the area?
9. Determine what is the most suitable size of the restaurant?
10. 10. How much is your involvement in the daily operations?

Entering into the restaurant industry is easy; it is the daily managerial and marketing activities that will actually be the challenged to become a successful restaurateur. On the operational front, as an owner you must be ready to participate in every level of managing the restaurant be it in the kitchen or dining floor up to the ‘selling’ of your products to servicing your customers. It is all hands on!

Case Example:

As Restaurant and Marketing consultants, we recently encounter a restaurant in a prominent mall in Penang that abruptly closed down due to long term mismanagement and inexperience that left it bleeding profusely since the beginning of its operations. From our initial encounter with the restaurant and its owner we already set its life span for between 6 months to 1 year the most. The reason was simple:

• Right concept poor execution,
• Inconsistent and poor quality of food served,
• Lack service initiative by the service crew,
• High level of wastage that ultimately eat into the margins,
• Lack of right experienced management to lead the operations and oversee the kitchen activities,
• Slow adaptation to environmental changes,
• Inefficient Marketing Strategy and Management,
• Inefficient control of budget and expenses.

Therefore to succeed in creating and operating your own successful restaurant, you need to have the right concept, proper execution, good management and leadership direction, cost efficient control methods, sound targeted marketing strategy and tactics, and most of all adaptable to changes. Thus, to have the following focus in place before operation of the restaurant begins would provide a higher probability of survival of your restaurant:

• Let the staff know what your expectations.
• Develop a good marketing strategy and tactics according to your budget, capacity and target market. to get the word out to more potential customers about your restaurant
• Make sure a system is ready to provide customer satisfaction in terms of food and service.
• Work hard to meet your budget limitation and revenue goals.
• Consider using a restaurant consultant and marketing consultants, if sales are continually down.

Popularity: 3% [?]

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The last gathering we had and which also the biggest so far was in August last year (2009) at Vintage Bulgaria in Tanjung Bungah. The recent gathering we had was our 5th and was cap to small size and thus not able to open to the event to the masses because the initial Japanese restaurant “could not cope”.  For our past gatherings we had hosted them in a Hainanese Restaurant, Swedish F&B outlet, Pot Luck and Bulgarian. For the latest flick we chose Japanes and had the eagerness to try out an “established” Japanese Restaurant in G Hotel, but due to the restriction on head count to be limited to 20 and last minute decision to limit the available bento set choices I had no choice to source for a new location. Therefore, we finally had our event in Jurin Express in Gurney Plaza’s New Wing. I am baffle that an established restaurant with a minimum capacity of 80 pax could not cope with an event of 40 pax pre-ordering weeks before from their existing bento menu, and to make things easy on them 5 to 6 choices were pre-emptively selected from their lists! I just wonder what the actual capability of their chefs is!

The last time and only time we had a meal in Jurin was a few years ago when it just begun business in Belissa Row in Pulau Tikus. After that faithful meal we never returned. And from our recent encounter we found out that Jurin Express is now under w hole new owner-cum-management and the food concept is also different from what we had years ago. They currently target the mass market due to their outlet which is in a shopping mall, and therefore provides a more localised flavour in their Japanese dishes.

Group photo after the event. Cariso & Lilian Chan had to leave early.

The lunch began with the serving of one of the three starter makis that have yet to reach their menu. The ‘Tempura Kani’ which is actually crab stick hand roll coated in batter and deep fried till crisp then dressed with sweet soyu and decorated with chili flakes and dried herbs. To my preference the cut size was 1 size too big thus the mouth feel was not very pleasant, and because it was served first it would interfere with the following hand roll. This hand roll would be best eaten when it is still warm and crisp.

The second to be served was their Sushi Combo which was nicely set in a bento box for serving. Everything was fine except that the rice was not compact enough. And because we were serve a heavier tasting and textured maki, we could not fully experience what it could offer in terms of flavour and mouth feel. But as there were leftovers to be taken home, we had some in evening straight out from our fridge and would could taste the sourness in the rice and the sweetness of crab sticks, omelette and so forth. Therefore the serving of dishes to customers must also take into consideration of the timing, flavours and aftertaste.

The 3rd and final hand roll on the list was their Breaded Deep Fried Maki. I guess this was the favourite amongst the bloggers as almost all that was served was out of sight by the time the event ended. This item was served hot from the fryer and was golden brown and crisp on the outer layer coating. With the added dressing of mayo and shrimp roe, it was a flavourful maki indeed.

For the event we 4 bento sets to choose from, and  I chose Set A  which has Ginmutsu Teriyaki (Teriyaki Cod Fish), Chicken Ban Ban (Deep Fried Batter Chicken Chunks with Mayo), Ebi Tempura (Deep Fried Batter Shrimps), Yaki Tamago (Sweet Omelette), Garlic Fried Rice, Miso Soup, Free flow of Honey Green Tea (Cold/Hot) and Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Beans. The Teriyaki Cod Fish was actually either deep friend or pan fried then drench with their teriyaki sauce. For me, I would prefer my Cod Fish not deep fried but pan grilled without any batter to maintain the smooth texture and juicy fatty content of the flesh. And the teriyaki sauce was a bit too heavy for me and my wife. Other than that, the other dishes in my bento were pretty standard but I did read that Cariso mention the Chicken Ban Ban was a bit oily or ‘ham yau’.

Set B had Sashimi (Salmon and Tuna), Unagi (BBQ Japanese Eel), Tamago Kikurage (Stir Fried Black Fungus with Chilies), Yaki Tamago (Sweet Omelette), Garlic Fried Rice, Miso Soup, Free flow of Honey Green Tea (Cold/Hot) and Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Beans. Our new found ‘makan kaki’, Sam Ong who was seated opposite us had this set. He offered us a try of his unagi and it tasted average like those one would fine in this kind of establishment.

My Gill chose Set C that has Sashimi (Salmon and Tuna), Spicy Salmon, Kakiage (Deep Fried Shrimps, Squid and Vegetables in batter), Yaki Tamago (Sweet Omelette),  Garlic Fried Rice, Miso Soup, Free flow of Honey Green Tea (Cold/Hot) and Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Beans. The Spicy Salmon was also fried with batter and dressed in their in house sauce which tasted spicy and sweet. The kakiage that we had has already loss its crispness. I remember the first time we sample the kakiage, it was crisp outside and moist inside.

Last was Set D which had Karubi Beef (Stir Fried Beef with Onions), Nama Ika Teriyaki ( Teriyaki Cuttle Fish), Soft Shell Crab Karaage, Yaki Tamago (Sweet Omelette), Garlic Fried Rice, Miso Soup, Free flow of Honey Green Tea (Cold/Hot) and Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Beans. If we had not tried their Karubi beef before, we would have ordered this set instead. As per our previous visit, the beef slices were well done and the beef texture was a bit rough on the texture side and similarly a bit over seasoned with saltiness. The squid was nicely done, but some did mention that it was slightly chewy. We missed the soft shell crab so can’t comment on it.

OEM Supplied Green Tea Ice Cream Top with Red Beans

Overall the food was a bit too localised for my liking, but then we would have to consider their target market and location. Their flavours are meant for the masses; therefore they have to provide touches of Malaysia to satisfy their clientele which consists of locals, Caucasians and Japanese that prefer something Japanese but off Japanese. Thus, fusion dishes should be the thing or expectations when one decides to dine in Jurin Express. But as a consultant’s point of view, market demand is changing and the fusion trend would inevitably die off and replace with oldskool flavours. And looking at the competition in and around Gurney Plaza plus the human habit of comparing, people would tend to go for a closer authenticity of Japanese cuisine. I do see the keenness of the owners in this business but it would best that they set themselves apart and create what is unique and special to stand out of the already crowded Japanese Restaurant business. My advice to them would be “Do less and do better”, quality is the key!

Apart from sharing a meal together and taking photos, we also talk about cameras, gossip about other place to eat and share ideas and tips in photography. Another by product of the gatherings that we organise is the feedback that we have on the food that we had, what were our expectation and what was the experience in the dining.

Last on this 5th PFB gathering agenda was handing out food samples that we got from our business alliance’s friend to gather feedbacks and views. We had the opportunity to sample 2 variations of yet to be marketed in Penang chili sauces from Bao Bao. Other door gifts were from Criz in the form of vouchers from his clients and acquaintances.

Photo Courtesy from Cariso-food.blogspot.com

Address:

Jurin Express Japanese Restaurant
170-02-59/60, 2nd Floor, Gurney Plaza (New Wing),
Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang, West Malaysia.
Contact: 604-227 7112
Business Hours: 11.30am-10.00pm

Other bloggers that were present:

• Alan Choong & Amanda Teoh
• Eunice, SY, Kelvin Tan
• CW Chan
• JK Beh
• Cheryl Wee & hubby
• Kok Ann, Lay Min
• Sam Ong

Jurin Express does not exist anymore as at October 2010

Popularity: 6% [?]

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BRANDING is more than just advertisements and adopting new communication solutions to grow ones business. It involves delivering the promised that was made in ones message or concept that it will provide.  The failure to do so interprets into a loss of confidence and loss of loyalty to ones brand and ultimately the product or service.

One of the new communication solutions (media) and fast in growing acceptance are blogs. Blogs used to be the online diary of an individual, but recent years have shown us the commercial and political value that it can bring to businesses and politicians. Blogs and other social media was one of the reasons that created a political tsunami during the last General Election on March 8^th 2008, where the opposition coalition got control of three states on the Malaysia Peninsular, namely Penang, Perak and Selangor.

Being a consultant in the Marketing field and a steadfast food blogger it gives us a different prospective when it comes to writing our experience on invited reviews and also on our casual dine-outs. Many restaurants and even hotels are resorting to inviting food and lifestyle bloggers to experience their hospitality and their “products” for free and in return have the blog owners write about their feedback and create an awareness of their brand name and products. Utilising blogs you enjoy:

• Low investment required,
• Targeted  advertising or promotion effort,
• A more persuasive selling of the brand and its message,
• Longer message life cycle,

But is it really effective? It will be if all the comments carry a positive note of their experience to promote the brand and product. But then it would also rely on the reputation of the bloggers to convince the audience. Reputation in the sense that they show consistency of fair and impartial reporting or comments and an acquired skill and pallet that provides them some authority over their readers or audience. In others words they may be call critics, but popular ‘celebrity’ bloggers do also contribute to the promotional effort as it brings with them the visitor traffic (figures) that follows their blogs as a guide to places of interest.

Whether it is serious food critic bloggers or celebrity food bloggers, the main thing is to get all the basics in running a restaurant in order before inviting bloggers to review and promote the business. Any prematurely planned events will not be in favour of the brand name, in fact it would be detrimental to the branding or promotional effort and also to the reputation of the bloggers. Inevitably the public would, for themselves, experience what the restaurants or business can offer and would form their own judgement.

Would You Trust Reviews of Our Local Bloggers?

Do let us know your experience and trust level of blogs that you follow or know off!

The following is the list of invited review that we have attended:

1. Miss Saigon at E-Gate, Penang. Closed down late 2009.
2. Young Heart at Cantonment Road, Penang. Has become our first client for our Marketing & Restaurant Consultation client.
3. Haven Delights at Penang Times Square. Their menu has changed through time.
4. Ko-Fu-Loft at Gurney Plaza, Penang. They have closed down since early March 2010.
5. 113 Cafe at Tanjung Tokong, Penang. Consistency would need to be look at, otherwise a place that we would return for their specialties.
6. Ivy’s Kitchen at Jalan Chow Thye, Off Burmah Road. A place that we would return for their home cook dishes.
7. Who’s Bryan at Lorong Teras Jaya 2 in Raja Uda, Butterworth Penang. We have not been back there ever since due to expected consequences.
8. Pearl Palace at Setia Pearl Island Country Club, Sungai Ara Penang. A place that we visit when I am at my in laws.
9. Kang Beef House at Jelutong Penang. Would be back for the noodles.

Popularity: 2% [?]

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近日遇上了新相识的”同行”,大谈食经,兴喜非常. 论到10多20年的那个找不回的味道,难免大感遗憾.

从劳动时期, 越过脚踏实地的年代, 到了经济起飞的今天. 经得起”风浪”的食档已是寥寥无几.  劳苦小贩,为求两餐,踏实地烹调出他们对自己谋生的执挫. 以材料足够为根基, 精神和心机, 配上炉火纯青的经验, 就是那区区的一碟的炒粿条,加哩面都让您难以忘怀好几十个年头.

无论你是富裕或是贫穷, 简单而踏实的味道是最令你感觉满足和亲切不过。

你是否回想过, 那一家老食店或小贩曾经是你的最爱? 他们还存在吗?

为了推荐买少见少的家常老广东菜, 特地与这个老号做个简单的专访, 希望能与大家分享.

亚世饭店坐落在Hotel China Town Inn 后面

后巷里的家常老广东菜 – 亚世饭店  (世记)

这个位于吉隆坡闹市, 塘人街某个后巷里的老号. 自祖父至今已是第三代入橱作息.

从小跟爸爸(亚世) 学橱艺的现任老板兼主橱的黎雄威 (哥哥), 曾经在加拿大港式快餐店当过4年橱师. 回大马后再次与黎父并肩作战, 直到黎父享年62岁.  由黎雄威接班至今仍然保存着老广府抄的特色, 不跟随朝流, 什么奶油虾,非洲鱼…在这里绝对找不到!  世记是个家庭式生意,  一家大小在这个后巷埋头苦干了30多年.

老板兼主橱的黎雄威 (哥哥)

黎祖父是土生土长的中国人. 飘扬过海到南洋, 在吉隆坡落地生根. 龙蛇混杂的塘人街挑起担子买白切鸡饭, 抄粉面饭. 生活极度贫困.  黎爸爸年轻时也身无半文, 时常没钱交房租,被人赶出街.  后来“世记”于1962年正式在这条鸦片巷落脚.

大家是否回有些疑问, 为什么世记呆在后巷呢? 他有什么特别之处? 漆黑狭窄后巷谁会来呢?

以”老就是宝”的道理, 保留着上一代的传统风味, 绑着老顾客的心, 以人传人的方式能留传到今日, 全以”口碑”两字建立.  黎雄威细说, 跟爸爸十多年, 客户还是要爸爸亲下手. 一边炒菜一边喝黑狗啤, 还能和顾客一边聊天呢. 有时还 “串人”…”要快呀, 吃生的囖”…个性率直另他结交了不少朋友.

黎妈妈未去世前是个蒸食妙手, 现在由做楼面的弟弟黎成威替上打河.

哥哥黎雄威与弟弟黎成威

又漆黑又肮脏的后巷, 初期在这里用餐还蛮不习惯.  来多几次才发觉现并不然. 后巷路灯光亮了, 也干净许多.

除了火后十足的老滋味, 食物份量够大, 价钱的确实惠. 我们4 人吃进大大碟的4菜1汤, 有鱼,大虾,肉, 都不到RM100. 若比起吉隆坡闹市一般的价格, 他们实属超值.

亚世饭店的拿手小菜全都印在名片后面:

矮瓜虾球, 豆腐焖鱼, 鱼滑靚汤, 冬菜蒸猪肉, 三黄蒸蛋, 烧肉抄凉瓜, ……..全是家常菜色.

看那粗糙的鱼滑就知道有多”家常”啦. 平时少吃蚕菜的我, 一但配上他们的靚汤…却令我爱不释口! 可选择不同蔬菜配搭那清甜的鱼滑汤

矮瓜虾球 – 矮瓜=茄子, 大虾捞上香浓的balacan酱, 流口水了没?

豆腐焖鱼 – 香煎马友鱼, 豆腐和豆酱一起焖煮, 相当惹味!

冬菜蒸猪肉 - 别看平庸的卖像, 要新鲜的肉和油份量配搭恰当, 蒸的火后一点儿也不能忽视.他们的冬菜最赞.

现年45岁的老板黎雄威叹息, 因孩子刚满5岁, 年龄相差太远, 恐怕没人接班, 是末代了.

这条毫不起眼的后巷, 还有很多和亚世走过黄金岁月的同行, 如隔壁卖饮料档和街头的 煮抄都是第两三代的传人.

既然是末代, 要吃就趁早囖!

请游览较早前的英文版

http://www.gourmetgarden.com.my/?p=470

亚世饭店  (世记)

哥哥 黎雄威: 012-3231499

弟弟 黎成威: 012-2906751

电话: 03-20782762

72号, 吉隆坡蘇丹街, 广汇丰茶行(后巷)

(后巷中段, 最大档, 最光亮的就是了)

营业时间:  下午4点至晚上11点

每逢星期五休息

Popularity: 8% [?]

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On June 7th last year we were invited review to Ko Fu Loft in Gurney Plaza for an invited review which did not really went down well with our taste buds. After the review, me and Gill visited the restaurant on 2 more occasions which was also quite an eye opener for us. And from the memorable experience, we gave them about 6 to 12 months life span in this prominent mall which is also slowly loosing its grip on standards. And on the 2nd of March 2010 which is about 10 months after Ko Fu Loft started operating in the mall, it has finally call it quits and have lowered their shutters for the last time.

It is a pity that Ko Fu Loft had to abandon its initial concept of Dim Sum in a mall, which we also had when we saw the place after the Food Loft also met its demised. I guess it is rally true that same ideas and concept will have different result in the hands of different people.

Basically, the most noticeable reasons for the abrupt closure of this Dim Sum restaurant was because of:

• Right concept poor execution,
• Inconsistent and poor quality of food served,
• Lack service initiative by the service crew,
• High level of wastage that ultimately eat into the margins,
• Lack of right experienced management to lead the operations and oversee the kitchen activities,
• Inefficient Marketing Strategy and Tactics,
• Inefficient control of budget and expenses,
• Low participation of stakeholders,

Therefore to succeed in creating and operating your own successful restaurant, you need to have the right concept, good practical planning, proper execution, good management and leadership direction, cost efficient control methods, sound targeted marketing strategy and tactics, and most of all adaptable to criticism.

Next on our observation list would be a newly establish typical Hong Kong style tea house or ‘茶餐廰’ in Gurney Plaza. We had a dining experience there once, and I would say that Kim Gary would fair better compared to them. It has a retro type of decor but is uncomfortable to a certain degree and the food is worst off compared to Kim Gary.

Popularity: 3% [?]

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Hakka cuisine concentrates on the texture of food, simplicity and the umami (旨味) or savoury flavour of the dish. As like other dishes or cuisines, Hakka cuisine is influence by the attributes of the environment were they settled down or has it roots from, which is one of the reasons behind the variety of dishes and flavours that are synonymous to Hakka cuisine. The Hakka’s has provided to the public at large some their more famous dishes that are dished our in restaurants across Malaysia, China and whole wide world, some of these dishes are your common ‘Yong Taufu’(釀豆腐)or stuffed bean curd, ‘Yim Guk Gai’ (鹽焗雞) or Salt Baked Chicken, Poon Choy (盆菜), ‘Suin Poon Tzi’ (算盘子) or Abacus beads and lots more.

A few weeks ago on the 10th of December we had an opportunity to document the making of ‘Hakka Abacus Beads’ by a new entrepreneur, Ms. Lai Sze Ying, in Kuala Lumpur. It is one of the ways that we try to do our part to keep the diverse heritage and culture of food that we have a live for our future generation.  By doing so, we also hope to help budding food providers that are making delicacies the way it should to grow and spread the wonders of old school food.

This post I will introduce the making of ‘Suin Poon Tzi’ (算盘子) or Abacus Beads. Abacus Beads are made from freshly mashed Yam which is then combined with tapioca flour to form the dough that is cut and rolled into the shape of an abacus bead. The difference between the traditional and current abacus bead is the content of Yam and the final abacus bead shape. The算盘子/ abacus when cooked has a soft on the outside and chewy on the inside texture, which could be served stir fry or in soup. The common popular version would be stir frying with either of the following ingredients; minced pork or chicken, dried shrimps, mushrooms, ‘choy poh’, black wood ear, etc.

Before the dough is form to make the ‘Suin Poon Tzi’ (算盘子), Yam is cooked to a consistency that allows it to be mash up like when one make mash potato.

After the Yam is cooked to the required consistency, it is roughly mashed and then combined with tapioca flour to form the dough base which will be knead, cut and rolled to shape.

Before the Yam cools down, the Yam and Tapioca flour mixture is traditionally hand kneaded until it forms the firm dough.

After the Yam dough is finally formed, it is then divided into smaller section to work with. The smaller section are rolled into a strand which then cut to size and form into the shape of a abacus bead, which round in shape.

Next, a small puncture or stamp is made with chopstick in the middle of each formed abacus bead. This the part which differentiates the product produced by this new comer to the F&B industry from the common abacus beads suppliers in the market. And it is because of the near authenticity that we were greatly interested to document and introduce this budding entrepreneur that met through our acquaintance in KL.

After the abacus beads were ready formed and mark with the distinctive nod in the centre, it is then moved to the cooking pot or wok in this case to be thoroughly cooked with just simple clean boiling water, and then blenched in cold or running water to give it that springy and chewy texture.

The end product is the drained and is ready to be stir fry with you choice ingredients.

Popularity: 19% [?]

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A few weeks ago we had a cordial chit chat session with a reporter from Kwong Wah Yit Poh(光华日报) over some light snacks provided by Kozue a Japanese Restaurant in Gurney Plaza. We decided to talk over food because it is our passion for food that started and continue to motivate us to blog and share our expectations and experience. And it is food, a humble bowl of Katsudon, that match made us with Ivy of Kozue to become friends. Some people say “we eat to live” and some may say “we live to eat”, for us it is both. We need to eat for sustenance but we have to feel and enjoy what we eat. Thus, the journey to find what wondrous ingredients that GOD has blessed our fertile lands with.

After weeks of anticipation on how would the interview turn out, we wait no more. The article was posted on Kwong Wah’s website this morning and published in their evening’s newspaper today.

http://www.kwongwah.com.my/supplement/2009/11/23/4.html

23rd November 2009 evening edition of 光华日报 that carried our interview.

With the publication of the interview that was requested by 光华日报 and from feedbacks from some Mandarin speaking friends and readers, we would like to take this opportunity to announce that Gourmet Garden will also be posting in Mandarin(华文）on certain posts or articles in the not so distance future.

Below is the copy of the article and photos that was carried by  光华日报.

严凯铃、黄龙观 吃透全马寻古早味

二零零九年十一月二十三日 上午十时三十四分

报道：杨慎坚
摄影：林则贤/部分由受访者提供

《圣经》有说：人生唯一可享受的，就是吃。黄龙观和严凯铃捧为金科玉律，不仅吃透全马，还独乐乐不如众乐乐摆起路边摊，与识货人分享自家拿手菜，过足热食小贩的瘾头。眼见本土小吃水准每况愈下，他俩毅然加入美食部落格阵容，讲饮讲食，只盼古早原味重见天日。

没有批评就没有进步，两人发挥食话实说的大无畏精神，庆幸不曾招致店家厨师挞伐。夫妻档索性走出虚拟世界成立公司，亮出餐饮管理的私密武器，为陷入困境的食肆指点迷津。

■ 美食当前，除了品尝，分享更是重要。访谈所在的Kozue，是龙观和凯铃最乐意与老饕分享的餐厅。

来自饮食世家

美食部落格所以形成气候，大抵离不开爱吃及分享。Jason黄龙观与Gill严凯铃也不例外，双方还来自饮食世家，从小在菜香味氤氲的环境中长大，早已生成挑剔的味蕾，还成就后来靠吃喝营生的志业。

龙观的双亲是工厂饭堂的伙食厨师，父亲擅长包点制造，母亲拿手娘惹菜系。从小到大呆在厨房看父母为煮食忙，等到两老去世，他才真正下厨动手烧菜，却遗憾未从至亲那里学到一招半式。好在悟性不低，凭儿时随兄姐吃遍西式料理，重调酱的西餐完全难不倒他。

凯铃母亲祖辈以煮起家，岛上卖菜街已结业的老字号三合饭店，就是妈妈祖父那代开始的。身为家中长女，她小学三四年级已擅煮快熟面，每当大人出远门公干，她就肩负照顾弟妹温饱的责任。有兴趣作铺垫，她常跟在婆婆身边学煮，眼看口问下摸透烹调底蕴。受家族的影响，中餐成了她的强项。

2006年杪架设的gourmet-garden.blogspot.com，由Gill首先发表文章，写了不到一个月，就感受到中文表述的困难，便草草收场，2007全年更处于冬眠状态。2008年8月参与了全槟美食部落客聚会后，她决定重返部落格平台，以全新域名gourmetgarden.com.my示人，与丈夫一同执笔分享美食经。

“我们只是喜爱吃，也喜欢煮，觉得小时吃过的hawker food，古早味已走样，才想到写blog。”交代了撰写美食部落格的原意，他们继续道，“目的是通过评估与交流，让网友了解和认识正宗的地道小吃，给维持传统做法的小贩嘉许，并加以宣扬推广。”

■ 从街边小食到星级餐馆，2人几乎形影不离展开循香品味的旅程。

网志融入理性与感性

龙观与凯铃后来转向英文书写网志，内容非仅介绍性文字或重图轻文，而是融入理性与感性的大篇幅图文解说。雀屏中选的店家，有享负盛誉也有名不见径传的，点阅率不高，却累积一定的读者粉丝。“美食花园”公开发表的文章近200篇，后期的图文以Jason操刀居多，每天累积达近百人的点击率。

“口味是很个人的，好不好吃全凭个人喜好。不好的我们据实指出，好的我们不吝赞扬，并非有意刁难，只是希望餐馆做不好的，设法改进。我们不是权威，那里有说不对，读者看了欢迎反击回应。”

资本不足 当起小贩

32岁的严凯铃及34岁的黄龙观，一直有个心愿：开专卖古早食味的餐馆。碍于资本不足，他们尝试从小型的路边摊做起，Jason起初只是跑龙套的角色，6点放工后才去帮老婆与叔伯的忙。

2人在槟岛拉曼学院邻近开档，对象锁定学院生。起先卖炒米粉、芋头糕等小食类，因不合学生重量的晚饭用餐要求，而改卖经济饭菜，又因人手不足，后来才专攻套餐式的中西饭食、炒面饭。为夫者学市场专业出身，相当重视大众所需，与爱妻边做边学，从中变化出更多的烹调新技法。

学生乐当白老鼠

成了熟客的学生都乐意当白老鼠，主动试吃给予意见，让他们从中改良，直到煮出合群众口味的成品。当摊贩已是四五年前的事，生意仅维持1年半，学生客源渐少，加上严缺人力，夫妻两人不得不放弃。

对他们来说，行贩岁月是个难得经验，起码尝过当老板的滋味。染指饮食业绝非易事，做得好不好、精不精，常让业主陷于商业与艺术拉锯的两难，“如果以顾客口味为重，做出完全大众化的食物，跟别家没什么两样，无形牺牲了本身想要卖的特色。”

通过吃与喝，凯铃及龙观接触了不少人，与许多知食份子广结善缘，听到饮食男女各异的轶事，还从同侪饕客身上吸取处事的学问。因爱上老字号店家用餐，半岛上大街小巷哪里有好吃，他俩再清楚不过。

大胆理论 理出友谊

不少人都有过这种经验：上高级餐厅用餐，吃到与收费不符的劣品，独自在心底嘀咕谩骂。与其自个儿生闷气或向侍应生大吐苦水，不如找来负责人当面反映理论，“店家过后是否改善，没人知道，至少你敢揭露。他们若依然我行我素，最终将尝到不思进取的恶果。”龙观不留情面说。

他认为，食客心里有疑惑就需找馆方要答案，关键是己身做到客观公平，“既然付出高昂的收费，就该获得相应的口腹享受。吃的东西要是不值那个数目，就要据实反映，闷在心里不说，吃亏的是自己。”

Jason和Gill跟合您广场Kozue梢日本餐馆老板Ivy能结成好友，也是从大胆“进谏”而来，更是由一碗Katsudon建立起来。龙观人生中的日食初体验，是从猪排盖饭开始，那碗在新加坡日本料理店尝过的饭食，味道让他永难忘怀，后来他都以此为评比准绳。

话说他试了梢的猪排盖饭，发觉货不对版而脸露难色，东主察觉后主动走上前，征询意见。他一五一十相告，主人细心听教，还保证他们下回到访，肯定吃到2人心目中的正品。第二次踩进Kozue，再点Katsudon，果然尝到跟原味不差的杰作。

每段寻味旅程，两夫妻通常扫视一遍餐单，再叫来侍应生推荐；这是评价店家好坏的根据之一。“开餐馆的，员工不懂店内的菜色特点，向来宾清楚传达，证明老板有欠诚意和用心。”黄龙观强调。

■ 就是这碗猪排盖饭，让夫妇俩跟Ivy结成好友，并了解何谓有诚意的饮食人。

平常心踏进餐厅

到处找吃是美食部落客的任务，黄龙观与严凯铃的福态身型，多少显露“背朝天的动物都能吃”的不挑食口味。一般展开寻味之旅，到了目标餐厅，两人低调点菜拍照品尝后，再把吃后感写到网志上。

用平常心踏进餐厅，在无压情况下享用眼前的食物，是他们的坚持，“自己掏腰包吃，遇到不对味的，大可放心批评”，凯铃再说，“我们不是食评家，但根据一定要求打分，只有清楚掌握厨师烹调手法的概念，深入了解有关食物的典故和特色，才能给出中肯的论点。”

以胭脂炸鸡为例，大家的认知属于娘惹餐，龙观看过一本饮食杂志，把它当海南菜介绍，他不禁动摇起已知的观念，“Enche Kabin实际源自娘惹菜，只是很多海南饭店都有卖，另外加以改良自成一格。两者风味各不同，海南式的较干脆，娘惹式的较湿软。”

勤于翻查食谱等文献资料，并尽可能探问老一辈师傅，成了美食部落客的必要功课，否则以讹传讹，终将为人诟病。黄氏夫妇的足迹不限槟岛，而走遍全马大城小镇，不刻意找好料吃，而是借工作外访机会，顺道寻访有口碑的目标，多尝试不同风格的料理。

满足口腹享受，在Jason看来，非得上高级餐厅，吃名厨手作。简单如荷包煎蛋，色香味全与否关乎煮者功力。用最简单的材料调理出最好的味道，才是考验厨师手艺的关键。

■ 夫妻档一同上阵，为品味美餐攫住愉悦的时刻。

古早烹调较花心思

槟州政府致力宣传在地小食，把槟城塑造成美食天堂，借吃招来国内外游客，“美食花园”2位网主直认当局走对路，但官爷是否掌握每一食档的素质，却有待商榷，“再多的推广宣扬，摊贩的底子没打好，有好有坏又时好时坏，结果还是徒劳无功，名不副实反而大伤本地美食的元气！”

黄龙观举例说，槟城今日的福建面味道跟儿时没差，汤头颜色却有别；以前的澄明，现在的较沉浊。经明察暗访，他才了解其中的道理：前人收集虾壳加排骨熬煮而成，今人吃到的是以虾壳绞榨弄出。

古早食物跟现今不同，经济效益及速效原则使然外，烹调手法用心和选材的不同，多少随着大环境的变化出现差异。“以前的人不惜时间，花功夫慢慢调理，现在的人抄捷径，出来的成品自然不如以往。”

严凯铃接着话，“更重要的是，今日槟城小贩熟食的质与量，跟吉隆坡比已相形见绌，价格与份量不成正比。”她打个比方，同样的一碗云吞面，槟城的收费低却吃不饱，得多添一碗才有饱足感；吉隆坡的定价高，份量也跟着充足。

早在3年前，夫妻俩合创Kwang Venture市场管理公司，从网页设计、多媒体制作及客制化网上作业，再转向市场策略管理，将主力放在餐饮管理，包括为客户设定餐单菜式。“一道菜是否物超所值，不能凭售价高低衡量，若份量不多，但店家的材料实功夫够，不欺场，已是一种诚意。”Jason补充。

■ 严凯铃在家里亲手烹调颇靠功夫的盆菜。

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