The name “Cheers” reminds me of an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. The tag line “Everybody Knows Your Name” from the theme song is still deeply edged in my memories. I guess it would be great to go to a place for some chow and drinks, relax and be recognised for who you are!

Last weekend we were invited over to “Cheers Restaurant & Bierhous” situated off Jalan Tanjung Tokong, directly opposite of Caltex petrol pump. We have been there before on our own accord and didn’t give much thought of the place then but after the current visit, we did find that the kitchen have made some fine tuning and were able to present a better meal. It was an open invited review and attended by 10 and the food served had their portion increased to suit our numbers.

Let’s start with their “Homemade Mushroom Soup” (RM9.80) as an appetizer to warm the palates. The soup was thick and creamy with a sweet earthy taste. There were bits and pieces of mushroom blended into the soup to give it some texture.We were given 5 of their signature main courses to sample and review, starting with their “Cheers Fisherman Sensation” (RM29.80). On the plate were pan grilled sea-bass and dory fish fillets, prawns, cheese baked mussels and chuka idako (marinated baby octopus) dressed in a garlic butter sauce. There was contrast of texture from the well seasoned seafood items which were finished with a non-fail able sweet buttery garlic sauce.Continuing with the mains was their “Cheers Seafood Chicken” (RM31.80). A perfectly butterfly chicken thigh baked until tender with a layer of seafood mix and a rich and fragrant cheese jacket and served with fresh greens, creamy Japanese sweet potato mash and a sweet tangy mandarin sauce.  The chicken chop is an alternative to the usual chicken chops, but the price tag was slightly on the high side on our accounts though the combination was exotic and quite appealing. Then came their “Cheers Burger Special” (RM21.80), a double patty burger on a toasted bun and served with golden fries and coleslaw. The moist and tender pork patty was peppery, well seasoned and a good compliment to the earthy sweet and savoury seafood patty that contains salmon, scallop, mussels and prawns. The burger is worth every single cent “paid”!The fourth to be sent out from the kitchen were their “Cheers BBQ Ribs” (RM29.80), marinated with their special combination of herbs and spices overnight, then wrapped in foil and slow roasted in a conventional oven until tender and off the bone. The ribs were glazed with their BBQ sauce that had a sweeten end which was slightly over for us, but the texture well compensated.Lastly, we had their fusion “Cheers Knuckles for 1″ (RM29.80). De-boned tender pork knuckle meat served with its crackling, spicy green mango salsa and malty beer reduction brown sauce. Though is not an original, the combination of German taste and Asian flavours did managed to peep out. The last time we had this item at Cheers; it was quite a disappointment with its dry and unappetizing meats.

Our overall experience:

• Add: 3X, Jalan Pantai Molek, Tanjung Tokong, 10470 Penang, Malaysia
• Tel:  +60 (4) 8999 757
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheers-Restaurant-Bierhaus/227503800646941
• Business Hours: Monday -  Sunday 3.00pm – 1:00am

Popularity: 3% [?]

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This is not a review, but we would like to share something worth sharing! We were invited by Spasso Milano’s PR company to an individual food sampling session just after it open its doors for business somewhere in September 20111. What was suppose to be a simple quite diner ended up becoming a gathering of bloggers, Tasteiest & All About Penang Food, sharing good food with good service and company.

Spasso’s (Straits Quay) kitchen is currently being run by an Italian import who strives to keep the authentic flavours of Italian-Milan cooking alive in a foreign country where pleasing local flavour paradigms are still very much alive. Chef Felice Martinelli, a 42-year-old Milanese even goes to the extra mile by specially sourcing and importing ingredients and produce, such as hand-made artisan pasta and Italian savoury jams to delight diners with the experience of dining in Italy. When asked, Felice answered with a serious smile, “I will only cook authentic Italian fare, and will never mix elements of other cuisines, or compromise on the quality of ingredients, just to appeal to the mass crowd. When you follow time-honoured recipes, using the original ingredients, you get amazing dishes bursting with flavours” With that in mind, we were expecting something that will tantalizer our senses and not to be put off by “localised” Italian dishes.

We started off with their “Porcini Soup” (RM18.80) that is made with 100% Porcini mushroom and drizzled with White Truffle oil before serving. It had a strong earthy mushroom taste that ends with a light sweetness and a bit of sour sensation. We also ‘accidentally’ had “Asparagus Soup” (RM16.80) which was strong in asparagus taste profiles that were quite refreshing. Then we were served with “Smoked Duck Breast” (RM23.00), sliced home-smoked duck breast, avocado and salad greens dressed with Hazelnut oil. The smoky and tender duck breast and smooth buttery avocado produced a “ying yang” sort texture. And the Hazelnut oil lent some additional flavours which did not interfere with the main stars of the dish. Still on appetisers, we had their “Pan-fried Goose Liver & Porcini”. The goose liver was lightly fried with some caramelizing that added flavour and texture to the soft creamy texture. The nutty and mild bitterness of the rocket leafs with the sweet tangy grapes and balsamic reduction mellowed the richness of the fatty liver.

Then we also had the Tuna Tartar that was made with freshly diced tuna and tomatoes that was quite light to the palate. But to have it with other heavy flavoured dishes would defeat its light taste profiles.

After appetisers, we moved on to pizza made their Italian way with a fully imported domed in shape wood oven with terracotta base that will evenly transfer the heat and maintain a good temperature for cooking. “Trutti Di Mare” pizza with assorted seafood was ready just within a few minutes in the 400 Celsius hot oven fuelled by natural wood flames. The pizza was evenly baked with a crisp but yet fluffy base topped with good quality cheese that were not too oily and ingredients that were still juicy and tasty with a slight smoky taste.

Normally risotto is eaten as a primo or first course of the meal, that faithful day it was already the third or fourth course of the evening. The “Mushroom and Truffle Risotto” (RM28.00) was one of our favourites of the night. Made from Carnaroli rice, a medium-grained rice native to the Vercelli province of northern Italy, and cooked in their homemade broth with lots of mushrooms and shavings of black truffles. The texture of the risotto was fluffy with a starchy consistency; taste was earthy and sweet to every spoonful.

Pastas are a must in any Italian joint. Opting for a better grade of pastas, we had a go at their imported dehydrated handmade Durum wheat or Macaroni wheat pasta that was cooked al-dente. If one is not used to the firmer and rough texture of the durum wheat paste, you could still get the usual pastas that are available everywhere. Sauces we had with the pasta was a tomato base and a cream base which were both quite flavourful in their unique way.

The highlight of my night was Spasso’s Hearty Italian Wagyu Rib Eye Grill RM138 for a 250gm slab of fat fill piece of beefy meat cooked until medium. The well seasoned and charred Wagyu rib eye was juicy tender to very last cut and good on its owned, without any sauce of gravy.

Secondi Wagyu Rib Eye Aromatica (RM138) is a meal on its own. The herb crusted Rib Eye was tender and moist with multi-layers of taste coming from the crust and also from the Wagyu beef. Though the herbs overwhelms the natural flavours of the Wagyu rib eye, it presents layers of taste profile with a crusty mouth feel that would be fitting people who are looking for some interesting flavours. The side dishes of roasted rosemary baby potato and Sicilian caponata blended well with heavy tasting rib eye. After all the heavy savoury stuff it was time for desserts, we had Tiramisu, Chocolate Lava Cake and Panna Cotta. Each and every dessert had its own characters and specialty, but what I personally like the most was the Tiramisu.  At RM18.80 per serving, the espresso soaked Savoiardi biscuit was the base for the rich Mascarpone cream topped with bitter sweet coco powder. Though there hints of liquor taste in the Tiramisu, we were told none was used. It is the process and method that produces that “alcoholic” sensation.

“Chocolate Lava Cake” (RM18.80) was freshly baked warm chocolate cake filled with rich dark liquid gold served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The strong bitter sweet taste of the melted chocolate filling and the soft spongy cake and cold ice-cream was sinfully satisfying after a great meal.The Panna Cotta (RM14.80) is made from fresh cream solidify with gelatine served chilled with mixed berry coulis. The sweet tangy berry sauce cut through the rich creamy pudding to balance taste and mouth feel that close the evening meal in an even note. 

Add: 3C-G-2, Block C, Ground Floor, Straits Quay, Penang
Tel: +604-8912888
GPS Coordinates: N5 27.556 E100 18.800

P.S: Many thanks to http://tasteiest.blogspot.com for the photos that he has allowed me to use. Regret not bringing my DSLR on that day.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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Many people say that ‘food blogging’ is all fun & play, but I beg to differ. It is a lot of work, but we enjoy every calorie if it. It is more enjoyable when we are hosted by business or people are passionate about what they cook-up and are able accept criticism and suggestion when there is any.

Last week we were called in to sample and give constructive feedback by a 7 month old seafood restaurant in Bukit Tambun, Ho Ho Food World. Our last visit to Tambun, a famous point of interest for seafood in Seberang Perai Selatan, was roughly about 3 years ago. It has been quite a long time and there have been many changes ever since.

In the hosted dinner, we had about 9 different items that were quite tantalizing and have their individual characters. Ying Yang Sea-Starter (YamYeong Leong Mei) RM12 – 20, the blenched Octopus tentacles and body with garlic oil and spring onions were light on taste with a tender springy texture.

The ‘Whelks” or “海囖” were slow blenched or poached at low heat for about 30 minutes to maintain its crunchy texture and size of flesh. The taste of the flesh was slightly sweet with a bit of earthiness.

Then we had unique oyster dish, Oyster Braised Gravy (How suin-chiu) RM$ 5 per unit. They oyster was coated with flour then fried before stir fried in their specially concocted sauce which was sweet and savoury.

Another of their specialties that we tried was their Sea Mixed Spring Roll (Hai choon kuin) RM$ 12 – 20. Shelled succulent prawns wrapped in a nutty bean curd skin deep fried to golden brown and based with a sweet tangy sauce and fragrant sesame seeds. It was one of our personal favourites for the night.
We also had the infamous flower crab that many visitors to Bukit Tambun for seafood would not miss. Though crabs are not my favourite or must have, HoHo’s way of preparing their Sea Flower Crab – IndoStyle (Chit YanLi cha) RM$ 35 – 45 per kg was something that t must be mentioned. The crab is first steamed with Chinese wine before it is added into their English curry base gravy that was fragrant yet not overpowering or too spicy to taste. The crab meat itself was tender and moist, unlike the usual versions where the meat is dry and stringy. The usual method of preparing crab is by deep frying in hot oil or blenched in boiling water, this produces a dryer and stringy texture with a loss of the natural sweetness that live crab has.We were also introduced to their signature Claypot PrawnRice (Tsa-po HeiPui)RM$28 – 38. Due to the shortage of prawns, there were some shortfalls in the texture of the medium size prawns but the taste of the rice itself was good enough for a mention. The rice was moist, well flavoured and fragrant with hint of smoky charred taste.

Mantis Prawn Cantonese Steam (Hei-Ko chui) RM$3 – $8 – $16, were also one of our favourites for the evening. The flesh was firm, tender and yet smooth with a natural sweetness that went well with its soy and fragrant oil dressing. The ease of handling the mantis prawns were also a plus point, the legs were trimmed for easy access to the flesh hidden inside its exoskeleton.Kapar Lime Steamed (Kapar suinkam chui) RM$15 – 25, were equally unique with its tangy and pungent garlicky sauce. The clams themselves were also worth a notice as there were hints of natural sweetness and the taste of the sea .  

Also another one of our favourite dishes that we have sampled so far was their Yummy YamFishHead (Hu – Tao Orr) RM38 – 60. The yam has already broken down and has become part of the soup liquid. Thus, the soup is filled with the sandy texture and sweet creamy taste of the yam. The fish head was well prepared till tender and off the bones. It reminds me of the ‘Fish Head Noodles’ that we had in Jalan Kuchai Lam, rich in texture and taste of pumpkin.

HoHo Food World

Add: 1301, Bagan Bukit Tambun, 14110 Simpang Ampat, SPS, Pulau Pinang.

Tel: +6016 5205535

Popularity: 5% [?]

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We have pass by this Kuchi Japanese Restaurant some time back, and it did not seem to be anything out of the ordinary. But then again, looks can be deceiving! It was an invitation through our blogging friend, Lonely Teacher. He had tried the place out and recommended that we give them a chance to ‘sell’ what they have to us picky eaters.

Kuchi’s co-owner, Alex Soon, was present to keep us inform of what was to be serve and what are their initial concept for their few months old restaurant that is nestle just opposite the “famous” Sri Batik Nyonya eatery.  From him we got to know that they will have in their menu fresh seafood that are caught in our local waters and also air-flown chilled varieties that are imported from various sources. They even have live octopus on the menu for people who are adventurous enough to give it a bite.

It was short sampling session after business hours. We only samples 7 dishes out of the many that are contained in their Japanese Asian fusion menu. First up was their Special Maki RM11 (Sushi) or ‘Dragon Roll’ to me. Large deep fried battered prawn encase in a firmly hand pressed sushi rice roll coated with sweet and savoury prawn roe.

Then we had their Name Ika Teriyaki RM25 or grilled squid which was one of our key likable. Crunchy yet tender squid generously seasoned and flavoured with their specially concocted sweet earthy sauce.

Kaki Guratan RM18 or oyster baked with butter and crumbs. I a mouthful, there was the feeling of crunchy grainy bread crumbs with the smooth soft texture of the oyster. Flavour wise, it was rich creamy and buttery with a medium salty end.

Ginmutsu Teppan Yaki RM26 is a deep fried cod and home-made kimchi dish that goes very well with dry noodles or plain old white rice. Though the fish was deep fried till crisp, it was still moist inside. The sweet and spicy sauce was quite appetizing for people who like a bit of heat in their food.

Lastly we had their Somen Chanpuru RM13 or Japanese Mee Sua. The stir fried somen was firm and not too oily to taste. It was a light noodle dish that has lots of vegetables.

Address:  102-A-5, New World Park, Burmah Road,10500 Penang

Tel: 04-2285176

GPS: N5 25.212 E100 19.638 View Gourmet Garden Food Trial in a larger map

Popularity: 4% [?]

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Sometime in August G Hotel and ‘Sesame + Soy’, their Pan Asian Chinese restaurant, extended a gracious invitation to us to sample their ‘Business Lunch Set @ Soy’. Sesame + Soy’s uniqueness lie in their dual dining ambience, where Sesame is the epitome of fine dining while Soy is casual yet elegant. Soy comes across as a modern Asian bistro, infused with a hint of Zen that complements its casual vibe. Soy offers a scrumptious menu with a wide selection of tempting delicacies that are luscious fusion of Asian flavours that will in some ways tantalise your taste buds.

Soy’s ‘Business Set Lunch’ consists provides for a select any two (2) dishes, a choice of either a bowl steamed rice or fried rice, a single serving of their soup of the day and a dessert.  Rice and Chinese tea is free flow.

Back to their main dishes, there are eight choices to choose from and rotated or changed according to their restaurant’s schedule. The following dishes are the items that we have tasted and found to be pleasing. Soup of the day that we had was ‘Lotus Root Soup’, light to the palate but was not the version that we are used to at home.

Wok fried black fungus with garlic and ginger, crispy texture with a light sweetness that cuts through the savoury taste.

Braise angle luffa with minced chicken and egg whites, the smooth eggy sweet gravy balanced well with the textured tender body of the luffa. 

Fried mixed vegetables with garlic, a simple dish that is ready to be paired with dishes that exude intense flavours.

Steamed snapper fillet and Sichuan peppercorns, is spicy at first but ends with a sweet after taste that does not interfere with the slick texture of the fish. Would be appeaser to people who fancy some ‘heat’ to their lunch. 

Crispy batter eel with red pickled grains and chili Hoi Sin dip, true to its name. Deep fried till crunchy crisp with a slight salty taste.

Chilled drunken chicken with garlic and chive dressing, the crisp skin matched with the firmed meat of the poached chicken was cohesive to the light tasting dressing which went quite well with a bowl of white rice. 

Spiced crispy chicken with ginger and garlic, the tender chicken pieces were slightly oily to our liking but the flavours went down well with us. There was a bit of zing that heated up the taste buds.

Sichuan style wok fried duck fillet with chilli and ginger, a bit general but still flavourful with its spiced up seasoning.

As the meal ends, dessert is served. We had the opportunity the sample the specialties or signatures which is said to be the favourites amongst their returning guests. Their ‘Gula Melaka Crème Brule with Coconut Ice Cream’ is one of their star desserts that infuse the techniques of the west with local ingredients. The rich creamy crème Brule wasn’t too sweet nor blend, just the right consistency in taste and texture. The other desserts that we sampled were equally delightful.

Operation hours: 11:00am – 3:00pm (7 days a week)

Address:168-A, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Georgetown, Penang

Tel: 04-238 0000

GPS: N5° 43′ 78.13″ E100° 31′ 06.26″

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Popularity: 2% [?]

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Housed in one of the pioneering hotels in Batu Ferringghi, the Feringgi Grill is situated on the Mezzanine floor of Rasa Wing at Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa Penang. With its full glass windows and well thought of layout, the dining area gives a breathtaking view of the grounds and garden of the resort, CHI spa and the ocean. The openness and close proximity to nature brings a sense of relaxation while savouring the wonders that can be flipped out from their semi-open kitchen equipped with their latest edition in a long line of chefs that has been charged with serving exquisite traditional favourites and creating signature dishes for their loyal clientele, Chef David Pooley.

Chef David Pooley, an Australian with over 10 years of culinary experience predominantly in Melbourne and Sydney has been appointed chef de cuisine at Feringgi Grill. Prior to joining the Shangri-La family, he was sous chef at Quay that specializes in modern Australian cuisine and mentored by celebrity chef Peter Gilmore, and Claude’s a 33 year old French fine-dining restaurant now owned by Chef Chui Lee Luk.

Brik Pastry Canneloni, savoury goats curd stuffed into a crisp pastry canneloni and served with a sweet cherry tomato on a bed of chopped olives dressed in a light acidic vinegarette and garnished with aromatic Dutch basil. The taste profile was a balance with rich creaminess, sweetness, savouriness and acidity that got our palates excited.

Torched Tuna,  skilfully prepared tuna fillet , lightly seared by torched that is served with crisp feta puffs, hard boiled quails egg with a rich runny yoke and frozen cucumber droplets on a bed of avocado puree and sprinkles of red powder.  The tuna had firm and fine texture with hints of natural sweetness that when combined with the avocado puree, feta puffs and red powder produced a lightly sweet, creamy and savoury taste experience. The frozen cucumber gave the dish a refreshing sensation. And with the egg and runny yoke, a smooth yet textured sensation.

Five Spice Quail, a dish that combines Asian ingredients with Continental cooking methods to produce this fusion of flavours. Lightly seasoned with five spice and salt and cooked till perfection, the quail was plated with mushrooms and fungi pan fried with garlic, chives, soy mirin, coriander and succulent baby cuttlefish. The quail was tender and flavourful, and the mushrooms and fungi were earthy and full of their individualistic taste and juices. A well executed dish that we will be back for more, simple ingredients and sophisticated techniques combined.

Bouillabaisse, a traditional Provencal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. Here at Feringgi Grill, lightly seared sweet juicy tender whole scallop and snapper fillet and a crunchy firm poached yabbie immerse in a thick and flavourful seafood and ginger bisque. The bisque was smooth, creamy and highly-seasoned and filled with flavours from the strained broth crustaceans. The taste is similar to our local Hokkien Prawn soup.

Sorbet Sesame Cones were served to cleanse our palates before the arrival of our main course. Made from lime, pineapple and coconut, the cold sweet and sour sensation refreshed our taste buds while our anticipating our lamb dish.

Lamb Loin, the still pinkish loin meat was firm to touch but yet succulent and juicy was paired with mellow tasting smooth eggplant puree, sweet nutty pine nuts, pearl barley and chopped spring onions and the salty fermented miso paste that was lightly torched.  And to finish off the garnishing was the red-coloured mint leaves and spring onion buds. Taste wise, there was savory, nutty and earthy in play. As for the texture, there were combinations soft, firm and crunchy, but our favourite was still the lamb lions’ firm yet tender mouth feel.

All good things have to come to an end, but the ending also saw an orchestra of taste and texture at work in their served desserts. Rose & Strawberry Granita, strawberry flavoured ice shavings laced with rose water set in a glass with cubes of cocoa jelly, a scoop of vanilla gelato and garnished with gold leaf and violets. It was slightly acidic with creaminess from the gelato and texture from the ice and gold leaf; light, refreshing  and not over sweet for our palates. The violet gave some sweet perfume smell.

Chocolate Panna cotta, frozen white chocolate encasing a sorbet of earl grey and served together with rosemary popcorns, banana marshmallow and cocoa jelly. It is a bit exotic in terms taste with sweet, savoury and earthy flavours in one dessert presentation.

Last and not least was the Macaroons & Prailines. The chocolate was dark with a bitter after taste which I like.

Feringgi Grill
Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa
Address: Batu Feringgi Beach, 11100 Penang

Tel: 04 8888888
View Gourmet Garden Food Trial in a larger map

Popularity: 8% [?]

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Back in 2009, May 22d we posted about Ah Soon Thong Shui after patronizing their make shift stall on Jalan Helang on numerous occasions during my 4 & 1/2 years stint as Area Manager for a German company that require me to travel to places that have needs of the products that I was responsible for.

Late last year they have moved into a terrace unit off the main road of Jalan Sungai Dua, and they are known as Sweet-i.

Operation hours: 2:00pm – 9:00pm (Close On Thursday)
Address:727-F, Jalan Sg Dua, 11700 Gelugor.
GPS: N5° 35′ 13.61″  E 100° 29′ 85.00″

Their desserts or Thong Shuis are still not too sweet and has a balance of flavours.

This the video record that we did some time back, when they were still hawking on the road side.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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On the 1st of March we were invited to a private dinner by the Communication Dept of Golden Sands Resort in Batu Ferringghi to have a taste and experience of their Sigi’s Bar & Grill 1st Anniversary Set Meals that are only available for the whole month of March, except for Thursdays and Sundays. Thursday and Saturday nights has another value promotion namely their “Beachside Barbecue Nights” for only RM59.99++ per head that will run through March to the end of April 2011.

While doing research for this article I have found some articles regarding this casual yet stylish beach front restaurant that have been written by other bloggers, thus I would spare you the long winded introduction and oversell. I would just share our experience and thoughts of visit.

Even before their renovation work and reopening back in March 2010, we have not step foot into Sigi’s or any other hotel based restaurants in Batu Ferringghi except for Hard Rock Cafe. I guess the bad experience and oversell of certain hotel based restaurants have prevented us to spend our hard earned money on food that will at the end cannot suffice our palates and feel cheated.  If not for the invitation, we would not know that there is still hope now!

Sigi’s is situated at the beach front of Golden Sands Resort with alfresco seating on the beach area and also on their roof top. These two locations will provide you with a view of the evening sun setting with a foreground of waving coconut palms and lapping waves. Occasional breezes from the beach or from the hills would provide some form of natural cooling sensation.

On the other side of the alfresco dining area, there is an open air BBQ & Gill pit that is often used for functions, buffets and special occasions.

On the indoor dining area, there is a fussed free dining atmosphere accompanied with the sound of flowing water from the small pool located in the centre of the dining area.

The invitation to Sigi’s was mainly to sample the 1st Anniversary Set menu and some ala carte dishes that will spice up the existing menu. At the heart (kitchen) of the restaurant and the person behind the menu is John Brock their Executive Sous Chef from New Zealand. The 1st Anniversary set menu is priced at RM100++ per person, but do not fret as it is their anniversary and they are giving out a “1+1″ promotion from 1st to 31st of March so that visitor are able to join in their joy and celebration.

The 1st Anniversary menu consists of 3 course plus coffee or tea to end the meal. The entrée has 4 choices, mains have 5 choices and deserts 3 choices. Out of the items listed we had a sample of their Gourmet Flat Bread, Arancini Balls, Sigi’s Signature Fish & Chips and chilled Rice Pudding.

Gourmet Flat Bread, fluffy toasted bread topped with pieces of savory and tangy sun-dried tomatoes, crumbly salty creamy chunks of feta cheese, nutty pumpkin seeds, olives, herbs and dressed with drizzles of sweet chilli sauce. The toppings provided most of the flavours with acidity, savouriness, nuttiness, creaminess, sweetness and slight heat.

Arancini Balls, rice risotto with mushroom and peas balled and deep fried until crisp on the surface then dressed with their minted aioli and served with a side of garden greens. The crust was crunchy but not hard and the insides were soft and moist. The aioli dressing although made with garlic and olive oil was not overwhelming with the taste of garlic and had a hint of mint to end.

Sigi’s Signature Fish & Chips, thick juicy butter fish fillets coated with fluffy beer batter deep fried till golden brown and served with garden greens, hand-cut chips (wedges of potatoes) flavoured with rosemary and garlic cloves, and a dollop of tartar sauce plus a wedge of lemon. The flavours and texture of the dish was well balanced, crisp fluffy salted batter coat with sweet juicy fish fillets and tender chips and creamy aromatic garlic cloves. In our case, we did not have to use the tartar sauce nor the wedge of lemon. All was well with natural tastes and aromas!

Chilled Rice Pudding, texture filled rice grains, with diary base (may be milk or cream) was served with a bitter sweet and acidic Strawberry Soup and White Chocolate. Definitely there is texture, tastes wise it is light and refreshing to end a meal. But do bear in mind that the combination has more English influence, and thus should not be compare the local Malaysian rice base dessert or puddings. It needs some getting used to.

Apart from sampling there Anniversary Set meal selections, we also had the chance to try out some new dishes on their newly updated dinner ala carte menu: Beef Cheek & Shallot Pie, Paella for 2, Lobster Pizza and Sticky Date Pudding.

Beef Cheek & Shallot Pie RM60, tender strips of slow cooked beef cheek meat and shallots surrounded by beautifully baked pastry skin and served with John’s special spiced tomato relish and lightly dressed garden greens. The filling was soft, beefy and savoury sweet, and the pastry was firm and crisp. Combined with the tomato relish for some acidity and spice to balance the richness, was a pairing well planned! And the salad gave the dish a shot of freshness.

Sigi’s Paella for 2 RM70, short grain rice cooked in stock flavored with the sweetness of saffron, the mild heat and sweet taste of Pimentón, the savoury smokiness of chorizo, the sourness of tomatoes and other herbs. The ingredients or toppings are also not to be looked down upon; there were loads of prawns, calamari, mussels and chicken chunks. I guess rice dishes from the West is always a must to get to used to in terms of flavours and texture for most Asians.

Lobster Pizza RM30 for 12”, wood oven baked thin pizza base topped with lobster chunks, orange flesh, pesto and Parmesan. It looks pretty common but the pesto, orange and rich salty parmesan combined perfectly to produce a light aromatic tasting topping that did not overwhelm the natural flavours of the lobster flesh. Even cold, it still tasted fine to the palate.

Sticky Date Pudding RM16, chopped pitted dates infused into the rich and sweet tender pudding served with Calvados caramel and garnish with a few halves of fresh Strawberries. The pudding was rich and flavourful but not overwhelmingly sweet. The caramel sauce was also equally appealing and not too taxing on the palate, especially when Calvados or apple brandy was used to enhance the taste of the sauce. Even Gill had a good time savouring this dessert although she is not a desert person. As for me, the warm pudding could do with a scoop of cooling vanilla ice cream, but that would have changed the whole experience of the dessert. So, just go with the flow!

SIGI’S BAR & GRILL ON THE BEACH @ GOLDEN SANDS RESORT

Address: Batu Ferringhi Beach, 11100 Penang, Malaysia.

Contact: +60 (4) 886 1852 (Direct Restaurant Line)

Business Hours: 11.00am-6.00pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm (Bar: 11.00am-11.45pm)

Other ongoing promotions at Sigi’s:

• Extended Happy Hours daily from 5pm to 8pm. Pizzas at 50% off plus discounts on certain selected beverages.
• Beach Seafood BBQ RM59.90++ per pax from 7pm to 10pm, and from 3rd March to 28th April 2011.

Garden Café Promotions:

• “1 +1” Sunday International Buffet Lunch RM59.90++ per pax from 12pm to 2:30pm, and from 6^th March to 17^th April 2011.
• Easter Sunday Lunch on 24^th of April 2011 for RM49.90++ per pax.

Popularity: 10% [?]

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End of last month, RoundU ( a company that bridges business owners to consumers through new media) had organised a luncheon with one of the directors of Weissbräu German Bistro & Bar situated at Quay North of Straits Quay. Wayne Yoon has over 20 years of experience in the F&B line in various parts of the world, holding different responsibilities throughout the years. And 15 months ago he decided to establish Weissbräu in Malaysia with its first outlet in Kuala Lumpur, then 3 months ago he and his partner(s) committed their resources to setup a branch in Penang. With that Weissbräu Straits Quay was born.

Weissbräu Penang German Bistro & Bar seats around 70 people indoor and 100 people at Alfresco, and opens at 12:00 NN daily to 1:00 AM (open till 2:00 AM on Friday & Saturday). Reservation is recommended especially for dinner hour and weekends.  ”Happy Hour” is throughout the day till 9:00 PM, and all day on Sundays.

The initial Weissbräu menu was compiled by Master Chef Pascal Schnyder from Luzern, Switzerland.  It is divided into 2 distinctive sections, one for the light eaters and the other for the hearty eaters. The lighter section of the menu contains items like salad, sandwiches, wide ranges of home-made and imported sausages and cold cuts that are quite suitable for lunch or over the counter for quick a take-away. For the hearty meal section, there are their signature Crispy Pork Knuckle, Pork Ribs, Giant Wiener Schnitzel and lots more to pacify the hunger and satisfy the sinful desires. All their main courses are complimented with 2 of their home-made side dishes which you can choose from; buttered market vegetables, Sauerkraut (Shredded Cabbage in white wine vinegar), German Potato Salad, Garlic Mash, lightly pan-fried Spaetzli (home-made egg noodles) or roesti.

At Weissbräu you would find some items or dishes that have influences from their bordering countries like France, Switzerland and Belgium.  Pissaladière, it is a popular pizza from Southern France that has a thin crust dough topped with sour cream, roasted onion, anchovies and olives. Roesti, a Swedish favourite of shredded potato strips pan-fried in clarified butter and can be served as it is, or top-up with bacon, egg, onion, cheese or anything you fancy to create your individually unique dish. Moule Mariniere or ‘Seamen’s style Mussel is a Belgium version of mussels in a pot with white wine and fresh vegetables.

Classic Ceasar Salad RM16.80++, crisp Romanian lettuce, tomatoes, and croutons topped with home-made mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese & bacon bits. To add an extra punch to the light dish, you could include either lightly curried chicken for RM6.00++ or smoked salmon for RM8.00++.

Buttered Swiss Roesti with onion, bacon, cheese & eggs RM24.00++.

Italian Touch Pizza with Mushroom Topping RM28++, thin crusted pizza with sour cream, homemade tomato paste, mozzarella cheese an d your choice toppings (here we have mushroom).

Crispy German Pork Knuckle RM48.00++, pork knuckle boiled then pickled for 2 days then deep fried before serving. It comes with 2 side dishes of your choice and beef stock base red wine sauce.

Giant Weinerschnitzel RM34++, skilfully cut and hand pounded pork fillet breaded and pan fried till golden in colour then served with 2 side dishes of your choice (Spaetzli and Buttered market vegetables).

Schublig RM42++, lightly smoked giant pork sausage mixed with their own special blend of spices and served with your choice of 2 side dishes (over here is Garlic mashed potato and Buttered market vegetables).

Homemade Sausages (Chili Pork Sausage, Herbs Pork Sausage and Garlic Peppercorn Pork Sausage), are special Homemade Pork sausages encased in lamb casing and seasoned with their respective flavours (natural herbs and spices), then smoked for 4 hours to infuse the smoky aroma & taste. This item is new to the menu and may be off the menu for now but is available by request.

• Smoked Herb Pork Sausage RM 34++
• Smoked Garlic Peppercorn Sausage RM 32++
• Smoked Chili Pork Sausage RM 34++

And when the kitchen is not busy, you may ask for a 2+2 sausages, but with respective charges. Please do inquire for further details.

For those who like to have something sweet at the end of the meal to cleanse the palate, you may want to  op for their desserts that are home-made as much as possible to keep the principle of making food the way it used to. At one point, Wayne jokingly pointed out that the only thing they don’t do is grow their own vegetables and rise their own cattle and swine!

Apple Strudel served with Vanilla Ice-Cream, an envelope of filo pastry stuffed with green apple cube prepared with nutmeg, white raisin and sugar syrup and top with crunchy sugar granules.

Chocolate Mousse top with Pear, bitter sweet chocolate mousse blended with VSOP for richness and served with chilled poach pears.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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Of recent we were invited by Miraku Japanese Restaurant in Penang’s G-Hotel to gather a small group of bloggers to share the opportunity to preview their new dishes and promotions, and bridge them to the mass of Japanese food lovers out there. To begin with the series of planned event is their March & April Hotate (Scallop) & Chuhai (Japanese Cocktail) promotions. The promotions begin from the 1st of March and ends on the 30th of April 2011.

There are 10 items to choose from their Hotate promotion menu that ranges from the naturally sweet Nama Hotate sashimi to the savoury Hotate Ramen.

If you are planning for a full night of Hotate craze, you could  start the meal with the Nama Hotate Sashimi (6pcs) RM19.90 that had a light natural sweetness and smooth tender flesh.

Then we had the Hotate Sushi (Nigiri Sushi) (3pcs) RM14.00. The texture of the scallops were similarly soft and tender like the sahsimi scallops and the hand pressed rice rolls were not too sour nor too compact.  With a small drop of shoyu and a touch of wasabi, it brought out the sweet taste of the scallop further.

After the raw hotate, we had the Hotate Chuka Chinmi RM8.00. They are actually the membranes on the side of the adductor muscle trimmed and tossed with sesame seeds, chili, vinegar and seasoned to taste. It had a crunchy texture and an appetising taste that helps to get the palate moving and duets quite well with certain beer sand sake.

Then we tried the Hotate Kakiage RM28.00. Mixed vegetables, onion, capsicum and scallops batter coated and deep fried till golden brown. It had a crisp surface with moist and juicy fillings that are appealing people who love fried foods.

Another deep fried item on the promotion menu was the Hotate Korroke (2pcs) RM18.00. The croquettes are different from the normal potato base, they were made from diary custard packed with corn kernels and scallop breaded and deep fried until achieving a golden crust and yet maintaining a rich creamy centre.

Continuing after the deep friend version, we had the Hotate Kushi Yaki (2 sticks with 6pcs scallop) RM11.50. Pieces of whole scallop grilled and glazed with their home made sauce of soyu, sugar & leek. It is said that the end product is very similar in taste as the ones found in Japan, authentic and exquisite.

Then there was the Hotate Kara Yaki RM19.90. Big size Scallops with roe pan grilled in butter, Mirin, sake, shoyu and seasoned with pepper. The scallops had a firm and tender texture with a buttery and savoury taste.

After the grilled, we had the Sanshoku Hotate Mayo ( a set of 3 colours with individual flavour) RM30.00, Green was Wasabi, Yellow was Mayo and Red was the  Mentaiko (明太子) is the marinated fish roe of Pollock. Each individual flavours would have a different appeal to different taste preference. Some liked the spicy Wasabi or horseradish taste, some enjoyed the rich mellow taste of the mayo and for me it was the rich and salty Mentaiko that hit the note.

Another creamy dish that was on the menu was the Hotate Gratin RM23.00. It had 5 lovely charred scallops on a bed of sweet and creamy gratin made of custard, cheese, mayonnaise and macaroni, then finish with a slight torch of the surface.

Last but not least, a hot bowl of Hotate Ramen RM25.00. The soup base had predominant flavour of Miso and Wakame or seaweed. The savoury and creamy tasting soup had in it a mount of Ramen noodles, Ginkensai or Pak Choy, Moyasi or bean-sprouts, corn kernels and most importantly the whole scallops with roes intact.

After finishing the last item on the “Hotate Promotion” menu, we went on to have some cocktails drinks. The drinks were also part of their March & April promos, “Chūhai Promotion” @ RM28.00 per tokkuri. Chūhai is a cocktail mixture of Shōchū (Japanese Liquor) with carbonated drinks & citrus drinks, the possible concoctions may include lime, grapefruit, apple, orange, pineapple, grape, kiwi, ume (plum), yuzu, lychee, and peach. In short, Chūhai is a Japanese Alcoholic Cocktail that can either be served hot or cold and any with any flavours according to the drinkers’ preference.

Miraku in its Chūhai promotion is providing a 150ml tokkuri (house pouring) of either Mugi (Wheat Shōchū) with 23% alcohol or Imo (Potato Shōchū) with 25% alcohol with a variety of choices mixers:

• A can soft drink of either tonic, soda, Sprite, Cola or Oolong,
• 300ml of choice of juice of either lime, Orange or Mango Juice.

The most desirable cocktail by the ladies that particular night was the Mugi (Wheat Shōchū) with Sprite and Lime Juice cocktail. It was well blend, with little bit sweetness, tang, mellow alcoholic taste and fizzy after taste.

The following is the Potato Shōchū or Imo with Sprite/Tonic, Lime and Plum. It had an alcoholic taste with a bit of salty sourish taste, and it was the second most liked concoction of the night.

This is Imo with just Oolong tea. It is for the more matured drinkers who like their cocktail strong.

Our chef of the day was Nakagawa-san, a shy chap at start but looks can be deceiving. If I am not wrong, he is still single and available for now!

Business Hour :

Daily Lunch 12:00pm to 2:30pm

Daily Dinner 6:00pm to 10:30pm

Reservation:

Tel No. : 604-229 8702

Fax No. : 604-229 8560

Email Add : fm@miraku-restaurant.com

Links to the other attendees of the preview:

• Food Promotions
• It’s Delicious
• Valyn Lim

View Gourmet Garden Food Trial in a larger map

Popularity: 7% [?]

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On the second(2nd) day of this Chinese Lunar New Year my sister decided to have “Poon Choi” (盆菜) from Dragon-i for dinner to celebrate the beginning of Spring or lì chūn (立春)。The Dragon-i’s ‘Prosperity Abalone Treasure Pot’ set is priced at RM 388 and RM338 for CIMB Bank customers, and boast to have 16ingredients with an approximate weight of 8.5 pounds or 3.85kg. The ingredients listed in the broacher are Australian premium abalone (10head), Australian sea cucumber, Japanese dried scallop, Japanese dried oyster, premium mushrooms, Pantai Remis fresh sea prawn, fish maw, roast chicken, roast pork belly, Golden Money Bag, yam, black moss, Chinese Cabbage, Tianjin Cabbage, deep-friend bean curd skin and radish.  But bear in mind that they are allowed to substitute or change the ingredients as stated in their marketing literature.

As there were an over whelming demand for treasure pot set, they ran out of pots thus we had to bring our own Japanese claypot which was significantly bigger. For take-away, the stock was packed separately and all the ingredients placed in individual sections and layers.

Once we got back home after driving through the jammed Jalan Batu Ferringghi, we added the stock and reheated the treasure pot. But half way through reheating, a very light burnt smell was coming from the pot. The cabbage leaves that were place at the bottom started to burn from the heat because the leaves have more fibres and less moisture compared to radish and burns easily. Therefore, extra care should be taken when reheating it at home.

The following photos show the layers of ingredients that came in the treasure pot. If I am not mistaken, those stated in their brochures were all present except for the fish maw (花胶筒) and black moss (发菜). Presentation wise it looked like any soupy claypot dish and its taste did not excite our palates nor leave a very lasting impression. The mushrooms and roast pork belly were a size overly big, the sea cucumber had a fishy taste and the abalones were bland, and all ingredients tasted with same flavor, but the soup stock was averagely light and sweet.

Back in 2008 before the market went bonkers with Poon Choi promotions and packages, we had begun researching for the origins and recipes that we could easily adopt or adapt for local ingredients and taste preference. We started with  a recipe that had Hakka influence that required every ingredient that goes in to the pot to be individually prepared and cooked so as  to present layers of flavours and texture when you start consuming the Poon Choi. The preparing process includes a few cooking method, such as steamed, deep fried, pan grilled, poached, braised an so on.

Each layer has their unique flavours. As you eat through the layers and go down to the bottom, you will find layers of pork skin, bean curd skin and radish used to layer the bottom to minimize burning and most importantly to soak up the flavours that have trickled down.

Then in 2010, my in-laws did another version of poon choi that require less tedious work for their Chinese New Year reunion dinner. It had radish, bean curd skin, stewed chicken (feet), roast duck, salted fried prawns, stewed mushrooms, vegetables and canned abalone. It also delivered layers of flavours and texture minus some hard work.

Which version above could really draw your appetite?

Popularity: 13% [?]

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A few weeks back we are ask to sample this particular brand, Fresh 鲜茶工坊,  of  fruit tea business that works on a distributorship  concept. The distributor who invited us was located at 16, Lebuh Macallum in Penang. It is at a row of shop houses just before the Macallum Street wholesale market. This particular outlet caters to the dine-in, take-away and also deliveries to a stipulated area at certain time of the day.

Fresh 鲜茶工坊 boast to be a specialist in the fruit flavoured tea drinks; especially the Passion fruit flavoured ones. We were told that most of their ingredients, for their drinks and food items, are imported from Taiwan, even their cups and their individually packed straws. That is how far the “Master Distributor” will take to make sure they provide the best product to their clients.

Although their best or most popular drink is the passion fruit flavoured tea drinks, it doesn’t mean that their other drink offerings are not good enough. I guess it would be best to inquire their counter staffs or scan through their drinks menu for the flavour that will excite your taste buds. There are 8 types of fruit flavours to choose from for your green tea or earl grey tea base. It also provides a selection between Nata-De-Coco and “Black Pearls” for your drink. ‘Yakult’ is also an option to enhance the taste of the drink you fancy.

One of the key items in Taiwanese milk teas or tea based drinks are the “black pearls” or “黑珍珠”. At Fresh they were said to be replenished or changed every 4 hours to maintain its flavours and also its texture. The black pearls have a springy texture but yet do not stick to the grooves in the mouth, and it has a herbal after taste rather than a sweet taste which is quite different from the versions that I have had before.

Other than drinks, they also served some light finger food or snacks and a few Japanese dishes to begin with. During the sampling day we were given two dishes to try, one was their ‘Okonomiyaki‘ and the other was their ‘Kabayaki Unagi don’. Their okonomiyaki (RM 9.00) is made of cooked cabbage, pork slices, egg omelette and topped with generous amounts of bonito flakes and mayo.  The cabbage was sweet with a crunchy surface and well cooked centre, the pork slices were tender and juicy and the egg omelette was fragrant and moist. Price wise it is not very cheap, but definitely value for money as the stuffing of cabbage and pork slice were very plentiful and of better quality.

Then we had try at their Kabayali Unagi Don (RM13.50) where the special sweet sauce was also imported to ensure that the taste is as near as possible to what the ‘Master Distributor’ have experienced. The rice was fluffy and the Unagi very tender and the sauce had a caramel and savoury flavour. It would go down very well with a person who likes heavy tasting food.

Overall experience:

Popularity: 15% [?]

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Republished

Back on 13th November 2010 we were tasked to assist in the organising of an event for Bravo Italiana by RoundU, which we did and the event went through quite successfully although there were initial fears that the sampling would bore negative feedbacks after reading about some minor complaints on the internet and hearing rumours from a prominent food blogger from Penang.  If possible, we would try to upload the raw recording of the question and answer session that the bloggers had with owner cum chef to further understand his stand and concept of his restaurant and also how his food is made.

Below are the raw recording of the question and answer session that the bloggers had with owner cum chef to further understand his stand and concept of his restaurant

http://gourmetgarden.com.my/download/GG-BravoItaliana-1011130.mp3

The sampling event was different from the review session that was organised by Penang Tua Pui which was attended by many prominent Penang food bloggers back in year 2009.  The current sampling event was meant to provide direct feedback to the business owner on the quality and value of the surveyed items and thus help improve on the marketability of the items through the experiences, different backgrounds and taste preferences of the attending bloggers. The programme is operated by RoundU with a goal to promote the deserving quality F&B outlets in Penang to the consumer market.

Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Middle-East cuisines. But in the 18th century Italian cuisine as we know took on some significant changes with the discovery of the New World that introduced items such as potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and maize to Italian cooks, and which have become a major part of what Italians eat now a days. Recipes or what people eat are influence by the available ingredients, thus there is distinctive difference with the taste and texture of dishes of Italian cooking by region. Therefore it is hard or very subjective to point out the rights and wrongs of any dish. It all comes down to the taste profile or preference that one has grown up with.

Like any other dining culture in the world, Italy also has its variety in eating etiquettes, style or establishments. They are basically classified by the service, food and drinks they served to their customers.

• Agriturismo – or agritourism is a functioning farm / farmhouses that provide lodging and meals.
• Osteria – a night eatery that usually has a verbal menu that mainly caters to simple regionalised dishes.
• Paninoteca – their sandwich or Panini shop.
• Pizzeria – pizza shop.
• Ristorante – a upscale restaurant with proper dining and menu.
• Spaghetteria – a pasta and main course serving eatery.
• Trattoria – a family or home-style eatery that provides inexpensive and casual dining experience.

Bravo Italiana is said to be based on the trattoria-style dining concept were the chef cum owner have gain most of his experience in his 8 years stint in Italy. This restaurant was established on 3rd November 2008, but before this they were involved in the “Little Kitchen” restaurant at Bandar Sunway, Penang for nine (9) years.

The sampling session was planned for a survey of 13 items or dishes but due to the amount available, there were some impromptu changes during the event. It began at around 3pm as requested by Mr. Ng, the time coincide with the restaurant’s in between service hours break time. The sampling started with a photo taking session and followed by the sampling of their starters continued with mains and desserts plus a set lunch item.

Bruschetta (RM8.80+), toasted baguettes topped with diced tomato, capsicum, herbs and cheese. It was a twist from the usual bruschetta that normally has a lighter topping that is without cheese.

Taste – Savory and cheesy at first then followed with the refreshing sweet juice of tomatoes, peppery flavour of the capsicums and finished with the aroma of the sprinkled herbs.

Texture – Crisp baguette surface with a moist centre and tender yet firm toppings.

Grilled Chicken Salad (RM17.00+), strips of grilled chicken on top of a garden of fresh greens and fruits dressed with their in-house vinaigrette. The portions is generous enough for a light meal as its own for small eaters.

Taste – There were some complaints that the dressing was a a tad to acidic for their liking. But the chicken was well seasoned and the green were sweet with some bitterness due to the purple cabbage.

Texture – The chicken strips or slices were over dehydrated as it had been waiting for the sampling to begin, that is why in Chinese food culture it is always emphasized  that food has to be taken while it is fresh from the grill. Salad greens were crunchy and fresh.

Baked Oyster Vesuvio (RM31.80+ for half dozen), medium size halved shell oyster coated and lightly fried, then topped with mushroom slices tomato and capsicum chunks, crumbs and cheese  then baked. When serve hot, it had a pungent aroma of Chinese dried oyster.

Taste – It had sweet, savory and diary taste  with a pungent  fragrance sun dried oyster. Not too over powering in the taste factor.

Texture – There were a slight crunch on the surface due to the baked crumbs on top of the melted cheese mixture and firm cooked oyster flesh.  But there was a slight more of oily feeling from the melting cheese.

Lasagne Al Forno (RM24.00+), three (3) layers of lasagne pasta interlaced with their beef bolognese sauce and topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and baked.

Taste – It was meaty, savory and creamy rich with a predominantly sweet aftertaste, that a few bloggers find a bit too sweet for their liking. For sure I would prefer something with a more balance flavour.

Texture – Grainy mince meat with good ratio of lean meat to fats. And the pasta sheets were just nice in texture, not soggy nor under cooked.

Lamb Shank (RM32.00+), braised NZ lamb shank in red wine with fresh Italian herbs, garlic and mushrooms.

Taste – It was different from the normal strong peppery tasting versions, we could actually taste the red wine and lamb flavours in the gravy. And it was one of the favourite dishes of the day although few did comment that it had a hint more of the “lamb” taste in the meat. But what is lamb without the hint of “lammy” flavours?

Texture – The meat was tender and firm.

Spaghetti Capitano (RM29.80+), spaghetti with fresh shrimps, scallops, mussels, squids and diced salmon, sauteed in a delightful marinara sauce.

Taste – Salmon was slightly heavy on taste (the fatty salmon taste) and the muscles had a bit of  fishy aftertaste, but the scallops and squid rings were sweet and juicy.

Texture – Muscles, scallop, squid and salmon were firm and tender, pasta was just nice in texture.

Pesce Misto alla Milanese Dinner Set (RM43.00+), it will be a new item for the dinner set menu. The grilled salmon and jumbo prawns dressed in a classic Milanese sauce comes with soup of the day,  drinks (lavazza coffee / tea / ice lemon tea) and dessert of the day.

Taste – Prawns were well seasoned and finely grilled with much of its flavours and moisture still locked in, as for the salmon it was slightly off their standard as it (the portion we had) had been “modeling” for the shutter bugs. The Milanese sauce was flavourful with the abundance of herbs and had a balanced richness. And the accompanying mash was every bit savory with the cheese stuffing within.

Texture – The prawn flesh was firm and tender with some crunch,  salmon was flaky but slightly dehydrated. The accompanying fried mash was crisp on the surface and fluffy inside.

Chicken Parmigiana lunch set (RM25.00+), is a piece of of deboned whole chicken leg batter fried, top with their tomato sauce and cheese then baked and served with a side spaghetti pasta.  The lunch set comes with a bowl of  soup of the day, a drink (coffee / tea / ice lemon tea) and a single scoop of ice-cream.

Taste – no comments as this dish was not included during the tasting session as most of the attendees were already filled to the brim, and that was before dessert.

Texture – N/A

Pizza alla Sicilian (RM32.00+), include toppings of beef pepperoni, chicken sausages, onions, green capsicums and black olives.

Taste – The pizza was cheesy and full of the flavours of the toppings, e.g. smoky, peppery, sourish, sweet, diary and rich.

Texture – The topping ingredients were still firm and not mushy, but the dough or crust was too crisp like baked biscuits. Many of the bloggers commented that they would prefer to have a softer pizza center.

On the plan were 4 desserts, but we had a extra surprise in the form of their home-made pumpkin pie.

Tiramisu (RM12.80+), very rich in liquor and chocolate flavours with un-overwhelming sweetness. The accompanying peaches lent some acidity to balance the creamy taste of the dessert. One of the few well orchestrated tiramisu that we have encountered.

Tequila Key Lime Pie (RM8.90+), tequila infused whipped cream covered the limy cheese filling of the Oreo cookie based pie. There were some feedback that it was a tad sharp on the sourness, but it settle well with my preferences.

Italiana Mousse (RM12.80+), is a new item to be included in their desserts menu. Rich in chocolaty goodness but stiff on the texture. Feedback from the owner is that there were request for a firm texture for this desert.

Bravo Zabaglione (RM12.80+), also in the new desserts menu list. It is actually an Italian custard made of egg yolks, sugar, a sweet wine. Over at Bravo Italiana, they have layered it on top of a base soaked in apricot liquor that to many tasted like almonds. It is dessert for those who appreciate good liquor as it is pretty strong in alcohol.

Pumpkin Pie (RM12.80+), is also new as we were told. And was an ad-hoc item that was included for the sampling. It had earthy flavours and sweet aftertaste. which was not overwhelming. But the walnut topping tasted a bit rancid although it was bought fresh from the supplier.

Our overall rating for Bravo Italiana:

Other current session invitees with their choice selection(s):

• All About Penang Food
• Cariso Part 1 & Part 2
• Evon Lai
• FoodPromotions
• Herrick-Mau-Makan
• Hong Kitcehn/Food Inspiration
• ItsDelicious
• John Khor
• Lonely Teacher
• Its About Valyn
• 蓝天白云数格子

Feedbacks from paid customers:

• Ginna.net
• IamTheWitch
• NuttyEve9
• Tarts & Pies

Bravo Italiana

Add : 01-01-11 Complex I-Avenue, Medan Kampung Relau 1, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang.

Business Hours : Tuesday to Sunday ( 11.30 a.m. – 3.00p.m., 6.00 p.m. – 10.00 p.m.) Closed on Mondays

Tel : 04-6410499

Popularity: 3% [?]

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Last month, on the 19th of September we were invited for a review session by The Little Cottage Cafe 2 (TLCC2) management to look into their lunch& dinner sets. This we were back there again but not on the invitation of TLCC2. This time we were dining as paid customers, but paid by a friend. As we mentioned in our earlier post that we were going to return for their “Sunday Lunch Buffet“, that was what we did. The Sunday Lunch Buffet is must do if you are looking for great eats during the lazy afternoon. In addition, the lunch buffet line is the only buffet TLCC 2 offers to its patrons if they intend to try out the catering service products that are available for bookings, outdoor and indoor. Although they do not have a huge selection of dish items as compared to the buffet lines in hotels, but it can definitely compensate for the quality of food that it offers. And it is considerably value for RM25.90+ for adults and RM13.90+ for children below 12 years old.

This trip to TLCC 2 was delayed a week  due to food poisoning by one medium sized cockle that I had in a Malay food stall somewhere in Bayan Lepas, but my Gill Gill was not affected. I guess I am vulnerable to a certain strain of bacteria in cockles. There was some stomach cramps due to wind and active acid build up, nothing serious luckily.   Awareness of food allergies or food sensitivities is very important when dining out, especially seafood or places that you have not been to. Thus, cleanliness and hygiene are important factors when we review eating spots or places. At TLCC 2, we noticed that the people who are directly handling food items wore surgical rubber gloves, which shows a sign that the management is serious in their food business.

1. Croissant with chicken or turkey ham. The ham had a fine texture and smoky flavour, but the croissant was slightly dehydrated and cold as it has been exposed to the air-conditioning on the buffet line. 2. Deep Fried Spring Roll, was just  your plain old halal spring roll. 3. Idako, it was crunchy, firm  and tender in texture. The sauce had a localised taste with a prevalent aroma and taste of sesame. The sauce was milder in the sugary sweetness as compared to the usual sweeter version found in many local Japanese restaurants. The idako and sauce went very well with the greenish pickle that we took.

4. Soup of the day, Cream of Mushroom, the soup was average in taste when hot, but at a lower temperature the flavours were more distinct. Texture or consistency of the soup was slightly more fluid on this day.

5. Tempura Chicken Nuggets, our initial perception was the normal “MacDonald Nugget” type of nuggets, but they aren’t. The nuggets were crisp on the surface and were tender and cheesy on the inside. Cheesy because it had a cheese filing, thus it tasted much richer and flavourful as compared to the “MacDonald Nuggets”. Therefore dipping the nuggets into ketchup or chilli sauce is a no-no as it would have overwhelmed the rich fillings’ taste.

6. Baked Golden Otak-Otak Fish, didn’t seem appetising to us at first but the taste slowly grow on us. The baked egg custard was firm and yet fluffy, but it was not as smooth as the traditional home-made type. This is a sign of over cooking which is then caused by the flames or heat needed to keep the dish warm for a certain period of time. Taste wise it was mildly spiced and fragrant. Different from certain commercially prepared otak-otaks, the TLCC 2 otak-otak uses “sole fish” fillets and lots of “lau yip”. They replaced the John Dory with sole fish due to the adverse comments in the local market. The Sole fish fillets were firm and smooth with some sweetness to them, quite similar to Dory without the fragile texture and muddy taste.

7. Stir Fry “Nai Pak”, one of the choices for greens in the buffet line apart from the normal salads. The taste was normal and did not take much of our attention.

8. Italian Fried Rice, each individual grain of rice was coated with the peppery taste and fragrance. It reminds of the days when we were hawking our special chicken or pork rice sets. Those were the days!

9. Sausages with Caramelised Onions & Herbs, this dish also brings back memories of the days when we were  in charge of lunch at our old church, it was one of my specialties then and now. The TLCC 2 sausage dish uses quite abundance of onions, Italian herbs and black-pepper for flavour. The quality and texture of the sausages were of mid-range grade and better compared to some of the sausages found in other such establishments.

10. Mussel tasted sweet and sour with a light smoky flavour (BBQ, that was quite well balanced. The texture of the mussels were meaty, firm and tender. 

11. Spaghetti Napoleon, sauce was filled with tomato chunks and had a higher level of acidity and strong taste of bay leaf. The pasta was al dente, firms and not overcooked or over seasoned.

12. Baked Chicken Ham, it is chicken thus not as hammy as we want but it goes very well with their rice and steam bread. The tomato or sour base sauce was quite appetising and the texture of the ham more “real” when compared to the chicken hams offered in certain buffet lines.

13. Baked Fish Thermidor, it had a rich creamy and cheesy white sauce over batter coated fillet of fish. The fillets were firm and moist and not over cooked although it was immersed in the white sauce and baked in the oven. I experiment with this dish by putting it over the al dente pasta and created something which my Gill also agrees with, but make sure to finish the serving while it is still hot or warm. Anything that has cream is best when it is still hot or warm.

14. Grilled Monte Cristo Chicken, had a Chinese influence sauce over firm and tender cuts of chicken fillets. The sauce brought with it a hint of smoky flavour that was balanced with a touch rosemary herb that usually goes well with chicken dishes. The flavours of this dish were more dominant when it had cooled down a little bit.

15. Black-pepper lamb chops, were a  bit chewy and hard due to constantly burning flames that were needed to keep the chops warm for the diners. I guess if we came early or there were more takers for this dish, the chops would be more tender due to the shorter replenishment cycle. We can’t really blame them as we know it is a buffet line and things would degrade in quality as they are expose to the constant heating or exposure to air-conditioning.

16. Laksa, taste was very Malay style with distinctive savories from “balacan” and sourness of the tamarind juice. The laksa are served pipping hot with all the toppings of curry flower, mint leaves, cucumber and pineapple strips.

17. Desserts were a bountiful. We didn’t get to try some of them as they were much sort after by the diner on that faithful Sunday afternoon. There were pudding , muffins, cakes, nyonya kuihs, fruits, ice-cream and ice-kacang. We were filled to the brim before we could start on the desserts for this round, thus I would not dwell on the dessert.

The dinning area and atmosphere is spacious and cosy with different setting to suit ones needs, be it dating couples, group gatherings or just for the lone-rangers.

Ratings for the “TLCC 2 Sunday Lunch Buffet” priced at RM25.90+ for adults and RM13.90+ for children below 12 years old. (No dinner buffet available as of now)

Taste & Texture:

• 3.5/5
• Good use of spice, herbs and dairy products.

Money Value:

• 3.8/5
• Although select is not very vast, but the quality of the ingredients and taste has more value compared to the money paid.

Service:

• 3.2/5
• Attentive and friendly service from the waiting crew and the manager.

Cleanliness:

• 3.5/5
• Clean plates and cutleries.
• Toilet was tidy too.

Atmosphere:

• 3.8/5
• Warm and cosy ambiance with good air-conditioning.

Address        : 31, Gottlieb Road, 10350 Penang, Malaysia.

Tel                   : +60 (4) 228 1128

Business Hrs: Open daily from 11am – 3pm and 6pm – 10.30pm.

Popularity: 11% [?]

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Last weekend we were invited to do a group review of Little Cottage 2 on Gottlieb Road. It is a place that we have drove by numerous of times but have yet to venture into. I guess word of mouth do effect a person perception and decision, especially on places to eat.

The Sunday review was focused around their 5-course set lunch and dinner. But before the review session began, there was some extra time to roam around the restaurant to take in the atmosphere of the outlet and also their Sunday only buffet lunch. The buffet is priced at RM25.90+ for adult and RM13.90+. From our observation, the dishes with its ingredients looks solid and perhaps may be more value as compared to the buffet review we done recently  for Terrace Bay, but the variety here was not as numerous as that at Terrace Bay. May be we will drop by one lazy Sunday afternoon to try out their buffet line and share our experience.

The set lunch is a 5 course meal inclusive of butter roll, soup of the day, main course, dessert and coffee or tea. Price range of the set lunch selections range from RM9.90 to RM15.90 and RM19.90 depending on the main course of choice.

The set dinner is also a 5 course meal inclusive of butter roll, soup of the day, main course, dessert and coffee or tea. Price range of the set lunch selections range from a low of  RM25.90 to a high of RM49.90 per set depending on the desired main course. For further details of the set lunch and dinner prices, choices and combinations, please visit their site.

Due to to some technical problems and miscommunication, a second review session was held at their Burma Road outlet on the following day. Therefore our comments will be based on the samples that we had at Little Cottage Cafe and Little Cottage Cafe2.

Clam Chowder in Bread Bowl @ RM19.90

• Taste - Earthy, creamy & rich with a hint of sweetness and a balanced use of herbs.
• Texture - Think with body due to the use of potatoes in the soup and bits & pieces of clam meat. The bread was lightly steamed/heated thus it was tender and went well with the soup.
• Presentation - Similar to the available bread bowl soups.
• Value – For 19.90 I would have wanted more “bite” in the chowder and less potato.
• Rating - 70% on taste due inconsistency; 30% on value.

Lamb Shank @ RM29.90

• Taste – Refreshing with the acidity from tomatoes and meaty flavours in LCC2. But in LCC the sauce was sweeter and heavy. Thus, there is a lack in consistency.
• Texture – Tender  and moist in LCC2 and went well with the sautéed aubergines & capsicum and mushroom fried rice. But was slightly over cooked in LCC.
• Presentation – Colorful.
• Value – With the complimentary rice and sautéed vegetables, it would be a full meal by itself.
• Rating - 40% on taste due inconsistency; 60% on value.

Seafoof Olio @ RM28.90

• Taste – Filled with seafood taste in the sauce. But the taste was more to Asian taste and quite peppery.
• Texture – Pasta was slightly overcooked  and
• Presentation – Standard.
• Value – Considering the cost and amount of serving it is a bit on the expensive side.
• Rating - 60% on taste due to the abundant seafood flavours; 40% on value due to the smaller portion.

Chicken Sausage & Turkey Ham Combo @ RM36.90

• Taste - Sauce had a sweet end and the sausages and ham tasted like your normal supermarket frozen section preserved meats.
• Texture - The turkey ham felt like “fish cake” and the sausages had no texture/body.
• Presentation - Average.
• Value - For over 30 Ringgit this kind of quality product should not have been served.
• Rating – 20% on taste; 20% on value.

Lunch Set No.4, Garlic Lingguine @ RM9.90

• Taste – A little bit to heavy on the garlic taste and the pasta itself lack taste.
• Texture – Pasta was al dente but too oily.
• Presentation - Average.
• Value – It is well worth for a set lunch.
• Rating – 60% on taste due to the fragrant garlic flavors that is quite Asian; 70% on value for set price.

Lunch Set No.7, Grilled Almond Fish @ RM15.90

• Taste – The almond flakes lack fragrance and taste but with a few drops of lime juice, the flavours were extracted. Pairing with their tartar sauce which was on the sweet side and slightly over acidic would have killed the taste of this dish.
• Texture – Almonds were slightly burnt and the fillets was too soft and lacking of texture.
• Presentation – Averagely arranged.
• Value – Not exceptionally attractive if it was an a-la-carte item, but combined in a set lunch it is acceptable.
• Rating - 50% on taste; 60% on value.

Set Lunch No.3, Lamb Shoulder with B/Pepper Sauce @ RM19.90

• Taste – Mint sauce would have done the trick for the light fragrant lamb shoulders. The black pepper sauce had overwhelmed the original flavors of the lamb itself.
• Texture - Meat was fine and firm, but not chewy.
• Presentation - Average
• Value - On the near value for money side.
• Rating – 50% on taste could have done better with the sauce combination; 55% on value.

Set Dinner No.1, Lobster Combo with Beef Tenderloin @ RM49.90

• Taste - The cheesy sauce was overwhelmed by pickled capers and there was not sufficient cheese topping. Too much cream was mix into the cheese mixture.  Again too peppery for the beefy flavors.
• Texture – Meat was fine in texture and cooked till medium-well. There was some chewiness though.
• Presentation - Avearage.
• Value - Should be near to market wide pricing.
• Rating - 40% on taste as points were deducted on the lobster and the over use of black pepper; 50% on value.

Overall rating for The Little Cottage:

Taste & Texture:

• 2.5/5
• A few dishes turning up with the same black pepper sauce.
• Lack consistency, LCC & LCC2 have different taste & texture.
• Sausages and turkey ham could be substituted with other types of similar products.

Money Value:

• 2.5/5
• Portioning of certain items, quality of ingredients, final product and enjoyment of a dish are very much the key here.

Service:

• -NA-/5 (but I overheard some of the attendees complaining about certain waiter and waitress in both outlets. There was one young waitress that was very helpful and friendly at LCC2)

Cleanliness:

• 3.0/5 (so far no food poisoning)

Atmosphere:

• 3.0/5
• warm and cosy ambiance.

Other food bloggers present:

1. Food Promotions
2. Steven Goh
3. All About Penang Food
4. Waco
5. Criz Food
6. Mary Teo

How to get to Little Cottage Cafe & Little Cottage Cafe2.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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一年一度的中秋节落在这个星期三, 先祝各位读者和网友中秋节快乐!

去了gurney plaza走了一圈, 本来不打算买月饼的我, 看着看着那些五花八门的促销, 心也动了

我一眼就看上了这个怀旧娘惹的包装, 特别有feel, 于是我们和售货员要了些sample试吃.

Brochure 封面

以下有 “Tick” 是我们所买的特色月饼.

天山紫薯 Moon Light Kiss Moon Cake - 用日本紫蕃薯做馅, 有蕃薯香味…不错不错

经典娘惹 Passion for Life Moon Cake - 这个是不辣版本, 有创意…可一试.

潮州梅冬菜饼 – 又咸又甜的配搭, 很有趣.

蛋黄酥 Egg Yolk Pies – 这个是他们得奖之作,  内馅入口即容, 的确有水准.

娘惹叁曼月饼 Nyonya Sambal Moon Cake – 这个和经典娘惹相似, 但是辣版…虾米味香. 值得一试.

这家从柔佛州出品的月饼的确给我们惊喜,所以我才放上网推荐. 不妨一试

http://yongsheng.com.my/

Popularity: 7% [?]

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Last Saturday we were invited by FoodPromotions to attend an invited review hosted by TERRACE BAY RESTAURANT @ COPTHORNE ORCHID HOTEL PENANG.

It was the “second” Thai cuisine review in 30 days for of the foodies. As for us, we had to forgo the earlier event at Tree Monkey which was arranged by CK Lam & Criz Lai, and hosted by a local company that builds websites, GenisSIX.  Although we did not attend the review at Tree Monkey, we were “there” to lend support as my mother-in-law already planned to celebrate her birthday there. We actually tried to persuade her to have the dinner in Hard Rock Cafe, but she wanted to try Tree Monkey after reading about it in the papers. We knew misunderstandings would bound to happen if we were to show up, but it was not a choice that we had. Compound by past frictions and perceived conflict of interests, it will leave further misunderstandings. But between family and acquaintances, I choose family. What can be said about Tree Monkey is that it is a place to JUST relaxed, enjoy a cold drink, soak in the clean air from the surrounding greeneries and admire the the beautiful sun setting towards the west. A cold drink and an “Asian Tapas” platter shared amongst 2 would suffice as a pre-dinner outing.

Back to the Terrace Bay Restaurant Thai Buffet invited review. The buffet is priced at RM30nett for adults, RM20nett for senior citizens & RM18nett for children. The buffet runs from 7pm to 10pm on Saturdays for dinner and 12pm to 2.30pm on Sundays for lunch. The selected composition of dishes is brought to TERRACE BAY RESTAURANT by a Chef Chamnan Ngamlamai from Bangkok.

The menu or list of item that were served on that evening is as follows, there is an alternate menu/list which would be rotated as and when see fit by the restaurant:

Appetizer

Papaya Mango Salad (Som Tam), Mango Salad (Yam Mak Muang), Chicken Feet Salad (Yam Tin Kai), Thai Sambal Belacan (Nam Pit Ka), Kacang Botol (Sator Thua Pool) & Kai Lan with Salted Fish (Kana Pla Kem)

Soup

Ken Som(Tom Yam Soup with mushroom, chicken slice, mixed vegetables)

Main Course

Basil Leave Beef (Kak Thau Nua), Chicken Red Curry (Kai Pat Pit), Fish Pat Pit (Pla Pat Pit), Prawn Clam Noodle (Kung Obboon Sen), Egg Ommelette (Kai Pat Pit), Thai Otak – Otak (Homok) & Thai Fried Rice (Phad Thad)

Stall

Thai Kampung Chicken Rice (Kau Man Kai), Thai Laksa (Khanom Chin), BBQ Fish ball, Beef Ball, Crab Stick (Look Chic Ping), Crispy Cat Fish with Spicy Sweet and Sour & Green Mango Salad (Yam Pladukfu)

Dessert

Fresh Cut Fruits, Khanom Chan (Multi Layer Of Pandan Flavour Sticky Rice with Coconut Milk,) Baked Sweet Pudding, Khanom Tan (Palm Flavour, Mini Cake with Shredded Coconut on Top), Khanom Thuai Talai (Steam Sweet Coconut Jelly and Cream), Lot Chong Nam Kathi (Pandan Flavour rice Flour Noodle In Coconut milk, Similar To Cendol) & Salim (Multi Cour Mung Bean Flour Noodle in Sweetened Coconut Milk Serve with crushed Ice)

TERRACE BAY RESTAURANT @ COPTHORNE ORCHID HOTEL PENANG.

Overall rating by us at GourmetGarden:

Taste & Texture:

• 2.5/5
• To our preference the dishes seem not as “authentic” as we expected, but the dishes were acceptable in terms flavours in general.

Money Value:

• 3.5/5
• Authenticity was not in our consideration but a hotel themed buffet at RM30 nett with quite a variety is hard to come by in Penang especially on the tourist belt areas.
• As a budget or middle income earner, Terrace Bay Thai Buffet would be my better choice to feel the tank at a affordable price range as compared to Tree Monkey in Teluk Bahang.

Service:

• -NA-/5 (cannot be considered as it was an arranged event)

Cleanliness:

• 4.0/5
• plates & utensils are tidy and clean, and the overall restaurant dining floor is well kept.

Atmosphere:

• 3.0/5
• nice pool & Sea view at the alfresco section

Add: Jalan Tanjung Bungah, 11200 Penang, Malaysia.

Tel : 604-892 3333   Fax : 60 4 892 3303

Email : fb@copthorne.com.my

Opening Hours:

• Saturday Buffet Dinner: 7.00pm – 10.00pm
• Sunday Buffet Lunch: 12.00 noon – 2.30pm

Other food bloggers present:

1. Food Promotions
2. Steven Goh
3. All About Penang Food
4. Cariso
5. Waco
6. Criz Food

Popularity: 10% [?]

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Last Thursday we were given the opportunity to scoop for a better understanding of Hard Rock Cafe, its origins and “culture”, which I would leave for my next post that would be quite tedious to compose in view of the long recording and research that needs to be carried out. Before we go bonkers with all that, let us introduce the ‘Set Lunch menus that will be launched this coming Monday. The sampling of some of the main courses available in the set lunch menus was part of our first experience at Hard Rock Cafe. The set lunch menus are priced at RM28.00++ for a three (3) course lunch, which to be frank is quite reasonable if one would look at the location, service and portion.

There are four (4) different sets of menus that will be rotated on a weekly basis. Each menu would have the chosen recipe of the week for the three (3) main meat groups which are seafood, chicken and beef. Therefore, every set of the lunch menu would provide a sample of what could be experienced in their usual ala-carte menu at an affordable price to all.

The set lunch menu for the coming weeks in sequence is as follows starting from Monday (12th July 2010):

For the exclusive sampling, we had the opportunity to taste their Hawaiian Hamburger, Grilled Fish Fillet and Chicken Chop. One would notice that we only had the main courses and not the full set as we had other items in the list of sampling apart from these set lunch items.

The Hawaiian Hamburger patty was made with Angus beef at a ratio of 80% lean meat and 20% fats, lightly seasoned to keep the natural flavours of Angus, and grilled to medium-well to prevent any possibility of contamination. The well caramelized patty sandwiched between fluffy potato buns with whole leaf lettuce and a slice of grilled pineapple had a sense of tropical taste with the strong beefy flavour of quality meat, it is a burger made for the local taste buds. The pineapple gave the burger extra sweetness and twang that would appeal to the many Malaysians who like strong tasting foods.

Another set lunch main course that we had was their ‘Grille Fish (salmon) Fillet’ served with garlic mash and fresh greens. It may look simple and available through out any decent western restaurant in Penang, but don’t be deceived by the simple outlook. The simpler it is, the harder it is to deliver! First take a look at the fillet, the lightly seasoned and grilled until crusty fillet was still tender and moist with all its original flavours intact. The topping of the compound garlic butter sauce was fragrant and full of body, due to the careful ratio control of red and white wines.  It paired surprising well with the subtle sweetness of the fish and savoury taste of the seasonings without overwhelming either.

The side of garlic mash was something that I would not miss. The potato mash flavoured with the paste of baked garlic and topped with some green herbs. The potato used is from the Idaho or Russet Burbank variety that has an elongated shape with rough, netted skin and few eyes. The texture is characterized as fluffy and soft with optimal level of moisture, and was not over dairy. It is one of the good mashes that I have had in recent times.

The last main course from the set lunch menus that we sample was the ‘Chicken Chop’. It is a choice selection for those who are wants something that is recognizable and comfortable with. It was a no fuss simple all time favourite poultry dish for the many Penangites. It had crisp golden brown batter crust encasing a sweet and tender leg of chicken and topped with brown sauce. The key to this chicken chop is the sauce; the brown sauce had a balance of flavours and the optimal or standard consistency, neither too runny nor too starchy. Just nice! The accompanying coleslaw had a distinctive sweet taste and tang to it from the addition of cranberries.  This main course is for those who prefer strong tasting food.

To sum up our review of the Hard Rock Cafe Set Lunch main course:

Taste & Texture: 4.0/5 (sauces, meats and side dishes were up and over expectation, but there is still room for improvements)
Money Value : 4.0/5 (quite a big portion and very filling, service was good and friendly, location is in the beach belt of Penang)
Service: 4.5/5 (warm, fast and prompt service from the waiting crew)
Cleanliness: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5 (was all’s well except when certain variant of tourists that are in season)

Popularity: 11% [?]

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As we mention that in our invited review post of Kang Beef House that we will return to try their noodles, we did on last Friday (2nd Apr) night. We were in between appointment, thus on the way to Bayan Baru we decided to stop by at Kang’s for dinner. What meant to be a touch n’ go meal turned into a fast sampling of some of the items that we did not have the space for the other day.

The last trip or review was on the house and arranged by Steven, this time it is less stressful and more enjoyable because it is on our own expenditure and most important it is what we like best; the freedom to comment our will desires. Our dinner began with a piping hot bowl of their clear soup Beef Noodle at RM6.00 for the smallest serving. Because of our mistake we did not get what we would normally order which is the flat rice noodles (koay teow), but instead we were served with a special flat body yellow noodle. I am not sure how the noodle should feel like, to us that faithful night it was not as springy as wantan noodles but not soft like the usual lye water (yellow) noodles.

Back to the star component for this dish which is the soup. The soup had flavour but was still slightly bland which may be due to the contamination of water from the cooking of the noodles, otherwise it would have been almost perfect. Next time will try to ask for separate serving of soup plus toppings and noodles. As for the beef slices, when served it still maintained a pinkish hue which denotes just the right cooking time was put into these tender slices. The only thing that we found short for these tender slices of beef was that the texture was slightly rough due to the cut it was from.

Next on our table was their Dry Fried Hor Fun with Beef at RM9.80 with small bowl of beef soup and beef balls. Previous trip we did not really sample what they could offer for this dish as it was served “vegetarian” style as we a guest who does not take beef. Too bad for her! The portion was big on the ‘hor fun’or noodles but the beef slices were a bit scarce. Taste and texture wise it had standard, and can be considered better to some of those that we have eaten in the past.

Before we were forced to leave, we managed to grab a single person serving of their Clay Pot Beef Soup at RM8.00. The soup base is similar to the soup base of the steamboat that we sampled previously. It had Chinese preserved salted vegetable that gave the soup additional flavour and chunks of white reddish. Even the toppings like tripes, muscle meat, beef belly, tendons, etc seem to be more in volume. This dish would be our choice order if and when visit this specialty shop again.

While composing our invited review post last month, we were confused with many of the terms used for the various parts of the beef used in their dishes. Now I have got a clearer picture on the various innards that were used. The photo below belongs to the muscle (牛腱), usually it is sliced into thin 3mm slices.

As for the beef tripe, they served 3 out of the 4 types that the cow has. The first photo is the first of the 4 stomach that the cow has. The 2nd stomach which they run out of stock has a honeycomb like physical texture. The 3rd stomach has a similar outlook as the pigs stomach which is seldom sold. And the last or 4th stomach has spotted flaps which are shown on the next following photo. Tye 4th tripe has a crunchier texture.

Another body part which is commonly found in the serving of beef noodles or beef specialty house is the tendons (牛筋).

To sum up our experience at Kang Beef House:

Taste & Texture: 2.9/5 (may be can look into the supply of beef)
Money Value : 2.8/5 (meat portion could be more generous)
Service: 2.9/5 (slight improvement)
Cleanliness: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 2.8/5 (improved with less noise from the street)

Address: 474, Jalan Jelutong, Penang, Malaysia, 11600

Popularity: 4% [?]

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On the 5th of March we were invited to review a newly establish specialty shop that sells everything(almost) about beef. The invitation was extended by Steve through Steven Goh to us to try out the beef steamboat and other dishes that focus on beef as the main ingredient. If coming from Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim or the  Jelutong Police Station to Perak Road, the shop is on the right hand side  just a few hundred meters from the junction. Before we began digging into the prepare food, we shared some small talk and we found out that the owner of this Kang Beef House is somewhat related to the other Beef Noodle stalls that we have wrote about previously. There was also an Mandarin version that was written by Gill.

The star attraction for the night was their beef theme steam boat. But if you are dining alone or light, there are also other choices to choose from. The steamboat is priced at RM20 per head count with a minimum order for 2 persons, and it includes ‘牛腱’( tenderloin, muscle or shank meat), brisket, tripes, tendons, 2 types of beef balls, thinly sliced beef, Chinese Lettuce and Enoki mushroom.

We have been having this cut of beef in our daily beef noodles, and yet I have yet to find out its true name. Some call it tenderloin, I though is part of the shank or muscle section due to the existence of the transparent gel type casing. But in Cantonese it is call 牛腱 or ‘ngau jin’ (腱子肉是大腿上的肌肉，有肉膜包裹的，内藏筋，硬度适中，纹路规则). Anyway, the meat is tender and the gel type casing gives it a smooth and springy texture after it has been poached in the the accompanying beefy soup.

Another meaty side dish is portion from the bell which can either come from the brisket, plate or flank area. This meaty portion would contain meat fats and some tendons, thus the texture is slightly chewy and flavorful due to the fats. In Cantonese this part is call 牛腩 or ‘ngau lam’ in general (即牛腹部及靠近牛肋处的松软肌肉)

Another side dish is the beef tripe. The tripe is usually made from the rumen (smooth tripe) and the reticulum (honeycomb and pocket tripe). These two tripes forms the series of 3 stomachs chanbers. Taste wise is slightly blend and texture is crunchy and slight  chewy.

Another body ‘parts’ that we had was the beef tendon or 牛筋. It is firm and rubbery, but after poaching it turns to a soft and slight slimy texture, like firm Jello. Taste is also blend.

Then there the bovines’ balls. It is actually beef meat ball made the Chinese way. There are 2 type on the plate, the darker colored balls have a tastier and beefy taste but rougher on texture;  and the pale color balls are slightly blend but finer and crunchier on texture.

Then there is the thinly sliced beef fillets. The thickness is standard, thus one does not need to poach it for too long. I my prefer the slices with the egg, but it is there to give it additional smoothness. When the egg was introduced into the soup,it changes the taste of the otherwise light and beefy soup into a sweeter and eggy pot of soup.

Our Beef Steamboat experience:

2.5/5 for value (assuming the portion that we had were for six persons and per pax is RM20, it is equitable)
2.7/5 for taste & texture (darker beef balls and the tendon was my favourite)

Beef Koay Teow at Kang Beef House goes at RM6, 8, 10, 12, and RM15 for serving size. The soup stock is similar to the steamboats, but without the reddish and Chinese pickled vegetables(咸菜). The one we shared was the largest serving size (RM15).

Our Beef Koay Teow experience:

2.4/5 for value (slightly out of my means)
2.8/5 for taste & texture (taste better then some of my previous experiences in other places, plus there was less contamination of taste by the noodles)

Actually the steamboat session began, were introduced to a few fried and deep fried items that they serve. We began with the Crystal Beef Fried Rice. there was sufficient wok sear and the rice was individual and the had an infusion of the beefy taste. In addition to the soft gluteny pearls, there were also crispy bits of deep fried rice which gave an additional texture. The beef slice in this rice dish was tender and glistening with juices.

Our Crystal Beef Fried Rice with Beef Ball Soup experience:

2.5/5 for value (RM12.50 for fried rice is a bit on the high side for me, but with beef balls and soup it may be worthwhile) (we did not see the portioning of the beef balls)
2.9/5 for taste & texture (good wok searing and tender beef slices maintain their juices)

Stir Fried Beef with Black Pepper sauce has serving sizes ranging from small at  RM15 to big at RM28. Texture of the beef slices were soft and tender and the sauce was not overwhelming to many. But I personally do not like heavy a sauce that will cover the natural flavor of the main ingredient. The accompanying capsicum and chili was still crunchy and firm.

Our Stir Fry Black-pepper Beef experience:

2.7/5 for value
2.8/5 for taste & texture

Their version of Crispy Beef Balls was the only deep fried dish that we had the whole night. Each beef meat ball individually encased in crispy golden brown croutons.

Our Crispy Beef Ball experience:

2.9/5 for value
2.9/5 for taste & texture (Crispy outer shell and tender soft meaty chunks in side)

Address: 474, Jalan Jelutong, Penang, Malaysia, 11600

To sum up our experience at Kang Beef House:

Taste & Texture: 3.0/5 (average with room to improve)
Money Value : 2.9/5 (may need to look at the portioning of the steamboat and beef noodles)
Service: 2.5/5
Cleanliness: 3.5/5 (still new, lets wait and see)
Atmosphere: 2.4/5 (noise from the busy traffic and the hot and humid feeling from too many burners turned on)

Most probably I would return for their beef koay teow, Crispy Beef Balls, Crystal Beef Fried Rice, and Dry Stir Fried Hor Fun with beef slice.

Popularity: 5% [?]

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