NOTE: Effective May 2012, Bon Appetit Western Deli has relocated to Golden City Restaurant (GPS: 5.404561, 100.286574), 10K Jalan Air Putih air Itam, 11500 Penang. Business Hours: 12.00noon until 9.00pm (Closed Alternate Tuesday). It’s behind the Keat Seng Restaurant in Reservoir Garden.The outlet here has ceased it’s operation end of 2012.
Penang has always been the best destination for food lovers from all over the world as there would never be an end to any kind of cuisine at any time of the day. Other than the famous local hawker fares, there’s also the availability of street Western food at any nooks and corners of the beautiful state. One such Western food stall has popped up recently at the newly constructed area of Paya Terubong, namely the Bon Appetit Western Deli within the premises of EQ Kopitiam. The existence of the stall has no doubt given the residence there a new taste of great grilled Western dishes at an affordable price.
Most people would think that having Western food quite often might cause a burn in the pocket. Well, this perception has to be changed as Bon Appetit Western Deli has its way to promote its dishes at an unbelievable price that would make dining a total different experience, thus by combining Western food with our local staple food, namely steamed rice. There would be 3 types of SET LUNCHES available daily which consist of either chicken, fish or pork, with an option to choose your preferred sauce such as brown sauce, sweet & sour sauce or black pepper sauce. We tried out the Chicken Chop Rice (RM5.00). The dish came with rice, an omelette, a generous amount of greens dressed with some mayonnaise and grilled chicken with brown sauce. The grilled chicken chunks were well marinated and cooked until perfection while maintaining the tenderness of the meat. The brown sauce on the other hand has only managed a mild herb taste and was not as thick and flavorful as I would have expected. I would think a bit more of rosemary and plain/potato flour added in would have a better outcome. Nevertheless, the grilled chicken was awesome on its own.
The next set lunch meal with was the Fish Fritter Rice (RM5.00) also consisted of rice, an omelette, a generous amount of greens dressed with some mayonnaise but with deep fried breadcrumbed dory fish fillet, topped with sweet and sour sauce. The chef did a great job as the fish had just the right crispiness while maintaining the moist within. The sweet and sour sauce which basically used some chili sauce with some sautéed chopped garlic, onions and a sprinkle of herbs, complemented the fillet well.
The third set lunch meal was the Pork Cutlet Rice (RM5.00). Most Western food stalls nowadays do not serve pork as they are also targeting at those non pork takers. At Bon Appetit Western Deli, this was an exception as their pork chop which also came with rice, an omelette, a generous amount of greens dressed with some mayonnaise but with grilled pork cutlet with black pepper sauce was superb. The well marinated and grilled pork cutlet went well with the slightly pungent tasting sauce.
Other that the above Set Lunches, there are also some delicious items available in their Ala Carte Menu for both meals. As starter, you can always order the Soup of the Day (RM3.00) which happened to be Mushroom Soup on that day, accompanied by a slice of crunchy toasted Garlic Bread. The soup was normal but at least it was creamier than others.
They do also serve the rural Canada originated Poutine (RM4.50), which traditionally consisted of French fries, brown sauce and cheese curds. Somehow, the chef created his own version by replacing the cheese curds with mayonnaise. No doubt the whole concoction was creamy but it was too sour to my liking due to that fact that Mayonnaise has that sourness from either the usage of lemon juice or vinegar in the recipe. It would be better if the orange colored cheesy mayonnaise or ranch dressing be used here. Alternatively, some grated cheese sprinkled over the dish would have provided a different taste altogether. There are actually many variations to this dish. The Italians love to replace the gravy with Bolognese sauce with some sprinkles of grated cheese. The Mexicans love them in some dipping sauce such as blended avocado with sour cream, topped with grated cheese. Other variation might add in items such as turkey, chicken, bacon, ham, sausages, crab meat, chopped onions and more. There’s actually no right or wrong method in preparing poutine but one thing for sure is that cheese (mostly from the Cheddar cheese family) would never be left out. As for presentation, some sprinkles of paprika and chopped spring onions would make the dish more flavorful and colorful.
One of the hot selling items here would be their Grilled Chicken Chop (RM7.00), topped with the gravy of your choice. The dish would come with some French fries, greens and a set of butter spread white bread. I simply love the caramelized texture on the chicken. It was flavorful even without the gravy.
As for the fish section, many diners would go for their Grilled Fish in Lemon Butter Sauce (RM7.00), which would also come with the standard serving of some French fries, greens and a set of butter spread white bread. The Dory fish fillet was well grilled but I personally felt that it lacked that buttery taste as well as some herbs. A small cube of butter on the grilled fillet before serving plus some sprinkles of mixed herbs or even capers would provide the dish with a better justice.
The Grilled Salmon Steak (14.00) was something to crave for as it was the star of the day. I quite like the natural taste of the fish without the heavy usage of marinates and sauces. The only worry I had was the cut. The steak has bones in it. It would be a disadvantage for those elderly or kids to savor such a beautifully done dish without worrying about being choked by the small bones within. It would be great if a fillet version being served here. This dish also came with the standard serving of some French fries, greens and a set of butter spread white bread.
As I had mentioned earlier, Western food stalls serving pork would quite hard to come by. Do try out the Grilled Pork Chop (RM8.00). This is one dish not to miss out too. This dish also came with the standard serving of some French fries, greens and a set of butter spread white bread.
Grilled Pork Chop might be rare but the next dish which was the Pork Cordon Bleu was even scarce in Penang. The golden fried breadcrumb coated Pork Cordon Bleu (RM9.50) was heaven. One cut and you would see the melted cheese oozing out to welcome my presence. The dish was done perfectly to my liking with the flavors from the stuffed ham and cheese seeping right into the pork fillet. I think I would go without the gravy next time as it did soil the crispiness on the awesomely prepared dish. This dish also came with the standard serving of some French fries, greens and a set of butter spread white bread.
The chef has always been a lamb chop lover, thus you would know how enthusiastic he would be in preparing his favorite Grilled Lamb Chop (RM9.50). At such a price with such a big portion, this is another dish you should not miss out. By having the patience to watch over the meat over slow fire, the chef did a great job in providing a nicely flavored lamb chop, served with some tasty mint sauce. This dish also came with the standard serving of some French fries, greens and a set of butter spread white bread.
Finally, there was the Grilled Rib-Eye Steak (RM16.00) which was grilled just as tasty as the lamb chop. It was grilled medium-rare to maintain the tenderness and juiciness of the choice piece. This dish also came with the standard serving of some French fries, greens and a set of butter spread white bread.
Overall, the dishes served here, especially those grilled items are delicious. The chef sure knows how to handle his grills well… just as good as Robert Rainford, the AFC’s License to Grill’s host. As for the sauces as well as presentation, he would need to explore more into the styles served by others to further improvements. My most frequent western food stall with the best sauce in town would be the first one he should look into. Here is the full menu in case you are interested in other available dishes. Please click on the menu for a clearer look.
It’s not hard to locate the shop as it’s just a unit off the newly constructed Pine Valley Business Centre along Jalan Paya Terubong. If you are coming from the Air Itam district along Jalan Paya Terubong towards Relau/Balik Pulau, drive on until you see the second traffic lights (Lebuhraya Thean Teik/Jalan Paya Terubong – Shell petrol kiosk is on your right). Drive on for about 500m and you would see the Pine Valley Business Centre sign on your left. Turn left into the service road and drive on until the end of the shop houses. Bon Appetit Western Deli is at the last third unit along the row of shop houses.
Name: BON APPETIT WESTERN DELI @ EQ KOPITIAM
Address:
Pine Valley Business Centre, 1049 Jalan Paya Terubong, 11060 Air Itam, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 012-452 5311 (Mr. Pierre Choo)
Business Hours: 11.00am-3.00pm, 6.00pm-10.00pm (Closed Monday)
GPS: 5.381342, 100.275470
RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
