CRIZ BON APPETITE

Still remember when I was posting up the “Idris Karipap Ayam & Daging” review? I did mention a hawker stall down in Jalan Jones (Jones Road) selling many different types of Kuih Melayu. In fact, there have almost 80 types of modern and traditional Malay kuih (Malay desserts), noodles and rice to fill up your appetite. They call themselves the Mat Relax Corner – a place you can enjoy your favorite local delicacies while seeping in their thick creamy Teh Tarik. The good news is that you could try out any 5 different kuih at merely RM2. Unless there is a price tag on the tray, each item would cost you only 40sen. The cheapest in Penang!

For the last 12 years, they have been there along Jalan Jones and Jalan Kelawei junction selling those yummy desserts. People from all walks of life would gather there for breakfast or afternoon tea. You could even see some in ties sealing some deals there. Surprised right? You can start savoring their food as early as 6.30am but my recommendation would be after 3.00pm as that would be the ideal time for more hot steaming items being displayed on the tables. Here are some of their yummy kuih-muih.

As I always love to consume salty items rather than sweet things, I would like to recommend their Popiah Goreng, Cucur Bawang and Udang, Roti Sumbat Sambal Ikan Bilis and some of their tasty rice and noodles. You can even add in their Sambal Tau Kua if you would like more ingredients in your food.

Finding Mat Relax Corner would not be hard as it is strategically located at the junction of Jalan Jones and Jalan Kelawei, next to the Pulau Tikus UDA Flat. I would advise you to find a place somewhere before the stalls as the place would be high in traffic.

After having the rich and contented hi-tea at E&O Hotel on Sunday, I have decided to cook some congee instead. With all the grilling, roasting, barbequing and frying from the brunch, it’s good to have something less oily and burnt. Well, the weather here has been rather humid one minute and wet on another, thus lots of people tend to fall sick easily. Congee would be good then. Today I would like to share my easy-to-cook SCALLOPS AND OYSTERS CONGEE recipe with you all.

1. Wash the rice grain clean in a rice cooker (10 cups size would be ideal).
2. Wash the dried scallops and put into the cooker together with the sliced dried oyster.
3. Add in 5 cups of hot water.
4. Add in 1/2 teaspoon salt, sprinkle some pepper and bring to boil, stirring every 3-5 minutes. (Note: salt would increase the temperature in water or oil)
5. When the grain soften and turn into congee like, add in another 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 4 Tablespoon oyster sauce, 2 Tablespoon sesame oil and 2 Tablespoon soy sauce. Sprinkle some pepper. Stir thoroughly.
6. Add in more hot water as the congee gets thicker to suit your choice of thickness.
7. While the congee boils, roll in all minced meat to get your meatballs. Stir constantly to avoid the base being burnt.
8. Add in the cubed salted eggs, century eggs and the whole tin of braised peanuts (including the gravy). Mix thoroughly.
9. Serve while hot.
10. Garnish with chopped spring onions, garlic oil and some pepper.

Every year after the celebration of the Nine Jade Emperors mother’s birthday, which is coincidentally the Chinese birthday of my Auntie, we would adjoin to a hotel for buffet lunch on the following Sunday. This year, we had decided to celebrate her birthday together with 60 guests at Sarkies Corner in E&O Hotel for the second consecutive year. From our previous experience, we agreed that the hotel did provide the best money for value buffet hi-tea around town.

By paying just RM42++ (adults) or RM21++ (children) or RM32++ (senior citizen), you could savor one of the most wonderful spread of buffet lines in Penang, ranging from hawker fares to international favorites. Although I had reviewed them earlier, I would like to reassess their standard this time compared to the time when they were only charging RM38++ per adult. With a mere increase of RM4++, the spread this time was incredible. Just look at what I had on my plate for appetizer.

As for the main course, you can try out their ever changing spread of rice and meat section. I could not describe all as there were not less than 15 dishes including Buttered Rice, Nasi Kuyit, Beef Rendang, Curry Chicken, Grilled Lamb in Mint Sauce, etc. Their Roasted Duck, Chicken Wing and Chicken Char Siew stall was always packed. You can even get a whole duck drumstick all for your self.

If you are a fish head lover, try the Curry Salmon Fish Head. It’s worth more than RM30 each outside with that meaty size.

Fancy some grills and tempura seafood? There’s abundant at the grill section with a wide selection of fresh scallops, prawns, salmon, cod fish, seafood on skewers, etc. On top of that, you can have some prawn fritters, tempura “sand divers” (lizardfish/sua chui), crab sticks, etc.

There’s also the hawker section outdoor at the garden area. I forgo that as I was too full. You can savor the thick and juicy Chicken and Beef Satay, Roti Canai, Murtabak, Char Koay Teow, Laksa and Ice Kacang (Shaved Ice with Syrups).

By the time it was for dessert, I was almost at the brim. I thought I could still have some space left for some Pineapples, Dragon Fruits, Watermelons, Papayas or even the 6-flavored ice cream but I could fill no more. How to eat more when I have filled myself up with 50% of the sweet items as these?

(Clockwise): Sago with Coconut Milk and Gula Melaka, Mini Chocolate Tart, Fruit Tart, Mini Butter Cake, Lemon Crystal Jelly with Dragon Fruit, Ivory Cake, Steamed Bread and Butter, Rich Fruit Cake, Chocolate Brownies, Mixed Fruit & Nuts Pie, Grape and Marshmallow Chocolate Fondue.

After this very enjoyable hi-tea buffet lunch, I would like to upgrade my assessment for Sarkies Corner. I would say that they are perfect for the appetite of any nationals, whether young or old.

Visiting the restaurant is one thing but getting a place to dine in would be hard as it would always be full. Make sure you make your reservation a few days earlier to avoid getting disappointed. To get there, just follow the map below as the hotel is situated within the hot nightspots of Penang along Upper Penang Road.

Since I’m into introducing the finger food of Penang, let me introduce you to the Malay version of tea time desserts @ kuih-muih. If you frequent Tanjung Tokong a lot, you would see a signboard by Jalan Tanjung Tokong with the word “Idris Karipap Ayam & Daging” – 60sen each. That’s where Idris’s stall has been for about a decade. One walk near to the stall and you would see endless quantity of karipap being fried in a big wok.

It was only recently that I had gone up that area after a long absence to try out their karipap again. Although the karipap had gone longer and more flat in shape, the filling was still as tasty as before. If you are in for beef, do try out their beef karipap as I found them to be better than the chicken karipap which was much drier but still tasty. The only problem I had was that I prefer flakier dough compared to their slightly harder ones. I hope they can improve on that.

On top of the karipap, they do occasionally sell other yummy Malay kuih-muih. If you are lucky enough, you might get some really nice ones fresh from the oven. I’m going to show you some of the tea time finger food that they have at the time I was there.

Although Idris’s stall does have some good desserts, you can also try out another stall at the junction of Jalan Kelawei and Jalan Jones in Pulau Tikus after 3.00pm on week days. They have many varieties of kuih-muih as well as nasi lemak, nasi ayam, nasi daging, nasi tomato and fried noodles for takeaways. I always get indecisive when choosing from their over 25 types of kuih-muih for my tea time.

Idris Karipap stall is strategically located along Jalan Tanjung Tokong. If you are coming from Pulau Tikus towards Tanjung Bungah, you can see the stall on the left just immediately after the traffic lights along Jalan Fettes. In case you miss it, it is opposite the Ubi Food Court which is next to the Tanjung Tokong Petronas Petrol Kiosk.

Do you believe in Ladies’ Luck? I did and it worked. LOL! I have frequent this shop almost monthly for a few years but never had the opportunity to meet up with the boss but it took Gill’s visit there for the first time to meet up with him. Don’t you think that’s luck? Haha! Anyway, this stall has been there for about a decade, serving and supplying to those community from the different jetties surrounding there and many more. Little known to the outside communities, they are the wholesale supplier of yummy fritters for many food stalls, retailers, weddings, birthdays and parties. They have four types of fritters sold, mainly prawn fritters (Hae Chee) – 90sens, bean curd prawn fritter (Tau Kua Chee) – 90sens, mini spring rolls (Poh Piah Chee) – 80sens and pork rolls (Loh Bak) – RM1.60.

If you are observant enough, you would also see some packets of yellow noodles by the side. This is another way of taking the prawn fritters accompanied by the raw noodles. I have not tried that before as I prefer to take my noodles well cooked minus the taste of the lye water.Some might consider the price of the Loh Bak selling at RM1.30 a piece to be expensive. To me, it’s still reasonable as the pork roll is longer than the norms. There is also another thing that you have to take note of. If you are having takeaways, make sure that you consume soon as the fritters may lose their crunchiness. If you intend to get them for later consumption, either you order and collect them nearer to your party time or you can ask them to semi-fry your orders so that you could refry them when you need them later.

For those people not staying near Weld Quay area, you might get lost trying to locate this shop as it is hidden from the view of the main road. If you are coming from The Pengkalan Weld Shell Petrol Kiosk, just drive forward until you have reached a coffee shop by the name of Xen Teck Café with a little shrine next to it o your left. Drive into the lane and you can see the shed where it housed this stall.

Barely few hours ago was the bon voyage of the Nine Emperor Gods’ spirits to heaven from earth. It was also the birthday of Tao Bo Hood (also known as Tou Mu, Ma Zu, Matsu, Da Mao, Tian Hou), the mother of the Nine Emperor Gods. She is the Chinese form of Buddhist Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, sometimes known as the Thousand-Hand Guan Yin. Apart from praying with lots of Mee Koo (Turtle Shaped Buns) and fruits, I was also treated with a sit down vegetarian lunch.

This was one of the most enjoyable vegetarian meals I have been waiting for each year on the last day of the celebration. Who could resist all the home cooked dishes by the experienced aunties? Moreover, there were more than 20 types of yummy vegetarian dishes at any one time, even more than the plates of rice on the table. LOL! There were also over 10 kinds of local Nyonya delicacies and free flow of thick black local coffee and Chinese tea.

Without fail, I would always seek the advice of the chef on how to cook his vegetarian bee hoon (rice vermicelli) properly. Although he had shared his recipe with me years ago, I just could not get the taste as nice as the way he cooks it. The recipe only consists of bee hoon, shredded carrots, cabbages, sliced mushroom, fermented soy beans and red fermented bean curds. It’s so simple and yet so hard to cook. Sweat~

The dishes that I had there were all magnificent. Just to share with you some of the many dishes below:

Towards the end of the day, I took some photos of the Nine Emperor Gods procession together with Allen and Steven. Nothing much to brag about as the whole event went by so fast.

The interesting things I have noticed were only the long Thaipusam-like skewers piercing through the cheeks of some of the devotees in trance.

If you are a fan of the former 68 Kelawei which has relocated to Batu Ferringhi area under the name The Eclectic, you would surely love the fusion style of food prepared by Beach Blanket Babylon. In fact, Beach Blanket Babylon, The Eclectic, Thirty Two At The Mansion and Bagan 18 are all members of the Penang’s premier group of restaurants. Beach Blanket Babylon is a great relaxation place for food and beverages after a hectic day of work. Located at Penang’s trendiest and most happening Upper Penang Road, it offers great dining areas inside with an English styled ambience, Al Fresco for outdoor diners who prefer to enjoy the light breeze from the Straits of Malacca and a dimly lighted but romantic upper level with mattresses and pillows to cuddle.

Other than the wine and cigars which the café is promoting, they have an interesting menu which comprised of soups, salads, house specialties, main courses, sandwiches, snacks and desserts. The most interesting part is that they do change their menu weekly. Having enjoyed their food ever since they were in different locations in Pulau Tikus and Georgetown before, I was more than eager to find out what they have in store for us. Having all eyes and concentrating deeply onto the menu, we chose a soup and a main course each. We have to skip the desserts as we were still having hangovers from having too much of Jenni’s yummy Tiramisu Cake earlier. LOL!

The soup came first. The Cream of Mushroom Soup (RM8) was way ahead in quality compared to those I have taken before. A few types of mushrooms (fresh ones too I presume) were blended and cooked with barley/rice until broth-like. I love this dish a lot and I do not even have to add in more pepper or salt. The taste was just perfect.

The Sweet Potato and Coriander Soup (RM8) was also great. You can practically get the sweetness of the potato and at the same time the fragrant aroma from the blended coriander.

Immediately after we have finished our soup, the main course was served – Chargrilled Rosemary Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce (RM21) with plentiful of French fries and boiled vegetables. To my surprise, this dish was served on a sizzling plate although it was not stated in the menu. The chicken was well marinated and the taste of the black pepper sauce blended in real well.

Next dish was another surprise as I was expecting just a piece of roasted chicken with some salads but it came with a large bowl of steamed rice. The Quarter Roast Chicken with Mushroom Sauce (RM18) was truly amazing. The sauce itself was a compliment to the overall taste of the roasted chicken. Instead of the usual white sauce mushroom gravy, it came with a touch of tomato puree, herbs and some sliced Chinese mushrooms. This dish is truly magnificent.

Since we were having late dinner, we only ordered Chilled Grapefruit Juice (RM8) and Ice Lemon Tea (RM7.50). Overall, we spent RM77.55, inclusive of a 10% Service Charge. To some, the food might be considered pricy but it was worth every cents to be there dining, using the WIFI service and at the same time watching all the party goers walking by to some of the pubs and discos surrounding there.

Finding your way to Beach Blanket Babylon would not be hard at all as it is situated at a corner lot just directly opposite E&O Hotel (Eastern & Oriental Hotel) along Lebuh Farquhar. Parking can be quite chaotic on weekends. You can opt to park your car in the Penang Bowl car park or a not so far away Red Garden car park (opposite Cititel) and take a stroll to Upper Penang Road entertainment area.

Do you think that floggers are a bunch of great eaters? Well, I must admit that I am surely one as I never stop eating good food anytime of the day. As for my tea time today, I ate 1/8 of a Tiramisu Cake from Jenni Homemade Cakes & Bakery (RM4.40), 2 packs of thin Steamed Potato Kimchi Crackers (40sens) and a hot cup of Old Town White Coffee (RM1.10).

Well, who could resist the temptation of savoring Jenni’s homemade cakes? Not only are the cakes moist and rich in taste, the best part is that they are not too sweet for my taste bud. The greatest news is you can buy selected cakes in halves or quarters. You must try out their cheese cakes. As for me, I can never stop taking them although I did realize that I had gained a few inches to my waistline. LOL! If you are a chocolate and cheese lover, my recommendation would be that you try out their Chocolate Mint Cake, Chocolate Dark/White Belgian, Chocolate Truffle, Chocolate Spanish, Chocolate Rum and of course their Green Tea Cheese Cake and Tiramisu. In fact, you can try out most of their delicious mouth watering 1/2 kg cakes since you can buy them in quarters.

Whenever I consume cakes, I would normally get something salty too. What do you think of a small pack of 5 thin slices of yummy Steamed Potato Kimchi Crackers at 20sen per packet? Wow! It is real cheap! I managed to get 20 small packs from a local wholesale shop for RM4.00. It is a real bargain as the crackers were real good. They come in a few different flavors such as plain, kimchi, tomato and seaweed. I have not tried the other flavors but since the kimchi ones were real good, I would expect the rest to be just as great.

Visiting the cake house would be easy as the Pulau Tikus branch is just next to the Bandar Baru Supermarket along Jalan Cantonment Road. The Bandar Baru Branch is just opposite the Bayan Baru Market (next to Sunshine Square Supermarket) along the main road of Jalan Mayang Pasir.