CRIZ BON APPETITE

Is this another new theme song for since the English Premier League season is still on? Of course not! This was another of my crazy food expedition during the wee hours of the morning when I could not get much sleep with such a humid and sweaty weather. Huh? Breakfast at 5.00am? I thought having Char Koay Teow at 4.30am was crazy enough! 😛 This hidden treasure lies right in the heart of Georgetown where you can get a rich bowlful of Penang Hokkien Mee (prawn noodles) and Loh Mee (starched noodles) manned by Oh Lay Ee (Auntie Oh Lay) and her husband for the last 3 decades.

When I say rich, it really meant rich as the stock for the soup had been tediously boiled for hours with bones and prawn shells, somewhat similar to how I cooked it earlier this year. On top of that, there were so many ingredients that I can add into my bowl of noodles. A plain bowl of Hokkien Mee here would cost you merely RM2.30 with a generous amount of prawns, pork slices and egg. My hot steaming bowl of Hokkien Mee was priced at RM4.40 since I had added in some extras such as pork rib, crab roll (chim choe), fried and steam dumplings (siew mai), fried meatball, small and big fish balls. The only setback was the right saltiness in the soup which can be corrected by adding in some soy sauce to your liking. It was indeed filling and cheap for just anyone.

You can also opt for the Loh Mee (RM2.30) which would come with the same ingredients as above except that there would be some extra blended garlic added in and the soup base would be thick and starchy. I found this dish to be rather normal as it did not contain the thick flavors of bones stock. Moreover, the prawns could not soak up the juice from the soup. Thus, those sliced prawns were a bit too hard to my liking.

If you are coming from Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay) towards the Jelutong Expressway, slow down and keep to your right when you reach the Pengkalan Weld/Gat Lebuh Macallum traffic lights. Make a U-turn at the traffic lights and keep to your left. Turn left into the first junction you see (Gat Lebuh Presgrave). Drive further up and you would see the stall on your right in front of a row of old houses. This stall normally caters to those early factory workers.

Name: OH LAY EE HOKKIEN MEE
Address: 13 Gat Lebuh Presgrave, 103000 Penang, West Malaysia.
Business Hours: 5.00am-11.40am
(Closed on 1st & 15th Day of Chinese Lunar Calendar)
GPS: 5.409713, 100.332705

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (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: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Note: This restaurant has ceased its operation.

Yesterday marked another great gathering for the Penang floggers as we had our 5th Penang Floggers Gathering. This time, it was Japanese cuisine at Jurin Express aka Jurin Japanese Restaurant located within the notable mall, Gurney Plaza. At a specially arranged RM50 nett per pax deal, we had more than we had bargained for with everyone going home feeling contented.

We had free flow of Hot or Cold Honey Green Tea. The beverages were thicker than the normal ones as they were specially prepared for us with loose green tea leaves instead of those in sachets.

The meal started with 3 types of appetizers. The first was Tempura Kani. The dish had crabstick (kani kama) sushi rolls coated with tempura and deep fried until golden brown, topped with sweet soy sauce and garnished with some herbs and chili flakes.

Next was the Sushi Combo with a colorful array of sushi rolls. It was simple but very filling.

The last of the appetizers was the Sushi Fried Maki. This version was a bit different as it had nori rolled sushi in vinegar rice. These were then topped with some mayo and ebiko (shrimp roes).

The specially arranged main meal consisted of 4 options.

Set A: Ginmutsu Teriyaki (Deep fried cod fish in sweet sauce), Chicken Ban Ban (Boneless fried chicken chunks served with Japanese sauce and mayo), Ebi Tempura (Deep fried shrimps in batter), Yaki Tamago (Sweet omelette), Garlic Fried Rice and Miso Soup.

Set B: Salmon and Tuna Sashimi, Unagi (BBQ Japanese eel), Tamago Kikurage (Black fungus with chilies), Yaki Tamago (Sweet omelette), Garlic Fried Rice and Miso Soup.

Set C: Salmon and Tuna Sashimi, Spicy Salmon (deep fried and topped with spicy sauce), Kakiage (Deep fried shrimps, squid and vegetables in batter), Yaki Tamago (Sweet omelette), Garlic Fried Rice and Miso Soup.

Set D: Karubi Beef (Stir fried beef with onions), Nama Ika Teriyaki (Grilled cuttlefish in teriyaki sauce), Karaage (Deep fried soft shell crabs), Yaki Tamago (Sweet omelette), Garlic Fried Rice and Miso Soup.

A scoop of Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Beans was served as dessert. The ice cream was not as smooth as I had expected and with a mild green tea flavor. On top of that, I would also prefer to have blended red beans instead of the whole ones for that extra smoothness.

We ended the gathering with everyone bring some sponsored gifts home. We had the Vouch Magazine, a bottle of each of Chili Bao and Chili Red, sponsored by Bao Bao Restaurant from Puchong, Selangor, Stuffed You Tiao vouchers sponsored by Te Chang You Tiao Wang from Paya Terubong, Penang and Fried Fish Tom Yam Noodles vouchers by Siong Ho Fish Head Tom Yam Noodles & Porridge, Weld Quay, Penang.

We had a small photography session after the gathering had ended. In presence were Daisy Lee (boss) & hubby, Alan Choong & Amanda Teoh, Eunice, SY, Kelvin Tan, CW Chan, Criz Lai, JK Beh, Cheryl Wee & hubby, Kok Ann, Lay Min, Sam Ong, Gill & Jason and Steven Goh. (Not in photo – Carrie & partner, Lilian Chan & son).

Overall, I found the dishes served here were just average. The restaurant could have served a better quality of fresh seafood, thus less deep fried items for seafood related dishes. Fish cuts were a bit too thin for the value of money paid. The fried garlic rice was normal and lack of wok hei (high heat fragrant) as I believed that it was prepared much earlier before our arrival. However, these few hiccups did not spoil our moods in mingling around with old and new found friends. A special thanks to Jason & Gill for organizing this gathering.

I don’t think I would need to describe the way to Jurin Express as most people would know how to get to Gurney Plaza. Just walk towards the new wing of the mall and go to level 2. You would see the restaurant just next to Sushi King.

Name: JURIN JAPANESE RESTAURANT
Address:
170-02-59/60, 2nd Floor, Gurney Plaza (New Wing),
Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang, West Malaysia.
Contact: 604-227 7112
Business Hours: 11.30am-10.00pm
GPS: 5.437696, 100.309592

RATING:
Ambience: 7.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7.5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 8.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Many of you may not be aware but there is this simple bakery by the name of Wahaha Bakery in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, which had been supplying some great bread and rolls to some of the major health food outlets in mainland as well as on the island for quite some time. What made this bakery outshine in the baking market are some of their unique and trendy creations.

The first thing that attracted me was their bamboo charcoal by-products. Bamboo charcoal has been used as early as in the Ming Dynasty in China for many purposes which include fueling, bedding products as it can emit far infra red rays to help in blood circulation, speed up the metabolism and encourage cell growth, the adjusting of humidity in the atmosphere, air and water purifier such as expelling bad odors, killing bacteria, dietary supplements in improving personal health as well as in beautifying the facial and body skin. Of course there are the bamboo charcoal powder and bamboo vinegar (pyroligneous acid) which had provided many benefits in the world of health and science.

From the above bamboo charcoal powder, you would get some nice and soft Bamboo Charcoal Wholemeal Rolls (RM2.60 for 3pcs) in the shapes of croissants from this bakery. This product has been a craze for some years now as a popular health product especially in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The product has cleansing properties that would help in blood circulation. The rolls here were lovely as they had the right ashy flavor to my liking. I could even consume them without any spreads of butter, fruity jam or even coconut jam (kaya). At least they do not taste as bitter and charcoal filled as some that I had tried in KL some years back.

The next thing that attracted me was their latest creation – Vegetarian Green Tea Sushi (RM1.50 for 3pcs). The sushi was real cool! It has high quality Japanese seaweed (nori) wrapped around a layer of soft and spongy green tea bread, filled with freshly cut cucumber, carrots and pumpkin floss, with some sushi sauce added in too. This was another unique experience but there’s a drawback. It would be better to consume when it is fresh or the moist from the vegetables might make it soggy.

There’s also the Green Tea Wholemeal Loaf (RM3.00) that was soft and fluffy. You can take it plain too as there were some sweetened red beans kneaded in them. You can also have the bread slices lightly toasted as an evening snack.

If you think that a loaf of bread would be too much for your consumption, do try out their Black Sesame Wholemeal Rolls (RM2.80 for 6 pcs). Black sesame seeds are high in calcium, iron, copper, magnesium and phosphorus. The copper would strengthen blood vessels, joints and bones, thus is good for relieving arthritis whereas magnesium would support vascular and respiratory health. The calcium would improve your bone health. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it’s believed that the seeds would promote kidney and liver health as well as to treat constipation and to regulate bowel movements.

Do you know red has a very high attractive power? I was also attracted by the natural color of the Red Dragon Fruit Cinnamon Roll (RM3.50 for 3 pcs). The red dragon fruit or pitaya is good for those with Type 2 Diabetes as it would help in lowering the blood glucose level. The grounded cinnamon on the other hand would lower the LDL cholesterol level. These fruity flavored soft and delicious rolls had some raisins and sesame seeds added. They were also glazed with some natural honey. I had a real nice tea time.

I also had a High Fibre Wholemeal Pumpkin Bun (RM1.80) for tea. The natural sweetness of the pure pumpkin puree within the bun was heaven. The moisture from the filling blended in real nice with the texture of the wholemeal bun.

There were also the Assorted Muffins (RM1.30 each or RM6.00 for 5 pcs – chocolate, blueberry, green tea & black sesame) and Carrot Walnut Muffin (RM1.50 each) that I almost did not have the opportunity to try out. My nieces gobbled them up immediately! Haha! They seemed to be a favorite amongst kids. Well, I love them too as they had the right moist to my liking compared to some that I had tried which were rather hard and dry.

There are also many other products available at this simple bakery which I alone could not cover all but you have to check them out yourself if you happen to be around that area. If you do not intend to go all the way to Bukit Mertajam just to get your healthy bread and rolls, you could always check up some of the outlets below to get some of the products. Make sure you call up first to check on the availability.

Healthy DIY
G-05 Pangsapuri Seri Melur, Jalan Raja Uda, 12300 Butterworth, Penang.
Contact: 012-503 7880 (Jessie)

Kedai Organik Olive Green (opposite Sunshine Bayan Baru)
34 Jalan Mayang Pasir,Bayan Baru, 11950 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang.
Contact: 604-645 2404

Kedai Minuman Nutrisi Healthy Life House (beside Eyewear Shop)
1-G-22, Suntech Penang Cyber City, Lintang Mayang Pasir 3,
Bayan Baru, 11950 Bayan Lepas,Penang.
Contact: 012-431 8805 (SK Tan)

Kafe JenxDan Lifestyle
21 Jalan Chow Thye, 10050 Penang, West Malaysia.
Contact: 604-226 8414, 019-471 9123

If you are coming from Penang Bridge towards Bandar Perda along Jalan Permatang Batu in Bukit Mertajam, keep a lookout for the beautifully designed TNB building within Bandar Perda on your left. Slow down when you reach the traffic lights and turn right into Jalan Padang Lalang. Drive over the railway track and move on until you see the second traffic lights (Mayban is on your right before the traffic lights). Turn right into Jalan Tembikai and drive on until you see another traffic lights (Jalan Tembikai/Lorong Tembikai Satu cross junction). You will see the famous night time Gaik Fong Bak Kut Teh shop on your right. Turn left into Lorong Tembikai Satu and drive on until almost the end and you would see the bakery on your right, third shoplot at the last row of shop houses.

Name: WAHAHA BAKERY
Address:
54 Lorong Tembikai Satu, Kawasan Perindustrian Sungai Rambai,
14000 Bukit Mertajam, Penang, West Malaysia.
Contact: 014-247 0018 (Hoyyee), 012-552 4118 (Mr. Chee)
Business Hours: 9.30am-9.30pm
GPS: 5.358054, 100.448329

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7.5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7.5/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)