CRIZ BON APPETITE

Malacca (locally known as Melaka) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 7 July 2008 together with George Town, the capital of Penang, as one of the world’s heritage cities. Malacca, being the oldest city with more than 600 years of history in Malaysia, has many remnants from the past which would bring back many nostalgic and colorful memories of the heydays. Heritage buildings, monuments, culture, tradition, food and beverages found in the historical city have their own uniqueness, not found in other parts of Malaysia. Jonker Gallery, with 1 wholesale and 4 retail outlets, scattered around the famed Jonker Walk (Jalan Hang Jebat), has brought about that mesmerizing moments for the locals and tourists with their wide range of products. Their latest product was something that has dated back as far as the colonial days – the 60’s Cocktails. It’s a non alcoholic fruit tea with a concoction of France’s imported black tea plus permitted fruit flavors. The beverages came in 4 flavors – Apple+Lemon, Apple+Peach, Apple+Passion and Apple+Guava, each selling at RM4.00nett per bottles at all their outlets.

We were glad that the beverages were introduced to us when we were in Malacca to attend the “A Date with Bloggers in Melaka 2012” event. The well chilled beverages surely did cool us down on such a humid weather. However, they are local products that would only be available in Malacca. Hard luck!

Amongst the 4 choices available, the 60’s Cocktail – Apple+Lemon was unanimously voted by us as the most favorite beverage. The concoction of the apple and lemon juices in a mildly sweetened black tea extract beverage had the best of cider plus citrus flavors. They were simply refreshing and complemented each other real well especially when chilled properly.

The 60’s Cocktail – Apple+Passion was fine. The sweetness of the added passion fruit went well with the apple. The combination of flavors just lingered in my mouth for quite awhile.

The 60’s Cocktail – Apple+Peach was good but I personally felt that the peach had an overpowering flavor over the apple’s mild sweetness. It tasted almost like the instant Peach Tea without the presence of apple.

The 60’s Cocktail – Apple+Guava was also good if you are fine with a strong “Kiwi+Strawberry” ripen guava taste. Just like the 60’s Cocktail – Apple+Peach, the apple mild taste basically got lost in the strong guava flavors.

Still not convinced? Well, some of those KL participants fell in love with the beverages and bought home many 8-in-a-pack beverages. You can select whichever flavors you like upon availability.

Overall, these 4 beverages still excel better than some of the beverage products I have tested on the market. The main selling point would be on the right sweetness for the general consumptions and the “twist & drink” feature on the bottles.

Click to enlarge the map larger for a clearer view of all the Jonker Gallery outlets.

Name: JONKER GALLERY @ MALACCA (MELAKA)
Address: No 64, Jalan Tokong, 75200 Melaka.
Contact: 606-286 9840
Website: http://jonkergallery.com.my/

Jonker Gallery (Artistic & Fashionable Apparel) – Retail
No 11, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka.

Jonker Gallery (Souvenirs & Ladies Accessories) – Retail
No 20, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka.

Jonker Gallery (Casual Apparel & Casual Footwear) – Retail
No 29B Jalan Hang Kasturi, 75200 Melaka.

Jonker Gallery (Ethnic Apparel) – Retail
No 51, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka.

Jonker Gallery (Souvenirs, Ladies and Men Apparel) – Wholesale
No 64, Jalan Tokong, 75200 Melaka.

RATING:
Ambience: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 4/10 (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: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Swez Brasserie @ Eastin Hotel, Penang, would be having its Texas Grill Promotion for the whole month of June 2012 (1-30 June 2012). You can now savor all the mouth-watering dishes as how the cowboys would. This promotion would be under the skillful hands of the newly appointed Jr. Sous Chef, Chef Kelvin Cheong.

We started with the Texas Wild Potato Soup (德式馬鈴薯浓湯). The soup had a slightly burned earthly flavor due to the fact that the USA imported potatoes were marinated with herbs and had gone through the process of baking prior to being blended and mixed in with some flour and cream. It had a brown creamy texture and was quite nice, though a bit salty to my preference. A light touch of fresh herbs added in with a gentle grind of fresh black pepper would have pepped up the taste even better.

As appetizer, we were served with Grilled Shrimp and Strawberry Salad (草莓烤蝦沙拉). For non cheese lover, this salad might be quite intruding as it was slightly overpowering. Grilled prawns were tossed together with rocket lettuce, cherry tomatoes, fresh strawberry cuts, fresh herbs, black pepper in a dressing made from a combination of bleu cheese and fruity vinaigrette. The concoction was not bad except that I found the name to be a bit deceiving as there were no distinctive flavors of strawberries. Alternatively, if the cherry tomatoes and strawberry cuts were sun-dried or the strawberries be made into compote and added it, the salad would surely taste better.

Another appetizer we tried out was the Texas Broccoli and Turkey Slices Salad (德式火雞片與西蘭花沙拉). I would say, this salad would suit the palate of everyone. The salad had tossed blanched broccoli, carrot cubes and fresh seedless grapes in a concoction of mayonnaise and desiccated coconut flakes dressing, garnishes with crispy turkey bacon and almond flakes. I was glad that the dressing has just the necessary mild touch of desiccated coconut flakes and was not too overpowering.

As for the main course, we had the Texas BBQ Grilled Skewer (德州燒烤串). It consisted of 3 different options of grilled chicken, lamb and seafood (shrimp, mussel & squid) skews. All the skews were nicely marinated as they should.

The main perfection for grilled skewers actually came from the accompanied dips to boost up the right combination of flavors. BBQ Sauce and Yoghurt Mint Sauce were provided. Although the BBQ Sauce had the right flavors and smoky taste from some added liquid smoke, it somehow lacked the puree thickness. It might be great as marinate for grilled ribs but it was a bit too diluted as a dip to stick well to the meat. Some chopped onions or tomato puree added in might help solve this issue. It also lacked a light spicy touch of Tabasco sauce. The Yoghurt Mint Sauce on the other hand tasted too “tandoori style” rather than “Texan style” to me. I personally prefer simple mint jelly/sauce to go with my grilled lamb.

The Grilled Chicken with Honey Mustard Glaze (蜂蜜芥末醬烤雞) was one of the dishes I can’t get enough of. It was wise of the chef to use chicken drumstick fillet as that would be the best part of a chicken to get that tender and juicy texture. Even after some period of time, those choice pieces still maintained the moist within. Well done Chef Kelvin!

The last dish was the Grilled Beef with Tortilla (烤牛肉片與玉米薄餅). These cut rolls of stuffed grilled beef tortillas were served on a bed of nachos dressed with salsa. My first impression was, “Gosh! They looked so dry!” The first bite had me in amazement. Not only were the roll soft and delicious with tender pieces of grilled beef, it had a light spicy crunch from the added capsicum slices. The chef was smart to add into two secret ingredients to moisten the roll – caramelized onions and garlic mayonnaise. Way to go Chef!

More salsa was provided for dressing up the stuffed grilled beef tortilla rolls. I won’t mind if some sour cream was to be provided too to dip in the nachos.

The desserts were just simple as how you would get from the buffet line. It was too American in general. It lacked the Texan feel and taste. We had the American Cheese Cake (美式乳酪蛋糕) and Texas Brownies (德州巧克力布朗尼).

Overall, Swez Brasserie fairs rather well in their Texas Grill Promotion. After all, you can’t go wrong with grills if the cooking time were monitored carefully. Too bad they are concentrating more on grills rather than adding in more fried and Texas State Fair items which are also in the recommended top dishes in Texas. Their Texas Grill Promotion was more towards the Wild West Country Theme where the flavors were wild and suspense. I was rather surprise that they did not promote the #1 Texas State Food which is the Texas Chili. A bowl of the famed thick, hot and steamy chili con carne would add in more excitements in the dishes served, may it be tacos, tortillas, cornbread and more. Corn dogs are common in Texas and they are something that would attract just any age group who loves to have deep fried corn battered hotdogs. As for dessert, I hope they do come out with more options such as the delicious Pecan Pie as it’s the state tree of Texas, as I found the desserts served were too American in general.

Here’s the summary of the promotion.

TEXAS GRILL PROMOTION (1-30 JUNE 2012)

Lunch (12.00 noon – 2.30pm): Monday – Friday
RM48++ (adult), RM24++ (child)
Hi-Tea (12.00 noon – 3.00pm): Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays
Normal weekend: RM55++ (adult), RM28++ (child)
Festive Occasion (Fathers’ Day – 17 June 2012): RM68++ (adult), RM34++ (child)
Semi Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm): Monday – Thursday
RM48++ per pax

FATHERS’ DAY SPECIAL PROMOTION (1-30 JUNE 2012)

A happy Dad dines for FREE with every 2 paying adults on all weekends in June 2012. Weekend buffet dinner themes are as following:
Friday – Seafood Supreme
Saturday – Japanese Night
Sunday – East Meets West

For MAYBANKARD & VISA card members, you can enjoy 15% discount for Texas Grill Semi Buffet Dinner (Monday to Thursday) and Weekend Buffet Dinner (Friday to Sunday) from 6.30pm – 10.00pm.

The Swez Brasserie is located at the ring wing of Eastin Hotel, Penang (next to Queensbay Mall). If you are coming from Georgetown towards Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone via Bayan Lepas Expressway, do watch out for the Pulau Jerejak signboard (leading to Pulau Jerejak jetty). Ignore the turning and drive on to the next left junction. Turn left into Jalan Aziz Ibrahim and drive on until you a roundabout. Turn 3 o’ clock and drive on until you see a big Eastin Hotel signboard at the first right junction. Turn right and drive on. Park your car at the basement car park. Take a lift to the first floor lobby and you would see the restaurant there.

Name: SWEZ BRASSERIE @ EASTIN HOTEL
Address: 1 Solok Bayan Indah, Queens Bay, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-612 1128, 604-612 1138
Business Hours: 12.00pm-2.30pm (Lunch), 6.30pm-10.00pm (Dinner)
GPS: 5.33643, 100.306345

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

When you are stuck near Pudu Sentral, Kuala Lumpur at 4.00am in the morning while waiting for the LRT to start its operation at 6.00am, what would you do? Of course, I’ll try to kill time. It got kind of boring after having spent most of my time at a nearby Nasi Kandar shop or at McDonald’s each time I was down there by express bus. During my recent transit via Kuala Lumpur to attend the “A Date with Bloggers in Melaka 2012” event, a group of us decided to check out the Petaling Street area for early breakfast instead. We stumbled upon a porridge shop named Petaling Street Famous Porridge which has been in operation since 1949. It was weird that there was no proper signage or name on this shop after being in existence for over 6 decades. Through some clarifications with my KL friends, it was once called Hon Kee Famous Porridge and the contact number still remained the same. Why the sudden change in name? I won’t know for sure.

We practically ordered almost all the dishes available since our next meal would be at around 2.00pm at Julie’s, Alor Gajah, Malacca.

You can start by ordering the Plain Porridge (RM2.50nett) and add on whatever main ingredients you would like to have. The porridge was smooth and mushy the way I like it. It had some chopped spring onions with a light dash of sesame oil.

The most ordered item as recommended by the shop owner (Vivian) would be the Ikan Haruan (Snakehead Murrel/線鱧/綫鱧/鱧魚/生魚) slices at RM6.00nett per set. No doubt the fish fillet were sliced paper thinly to enable them to be cooked fast in the porridge, the fillet lacked the bite. Somehow, they dissolved rather quickly within in the bowl of porridge upon a few stirrings. Moreover, the few dashes of sesame oil added in did not boost up the fragrance in the dish as I would have expected. Now I know why KL people love to shop for sesame oil in Penang especially from Ghee Hiang.

You can also order the fish slices separately to add in your porridge or to share some out but you have to stir them into your porridge upon serving to cook them well. Please take note that the intense heat within the porridge would last not more than 10 minutes. This thinly sliced fish fillet came garnished with some ginger strips, chopped spring onions and Chinese parsley with a dash of sesame oil.

Alternatively, you can go for the Hainanese style boiled chicken (RM12.50nett). It was quite a large piece, considering that it had the drumstick and thigh together. Compared to the fish porridge, this dish excelled better in terms of texture, juiciness and flavors. It came garnished with some chopped spring onions, Chinese parsley, deep fried chopped garlic in oil, soy sauce with a dash of sesame oil. Though a bit pricy compared to Penang’s which would cost around RM7.00-RM8.00nett, it was a flavorful dish to go with the porridge.

If you feel like having something lighter for breakfast, you can opt for the Century Eggs (RM5.00nett) served with some ginger strips and a light touch of sesame oil. It was rather pricy to have 3 eggs for that price. Moreover, pickled ginger slices were not provided for those of us who would want to have them as appetizer.

For those who love to have meatballs, their Meatballs Porridge set (RM5.00nett) would suit you well. It was simple yet fulfilling. It came garnished with some chopped spring onions, pickled vegetables with a dash of sesame oil.

Although the steamed rice rolls had a nice texture, the Chee Cheong Fun (RM5.00nett) sauce somehow did not suit us well since we Penangites are so used to have added prawn paste (heko/蝦膏). The rice roll practically came with red sweet potato sauce and chili sauce with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Even the chili sauce had no fragrant at all compared to most Chee Cheong Fun stalls in Penang which have the chili sauce sautéed with some chopped dried shrimps. I’ll still go back to my favorite Chee Cheong Fun stall in Penang which has some added peanut butter in the prawn paste sauce on top of the red sweet sauce and chili sauce.

Overall, the dishes served here were a bit over rated by the central region consumers. To us Penangites, those dishes were just average. We have more flavorful ones just anywhere surrounding Penang. If not for the odd operation hours, I won’t specially make an effort to patronize this place.

The Petaling Street Famous Porridge is located just opposite the Hong Leong Bank along Jalan Hang Lekir. If you are coming from Pudu Sentral towards Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, do watch out for the Watson’s outlet at the junction right after the Ancasa Hotel. Turn left into Jalan Sultan and walk further up until you see a right lane (Jalan Hang Lekir). Turn right in Jalan Hang Lekir and walk further up and you will see the shop on your left almost to the end of the Jalan Hang Lekir/Jalan Petaling junction.

Name: HON KEE – PETALING STREET FAMOUS PORRIDGE
Address: 93, Jalan Hang Lekir, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Opposite Hong Leong Bank, Petaling Street)
Contact: 012-227 6281 (Ms. Vivian), 017-882 7351 (Mr. Lee)
Business Hours: 4.00am-2.30pm
GPS: 3.144383, 101.69725

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

Within the heritage area of George Town, along Lorong Stewart, Penang, lies 55 Café & Restaurant @ Coffee Atelier, a brand name that had been established amongst the locals and expatriates for its delicious Mediterranean dishes and aromatic coffee brews. The café has now extended its operation hours to 10.00pm on Thursday to Saturday, serving basically all tapas (40+ types) which would include items ranging from scallops, prawns, squids, salmons, vongole, other seafood, chicken, beef, pork, cheese, Spanish omelette, potatoes, vegetables, pickles and bread.

We started the meal with some Cocktail Pickles (RM8+) or commonly known in Spain as Banderillas. These easy tapas basically consisted of ready pickles in a jar or homemade pickles, all skewed on a toothpick. The trick is to make them as colorful as possible with flavors that complement each other to excite your pallet. The ones served here had cocktail onions, pickled Jalapeno red pepper, stuffed Manzanilla olives, homemade sundried tomato and pickled gherkins.

The Garlic Bread (RM6+ for 2 slices) served here was perfect. The kitchen managed to get the slices to maintain the crispiness on the outer layer while maintaining the softness inside. These were served with some fresh rocket lettuce, cherry tomatoes and roasted garlic.

One of my favorite tapas here has always been the Gambas el Pene (RM18+). It has a marinated large prawn, sprinkled with some paprika and chives, folded in between a thin slice of baguette and baked until perfection. The dish was beautifully prepared but not as moist and fragrant as my homemade ones. Well, I was using virgin coconut oil instead of olive oil for the extra fragrance with lots of chopped garlic.

The Grilled Stuffed Squid Tube (RM16+) was awesome. It had a combination of diced prawns, tomatoes, chopped black olives, onions, chives, bread with a light sprinkles of spices as stuffing. It went well with some baguettes.

We had two versions of sauces for the grilled salmon. The first one was the Grilled Salmon with Teriyaki Sauce (RM20+). The flavors from the sauce combined with the freshness of the salmon would make this dish a great tapas dish.

Compared to the former dish, the Grilled Salmon with Cucumber Dips (RM20+) was real refreshing and it came with some rich flavored sautéed Shitake mushrooms. However, I personally felt that it would be a better main dish than served as tapas.

If you are a fan of all species of clams, you will surely fall in love with the next dish which was the Vongole in White Wine Sauce (RM18+). Apart from the freshly selected clams, the sauce was heaven! It had the flavors of some virgin olive oil, chives, white wine, black pepper, salt, garlic and more. I was happily dipping in my baguette to clean up the bowl~ LOL! 😛 We had a bonus that day as some seasonal mini crabs were added in for that extra flavor as well as crunch.

We also had two types of sauces served with our pan-grilled beef tenderloin. The first was the Beef Tenderloin with Roasting Jus (RM28+). The beef was done medium rare, just right for that wonderful bite. The roasting jus was tasty as you can taste the tedious task of reducing the beef stock to a thick consistency almost like the Bovril. The flavorful extract with a slight saltiness went well with the baguettes. This meat was served with some mashed kumara with some sprinkles of olive powder.

The next dish which was the Beef Tenderloin with Bearnaise Sauce (RM28+) was served exactly the same way but with Bearnaise sauce replacing the roasting jus. The traditionally used light yellow, opaque, smooth and creamy sauce for steak, had a mild herbs and spices eggy after taste, most probably with the added in chervil, terragon, shallots, coarsely crushed peppercorns with egg yolk and butter. No doubt it was nice but my preference would go to the lovely roasting jus.

The Albondigas (RM16+) or commonly known as pork meatballs in gravy was something nice to go with your baguettes. The marinated minced pork with some herbs and seasoning went well with the tomato puree like gravy. It would be great if more breadcrumbs, onions or even other tenderizer be added in to soften the meat a bit more.

The next dish was the Spanish Omelette with Mushroom & Thyme (RM12+). It was just a somewhat stuffed omelette with a slight Tabasco sauce flavor topped with some deep fried potatoes.

For those who love to have vegetable tapas, you can try out their Leek Fondue (RM10+). It was just a creamy spread for your baguette.

As it was rather filling with all the food, we still managed to try out their Creme Brulee (RM13+). Their version has a thin layer of burnt sugar. It went well with their homemade berries compote.

Overall, the food served here has its own unique flavors with a slight touch of fusion and can be well accepted by the locals as well as foreigners. Please also note that there would be a 10% service charge applicable for all purchases.

If you are driving along Lebuh Farquhar into Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling, keep a watch out for the Goddess of Mercy Temple on your right. Immediately after the temple, turn right in Lorong Stewart and make a zig zag turn and you will see the café on your left at the junction of Lorong Stewart/Lorong Chulia. Parking can be quite limited during peak hours. I would advise you to find whatever parking space you can and walk to the café.

Name: 55 CAFÉ & RESTAURANT @ COFFEE ATELIER
Address: 47-55, Lorong Stewart, 10300 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-261 2261, 016-469 8228 (Lorina Gehrig), 016-464 8118 (Stefan Gehrig)
Business Hours: 8.30am-10.00pm daily
GPS: 5.419143, 100.337772

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: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7.5/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Pork Burger has been a booming business recently in Penang from night market (pasar malam) to posh cafes such as BeerBQ Bistro at Precinct 10, Tanjung Tokong, Penang. However, nothing would beat homemade ones which are tasty and economical. With the opening of 43 Café located along the main road of Jalan Sungai Dua, Penang, you would be able now to savor those succulent and flavorful pork burgers from as low as RM5.00nett each. Thanks to Mr. Jacgy Chan, who had brainstormed the idea of serving such heavenly treats, for the consumptions of the many pork lovers around Penang.

The uniqueness of the Pork Burger served here, lies in the preparations as well as the cooking method used. The pork patties were approximately 90gms in weight each and had selected minced choice meat with less fat, evenly combined with breadcrumbs, black pepper, mixed herbs and a light touch of seasoning. Moreover, it uses a special method of thermo grilling where barely any oil was needed and yet maintaining the flavors and moist within. Each patty would come with a slice of melted cheese.

There are 3 selections of pork burgers served here, namely the Pork Burger with Cheese (Original – RM5.00nett, BBQ Sauce – RM5.50nett, Black Pepper Sauce – RM5.50nett). Each burger would have a butter toasted spongy bun with lots of sesame seeds, iceberg lettuce, tomato and onion on top of the beautifully prepared pork patty. Even without the sauce, the cheesy flavor from the melted cheese blended real well with everything. I personally love the BBQ Sauce more as it had that nice smoky flavors from the liquid smoke used. As I’m a spicy food taker, the Black Pepper Sauce was a bit mild but this sauce would be great for general intake, even for kids.

If you feel that the bun were a bit too thick for your liking, you can always go for the Original Double Trouble Pork Burger (RM8.00nett). This set has a double boost of pork burger with cheese. I’m sure they would also serve triple patties upon request too.

There are also other add-ons such as additional cheese (RM1.00nett/pc) and bacon (RM1.50nett/pc). I love the extra flavors on my Original Pork Burger with Bacon (RM6.50nett).

Do keep a watch out on the sign board with special offers for the day. There could be some specially prepared dishes that are not stated in the menu or even package set meals available for the day. One of the dishes might be their home cooked Mushroom Soup (RM3.00nett) served with a slice of nicely toasted garlic bread. It had a combination of blended mushrooms in it with a light touch of herbs.

Other dishes might be their Egg Pecah (RM2.00nett) served with toasted bread/bun. This dish would have an egg stir fried in spicy chili paste in a semi raw presentation and garnished with some chopped spring onions.

Occasionally, you would get to savor their freshly marinated chicken satay called Nom Nom Nom (RM1.00nett per skew with minimum order of 6 skews) served with some onions. This dry version of satay without any dipping peanut sauce would be great enough for any appetite boosting as there would be the presence of sweetness, sourness and spiciness on each juicy skew.

If your timing is right, there would be the Roasted Honey Chicken Wing (RM1.80/pc) available on that day. The wing had just the right marinates with light touch of sweetness from the coated honey.

Another roasted version would be their Roasted Rosemary Chicken. The price has yet to be ascertained.

As for desserts, there would be selected item daily ranging from homemade cakes, ice cream, jellies and more. One of the more notable ones would be their Homemade Peanut Paste (RM3.00nett). Each bowl would have freshly blended toasted peanuts with some chunky bits.

Another notable one would be their Homemade Black Sesame Paste which would be available from time to time.

As for beverages, you should not miss out their freshly made Tomato Plum Juice (RM3.50nett). It had 100% fresh tomato juice blended in with sweet & sour plum and ice cubes with no added water or sugar. It’s a super healthy drink on a humid weather. Other drinks would include as the photo below. Chilled canned drinks such as Coca-Cola and 100Plus would also be available at RM2.50nett each whereas Chilled Mineral Water would be at RM1.50nett per bottle.

[Left to right: Back – Tomato Plum Juice (RM3nett), Iced Lemon Tea (RM2.50nett), Homemade Hot Ginger Tea (RM1.50nett), Iced Chocolate (RM3.00nett), Iced White Coffee (RM2.50nett); Front – Hot White Coffee (RM2.00nett), Hot Chocolate (RM2.50nett)]

You can click on the photo below for a clearer view of 43 Café’s menu.

Presently, one of their hot selling items here would be their Homemade Glutinous Rice Pork Dumplings aka Bak Chang (RM5.00nett each). They are freshly made daily and only limited quantity would be available per day. Instead of the usual boiling in hot water for hours, these delicious dumplings would be steamed to bind in their rich flavors. Moreover, it has extra azuki beans added in for that nutty and aromatic texture. Other than the beans and rice, each dumpling would come with lean but tender choice pieces of pork, mushroom, dried shrimps, chestnut and specially ordered salted duck egg yolk. For glutinous rice lovers, this is one item you would not want to miss out.

Overall, the café do keep to their reputation for serving cheap and good pork burgers. As for the rest of the dishes, there are still rooms for improvements for better taste and more varieties. The food served here basically caters for those university students or working personnel staying nearby that vicinity.

43 Cafe is located along Jalan Sungai Dua just opposite the Universiti Sains Malaysian, nearer to the Jalan Sungai Dua/Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah traffic lights (Sunny Point Complex). If you are coming from town via Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, you would reach the traffic lights with Sunny Point Complex on your left. Turn right into Jalan Sungai Dua (USM main entrance) and keep to your left. About 100m away, turn left into the service road. Turn right and drive on for another 250m and you would see the corner unit double-storey house next to a photostating shop. That’s where the 43 Café is. There are ample parking spaces around the café.

Name: 43 CAFE
Address: 43, Jalan Sungai Dua, 11700 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 016-430 7009 (Mr. Jacgy Chan)
Business Hours: 5.30pm-10.00pm
GPS: 5.353265, 100.303813
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/43cafe

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (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: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Located within one of Penang’s newest premium food and beverage hub venues, Precinct 10, along Jalan Tanjung Tokong, Penang, is a little bistro by the name of BeerBQ Bistro. A large percentage of their dishes are cooked with bee. It had such a German concept of dining where they would pair different type of beer with selected dishes. The thing that the bistro did best was to watch out for the usage of over hoppy beers that would sometimes emit unpleasant bitterness in dishes. Thus, the dishes served here would be mild enough for the consumption of any age group of diners.

The first thing that caught our eyes was the special of the day which was the BeerBQ Pork Burger (RM21.90++) as it was rather hard to get great pork burgers in Penang. The approximately 250gms pork patty was superb as it has the right proportion of meat and fat with the right thickness and flavors. The juicy patty went well with the slightly crisp toasted sesame bun with fresh greens and fries. The BBQ sauce dressing was awesome as it had that rich, tangy and thick liquid hickory smoke flavors that complemented the grilled patty real well. I wondered if the kitchen did add in some beer in the sauce as it was not distinctive at all. If you see this dish on their special of the day, do not hesitate to order one. You sure won’t regret even though the pricing might be a bit high.

The beer pairing session started when we started off our appetizer meal with Roast Pork (RM16.90++) paired with Belgium’s pale lager, Stella Artois (RM22++/bottle). The dish had some crispy and crackling pieces of herb roasted pork belly. No doubt it was a flavorful plate of heavenly meat but the pieces were somehow a bit dry. It could be due to the lack of some fatty layers or the pre-roasted was exposed too long in the air. I guessed they would have to find a way to prevent the meat from drying off or it would turn away many roasted pork lovers.

The next appetizer was the Smoked Salmon Salad (RM19.90++) paired with USA’s pale lager, Budweiser. The smoked salmon was wrapped around a small stalk of skinned celery and served with some homemade cheese sauce and Mesclun lettuce with their special dressing. I personally felt that the celery stalks were rather obsolete as they looked clumsy in the whole presentation. It would be better if some juicy cucumber strips were used instead. The smoked salmon went well with the cheese sauce which had a light hint of bleu cheese. The dressing for the salad was unique as it had sweet and fruity vinaigrette flavors from some grapes used.

We also had the BeerBQ Pork Ribs (RM38.90++) paired with Germany’s dark lager, Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel. The chargrilled pork ribs were tender and filled with flavors from their special BBQ sauce. However, I personally felt that the sauce was not enough as it did not cover every part of the pork ribs thoroughly. This was served with some crispy potatoes wedges and fresh greens with their special dressing.

One of the recommended dishes here would be their BeerBQ Seafood Platter (RM40.90++) paired with Germany’s light lager, Lowenbrau (RM22++/bottle). It had quite a number of BBQ large prawns, scallops, squids and mussels cooked with their signature BeerBQ sauce and served on a big bed of mashed potatoes. This dish came with some greens. The sauce blended in real well with the seafood and mashed potatoes. The setback would be that it could be a bit too filling for a person’s portion.

We also tried out their Fish and Chips (RM21.90++) paired with Belgium’s witbieren (white beers), Hoegaarden White (RM20++ for 1/2 pint, RM30++ for 1 pint) since it had crispy beer battered fish fillet. The dish came with some fries, greens, tartar sauce and malt vinegar. Somehow, the crispiness did not maintain long as I presumed that the batter lacked some baking powder, self rising flour or even cornmeal flour? Moreover, frozen dory fish was used in this dish and that did not give the freshness that I would have expected. It would be great if options would be given for other species of fish such as seabass, grouper, mahi mahi, cod, etc would be served too. Of course, those would come with a different price range.

Since there were pastas being served here too, we decided to try out their Spaghetti Vongole (RM18.90++). The al dente of the spaghetti was just right together with the freshness from the local clams. The clams were cooked with chopped garlic, chili flakes, mixed herbs, salt and pepper in olive oil with a very mild dash of white wine. Somehow, the dish lacked the fresh herbs flavors from either flat leaf parsley or chives. Moreover, the soup was not thick in flavors as I expected since clams do not have that distinctive seafood richness. They could have thought out of the box by adding in some baby anchovies, baby shrimps or even the seasonal baby crabs to pep up the extra seafood flavors.

As dessert, there were not many choices as there was only one alcohol boosted cake available which was the Stout Chocolate Cake (RM12.90++). However, this was one flavorful dessert as the warm stout chocolate cake, topped with melting chocolate sauce with a light touch of whipped cream was heaven.

Here’s a chart where you would find out more on which type of beer would pair well with which type of food, cheese and dessert. Please click to have a larger view of the chart below:

There are two types of beer cocktails that attracted quite many drinkers. One would be the Blue Ocean Beer (RM22.90++), a concoction of lager beer, blue curacao with a slice of lemon and also the Chili Beer (RM22.90++) which had a concoction of lager beer, bird’s eye chili (cili padi), black pepper, and a dash or two of Tabasco sauce.

For those non-alcoholic drinkers, there would always be the mocktail to quench your thirst. You can try out the BeerBQ Triple (RM9.90++) which had a combination of orange, apple and pineapple juices.

Overall, the food served here can be a bit too mild for those who prefer to have stronger hop flavors. Fortunately, they are still quite good at pairing the beers with food based on the basic 3 rules: matching beer strength with food strength, food harmony and balancing of the bitterness (hops), sweetness (malt), bubbles (carbonation), spiciness (hot peppers) and richness of the beers with the dishes. A 10% Service Tax and 6 % Government Tax would be imposed on all orders.

Precinct 10 is just next to the Island Plaza along Jalan Tanjung Tokong. If you are coming from town area towards Batu Ferringghi, just take note of the second traffic light (Jalan Tanjung Tokong/ Jalan Fettes/ Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang). Island Plaza is on your right. Make a U-Turn at the traffic lights and you will see Precinct 10 right after Island Plaza on the left. There are ample parking spaces at the premises. Parking fees would be around RM1/hour. You can visibly see BeerBQ Bistro at the far left corner next to SOHO.

Name: BEERBQ BISTRO @ PRECINCT 10
Address: 10-B-06, Precinct 10, Jalan Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Tokong, 10470 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-890 5157
Business Hours:
12.00pm-3.00pm, 6.00pm-11.00pm (Monday-Wednesday)
12.00pm-3.00pm, 6.00pm-12.00am (Friday-Sunday)
GPS: 5.448970, 100.306020

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: 7.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

With the hot-cold weather recently, many people were down with flu and cough. I’m one of them in fact. Thus, I have created a special dessert I named STEAMED ASIAN PEAR WITH CHINESE ALMONDS AND ROCK SUGAR to strengthen the Yin in my body with a combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) ingredients. The juicy Asian pears are perfect for dry coughs especially in moistening the throat and lungs, relieving cough and phlegm clearance. White fungus on the other hand is superb to nourish the body, heal dry coughs and clearing heat in the lungs. Chinese almonds or commonly known as apricot seeds are great to strengthen the respiratory system. I also added in some Goji berries (wolfberries) with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties as well as a red date for balancing the formula, Qi and blood for the body. The dried longan would nourish blood circulation and has a calming effect on nervous system. The American ginseng acts as a powerful adaptogen to reduce the effects of any kind of stresses, physically or mentally.

As the size of the wok for steaming might vary, I’m going to share what are the ingredients to put into an individual pear. You can just multiply the amount as per quantity of pears you are using. There will be no wastages here as those scooped out portions can be used for making the multi-purpose enzyme to act as natural household detergents (3 parts raw fruits/vegetables, 1 part brown sugar and 10 parts water – pour into a large plastic container, releasing the build in gas occasionally for the next 3 months).

Here’s the recipe for one serving:

INGREDIENTS:
1 large Asian pear
1 small piece white fungus (soaked in hot water for about 15 minutes, drain well)
1 tsp Chinese almonds (apricot seeds)
1 tsp Goji berries (wolfberries)
1 Chinese red date (a light slit will infuse more flavor)
2 pieces dried longan
1 tsp American ginseng
2 tsp rock sugar (6-7 pieces if they come in crystal form or to taste)
Water (to fill to the brim)

OPTIONAL:
You can replace the rock sugar with honey but it would give u a slight sour after taste.

PREPARATIONS:
1. Wash the pear with enzyme (as stated above) or any fruit/vegetables cleaner well to rid of any existing dust or pesticide. Dry it well.
2. Cut off the top and use a teaspoon to slowly scoop out the core. Be careful not to scoop too much until the base as it may leak after steaming.
3. Fill all the ingredients above into the pear and fill it up with water. Close the lid well.
4. Heat up the water in your wok/steamer. Put in your filled pear and steam under MEDIUM-LOW fire for about 40-45 minutes. If there’s still a slight crunch on the pear, you got the recipe right. Stir well and serve hot.

(Serves: 1)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Gambas Al Ajillo or commonly known as Garlic Prawns is a Spanish dish that is easy to cook and delicious to go with any type of bread and buns. Normally, it’s served as one of the tapas during parties. However, it’s up to your own creativity on how you would serve them. I had this dish served as a main course as well as tapas to tempt my taste bud for something not on my regular menu. Instead of using virgin olive oil in my recipe, I used virgin coconut oil instead to pep up a more exotic and tropical flavor. It was a hit amongst my “guinea pigs” aka food tasters~ Haha!

As a main course, I served with some freshly made salsa and some mildly toasted herbed pita bread. Every bit of the dish was simple and nutritious.

As for tapas or party finger food, I just sliced some pita bread pieces, brushed them with the cooked oil, filled up with some juicy prawns, baked them in oven at 170°C for 6 minutes and garnished them with some alfalfa and mustard sprouts. Bingo! I had my sought after tapas~ 🙂 I’m using pita bread here because the texture and bites were smoother than having a harder version of baguettes or French loaf.

The recipe is so simple that you can have your meal within minutes. Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
600g medium size prawns (peel, remove vein and slightly slice at the side)
6 large garlic cloves (minced, put more if you like garlic)
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (can be replaced with virgin olive oil)
1/4 block butter (about 110g)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 tsp chili flakes (more for extra spiciness)
2 stalks flat leaf parsley/coriander (finely chopped, about 4 Tbsp)
A pinch of grounded black pepper
Salt to taste

GARNISHES (OPTIONAL):
Alfalfa, mustard sprouts, flat leaf parsley, coriander, etc.

PREPARATIONS:
• Melt the butter and oil on MEDIUM-LOW fire.
• Add in the minced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add in the prawns and sauté until curled.
• Add in the chopped parsley, chili flakes, lemon juice, grounded black pepper and salt to taste. Stir for another minute.
• Scoop on a serving plate, garnish with some greens as suggested above. Serve hot with some toasted or steamed bread.

(Serves: 3-4)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Bonne fête~ Happy holidays everyone~ 🙂 After a tantalizing Thai cuisine promotion, Swez Brasserie @ Eastin Hotel, Penang, is currently having a Fabulously French promoting for the whole month of May 2012 (1-31 May 2012). You can now savor mouth-watering and delicate French cuisine ranging from délicieux soup, prawn persillade, baked mussel Provancal to a spread of sweetness from desserts such as caramelized crepe suzette, macarons and more, under the skillful hands of Chef Daniel Tan, Senior Sous Chef and Chef Franco Ho, Pastry Chef. There would also be a 15% off the bill for all MAYBANKARD & VISA card members.

As for starter, Crevettes et Avocat en Salade (French Shrimps with Avocado Salad/南美梨鮮蝦沙拉) was served. The orange color of the salad looked as though it was dressed with thousand islands dressing but it was not. It had that fruity citrus flavor with a slight peppery cream filled spiciness. I could be sure there was some Dijon mustard being added in with a mild touch of balsamic vinaigrette or maybe Tabasco sauce. It was light and refreshing to start off the meal.

I love the next one which was the Petite Salade de Fruit de Mer en Vol-au-Vent (Marinated Seviche of Seafood/酸橘汁腌海鮮沙拉) most. It was like having very creamy rich seafood chowder with added fruit cubes served on a buttery puff pastry. The combination of flavors was perfect as finger food. Anyone going to make these lil’ heaven for canapé party, please count me in~ 😛

The French are good in preparing their soup with the abundance of fresh crustaceans, herbs and spices available. The Bisque de Crabe Armoricaine (Crab Bisque/法式螃蟹浓湯) was good, even better than the lobster bisque I had at QEII. Somehow, even without the usage of wine or cognac, the soup was filled with flows of seafood freshness that were not too intruding with heavy brine taste. Each scoopful was filled with rich aromatic flavors from the accumulated roasted crab shell, slight bitterness at first followed by a fresh and buttery aftertaste. I just hope they will reduce a bit of salt in there as crab meat would absorb some salt water too. There were bits of chunky crab meat, some cream and a sprinkle of chopped chives.

On the other hand, the seafood boasted Bouillabaisse (Mediterranean Seafood Soup/地中海風味海鮮湯) came with clearer soup. This soup tasted rather different compared to the ones I had tried before. Maybe it’s due to the hotel being HALAL certified and can’t add wine in their dishes. The taste was quite similar to onion vegetables soup, a bit saffron spiced, with mild sourness from the added tomatoes, carrots and a light touch of lemon juice. It has large prawns, scallops and mussels to pep up the seafood richness.

As entrees, you could also be served with the Canard al’Orange (Roasted Duck with Orange Sauce/橘子醬烤鴨) as one of the options. Well, the roasted duck meat tasted just like any other boiled meat without the distinctive roasted flavor. I still love the smoked duck served here though. The meat was not to the tenderness of my choice and the orange sauce was just as thin as orange juice. I would prefer something thicker like puree base to blend in well with the meat. I hope the kitchen would improve more on this dish.

The Carre d’agneau Provencale (Rack of Lamb Provencal/普羅旺斯烤羊排) was something to yearn for. The roasted rack of lamb had just the right texture, flavors and juiciness as it was done medium rare. What was killing was the crust. It was awesomely prepared with just some mixture of basic herbs (thyme & rosemary), lots of chopped garlic, onions, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard and egg for the glue effect. Each slice had the fragrant and aromatic flavors. It went well with the brown sauce and mint sauce served.

The Riz Pilaf au Poulet et Pois (Chicken and Peas Pilaf/雞肉豌豆烤米飯) was how the French cook their rice dishes such as how the Spanish would cook their paella like the one I had at Sigi’s Bar & Grill on the Beach, Golden Sands Resort, Penang. To me, it tasted more like stewed chicken meat mixed with buttered steamed rice with added green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes and capsicum. There was nothing much to shout about on this dish.

French desserts have been internationally known as one of the finest in the world. In fact, their pastries had gotten many dessert lovers going crazy over them. One of such dessert served here is their Tarte aux Pommes (French Apple Tart/法式苹果塔). This version is different in the sense that it’s healthier and less sugar content than what you would get from an American Apple Pie. It’s totally not McD’s version. Think about Portugese Egg Tart with semi cooked Granny Smith green apple slices and you would get your Tarte aux Pommes.

The one dessert that I can’t get enough of is the Creme Brulee (Trinity Cream/焦糖雞蛋布丁). The ones served here were the best I had so far although they were just plain. These were smooth, melt-in-the-mouth goodies with just a light touch of burnt sugar on the surface. In fact, this is the right way to make Crème Brulee rather than some outlets with a thin layer of caramelized sugar on its surface. It’s a double thumbs-up for this dessert! 🙂

Wherever you go, you would surely spot those colorful mini burger lookalike treats that got the whole world crazy over them. Those are macarons, a sweet meringue based confectionery which are made from egg whites, sugar, almond powder and food coloring, then sandwiched with some sweet cream. The ingredients may sound simple but this is one of the hardest recipes to manage. I loved the Assorted Macarons (馬卡龍蛋白杏仁餅) as Chef Franco had decided to stick to the basic without using much artificial colorings. I have to declare that these macarons were the best! Both the macarons served had the minimum sweetness with the right balance of Yin and Yang. The first one was the Vanilla Macaron with Coffee Cream. The sweetness of the vanilla meringue cookies went well with the bitter sweet coffee cream. The next macaron was the Pandan Macaron with Lemon Vanilla Cream. Sweetness plus sourness have always been a great combination for desserts.

Overall, Swez Brasserie fairs better in Western cuisine. Chef’s Daniel’s knowledge in utilizing Western herbs and spices sure made the dishes more appetizing. Moreover, now is the best time to savor all his nicely cooked French cuisine. On the other hand, I’m beginning to love their desserts even more. It looked as though the pastry chef has moved towards a healthier lifestyle by lessening the sugar content in all his pastries. I truly support that move, Chef Franco! 🙂

Here’s the summary of the promotion.

FABULOUSLY FRENCH PROMOTION (1-31 MAY 2012)
Lunch (12.00 noon – 2.30pm): Monday – Friday
RM48++ (adult), RM24++ (child)
Hi-Tea (12.00 noon – 3.00pm): Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays
Normal weekend: RM55++ (adult), RM28++ (child)
Festive Occasion (Mother’s Day): RM68++ (adult), RM34++ (child)
Semi Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm): Monday – Thursday
RM48++ per pax

The Swez Brasserie is located at the ring wing of Eastin Hotel, Penang (next to Queensbay Mall). If you are coming from Georgetown towards Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone via Bayan Lepas Expressway, do watch out for the Pulau Jerejak signboard (leading to Pulau Jerejak jetty). Ignore the turning and drive on to the next left junction. Turn left into Jalan Aziz Ibrahim and drive on until you a roundabout. Turn 3 o’ clock and drive on until you see a big Eastin Hotel signboard at the first right junction. Turn right and drive on. Park your car at the basement car park. Take a lift to the first floor lobby and you would see the restaurant there.

Name: SWEZ BRASSERIE @ EASTIN HOTEL
Address: 1 Solok Bayan Indah, Queens Bay, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-612 1128, 604-612 1138
Business Hours: 12.00pm-2.30pm (Lunch), 6.30pm-10.00pm (Dinner)
GPS: 5.33643, 100.306345

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