CRIZ BON APPETITE

The concept behind Granny’s Country Kitchen (娘家傳統手工面) is simple. They just want you to relax and enjoy yourself with their home style dishes without the hassles of going into the kitchen to prep up dishes yourself. There are quite a variety of selections from their menus which may include some different set meal packages as well as handmade noodles.

The first set option would be one main dish, one bowl of rice, one soup of the day, 2 side dishes of your choice and a glass of herbal drink, all for RM10.90nett. There are 5 main dishes for you to choose such as Fried Chicken (香酥雞), Fried Garlic Pork (蒜香炸肉), Sesame Oil Chicken (麻油雞腿), Hakka Pork Leg (客家豬腳) and Secret Sauce Chicken (秘汁雞). Somehow, the Fried Garlic Pork could be quite addictive. The more you munch on the crispy pork slices, the more you yearn for them. Another dish that I quite like was their Hakka Pork Leg, braised until tender and yet filled with the flavors of yesteryears. Alternatively, you can go for their Sesame Oil Chicken which was mild enough for anyone.

The next set option would consist of one main dish, one bowl of rice, 1 side dish of your choice and free flow of Chinese tea, all for RM9.90nett. There are also 5 options in this set menu such as Sauteed Sliced Pork (姜葱炒肉片), Secret Sauce Chicken (秘汁雞), Pineapple Sweet & Sour Fish (鳳梨酸甜魚肉片), Salted Vegetables Tofu Soup (鹹菜豆腐豬雜湯) and Sour Plum Chicken Soup (梅子雞湯). One signature dish that’s available in both sets is actually the Secret Sauce Chicken. The dish has its own unique gingery sour flavors that’s unlike any ordinary oyster/mushroom sauce used. The highlight of the set would definitely go to the Sour Plum Chicken Soup. Somehow, the perfect combination of the salty and sourness indeed boost up my appetite.

For the set menus above, there are about 4 side dishes daily (upon availability) for you to choose from. There could be dishes such as stir fry bok choy, braised fried bean curd, stir fry spicy eggplants, stir fry pumpkin with dried shrimps, fried wanton, etc.

As for noodles, there are 3 set options all at RM7.90nett/bowl with an additional bowl of soup, namely Clear Soup Handmade Noodles (清湯手工面), Minced Pork Handmade Noodles (肉碎手工面) and Spicy Handmade Noodles (麻辣手工面). For spicy food lovers, you should try out their Spicy Handmade Noodles. Not only were the textures of the noodles having the al dente to my liking, the combination of the sauce was superb to my liking.

For drink wise, there are a few home brews, notably their Homemade Lime & Dried Plum Juice (RM4.00nett – also locally known as 932 in coffee shops).

You can also check out with them on other items that might be available for the day such as Pineapple Sweet & Sour Chicken Rice (RM8.00nett), Stir Fry Fish Fillet with Bean Paste (RM18.00nett), Traditional Loh Bak (RM5.00nett), Fried Wanton (RM6.00nett), Handmade Dumpling Soup (RM8.00nett), Spicy Century Eggs (RM6.00nett) and more.

Overall, I quite like their dishes here as the taste of some of the dishes could be quite similar to those you would have in China, especially on how they would prepare certain spicy condiments with various types of imported chilies to suit each dishes. Please be pre-warned that some of the dishes could be quite pungent for the palate of some diners.

As you come into Jalan Rangoon via Jalan Burma, just watch out for Granny’s Country Kitchen on your left just right after Tong Yan Travel & Tours almost towards the end of the road. Parking can be quite troublesome during certain peak hours throughout the day. If you can’t find a parking space, I would advise you to park opposite along Lebuh Nanning and walk over to the restaurant.

Name: GRANNY’S COUNTRY KITCHEN (娘家傳統手工面)
Address: 77 Jalan Rangoon, 10400 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-218 9592
Business Hours: 11.30am-3.00Pm, 6.00pm-10.00pm (Closed Sunday)
GPS: 5.416995, 100.324038

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: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

From 2 April 2016 onwards, Starz Diner @ Hard Rock Hotel Penang would be promoting its all-new Seafood on the Rocks Buffet Dinner 2016 from 6.30pm until 10.30pm on every Saturdays. Priced at as low as RM99nett (Adult) and RM59nett (children 6-12 years old), you would get to savor a sumptuous arrays of seafood dishes in sashimi raw, chilled, grilled, stir fried and more. Please call +604-886 8057 or email fb.penang@hardrockhotels.net to book earlier to avoid disappointment.

From left to right: Rizal bin Hashim (Sous Chef), Abdul Rahim Bin Mohammad (Sous Chef), Zulkapli Hatim (Executive Chef), Mohd Nazir Bin Aziz (Chef De Cuisine) and Yoong Toy Heng (Chinese Sous Chef)

Here are the menus for your information. Please click on the photos for clearer views.

Week 1 & 3:

Week 2 & 4:

You would be expecting some lovely seafood dishes ranging from Appetizers, Sushi & Sashimi, Seafood on Ice, Soup, Main Dishes, Teppanyaki Station, Chinese Carving Station, desserts and more. Here are some of the highlights of the buffet spreads for the Seafood on the Rocks Buffet Dinner 2016.

For Appetizer, do watch out for the Smoked Salmon Salad with Avocado. Who could resist a salad packed with all the nutrients required for a healthy body? You could get lots of vitamins and minerals just from the fiber dietary packed vegetable. Moreover, the rich source of fat found in salmons would get your brain juice pumping well. On top of that, just like the salmons, avocados also contain omega-3 fatty acid and other beneficial properties for a healthier body.

For Sushi & Sashimi, there would be quite good selections of sushi and maki with condiments for your palate.

As for Seafood in Ice, you would expect to find a number of succulent and fresh seafood such as boiled prawns, mussel, bamboo clams, scallops, oysters and more, served with a number of condiments.

If you are a lover of Seafood Soup plus an assortment of breads and buns, you should check out their Prawn & Shellfish Bisque which had a distinctive taste from the baked shells. This happened to be my favorite all the time.

For Main Dishes, you would expect to see at least 9 dishes on the spread. More notable ones would be their Ying Yang Fried Rice, Deep Fried Prawns with Nestum and Chawan Mushi Unagi.

I found the Teppanyaki Station to be quite extensive as they have most of my favorite choices cooked in different style. I quite like how the chefs prepared the slipper lobster by stir frying them in vegetables and stuffed back onto the shell.

As for the Chinese Carving Station, you would expect to get items such as Roasted Chicken, Chicken Char Siew or even the uniquely prepared Lamb Char Siew.

There would be at least 15 items served for Desserts. What caught my attention was the Soy Milk with Stuffed Glutinous Rice Balls & Ginkgo Nuts.

Overall, I quite like their Seafood on the Rocks Buffet Dinner 2016 spreads as they were simple, deliciously prepared and tasty. Moreover, I would like to compliment the chefs for putting in their hearts into serving the diners as you could see by the amount of condiments they had stormed out for their teppanyaki dishes.

The Starz Diner is located at the left wing of Hard Rock Hotel Penang. Upon entering, just head to the left side and you will see a little glass door leading to the eatery.

Name: STARZ DINER @ HARD ROCK HOTEL PENANG
Address: Batu Ferringhi Beach, 11100 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-881 1711
Business Hours: 6.30am-11.00am, 5.30pm-11.00pm
GPS: 5.467568, 100.241382

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

RESERVATIONS:

Starz Diner/Pizzeria: Call +604-886 6057 or email fb.penang@hardrockhotels.net.
Hard Rock Café Penang: Call +604-886 8050 or email hrc.admin@hardrockhotels.net.
More information: Hard Rock Hotel Penang’s F&B Promotions

Hard Rock International
With a total of 204 venues in 64 countries, including 157 cafes, 22 hotels and 11 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands. The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the company’s two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, Fl., both owned and operated by HRI parent company The Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as other exciting locations including Bali, Chicago, Cancun, Ibiza, Las Vegas, Macau and San Diego. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include San Juan, Lagos and Gran Canaria, Spain. New Hard Rock Hotel projects include Daytona Beach, Dubai, Los Cabos, Tenerife, Abu Dhabi, and Shenzhen and Haikou in China. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.

For dim sum lovers, you should check out the All-You-Can-Eat Halal Dim Sum Buffet Promotion, impressively prepared by the experienced Chinese Sous Chef, Chef H’ng Weng Kiang and his dedicated team, at Flavours@3 at the Light Hotel at Seberang Jaya, Penang. The promotion would run throughout March until May 2016 on every Sundays. The price is at RM48+ (adult) and RM29+ (child). It’s recommended to make prior reservation to avoid disappointments to indulge in the freshly made dim sum assortments.

The selection of your freshly made dim sum would be simple as you have an impressive selection of more than 15 mid-high range a la carte items to order from.

Just tick on the provided order chit then hand over to the waiters and you are on the way to feast on the dim sum buffet.

Here are some of the options from steamed buns, steamed dim sum to fried dim sum:

While waiting for your orders to be prepared by the kitchen, you can indulge in other delicacies from their main, action stalls and desserts sections.

Overall, I quite like the halal dim sum, especially the deep fried items as they were prepared fresh from the kitchen upon request. Moreover, the condiments served were far from the norm where you would get only the basic commercialized chili sauce. The concoction of their own made chili sauce may look dull on colors but was remarkably appetizing with some hints of chopped garlic and sweet potato sauce (thnee cheong/甜麵醬). Please also take note that there would be charges levied on every 100g of wastage.

You can check out more of their promotions at Spice Brasserie, Flavour@3, Garden Bar and Lumino Lounge below:

The Light Hotel is located along Lebuh Tenggiri 2 at Seberang Jaya, Penang. Upon entering the main entrance of the hotel, just drive around to find your parking space at the front of the premises. Walk into the lobby of the hotel and head straight towards the furthest end and you will see some elevators. Flavour@3 is located at Level 3 of the hotel. Go up to Level 3 and you can see the eatery just next to the swimming pool.

Name: Flavour@3, The Light Hotel
Address: Lebuh Tenggiri 2, Bandar Seberang Jaya, 13700 Seberang Jaya, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: +604-382 1111
Business Hours: 7.30am-11.00am (Breakfast), 12.00pm-2.30pm (Set Lunch), 7.00pm – 10.30pm (Set Dinner)
GPS: 5.394646, 100.397951

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