CRIZ BON APPETITE

SORRY! THIS RESTAURANT HAS CEASED ITS OPERATION EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 2008

T-Jay Café would be an ideal place for hangout since it’s located within The Garage, a place filled with endless flow of people going for a drink or some partying. You would see a lot of tourist enjoying themselves there too. What I like most is their flexibility of dining hours. I usually find it hard to dine out after 10.00pm (due to having to work up to after 9.00pm most of the time) as most of the restaurant would be closed by then. I recently paid them a visit after looking through all the menus of other restaurants and found their price list amongst one of the more affordable ones around that area. Moreover, much to my surprise, they do not charge any taxes.

Two of us went for dinner around 10.15pm. We were presented with a menu with so many dishes to choose from ranging from Western to Oriental. They have lamb, chicken, fish, beef and sausages in the Western food sections and local hawker delicacies such as Curry Chicken Rice, Kong Poh Chicken Rice, Fried Noodles and so on. We ended up ordering some of the recommended dishes. As for appetizer, we had soup of the day which was Mushroom Soup (RM4.90). The soup was creamy and had a bit of the herb taste. Very tasty compared to others that I had tasted before.

We were then served the Caribbean Cheese Baked Fish (RM19.90). Although the fish (Dory Fish) size was not as big as I had expected, it was baked with lots of Mozzarella, Cheddar and Parmesan Cheese. The dish tasted great with lots of salads and fries to fill up the tummy.

The Chicken Breast Supreme (RM12.90) came next. Two tender pieces of chicken fillet was served. Not big but the taste was great with the special sauce by the chef. The sauce tasted like BBQ sauce but had a milder taste with a combination of tomato and onion puree.

As for drinks, we order a Kickapoo Fizzy Soft Drink (RM3.90) and Oreo Chocolate Milkshake (RM8.90). In fact the Oreo drink was our own creation as there only offered Oreo Coffee Milkshake.

After resting out filled tummies while watching Astro’s Asia Food Channel, we decided to try out their recommended Choc Cake Ala Mode (RM6.90). The dessert came with a small piece of moist chocolate cake (a bit of Brandy taste in it) with a large scoop of Nestle’s vanilla ice cream topped with Hershey chocolate syrup and chocolate rice. It was real yummy.

Visiting this restaurant won’t be hard as it is within the compound of The Garage along Upper Penang Road. The only problem would be the parking as the place would be packed during weekends. The nearest place with ample car park would be the car park along Penang Road, opposite Cititel. Anyway, it’s good to take a stroll and watch for any happenings along this hot night spots area of Penang. On top of that, you can easily get access into the many bistros and pubs surrounding that area such as Fame, Slippery Senorita, Momo, Mois and so on after having your meal there.

Name: T-JAY CAFÉ @ THE GARAGE
Address:
LotA22, The Garage ( Upper Penang Road),
2 Penang Road, 10000 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-261 2188, 012-499 9311 (Mr. Terry Tan)
Opening Hours: 12.00pm – 3.00pm, 6.30pm – Late Night (Monday – Saturday)
GPS: 5.422955, 100.335088

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 9/10 (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: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Name: HAI NAN TOWN RESTAURANT
Address: 8A Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay), 10300 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-263 8633
Opening Hours: 6.00pm – 11.00pm
GPS: 5.414577, 100.343311

RATING:
Ambience: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 6/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Name: BREEZE CAFÉ (BAYU SEAFOOD VILLAGE)
Address: 515, C.M. Hashim, Tanjung Tokong, 11200 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 604-899 7099
Website: www.seawind.where2go.com.my
Opening Hours:
6.30pm – 1.00am (Mon-Thur), 6.30pm – 2.00am (Fri-Sun)
Note: Kitchen will close an hour earlier.
GPS: 5.463835, 100.305777

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: 6/10 (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)

Recently, a client of mine invited me for a dinner. We circled a few rounds within Georgetown to seek a place for dinner and ended up at Segafredo, Upper Penang Road. The ambience of the bistro & pub was great. There were the outside area and inside area with soft house music. This is quite a cool place for a small meeting as well as for casual chit chats.

My client ordered the Chicken Arrosto (RM13.50) which looked very impressive in the menu. He ended up with a chicken drumstick which was too small a portion for his big size although the taste was not bad at all.

On the other hand, I ordered the Fish & Chips (RM14) which was also too small a portion for my appetite. There was nothing special at all in this dish except for the two big prawns served in the salad.

Overall, I would think the bistro is rather pricey in their food and beverages items. We paid RM61.53 for the meal, inclusive of 10% service charge and 5% Government Tax which came up to RM8.03. I guessed the bistro served more party goers than diners well here as it is situated within the night entertainment spots of Upper Penang Road. Just refer to the map below if you would like to pay a visit to this place.

Name: SEGAFREDO (UPPER PENANG ROAD)
Address: 3J, Upper Penang Road, 10000 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 604-262 2611
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 1.00am
GPS: 5.422310, 100.334820

RATING:
Ambience: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 9/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

You may have pass by this restaurant always but maybe you did not pay much attention as it is hidden at the end of a lane. This restaurant is actually right with the premises of the Penang Eurasian Association. That’s how it got its name as EA Bistro & Pub. Not only does the restaurant serve Set Lunch (RM9.90) daily (except Monday), it also served one of the best Western Food as well as Japanese Meals around the area and everything in this restaurant is freshly cooked daily. Even the soups are prepared with the freshest ingredients and the Japanese meals are prepared with imported Japanese products.

My friend and I discovered this place on our way to Tanjung Tokong area a few days back and decided to try out this place. We ordered the BBQ Chicken (RM16.90) and Blackened Chicken (RM16.90). The Blackened Chicken is actually grilled cajun spiced chicken breast meat served with black pepper sauce. Every piece on the plate is well prepared and tasty. The portion served is extremely large.

The BBQ Chicken on the other hand is a grilled cajun spiced chicken drumstick served with sweet fragrance-rich BBQ sauce. Absolute delicious too!

For every order of an Ala Carte Western Dishes, you are can upsized to Set Dinner with an additional RM7.00. You will get a glass of soda of your choice, a fresh Mushroom Soup, a spicy green salad, and coffee or tea. This is recommended for those big eaters. You should also try out the smoothness of their Vietnamese Coffee. This is such a great offer!

There will also be different Live Bands performing from Thursday until Saturday. Thursday would be Jazz Night, First and Third Friday would be Country Night, Second and Fourth Friday would be Retro Night and Saturday would be Oldies Night. This is not a bad place for group gatherings or party but you will expect dimly lighted place with some smoke since this is a bistro cum pub.

There is also a list of Teppanyaki and Sashimi dishes, Spaghetti and Pasta, and finger food available for your hungry tummy. The boss recommended their Yaki Udon, Yaki Mesi, Spaghetti Marinara and Chicken & Mushroom Fettuccine for our next visit.

If you are coming from town towards Gurney Plaza along Jalan Kelawai, you will reach a traffic light. Go straight and turn into the second lane on your left. The restaurant is just at the end of a no-through road, right in between the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Malaysia building and Arcadia Apartment. Hunzaland Project Office is just directly opposite the lane. The will be parking space inside.

Name: EA BISTRO & PUB
Address:
107-A, Jalan Kelawai (Solok Serani), Pulau Tikus, 10250 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 604-228 2406, 016-422 6688 (Pauline)
Opening Hours:
11.30am – 3.00pm (Lunch)
6.00pm – 10.00pm (Dinner)
6.00pm – 1.00/2.00am (Pub)
6.00pm – 12.00/1.00am (Live Band – Thursday – Saturday)
GPS: 5.434593, 100.310315

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (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)

Name: JEMPUTREE
Address: 64 Jalan Chow Thye, Off Jalan Burmah, 10050 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 604-228 6607
Opening Hours: 11.00am – 12.00am (Close Monday)
GPS: 5.424595, 100.320411

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: 6/10 (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)