CRIZ BON APPETITE

If you think I’m that crazy enough to drop by the Old Trafford, an all-seater football stadium in the Trafford borough of Greater Manchester, England and the home of Premier League Club Manchester United, you are not all wrong! I really did visit the place quite regularly not for the football game but for the burger. Haha! In fact, Old Trafford is just a burger stall in Penang and it served the best burger amongst the rest that I had tried on the island.

What really made the Old Trafford Burger Stall so unique compared to the rest of the burger stalls (even McDonald’s) you can find abundantly scattered all over the island? You may say that the burger patties available here are the same as from other local burger stalls but there are some distinctive differences in the way the burgers here were prepared. It all lies within the skills of Encik Halim in providing the right crispiness on the patty, crunchiness from the vegetables, moist of some sauces and overall taste of each end product. Most of the cook would just fry whole chicken or beef patties in a pool of lard. Encik Halim on the other hand would slowly grill the patties with some butter instead, gradually cutting each patty into halves while grilling the inner part for that extra crispiness with some sprinkles of Lea & Perrins sauce. As for my favorite Double Burger Cheese Burger Special (only RM5.80nett), the patty would be topped with a slice of Kraft cheddar cheese, some thick mayonnaise, some black pepper sauce and a dash of black pepper prior to laying another patty on top before being wrapped in an egg. This would then be laid on a slightly butter toasted bun with a generous amount of vegetables such as cucumber, tomatoes, mixed cabbages with some dashes of chili sauce and tomato ketchup.

Now you know why I love the Old Trafford Burger more than any other. Just look at the layer by layer of the filling within the bun. The oozing sauces combined with the melted cheese made this burger perfect for any meal. It’s even cheaper and tastier than all the fast food chains in Malaysia with that size. If you are craving for more cheese on your burger, just order the Double Burger Double Cheese Special at RM6.20, a mere 40sen difference.

If you intend to call in to make a preorder or go for their other products such as hotdog, oblong burger, lamb burger or even rabbit burger, click on the Old Trafford Burger Menu & Price List to know the exact change to prepare.

Finding the stall won’t be hard as it is situated along Lebuh Chulia, the same stretch as the famous night Wan Than Mee and Curry Mee. Just try to locate the 7-11 at the junction of Lorong Love/Lebuh Chulia and you can see the stall along the road, directly opposite the convenient shop, just in front of a tattoo shop and in between two cafes cum guest houses.

Name: OLD TRAFFORD BURGER STALL
Address: Lebuh Chulia, 10200 Penang, Malaysia. (opposite 7-11 Lebuh Chulia)
Contact: 016-497 2591 (Encik Halim)
Opening Hours: 4.00pm-4.00am (daily)
GPS: 5.418386, 100.336138

RATING:
Ambience: 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: 9/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 9/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Being one of the heritage prides of George Town, Penang, Suffolk House has been the residence of our founder, Sir Francis Light and many subsequent governors of Penang and Straits Settlements during the 1800’s. It was later bought by Mr. Lim Cheng Teik, the youngest Municipal Commissioner in the history of Penang, and after that being sold to the Methodist Church of Malaya to house the Anglo-Chinese High School (currently the Methodist Boys’ School). The building was later abandoned by the school in 1975 due to rapid deterioration. With the determination of the Penang state government to preserve this piece of Penang’s heritage, a neighboring plot of land was exchange with Methodist Boys’ School in 2000. Restoration funded by the state government and a few private sectors through the many years thereafter managed to refit the mansion to its present state. Within the compound of the present mansion was a restaurant – the Suffolk House Restaurant. The restaurant brought back many fond memories of the yesteryears by serving colonial style fine dining for lunch, tea and dinner daily.

I managed to pay a visit to this fine heritage mansion one fine afternoon to try out their set lunch. Each set meal would come with a fresh homemade wholemeal roll and butter. For starter, we can have either salad which was the Watercress Salad with Citrus Poached Pears, Lettuce, Cherry Tomatoes, Walnut and Parmesan Cheese Shavings or a soup of the day which happened to be Potatoes & Leeks Soup. They could have put more dressing on the salad as it was a bit too raw and dry to my liking. The soup on the other hand was quite acceptable with some croutons and chopped spring onions as garnishes. I was hoping that it would be a bit creamier.

As for main course, we have an option to choose one of the 5 listed ones in the menu. The Chargrilled Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Mint Lamb Jus, Roasted Potatoes and Buttered Turned Vegetable (RM44+) has the necessary flavors. Unfortunately, they weren’t much meat on the lamb rack and accompanied radish, carrot and beetroot were rather tough for the teeth. The Beef Goulash with Timbale of Vegetables and Chunky Paprika Potatoes (RM42++) was rather tasty with hints of mixed herbs in the stew. The beef chunks were tender and juicy but lacked the flavors being seeped into the meat. Another option which I ordered was the Seafood Ravioli with White Wine Cream Sauce (RM36++). It tasted just like minced seafood wonton but had a Western approached of dressing the 5 pieces of ravioli with some tasty and creamy white sauce. Not a bad combination though.

As for Desserts of the Day, I had a bite size Chocolate Mousse Cake with half a strawberry on some orange juice and an option to choose between a cup of Nespresso Coffee or Tea.

The set lunch menu would change every few weeks so you would be expecting something different during your next visit. Other main courses (out of 5 choices) that were available during my visit included steamed red snapper with ginger soy sauce plus shallot rice pilaf, wilted kalian and cilantro leaves (RM40++) and roast chicken breast with feta cheese and spinach stuffing plus confit new potatoes and Persian style grilled vegetables (RM38++). As this is a fine dining concept, the portion served might not be enough for big eaters. So be prepared to order other items from their Ala Carte menu. English style tea time would be available at RM64++ per set, which would be enough for 2 persons. You can check out Steven Goh’s Tea Time Review. As for set dinner aka Table D’Hote Menu, there would be more items with main courses ranging from RM100++ to RM140++. You can check out CK Lam’s Dinner Review.

If you are into heritage buildings, you must not miss out the tour of this old Euro-Indian-Georgian mansion which went through a complete major restoration in March 2007. The wonders of the beautiful architecture and green gardens would surely amaze you further. It would cost you merely RM10 per adult on a self guided tour (free for children below 6 years old except on school excursions) or a guided tour of RM15 per pax for a group of ten persons or more. Tours would be available from 10.00am until 6.00pm (last admission at 5.30pm). You can contact Ms. Maiane at 604-228 1109 for further enquiries.

It could be quite a maze to locate the restaurant even if you are a Penangite as the place would not be visible by the main road but no worries as I have put it in a pictorial direction format to lead you there safely. 🙂 Please click on the map below for a larger view.

If you are coming from Penang Bridge through Jalan Mesjid Negeri, it would be quite easy. As you see the Penang State Mosque on your left, kept left and drive to the traffic lights below the flyover bridge. Turn right into Jalan Air Itam and do keep to your left. Immediately after the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Al-Manshoor Lelaki, keep a look out for a small lane on your left. Turn left and drive up to the T-junction. Turn right and do watch out for a smaller lane on your left. At this left junction, you would see sign boards showing you the way to Suffolk House, Malaysian German Society and Penang Japanese Association (Map D). Turn left into this junction and you would see another few signs leading you to Suffolk House (Map E). Drive further in and you can see a river/bridge on left with lots of parking spaces (Map F). Park your car there and walk into the compound.

For those coming from town, it would be a bit messier as there won’t be a U-turn for you to reach the restaurant. Just drive all the way the Padang Brown/Convent Dato’ Keramat traffic lights until you see the second traffic lights (Masjid Jamek Shaik Yusoff on your left before the traffic lights). Turn right into Jalan York and drive all the way until the end (Union High School on your right corner). Turn left into Jalan Scotland. Immediately after you see the Ramakrisna Orphanage on your left, slow down and keep to your left (Map A). Drive all the way and keep to the left of the flyover bridge (Map B). Turn left into the junction immediately after Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Al-Manshoor (Lelaki). Drive all the way passed the school (Map C) until you reach a lane on your left (Map D). You would see sign boards showing you the way to Suffolk House, Malaysian German Society and Penang Japanese Association as mentioned earlier. Turn left into this junction and you would see another few signs leading you to Suffolk House (Map E). Drive further in and you can see a river/bridge on left with lots of parking spaces (Map F). Park your car there and walk into the compound.

Name: SUFFOLK HOUSE RESTAURANT @ SUFFOLK HOUSE
Address: 250 Jalan Air Itam, 10460 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-228 3930
Opening Hours: 12.00noon-2.30pm (lunch), 2.30pm-6.00pm (tea), 7.00pm-10.30pm (dinner)
GPS: 5.410361, 100.306183

RATING:
Ambience: 9/10 (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: 8.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

สวัสดีครับ. Sa wat dee krap! Welcome to another Thai food adventure within the month. LOL! Ever since the day I set foot on Tree Monkey @ Tropical Spice Garden, Terrace Bay Restaurant (Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang), here I was at another Thai restaurant outlet at Krystal Point, Penang – Maa Roy Thai Seafood Restaurant. The outlet is managed by another partner from the existing Maa Roy Thai Food Restaurant (6A, Lorong Abu Siti, 10400 Penang. Tel: 604-227 8616), Ms. Patricia Phannluck Lim. The halal-certified restaurant served up to almost 50 types of authentic Thai dishes daily.

Since the restaurant is located within the vicinity of many offices and factories, you would expect to see a few interesting set meals for lunch and dinner. You can have a single pax lunch meal on weekday at RM6.90+. There would be 8 sets to choose from with a free ice lemon tea. There would also be the 2 pax lunch set meal (with different set dishes daily), which would come with 3 dishes, 2 rice and 2 lemongrass drinks (weekdays: RM25.90+, weekends: RM29.90+). As for dinner, there would be 2 different family set meals available – Set A: 3 dishes + 2 rice + 2 Chinese tea (RM37.00+) and Set B: 4 dishes + 4 rice (RM55.00+).

As there were only two of us, I tried out the RM37.00+ set which came with Green Curry, Stir Fry Mixed Vegetables and Deep Fried Chicken with Lemongrass, 2 rice and 2 Chinese Tea. The Green Curry with chunks of chicken slices was good. The dish was flavorfully prepared with a strong hint of Thai basil and red chili slices as garnish. The color may look mild for many but it did give a good punch of spiciness. The Stir Fry Mixed Vegetables (other than the other option of Thai Kangkung which my friend would not take) tasted normal in some light gravy but there were lots of abalone mushroom slices added in. The Deep Fried Chicken with Lemongrass was normal too as it was a bit dry to my liking. Slices of mildly marinated and deep fried batter coated chicken were stirred together with some deep fried batter coated lemongrass slices. Somehow, the fragrance from the lemongrass did not seep into the meat. It tasted just like plain batter coated chicken slices. I would rather have some lemongrass slices stir fried in some butter and then mixed with the chicken slices to get the moist in the dish and the necessary flavors. Luckily, there was the Thai chili sauce to save the day. The Chinese Tea might taste foreign to some as there was a strong hint of screwpine leaves (pandan) added in.

As we have two guys here with big appetite, we also ordered some additional dishes. The Pineapple Fried Rice (RM7.00+) which came in the shape of a heart was rather mild. It came with turmeric flavored rice fried with some prawns, mixed vegetables, pineapple, chicken and egg. As for taste wise, it was fine, except that I would prefer a spicier version with more signs of riper pineapple cubes. Next was the Pandan Chicken (RM7.50+ for 3 pcs). The spices used on the chunky pieces of chicken meat and the pandan emitted fragrance were just nice except that it was a bit too salty to be taken alone. I suspected that too much salt has been added into the coconut milk used in the preparation. Lastly, we had Tub Tim Krob (RM3.90+) as dessert. We had two bowls with lesser ice, served with red jelly coated water chestnut cubes, jackfruits in creamy coconut milk. Although the chef was careless enough to miss out the syrup, the sweetness from the water chestnuts and jackfruits blended in well with the creamy coconut milk.

There would be a 5% service tax included in all orders. Psss… That was not the end of the story. I had more craving for Thai food. The following day, I had visited Lang Sae Lee Thai Restaurant at Tan Jetty, Weld Quay, Penang, which had gone through a beautiful facelift with more than 15 tables now, more choice of dishes and more friendly service staff to handle the increasing multi-national patrons. The Thai dishes here are still as delicious, cheap and traditionally cooked as ever even with a bit of price increase.

If you are driving from town towards Bayan Lepas, upon seeing Queensbay Mall, keep to your left and go over the flyover leading to Bayan Baru (Lebuhraya Sungai Nibong). Drive until you reach the traffic lights at the roundabout and make a U-turn back to the other side of Lebuhraya Sungai Nibong. Turn left into the first junction you see and drive a bit further and you would see the restaurant on your right, between TCE Tackles Sdn. Bhd., a vacant lot and Chin Dental Surgery.

Name: MAA ROY THAI SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
Address:
B303-1-27, Krystal Point, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-643 0752
Opening Hours: 11.00am– 3.00pm, 6.00pm-10.00pm
GPS: 5.331544, 100.297069

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)

For more information, please visit <http://www.tourdirections.com.my/directory/>. Planning your Penang food tour? TourDirections Penang helps you discover Penang cafes and restaurants, Penang hawker food, Penang budget hotel and Penang homestay at TourDirections.com.my.

After a hilly Thai food experience just barely two weeks ago, there was another feasting last weekend. This time we ate until our hearts’ contents at Terrace Bay Restaurant, Copthorne Orchid Hotel, Penang. The restaurant is currently promoting their August/September weekend Thai Food Buffet. With great responses from the public, the management would be extending this promotion until further notice. It’s only RM30nett per pax, RM20nett per Senior Citizens (55 years old & above) and RM18nett per child. With such an attractive pricing, who would want to miss out this wonderful promotion?

As the menu for the promotion would change for both buffets, let me brief you roughly on what to expect for each meal. Let’s start with the salad bar/appetizer section. There would be at least 5 type of premixed salad for you as well as those DIY vegetables to top either with thousand island sauce, ranch dressing, vinaigrette, sambal belacan or sambal cincaluk.

At the main course section, there would be at least 8 dishes which would comprise of meat, seafood, vegetables, eggs, rice and soup.

There are more at the al fresco area by the swimming pool. This would be where you can get all those easily accessible Thai hawker food, specially cooked for you out from the wok, pot or pan.

Desserts would be abundant here ranging from fresh fruit cuts, traditional Thai desserts, cakes to crushed ice desserts.

It’s not hard to locate the restaurant as it’s within the premises of Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang. Drive all the way up towards Batu Ferringhi. As you see the Toy Museum on your right, keep to your right and make a U-turn at a junction further up. The hotel is just behind the Toy Museum. There would be ample car parks and the ground level of the hotel as well as the basement.

Name: TERRACE BAY RESTAURANT @ COPTHORNE ORCHID HOTEL PENANG.
Address: Jalan Tanjung Bungah, 11200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-892 3333
Opening Hours:
Saturday Buffet Dinner: 7.00pm – 10.00pm
Sunday Buffet Lunch: 12.00 noon – 2.30pm
GPS: 5.463599, 100.229199

RATING:
Ambience: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8.5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 9/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

ATTENDEES:
Criz Lai – http://crizfood.com/
Eunice, Siew Ying & Kelvin Tan – http://foodpromotions.com.my/
Carrie Soon & hubby – http://www.cariso.net/
Alan Choong & Amanda Teoh – http://allaboutpenangfood.blogspot.com/
Steven Goh & Tan Kim Penag – http://www.stevengoh.com/
Chan Chee Wah (Waco) – http://www.noweating.com/
Jason Wong & Gill Giam – http://www.gourmetgarden.com.my/

Thanks the food promotion gang for the invites, Steven Goh for the group photo, Ms. Sally Lai (PR Manager of Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang) and Mr. Sivalingam (F&B Manager of Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang) for the wonderful hospitality.

Hidden amongst the leafy hilltop of Teluk Bahang, lies a natural gem that Penang would sure be proud of. Built high at the edge of the hill adjoining the Tropical Spice Garden on an elevated almost nail-less constructed wooden platform, emerged a beautiful back to nature Thai restaurant with attap leaves covered gazebo and mini bar. The restaurant, Tree Monkey, was thus born on 30 July 2010, which name was prompted by the nearby free roaming dusky leaf monkeys. Thanks to the management of the restaurant as well as the liaison expertise of Warren Tan and CK Lam that a group of us Penang bloggers and floggers managed to gain the experience of jungle dining.

The strategically built al fresco structure promised a panoramic view of activities along the Andaman Sea. It gets even better towards late evening as one can be mesmerized by the beauty of the sunset on the horizon and also the lighted up of the whole place with lamps and candles. This would indeed be a nice place to hang out for romantic couples and families.

As the Tropical Spice Garden would also supply the herbs and spices required by the restaurant, you can be assured of freshly cooked dishes by their North East Thailand chefs. There would also be many varieties of dry herbs and spices that you can purchased at their jointly shared shop within the premises.

What would be more ideal to start the evening off other than to enjoy their limited edition of mocktail – the Sunset Paradise (RM10)? The concoction of orange juice, pineapple juice and grenadine tasted great and this special would only available between 6.00pm and 7.00pm.

There are many items in the ala carte menu that would include items ranging from appetizers, snacks, salads, soups, curries, stir fried dishes, vegetables, seafood, bean curds, eggs, desserts and alcohol. If you are adventurous in trying out Thai food but indecisive on which dish to choose from as a large plate each would be too much for just the few of you, why not try out their tapas sets? Each tapas set would consist a little bit of a few dishes as stated in the menu. The tapas menu dishes might change from time to time.

To start off with appetizers, you can opt for the Thai Tapas (8pcs@RM30, 12 pcs@RM45 or 16 pcs@RM60). There are 12 options on menu such as Thai Toast, Money Bag, Herbs Chicken, Spring Roll, Pandan Chicken, Otak-otak, Mussels Salsa, Lemongrass Stick, Prawn Sarong, Prawn Sabai, Thai Fish Cake and Darling Crab. You can try all of the dishes or select any of the items you think would suit your taste bud (a maximum order of 4 pieces on each item).

If you are still indecisive, let me brief you more on the individual taste of each item. The OTAK-OTAK which was actually a banana leaf wrapped steamed spiced egg paste with seafood would be mild enough for anyone although I personally like it to be a bit spicier. The MUSSEL SALSA, a half shelled mussel steamed with chili lime salsa plus chopped garlic is a must have. Although a bit pungent for some, the right combination of sour sweet taste was perfect. The THAI FISH CAKE, a deep fried curried fish paste mixed with sliced kaffir lime leaves had the right texture and moist. The LEMONGRASS STICK which had crumbed minced seafood and wrapped around a lemongrass stalk was normal except that it did have the strong flavor of the lemongrass. The THAI TOAST, a crispy toast with minced chicken and topped with sesame seeds was quite normal. I actually preferred to have minced prawns instead. The MONEY BAG with minced chicken and frozen mixed vegetables wrapped in spring roll skin did not impress me much. It lacked the sweetness from some freshly chopped carrots, onions and coriander. The PRAWN SARONG which was a deep fried prawn wrapped with crispy rice noodles was normal, just like those you would get from the dim sum shop. The SPRING ROLL wrapped with shredded vegetables was nothing spectacular either. The PRAWN SABAI was another version of the Prawn Sarong but wrapped with spring roll skin. The PANDAN CHICKEN with turmeric and kaffir lime leaves marinated chicken wrapped in screw pine leaves was tasty but it would be better to if they have a bird eye chili added in for that extra flavor. The HERBS CHICKEN was a chicken drumlet coated in lemongrass batter. Not bad but a longer marinate period would be better as the meat was a bit bland. I can’t comment on the Darling Crab as the half shelled crab stuffed with mixed seafood was not available at that time.

As for main meal you can go for their Asian Tapas (8 dishes@RM60 or 12 dishes@RM90 served with 2 sets of turmeric rice). There are 12 options on menu such as Mango Salad, Satay, Nam Tok, Crispy Herbs Fish, Chili Paste Prawn, Sweet Bean Curd, Kangkung Belacan, Son-In-Law Egg, Masaman Curry, Panaeng Curry, Tomyum Soup & Tomkha Soup (a maximum order of 4 dishes on each item)

We had CHILI PASTE PRAWNS, prawns stir fried in chili paste. Nice. Next on the set was the CRISPY HERBS FISH where two pieces of batter fried seabass fillets were topped with deep fried curry leaves, shallots and ginger slices. The freshness of the fish combined with the fragrant from the herbs and spices was indeed delicious. The KANGKUNG BELACAN where stalks of morning glory were stir fried in nice aromatic flavor of shrimp paste (belacan) was refreshing and it had some deep fried garlic as garnish. The SWEET BEAN CURD where cubes of deep fried bean curd were topped with Thai sweet chili sauce, fresh onions and chopped spring onion were normal. I wished they could have served a smoother textured bean curd.

The next dish on the set was the PANAENG CURRY. It had beef slices stir fried in red curry with chilies, Thai eggplant, long beans and sliced kaffir lime leaves. The taste was nice except that the beef might need some ginger juice as tenderizer. There was also the HOT STIR FRIED BEEF WITH THAI BASIL (supposed to be NAM TOK, a beef salad as proposed in the menu), a stir fried beef dish with chopped garlic, onions, chillies and Thai basil leaves. This dish was lovely with rice. The MASAMAN CURRY was actually chicken slices stir fried with potatoes in red curry and garnished with cashew nuts. Not bad. We also had three sticks of SATAY as one of the dishes. The chicken meat was well marinated in turmeric and chopped kaffir lime leave. Well, these looked deep fried than the normal grilling to me but the meat was still tender.

On the same set was also the MANGO SALAD. The shredded green mango, carrots, onions and chopped dried shrimps, were well tossed in some chili lime juice. There was a hint of fish sauce added in too. The SON-IN LAW EGG got most of the ladies giggling. What a name! We had two deep fried hard boiled eggs, topped with some chili and tamarind sauce and garnish with some fried shallots. These were normal but appetizing. Lastly, we had two soups. The TOMKHA SOUP had chicken slices slowly simmered with galangal and abalone mushroom with a touch of evaporated milk for that additional creaminess. On the other hand, the TOMYUM SOUP was more likeable by many as it had the nice fragrant of some chili paste, lemongrass, kaffir lime leave, tomatoes and a touch of lime juice. The spicy and sour soup came with a variety of seafood.

As for dessert, we had the Thai Coconut Ice Cream (RM8.80 – topped with jackfruit and attap palm seeds with a dash of evaporated milk). It was a nice dessert as a change to those served in Songkhla where cubed bread, attap seeds and roasted peanuts were used instead.

The memorable meet up evening with the bloggers ended with Spiced Tea and Coffee with Condensed Milk (RM8 each – hot or cold) being served. Most of us preferred the Spiced Coffee more as it did not have such a thick spiced flavor. The tea on the other hand has a stronger presence of cinnamon, cloves and cardamon.

Overall, this place would be a nice and serene venue for couples and small groups. The menu is pork free. Vegetarian dishes can be arranged. It has WIFI facility and can cater up to 80 people at one time. I have to thanks the management, namely, Mr. PattKhor and his beautiful assistant, Ms Wisakha for the lovely evening.

Getting to the restaurant would not be hard as it’s located just next to the Tropical Spice Garden. Just drive all the way up to Teluk Bahang but do watch out for some nooks and corners as you might just miss the restaurant especially during late evening. I have drafted out a simple map with photos to lead you to your destination. Upon seeing Hard Rock Café (Map A), drive pass Bayview Beach Resort until you see a housing estate on your left (Map B). Drive further on and round a corner, you would see a hilltop Chinese cemetery (Map C) on your left. Before you reach the next corner (Map D), slow down as the restaurant is barely 50m away on your left (Map E). There would be ample parking space in front and opposite the restaurant. You can also park your car along the hawker area diagonally opposite the restaurant (Map F). Do click on the map for a clearer view.

Due to the steepness of the tar trail and many steps involved in getting to the restaurant, those elderly, handicapped or those with knee problems may have some difficulty in dining there. Let’s hope the management might consider having a buggy car to transport these people. After all, they also should have the privilege to enjoy the food and scenic view up there.

Name: TREE MONKEY @ TROPICAL SPICE GARDEN
Address: Lone Craig Villa, Lot 595, Mukim 2, Jalan Teluk Bahang, 11100 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-881 3494
Opening Hours: 9.00am – 11.00pm (Sun – Thurs), until midnight (Fri & Sat)
GPS: 5.463599, 100.229199

RATING:
Ambience: 9/10 (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: 8.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 9/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

ATTENDEES:

1. William Tan – http://www.genesissix.com/
2. Warren Tan – http://www.genesissix.com/
3. CK Lam – http://www.what2seeonline.com/
4. Criz Lai – http://crizfood.com/
5. Carrie Soon – http://www.cariso.net/
6. Lingzie – http://www.lingzie.com/
7. Alan Choong – http://allaboutpenangfood.blogspot.com/
8. Amanda Teoh – http://allaboutpenangfood.blogspot.com/
9. Steven Goh – http://www.stevengoh.com/
10. Mary Teo – http://reginatravel-foodparadise.blogspot.com/
11. Cheah BH (Bee) – http://buzzingbee.blogsome.com/
12. Patrick Soon – http://studiomoonspell.blogspot.com/
13. Tiffany Thor – http://sexydracula.blogspot.com/
14. Yeap Jian Ming – http://cokeworldcitizen.blogspot.com/
15. Chan Chee Wah (Waco) – http://www.noweating.com/
16. Nel Ng – http://bearyinformative.blogspot.com/
17. Emily Chong – http://www.millymin.com/
18. Xherlyn Chong – http://hysteric-elegance.blogspot.com
19. Calvyn Lee – http://www.icalvyn.com/
20. Sherming Chua – http://www.sherming.com/
21. David Lee – http://www.limpek.com/
22. Joanne Chong – http://www.joannechong.com/
23. Danny Ooi – http://www.joannechong.com/

NOTE: This restaurant has ceased its operation in 2011.

If you need a casual dining place or even for a business meet up place, where would you go? You can start with Caffe Strada, a nice pork free restaurant at Krystal Point, Bayan Baru, where all your indoor and al fresco dining needs would always be served well. Upon entering, the simple yet sophisticated setup, which may include pieces like that vintage rug, would give you that homely feel.

Thanks to Alan Choong, a group of the Penang bloggers managed to pay this restaurant a visit.

We started with some appetizers, namely the Green Garden Salad (RM8.90). It was a refreshing start as the dish had all the crunchy vegetables such as iceberg lettuce, onion rings, capsicum and glazed with some smoked chicken slices and eggs, followed by a garnish of sunflower seeds and croutons and some of their in-house special salad dressing. This was indeed a healthy dish.

The next appetizer was the Seafood Chowder in Bread Bowl (RM15.90). The presentation was unique. There were hints of seafood chunks such as prawns, squids and fish combined with the sweetness from the mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, heavy cream and a touch of butter. Maybe it was just my preference, but I would rather have more bites in the soup. A touch of evaporated milk might make the soup a bit creamier. The bread was also a bit on the hard side as it tasted more like biscuit than bread. I guessed the chef would need to lessen the baking time in future.

As for the main, we started with the Asian Delights section, where rice and noodles ruled. We had 3 rice dishes served with rice, omelette, greens and crackers. First was the Kung Pao Chicken (RM9.90) where chicken chunks were stir fried with onions, dried chilies, spring onion in kung pao sauce and garnished with some cashew nuts. This was quite a nice set. It would be even better if only the chef were to put in more high heat cooking style (wok hei) as I could not find the pungent taste from the dried chilies. Next on the list was the Kam Heong Seafood Combo (RM8.90) with prawns and squid rings in kam heong sauce. This again lacked the fragrance from the curry leaves. I hope the chef would look into this as the leaves had to be slightly fried in oil to get that unique fragrance prior to adding in the rest of the ingredients. Salted Fish with Chicken Fried Rice (RM8.90) was served next with a honey coated roasted chicken wing. Not bad but it still lacked the “wok hei” required. On top of the deep fried salted fish bits, maybe the chef might want to consider adding in some deep fried rice for that extra crunch.

We were then served with Bao Zhiang Mien (RM11.90), a combination of deep fried wonton noodles, garnished with shredded carrots, cucumber and purple cabbage and topped with their special minced chicken gravy. I would advise diners to consume this soonest possible as the moisture from the vegetable might just kill the crispiness of the noodles. The dish tasted just like the one I had at Restoran Esquire Kitchen at The Mines Shopping Fair in Selangor but the portion here can be a bit too big for my consumption.

Next on the list was the Tomyam Seafood (RM8.90) with a choice of either rice vermicelli (bee hoon) or instant noodles. Well, this did not taste like any Thai style tomyam at all but rather Malay style where it had more tomato taste rather than the usual Thai style spiciness. I would still prefer the Thai style here.

Before proceeding to the next set of dishes, we had a try out on the beverages. The management sure did invest quite well in this section as the beverages were quite uniquely presented except that some could be rather sweet to my liking. We were served with Fluffy Hot Chocolate (RM6.90) which came in many decorations, Strawberry Kiss Frappes (RM8.90), Choco Banana Frappes (RM8.90) and Chocolate Chip Frappes (RM8.90). I kind of like the Choco Banana Frappes as it was the least sweet amongst the rest and it had the unique creamy blended bananas that I love most.

The next round of beverages included Mango Frappes (RM8.90), Orange Jewel Milk Shake (RM7.90), Ice Bear (RM6.90) and Italian Lime Soda Float (RM6.90).

We then continued with some lighter Western Delights such as the Spaghetti Bolognese (RM9.90) with minced chicken sauce served with a slice of garlic bread. Although the al dente of the pasta was just right but the sauce was a bit too sweet to my liking. The sauce should be tame with just the natural sweetness from the tomatoes, garlic and herbs with hardly any sugar added just like the one I had at Kafe Soul Kitchen Trattoria.

If you prefer bread instead, you can try out their Club Sandwich (RM12.90). It had toasted bread slices stuffed with smoked chicken breast meat, cheese and vegetable. This would be served with fries and salad.

The next few dishes were chicken based. We were served with Caffe Strada Roast Chicken (RM13.90) complimented with mashed potatoes, corn and vegetables. The skin of the roast was perfect with the right flavors and the mashed potatoes was marvelous considering that it was made fresh with bits of potatoes remained. The only setback was the meat. It should either be marinated for a longer period (fork some holes into the meat would be ideal) or roasted with some stuffing. It was rather bland. Next was the Mongolian Chicken (RM15.90), served with mashed potatoes and coleslaw. This was good. The sweet and spicy sauce complimented well with the chicken and both the side dishes were gorgeous. Cheezy Grilled Chicken (RM17.90) was next in line. The melted cheese on the chicken with a dash of paprika did give that punch.

Grilled Butter Fish (RM19.90) was served next with steamed vegetables, corn and mash potatoes. I believed that salmon was used in this dish but it was a bit overcooked as the flesh was dry. The chef might have to take note on lowering the heat when grilling this to maintain the moist within.

At least the next dish which was the common Fish & Chips (RM8.90) did please me. The crispy batter coated fish was great while maintaining the juiciness of the flesh inside. The side dishes of coleslaw and fries with tartar sauce complimented each other real well.

You can also try out their Grilled Lamb Shoulder (RM19.90). Although it was well done, the taste with hints of butter and mints as marinates was great, especially the fatty parts. 😛 It went well with the mint sauce.

With such a great investment by the management, you can be assured that your next cup of coffee would be great. We were treated with Cappucino (RM6.90), Espresso (RM4.90) and Caffe Latte (RM6.90).

What amazed me most was the Iced Coffee Slush (RM9.90). It really brought back many fond childhood memories when I started having that concoction. It was just plain Espresso combined with a scope of Vanilla ice-cream. Each mouth was a different bitter sweet sensation. Nice!

What would be better to end a dinner with a cup of coffee and some nice cakes? We were also treated with 3 types of cakes, namely Marble Cheese Cake, Oreo Chillied Cheese Cake and Chocolate Mint Cake (RM6.90 each). They were mild as I liked it and delicious indeed.

If you think that all you need would be some snacks with your group of companies, then you should try out the Caffe Strada BBQ Chicken Wings (2pcs RM5.90, 4pcs RM9.90), served with house chicken wing sauce. Each wing was nicely marinated with the right texture for bites. The accompanied spicy sauce complimented real well.

Overall, this is a nice place to hang out with friends for a drink. As for food, some of the dishes can be quite appetizing and filling. If you are driving from town towards Bayan Lepas, upon seeing Queensbay Mall, keep to your left and go over the flyover leading to Bayan Baru (Lebuhraya Sungai Nibong). Drive until you reach the traffic lights at the roundabout and make a U-turn back to the other side of Lebuhraya Sungai Nibong. On your left now would be Krystal Point 1. Ignore the first turning and drive further up to the second left turning to Krystal Point 2. Turn left and left in Lebuh Bukit Kecil 6 and you would see the 3 shoplots restaurant on your right.

Name: CAFFE STRADA
Address:
Block 1-01-12, 13 & 14, Krystal Point Corp Park, Lebuh Bukit Kecil 6,
Krystal Point II, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-643 6643
Opening Hours: 12.00 noon – 12.00 midnight (9pm onward happy hour)
GPS: 5.331159, 100.298164

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

Hunting for an early dinner in Taiping, Perak can quite tedious especially those good ones would only operate from 6.30pm onwards. I never had such problem in Penang at any odd hours. LOL! Anyway, after a few failed attempts to locate good hawker food stalls along the Taiping Lake Garden as well as at the Pusat Penjaja Taiping, I ended up at The Gate Café. Initially, I thought it was just another mamak store but upon checking, they have both local and western cuisine in their menu. Better still, all items were at nett price. Cool!

Since I had a car load of other Taiping local goodies, especially the Huan Chu Leng, I decided to go for a light dinner. We just ordered a set each of Grilled Chicken with BBQ Sauce (RM8.90) and Grilled Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce (RM8.90). To my surprise, the grilled chicken drumstick fillet came out better than my expectation. The surface still had the crispiness from the grilling and the meat was tender and juicy. There was a hint of turmeric being used as marinates. Nice! The BBQ sauce was also great. Although the black pepper sauce was a bit diluted but it was quite flavorful to compliment the grills. Each set came with some greens and potato salad. The potato salad was beautifully prepared too. What a nice change from the usual fries.

As for beverage, we had Iced Lemon Tea (RM2.50) and Sprite Float Jumbo (RM8.50). Just look at the size of the mug! I was wondering how my friend could gobble up that much liquid mixed with 3 large scoops of Vanilla ice cream. Amazing! Anyway, that drink was a good bargain.

What amazed me were not the Western dishes but the spread of buffet dishes they have for breaking fast during this Ramadhan Al Mubarak period (16 August – 8 September 2010, 6.30pm-8.30pm). I should have waited to try out those dishes cooked by their Chef Emer, Chef Ahmad and Chef Hassan although driving back to Penang alone with a full stomach might not be a good idea after all. 😛 There was a little corner with all those ulam-ulam (raw vegetables with sambal belacan), Mee Kari Bali, cut fruits, local desserts (kuih-muih), rainbow jelly, cendul and many more. On the other corner were the main dishes with hot steaming rice or Nasi Briyani, Sayur Goreng Buncis Ala Malaysia, Ikan Keli Masak Lomak, Kari Daging Kampung and so on. The menu changes daily with at least another 20 proposed attractive dishes such as Ayam Rendang Trengganu, Daging Arab Utara and Udang Goreng Nestum. It’s only RM18.00 nett (per adult) or RM12.00 (per child). Hmm… maybe I shall visit the café in another visit. Those dishes sure gave out a nice and flavorful aroma.

If you are driving in through the Simpang highway, go all the way up the flyover until you see a “Y” junction (Masjid India Jalan Kota). Turn right into Jalan Kota and drive all the way until you see Public Bank on your right. Turn right into the junction before the bank (Jalan Sultan Abdullah) and drive all the way pass a cross junction (Jalan Sultan Abdullah/Jalan Panggung Wayang). From here you can see Pusat Penjaja Taiping (Chu Chang Ka/樹下) on your right and Taiping Studio on your left. The Gate Café is just below the Taiping Studio at the cross junction between Jalan Sultan Abdullah/Jalan Maharajalela. There would be ample free parking spaces behind the building. For your information, if you turn left into Jalan Maharajalela, it would lead you directly to the Taiping Lake Garden/Taiping Zoo.

Name: THE GATE CAFE
Shop Address: 33 Jalan Maharajalela, 34000 Taiping, Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: 05-805 7748
Opening Hours: 9.00am – 12.00am
GPS: 4.85038, 100.74421

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: 7/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 6.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 9/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

“Melaka and George Town, Cities of the Straits of Malacca” was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site during the 32nd session of the World Heritage Committee on 7 July 2008. From then on, more and more little restaurants can be seen booming up along the George Town Heritage Trails within the beautiful island of Penang. One of the notable ones opened for business barely two months ago was a nice trattoria manned by a German-Malaysian couple, Tonio Neuhaus and Michele Yim along Lebuh Muntri. Kafe Soul Kitchen Trattoria is the name, food and music is their soul rejuvenating theme.

What made Soul Kitchen a nice venue for some relaxation for families and couples was the simplicity of the layout with great Italian food. Every single item in their menu was personally created by Tonio and his wife fresh from the kitchen. What could be better than having some healthy breakfast to start your day off? One of the most recommended breakfasts would be the Tramezzini (grilled sandwich-RM10) with a choice of salami, mushroom, tuna, turkey ham and gammon ham. You also have another option of choosing your preferred sauce such as roasted balsamic garlic, sweet onions or mustard. Tramezzini with gammon ham and roasted balsamic garlic grilled perfectly between two slices of sesame seeds wholemeal bread was my favorite.

It had been quite some time since I last had scrambled eggs for breakfast. Now I can have them at ease with the availability of two types of scrambled eggs set over at Soul Kitchen Cafe such as Scrambled Eggs with Bacon (RM8) or Scrambled Eggs with Mushroom (RM6). These would be perfectly served with the chef’s special magic touches.

What about having something fresh and healthy to inspire your day? Do try out their hot item which was the Yoghurt Muesli on Papaya (RM9). The sweetness of the papaya, the freshness of their homemade yoghurt, combined with the multi bites of the muesli made my day. It was indeed refreshing. What a great way to start my day! 🙂

As for lunch and dinner, there were a few great options. Boy! I can assure you that you would lick the plates dry. Every single dish in the main menu was the chef’s own concoctions. He sure knew how to handle pasta well by having the right al dente (firm texture) with every bite. I could not get enough of their Penne Amatriciana (RM19). The freshness and natural sweetness from the tomato puree, onions and some chopped carrots, the nice fragrant from the bacon slices, garnished with some oregano herbs, chopped parsley and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese was awesome! I could have this daily.

Their Spaghetti Carbonara (RM17) was also unique. Normally what you get elsewhere would be some diluted cream based sauce. The one served here had a cool way of thickening the sauce while maintaining the flavors within. I had egg yolk added in on top of bacon, onions, garlic, herbs and parmesan cheese. Another perfect item I would say.

The next pasta dish was also a unique one as it was the chef’s secret recipe – Penne Chicken Al Limone (RM19). The ladies would love this well as the dish had some nice sour taste in it and was extremely appetizing. It came with some tender chicken chunks, capsicum, carrot, herbs, chopped parsley, lemon juice and a generous amount of parmesan cheese. This is one combination of pasta that you must not miss out during your visit.

I must admit I can be such a playful kitty cat at times and growing fat is my hobby. LOL! Some do address me as Garfield and guess what’s my favorite food? Haha! Of course it’s Lasagne (RM19). What could be a more perfect dish for me than having that delicious dish right before of my eyes? In fact, I fell in love with what the chef had cooked up with the perfect combination of fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, carrot, minced pork, herbs, parmesan cheese and a crispy mozzarella cheese based topping. Can I have more for a growing cat chef? 😛

Pizza! I want more pizzas now! That’s was my reaction when I visited the place subsequently for more good food. You can have a few options on your pizza such as Pork Salami (RM9), Mushroom (RM8) or Anchovies & Olive (RM7). What I love most was the crispy thin crust that won’t be too filling. The pizza was presented in the simplest way with fresh tomato puree, mozzarella cheese, herbs and ingredient of your choice. Do try out the Pork Salami Pizza. I can’t get enough of this either.

If you need a place with free WIFI for a little discussion, this would be a great place to hang out. You can check out their available cakes for the day. Sometimes, there would be a discounted price on the cakes for each main meal you ordered. The one I had was heavenly and I could be so sure that no other place would provide you with such a nice Tiramisu Cake (RM10). The chef even made his own mascarpone cream for this cake. The cake was soft and fluffy and the cream was so light that it just melted in my mouth. Each mouthful had a strong taste of some sweet wine. What a perfect dessert for any occasion!

You could even get a piece of Moist Chocolate Cake (RM7) to tempt your sweet tooth.

As for beverage, Café Latte (RM6) or Iced Café Latte (RM7) would be mild enough to go with your cakes for tea.

You could even order yourself Papaya Orange Smoothie (RM7) to cool yourself down on a hot and humid day.

Here’s a short interview (in Mandarin) with the nice couple:

I would like to thank CK Lam and the lovely couple for the invitation as well as my friends who had to bear with me while drooling over the food during the photo shooting. LOL! It’s not hard at all to locate Soul Kitchen as it’s just opposite Cititel, Jalan Penang at a cross junction between Lebuh Leith (Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion) and Lebuh Muntri (leading to Kuan Yin Temple).

Name: KAFE SOUL KITCHEN TRATTORIA
Address: 102 Lebuh Muntri, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-261 3118, 012-594 3522 (Michele/Tonio)
Opening Hours:
10.00am-3.00pm, 6.00pm-9.00pm (Closed Tuesday – Breakfast until 12.00noon)
GPS: 5.420565, 100.334127

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: 8.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 9/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

If you think that made to order dim sum would only be available in hotel-class restaurants, you would be in for a surprise. One of Penang’s newest food court, Viva Local Food Haven (formerly Golden Horse Food Court) has just launched its newest dim sum kitchen, Viva Dim Sum Delight (東城點心) on 10 August 2010. The main objective of the outlet opening is to provide more quality and affordable priced dim sum within the reach of the public. In fact, most of their ingredients were Hong Kong based imports.

Let’s have a look at how reasonable those delicacies are from the menu. There would be over 30 variety of items for you to choose from, ranging from steamed, deep fried to stir fried food. Click on the photo below for a larger view.

To start the fiesta, we had the Traditional Steamed Glutinous Rice (古法糯米雞-RM3.80). There was a strong hint that the glutinous rice was flavorfully stir fried prior to steaming with precooked chunks of chicken, Chinese sausage and BBQ pork (char siew). The whole combination was quite fine except I still prefer mine to have a few Chinese mushrooms and wrapped in lotus leaves for that extra flavor.

The next was the Crispy Dragon Roll (香脆升龍卷-RM3.80). This is indeed the gigantic version of the usual prawn roll, with larger prawns too. It was served on a bed of the chef’s specially created mayo sauce with a hint of mustard added. It was a nice combo deal.

When I thought I could only get the Shanghainese Meat Dumpling (小籠包-RM4.80) from posh restaurants, I was surprised by the next presentation. What? 3 Xiao Long Bao at that price when others are double or triple fold that pricing? The soup within each dumpling was indeed abundant and tasty. When combined with the provided ginger strips in black vinegar, it was heaven! The only fallback was the amount of meat inside. One can’t complain for the price paid right?

There was also a manual showing the right way to consume the dumpling without spilling all over your body. Cute!

What would be dim sum without some beautifully created and tasty buns? The chefs sure know how to tempt the taste buds of their patrons with their delicious sweet and savory buns. One such product would be their recommended Steamed Bun with Butter Cream & Egg Yolk (特制流沙包-RM4.80). Indeed it was the best bun I had in ages. Even the texture of the bun was remarkably smooth and fine. A small nibble at the side saw a large flow of golden egg yolk colored cream oozing out furiously. Well, there’s a skill in consuming this bun as well without drowning your fingers in sweetness. The method of eating is just like the Xiao Long Bao stated above.

There was such a term as “sweetness will come in pairs”. The next bun which was Steamed Bun with Premium Lotus Paste and Egg Yolk (蛋皇蓮蓉包-RM3.80) was a double happiness. It had a lot of finely ground lotus paste and a big salted egg yolk. A bit sweet for my liking but having 3 buns as a set would surely please those sweet lovers.

Next was the Steamed Bun with Supreme Barbequed Pork (蜜汁叉燒包-RM3.80). The overall taste was nice except that it was a bit too dry to my liking. I prefer to have mine with some added toasted sesame seeds mixed with the ingredients too.

The next set of buns got all the “wives” rolling their eyes at their “husbands”. How dare you touch these Shanghainese “Mistress” Bun (上海二奶包-RM4.80)? Just look at that shape! Don’t you think they do resemble something? LOL! Anyway, these buns have some nice custard-like buttery cream within.

You could also get some savory type of buns with some sweet crust on the surface – Baked Hong Kong Style Polo Bun (香港菠蘿包-RM3.80). Each bun would be filled with some barbeque pork slices.

Do also check out with the staff there on their weekend specials. One of the specials we had was the Scallop and Fish Roe Dumpling (鳳眼帶子餃). I would say this was one of the great fusion combinations as the dumpling was filled with large prawns, topped with fresh scallop and garnished with fish roe, spring onion stalk and a leaf of coriander.

Another of the weekend specials was the Dragon Whiskers Roll (龍鬚卷). Sweet indeed and it had a rather unique combination of filling. The deep fried delicacy was filled with blended avocado, custard cream, butter and wrapped with a type of rice noodles. Those sweet tooth lovers would surely love this crispy product.

If you are driving from town towards Batu Ferringhi beach area, you would pass by Island Plaza shopping mall on your right. Drive all the way until you meet with a curve. You would see a traffic light (UDA Flats on your right). The food court is actually a bit further up on your right but you need to make a U-turn to reach the venue. So, drive on and keep to your right until you see the next traffic lights (Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel on your right). Make a U-turn until you see the Chinese Swimming Club on your left. Immediately after the building you would see a lane on your left (Jalan C M Hashim leading to Naza Hotel). Turn left and you would the food court on your right with ample parking space behind.

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Name: VIVA DIM SUM DELIGHT (东城点心)
Address: Lot 303, Jalan Tanjung Tokong, 10470 Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 6.00am-2.00pm
Contact: 604-890 2549
GPS: 5.462813, 100.305056

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: 7.5/10 (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)

I have paid many visits to Young Heart Restaurant (養心殿) for some time now and during each visit they have never failed to impress me with their new menus. The recently one was their value packages with over 15 specially selected dishes ranging from meat, seafood and vegetables to choose from. Have a look at the menu here. Please click to have a larger view.

One of the packages would be the 4 Pax Value Package (RM59.80 nett) which would allow you to choose 3 main dishes, seasonal vegetables, soup of the day and an option to choose either hot steaming rice or their handmade noodles from the menu. Here’s our order for the day. We had Beet Root Soup as soup of the day, Spicy Goa Bean (Kacang Botol) as seasonal vegetables, Stir Fry Broccoli with Mix Mushroom, Stewed Chestnut Chicken and Deep Fried Garlic Prawns, served with a combination of white rice and noodles.

The other package would be the 2 Pax Value Package (RM39.80) which would allow you to choose 2 main dishes, seasonal vegetables, soup of the day and an option to choose either hot steaming rice or their handmade noodles from the menu. Here’s our order for the day. We had Beet Root Soup as soup of the day, Stir Fry Iceberg Lettuce as seasonal vegetables, Orange Pork Chop and Chinese Teriyaki Prawns, served with a combination of white rice and noodles.

Note: You may see that there were the additional dumplings (jiaozi) in our order as they were given free during 6pm-8pm promotion throughout the week.

There are also other ongoing promotions at the moment such as their 50% off selected dishes menu throughout the week. Either you want a late lunch, tea or an early dinner, just hop into the restaurant between 3.00pm and 6.00pm to savor what you like best. Most recommended are their handmade noodle dishes as well as their dumplings, spicy crispy prawns, crispy pork and many more great dishes to tempt you. The Deep Fried Belacan Pork Belly and Stuffed Chicken with Dried Oyster are two great dishes you should not miss out!

You can check out their Foursquare and Rainy Days promotions too. Dining in Young Heart Restaurant sure provide lots of benefits on top of dining the way how your Mum would cook the food for you.

Reaching the restaurant would be easy if you are coming from Jalan Burmah into Jalan Cantonment. Just drive along Jalan Cantonment until you reach the first left junction (Pulau Tikus Market – Jalan Pasar). Just go further up after this junction and you will see Wisma Kota Kembar – Pulau Pinang-Medan Information and Promotion Centre on the corner lot. The restaurant is just next to this centre. There would be a 5% service charge for the food ordered here.

Name: YOUNG HEART RESTAURANT
Address: 44A, Jalan Cantonment, 10350 Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 12.00noon-10.00pm (Closed Wednesday)
Contact: 604-228 8084              604-228 8084      , 016-410 8098 (Ms. Ann Kee)
GPS: 5.430508, 100.311350

RATING:
Ambience: 8.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 9/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8.5/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)