CRIZ BON APPETITE

Many people are not aware of the small town of Terong, located between Changkat Jering and Pantai Remis in Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia. The quaint township used to be quite active in tin mining until the late 1970s but has now been replaced by rubber and palm estates as well as charcoal factories. Thanks to the snail development pace for decades, Terong is still left untarnished with the pollution of mankind. It still has the old architectural buildings intact, lively mangrove swamps, forest reserves, clean rivers, scenic waterfall such as the Air Terjun Terong and more. Located about 10km away from the Changkat Jering toll plaza and 1.5km into Terong, lies a nice getaway for families and friends. It’s the first duck themed resort in Malaysia with a total area of 70 acres called Trong Leisure Farm & Resort (自農休閒農莊). The place would consist of a resort with recreational activities, a fishing pond, a duck farm (formerly called Soon Hock Duck Farm), a pork-free seafood restaurant and a Halal Malay restaurant.

Since not much information is available online regarding this place, let me brief you part by part on the whole establishment.

RESORT:

There are 12 units of rooms available for booking (2.00pm check-in and 12.00pm check-out) – 2-pax Standard (5 units), 2-pax Superior (4 units), 2-pax Deluxe (2 units) and 4-pax Family (1 unit). Prices can range as LOW SEASON (Sunday – Thursday): RM128-RM358, SHOULDER SEASON (Friday, Saturday & School Holidays): RM158-RM388, PEAK SEASON (Eve of Public Holidays & Public Holidays): RM188-RM438 and SUPER PEAK SEASON (EID, Chinese New Year & Deepavali): RM228-RM488. For more information, please contact +6010-464 0918/+6012-549 8978 or email: tronglesisurefarm@gmail.com

INDOOR & OUTDOOR RECREATIONS:

There will be a small amusement corner next to the restaurant for children such as the Duck Ride Machine and Toy Grabbing Machine. You can change some coins at the cashier counter. Other than that, you can try out the Duck Pedal Boat at RM6 per 15 minutes or feed the duck with duck feeds at RM2.00/100g. You can buy the ticket at a shop lot next to the pond. There’s a passion fruit arch nearby. If you were lucky enough, you might find some fruits intact but I only managed to see some blooms. Do not go about plucking anything in the farm as you will be fined heavily for vandalism.

FISHING POND:

There will be a few species of freshwater fishes in the pond for your angling experiences such as tilapia, lampang, rohu, patin, sultan fish and more. Any fish above 3kg has to be released back into the pond. Other than the tilapia and lampang which you can bring home for free, rohu and patin will be charged at RM5/kg whereas sultan fish will be charged at RM20/kg. There will be a small fee per rod for the number of hours you spent fishing by the pond (9.00am-9.00pm). Price: Full Day (RM50nett), Half Day (6 hours – RM40nett), 1st hour (RM15nett) and subsequent hour at RM10/hour. Baits and hooks will be calculated separately. For more information, please contact +6010-464 0918/+6012-549 8978 or email: tronglesisurefarm@gmail.com

DUCK FARM VISIT:

There will be 6 duck houses with each house able to accommodate around 1200 ducks. In total, there will be around 7000 ducks at one time. You will be able to get upclose and personal with those ducklings, drakes and ducks. You can identify the gender of the drakes by their low and deep sound whereas the ducks with their louder and high pitched sound. Ticket is available at the restaurant count at RM5.00/adult and RM3.00/child. Visiting hours will be from 9.30am until 7.00pm. Resort guests will be at half price. A tractor with passenger seats, will chauffer you to and fro from the duck farm. At the moment, there’s no limitation on how long you can spend at the duck farm. Be warned that there might be strong stench emitting from the duck shit along the way. Please make sure that you close all the gates when you enter each fenced farm to prevent the ducks from running out. If you are lucky, you might find some egrets mingling with the ducks.

RESTAURANTS:

There will be a HALAL Malay restaurant named Naz Tomyam at the dining area. The vendor will operate from 6.00am until 12.00am. They have a combination of dishes from roti canai in the early morning to Thai style dishes throughout the day. For more information, you can contact Encik Khairol at +6017-299 9883/+6016-809 6648 for your special bookings.

There will also be the Trong Seafood Restaurant serving PORK-FREE dishes from 11.00am until 10.30pm. You can make your reservation by contacting +6010-464 0918 or +6012-549 8978 during business hours.

Since this was my first time here, I only managed to try out some of their signature dishes. The first dish was their Signature Pei Pa Duck (Pipa Duck/琵琶鴨 – RM20nett/half duck). The name derived from the shape of the duck being opened up prior to roasting which resembles the Chinese musical instrument, Pipa. The sauce had all the necessary flavors which may include hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, ginger juice, sesame oil, sugar and finely chopped garlic. However, the skin was not as crispy as it should be and the meat was rather tough. From my experience having this dish many times, I would think that the kitchen did not spend time truly understand the method of tenderizing the meat. Moreover, the skin won’t be so soft if they had the proper time to sun-dry the duck properly. On top of that, some famous vendors would normally deep fry the roasted duck prior to serving to give it that extra crispiness. Something might have gone wrong in their process or else it would be a perfect dish to my preference.

The next dish was the Chili Salt Deep Fried Squids (椒鹽蘇東 – RM15nett). I was actually expecting this dish to be Pepper Salt Deep Fried Squids since “椒” can mean pepper too but it ended up as diced capsicum salt version. The taste was not bad but it would be better if some coarsely pounded black pepper be added in for that extra earthly flavor.

We also tried out their Signature Deep Fried Homemade Tofu (招牌豆腐 – RM10nett). There are many versions of homemade tofu being served in different restaurants, from silky smooth texture to reprocessed mashed ones with sandy texture aka the Yunnan style tofu. The ones served here was the latter. However, the tofu only had mashed bean curds with only Thai dried shrimps, some chopped scallions and added egg to steam again to make the block. The end product would then be cut into bite sizes, coated with some corn starch and deep fried to golden brown prior to serving. The tofu fell flat to my liking without much flavor and they were rather chewy too. They did not have that bite as some of those I had tasted before. With some added thinly sliced wood ear fungus or finely chopped up shitake mushrooms would have given the dish better justice. I hope the kitchen would improve further on this dish.

The last dish I ordered was their Signature Eggplant with Dried Shrimps (蝦米茄子 – RM10nett). The dish was just some deep fried batter coated eggplant slices stir fried with some onions, curry leaves and dried shrimps. The whole dish practically depended on the flavor from the dried shrimps, nothing else. The chef should at least add in some pounded bird eye chilies or sliced red chilies or even some chopped fermented black beans to pep up more flavors. The dish was rather amateurish and rather one track style of cooking to my liking.

As for beverage, we just ordered a jug of Prunella Herbal Tea (夏穀草涼茶 – RM9.00nett). This was a real thirst quencher with the use of brown sugar to clear the internal body heat from the scorching sun.

If you are in for freshly salted duck eggs, you can always purchase a bag of 12 salted eggs at RM9.00nett at the counter.

Overall, the restaurant could just be a convenient place for visitors to dine in but not one that could provide the right balance of yin and yang in flavors. In short, it’s a place to fill up the stomach but not the place to go for skillfully prepared meals. Maybe as a Penangite, we have been pampered with too many choices to end up with this type of verdict. However, I hope that the kitchen will improve their food quality too. Wouldn’t it be great if the restaurant could attract more outsiders rather than relying just on the visiting crowd?

It’s not really hard to locate Trong Leisure Farm & Resort as it’s just along the main road towards Terong. No matter where you are coming from such as Taiping, Lumut, Pantai Remis or even via Changkat Jering toll using the old trunk road, just look out for the “Terong” signboard. As you turn into the main road via Jalan Kuala Terong, just drive further in for about 1.5km and you can see the venue on your left. No worries as there’s a big signage in front of the property.

Name: TRONG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT @ TRONG LEISURE FARM & RESORT
Address: PT293, Jalan Kuala Trong, 34800 Terong, Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: +6010-464 0918, +6012-549 8978
Business Hours: 11.00am-10.30pm
GPS: 4.711202, 100.708172

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

Other than hunting for unique and fashionable items or visiting the many temples in Bangkok, the next attraction would be the street food. Along the many thanon (main streets/ถนน), soi (side streets from main streets/ซอย) and trok (alley/ตรอก) in Bangkok, you would surely find some quick bites that would suit your preferences. Other than the easily available meaty Sai Au (Nothern Thai Fermented Sausages/ไส้อั่ว) and Sai Krok Isan (Northeastern Thai Fermented Sausages/ไส้กรอกอีสาน), the Moo Ping (BBQ Pork on Skewers/หมูปิ้ง) somehow remains my favorite. Well, the scents of well marinated food would surely command my nose to their whereabouts~ LOL! I would say I was lucky though it was my first time in Bangkok as I found the perfect Moo Ping right in front of my hotel – The Key Bangkok Hotel.

Compared to the many Moo Ping stalls I have tasted in Bangkok or even Hatyai in Thailand, this stall managed to suit my taste bud real well as each skew had just the right balance of texture and bites (85% meat & 15% fat). Moreover, the sweetness was just right for me without the overpowering of the overall flavors. The amazing thing is that it was only priced cheaply at THB10/skew. The Thais love to have their Moo Ping with warm sticky rice (Khao Niao/ข้าวเหนียว) and each small pack would cost only THB5. Two skews of Moo Ping and a pack of Khao Niao would be the perfect breakfast or supper for anyone. For those whom had tried out the delicious and succulent Moo Ping as well as the sticky rice, that’s why I can be so crazy to freeze packed them and flew them home to share with you. That’s 6kg extra baggage~ LOL~ 😛

Anyway, I had tried to recreate that flavor but could not get it to be 100% exact to the taste of the ones I had tried in Bangkok. There must be a secret ingredient in it. Perhaps, they might be using some sort of MSG which is the common practice in most street stalls. I’m not a fan of MSG so here’s the 95% result of my Moo Ping. Do try out my recipe~ 🙂

RECIPE: MOO PING (BBQ PORK ON SKEWERS

Makes: 20-25 skews (7” bamboo skewers – soak overnight before using)

Ingredients A:
4 cilantro roots (about 2 Tbsp) or chopped cilantro stems (if roots are not available)
6 cloves garlic
1 tsp white pepper corns
1 tsp black pepper corns

Ingredients B:
2 Tbsp palm sugar (pound until powdery) or brown sugar or honey
2 Tbsp mushroom/oyster sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp black soy sauce
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 Tbsp corn starch
100ml coconut milk (mix in a tiny pinch of salt – keep 1/4 for brushing)

Ingredients C:
700gm pork shoulder (about 1.5lbs – wash clean, drain well, semi freeze and slice about 3mm thickness. Lightly hammer each piece to break the veins)
200gm pork fat (optional – slice 3-5mm, to be skewed in between 2 pieces of meat. Lightly hammer each piece.)

PREPARATIONS:

1. Use a mortar, pound everything in Ingredient A. You may add a bit of water if it’s too dry to scoop out.
2. In a big stainless steel basin, mix the pounded Ingredient A with Ingredient B. Mix thoroughly.
3. Add in the sliced pork from Ingredient C and mix well.
4. Slowly skew the marinated meat onto the bamboo skewers. Maximum until half the length of the skewer. Make sure the meat pieces are pressed compactly without showing the bamboo skewers. You can opt to skew a piece of fat in between the meat for that sinful flavor.
5. Place all the skewers into a Ziploc bag or a big plastic container. Pour the remaining marinates into it. Make sure you lay the skewers flat.
6. Leave them in the chiller for a minimum of 6-8 hours. The best result is to leave them overnight for maximum flavors.
7. Prior to barbeque, pour out the remaining marinate and mix with the remaining coconut milk. It’s for brushing purposes.
8. Barbeque over medium charcoal heat. Make sure the exposed bamboo skewers won’t get direct heat or they may be charred. Turn the skewers every 2 minutes until cook. Do brush some of the remaining marinate on the meat (as stated in #7) prior to turning them.
9. The Thais may love their Moo Ping with sticky rice. For me, I would love them with some lightly dressed salads.

Note: You can opt not to add fat to your Moo Ping but that’s where the natural flavor comes in.

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Name: MOO PING @ SUKHUMVIT SOI 19
Address: Sukhumvit Soi 19, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand.
Contact: Not available
Business Hours: 5.00am-9.30am
GPS: 13.739075, 100.559977

DIRECTIONS:

Take the BTS Sukhumvit Line and stop at BTS Asoke Station. to Mo Chit Station (BTS Sukhumvit Line). Take the Skytrain to BTS Asoke Station. Use the Skywalk towards Exit 1 and walk downstairs towards Terminal 21. Walk straight towards “The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Hotel”. At the road before the hotel, turn right into Sukhumvit Soi 19 and walk about 70m and you will see the “The Key” after a row of shop houses on your left. The stall is located just at entrance of The Key Bangkok Hotel at the junction of Sukhumvit Soi 19 and Sukhumvit Soi 17 next to the Family Mart convenient shop.

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

By staying at The Key Bangkok Hotel where travelling via the two major mass transit systems has been real fun and convenient, I managed to explore quite a few interesting cafes within the Watthana district. Located nearby the BTS Thong Lo Station is a charming little hideaway establishment named Chico Interior Products & Café. If you are a cat lover, you would surely go goo-goo gaga over some of the free roaming cats within the premises. The bungalow-style shop may be hidden away from the main road but it was never short of visitors, especially those Japanese staying within the vicinity. Even their main website is all written in Japanese other than Thai or English. Isn’t that obvious? LOL~ 😛 If you love the serenity away from the hustle and bustle of the city life, this will be quite a nice place to spend some time sipping some beverages and gobbling down some of their nice homemade snacks and light meals.

On top of some tranquil moments with the furry felines, you can also spend some time mingling through some of their interior home products as well as personal gifts, not forgetting cat related items too. Some of their products may include Thai handicrafts, unique kitchen utensils, pillows, pillowcases similar to that silk pillow case online, cushions, aromatherapy lamps, bamboo by-products, natural soaps, beewax candles, trinkets, wind chimes, stuffed toys, printed clothes and more.

Here are some photos of their cute cats, a mix of pedigrees and local shot hair felines. Even my cats had some edible gifts from the shop~ LOL~ 😛

Since it was already almost tea time, we had some light food and dessert over some hot beverages. I started off with a hot pot of Lavender Tea (THB100nett). With so much of eating spree for the last few days, it indeed relieved my eating tension and stress~ LOL~ 😛 Luckily they did not burn any lavender oil or I would be fast asleep under such a relaxing environment.

I also did try out their Hot Chocolate (THB80nett). It was filled with chocolate richness and the milk they used was also awesomely creamy. Wait! Why is there a fat cat having its sauna in my cup? Haha~ The latte art may look simple but based on the comment by an established 3D latte art master, it required lots of patience and steady hand to come out with this design. The hot beverage came with a cute cat shaped cookie as well.

As for a light meal, I ordered the Japanese Style Spaghetti (THB160nett). Wow~ I was impressed. The color may not look pleasant to the eyes but the taste was heavenly. It was just a simple spaghetti dish, stir fried with some pork slices, shitake and enoki mushrooms, zucchini and garnished with some bonito flakes but the gravy itself was pepped with rich earthly flavors. I could not stop myself from pussy licking the whole plate dry~ Meow~ 😛 For those who would want to get the best of the meal deal, I would advise you to drop by between 11.30am and 2.00pm as they have daily set lunch available, which would include a salad, a main dish (4 options such as Japanese Omu Rice, Japanese Style Spaghetti, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Japanese Beef Curry with Rice) and a cup of hot beverage (+THB10 for iced beverages) at only THB185nett.

We were lucky on that day as they have Dessert of The Day which was the Hot Banana Pie served with Vanilla Ice Cream (THB55nett). The hot oozing banana combined with the fresh vanilla pod ice cream was so seductive. The sensation was beyond any earthly word.

Overall, I quite like this place due to the peaceful settings within a hidden greenery filled premises. I also like the fore-sight of the shop owner by allowing patrons to have a place to relax before continuing with their hectic lifestyle. Time will stand still here while you are immensely occupied with the many interesting and unique items you can bring home as souvenirs. At least you do not have to suffer the scorching heat from the scattered markets to have your shopping done. Everything will be inclusive of the necessary taxes.

Just a note to those shutterbugs: You may take some general shots of the shop but not on individual product as they would want their products to be exclusive to their patrons.

Name: CHICO INTERIOR PRODUCTS & CAFE
Address: 109 Sukhumvit Soi 53 (Paidee-Maidee), Khlong Tan-Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand.
Contact: +662 258 6557
Business Hours: 9.30am-6.00pm (Closed Tuesday)
GPS: 13.732805, 100.579067

DIRECTIONS:

Take the BTS Sukhumvit Line and stop at BTS Thong Lo Station. Use the Skywalk towards Exit 1 and walk downstairs all the way until you reach a junction. Turn right into Sukhumvit Soi 53. Walk on for about 15 minutes, pass the newly opened Nippon Kai Market, until the second junction with a “Soi Renoo” road sign. Turn right into the small alley and you can see the Chico signboard right at the end. If you are tired of walking, you can always get a tuk-tuk or a motorbike taxi by telling them that you are going to Soi Renoo or Chico.

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

Many people would have heard of the infamous Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant (C&C) in Bangkok, Thailand, with 5 other local branches in Nakhon Ratchasima, Vieng Pa Pao, Chiangrai, Nangnong plus a resort cum restaurant in Saptai. This themed restaurant is tucked away in an alley in the Khlong Toei district but is quite easily accessible via the BTS Asoke Station. You may ask why the bizarre name as cabbages had nothing to do with condoms at all. The brainchild of this over a decade old establishment, Senator Mechai Viravaidya, had conceptualized this project to spread the knowledge and understanding of contraception throughout Thailand, namely to overcome the reluctance to discuss issues on family planning, sex and HIV/AIDS. Thus, he caught the attentions of the public and eventually condoms became commonly available and as cheap as cabbages. Moreover, part of the profits from these restaurants would go towards supporting the work of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA).

It happened that I was staying at The Key Bangkok Hotel nearby and decided to check out the restaurant. Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant indeed has a catchy tagline on the menu to create the curiosity amongst diners – “Our food is guaranteed not to create pregnancy”. There are also many sex awareness posters scattered around the pathway towards the sanctuary-like restaurant ambiance plus quite a few condoms and birth control pills created fashionable outfits on the mannequins along the way. What caught my attention was the after dinner souvenirs – FREE CONDOMS. On top of that, you can also get more condom supplies at their free-flow corner, inclusive some water-based lubricant sachets. Cool~ Such convenience~ Well, they indeed won’t give you after dinner mints but you can take a condom instead~ LOL~ 😛

Anyway, Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant may have a great concept in introducing safe sex and family planning but failed in pepping up great dishes. It may be a great hangout place for Westerners over some barely authentic dishes but not for any Asians whom had years of growing up with herbs and spices. Somehow, I felt that the dishes served were mainly catered for those diners with low spicy tolerance. If you are looking for the Yin Yang balance of the Thai cuisine, this is definitely not the place for you as the basic 5 flavors (wan, kem, brieow, ped & kom/ หวาน, เค็ม, เปรี้ยว, เผ็ด & ขม/sweetness, saltiness, sourness, spiciness and bitterness) were not significantly present. You should have at least 3 of the 5 flavors significantly presence in a Thai dish.

To prove my points, I started out with the appetizer of Kratong Thong (Minced Chicken & Corn in Waffle Cups – THB120++). Basically, it was just some blandly prepared minced chicken mixed with some corn kernels (mixed vegetables version) and served in “Singapore Top Hats” aka “Nyonya Pie Tee” crispy pastries. To give them more flavors, you have to dress them with some Thai chili sauce. So, in my opinion, what is so Thai about this dish?

Just as an ideal example to judge on the 5 flavors, I tried out their salad, Yum Ma Khue Yaw (Roasted Eggplant with Prawns and Minced Chicken Salad – THB170++). Basically, only 2 flavors popped up significantly… saltiness from a high hint of nam pla (fish sauce) and sourness from the added lime juice. There were no sweetness from added palm sugar, spiciness from some added bird’s eye chilies and even some bitterness from the supposedly roasted eggplant. Even the minced chicken tasted bland. The whole dish tasted rather flat.

On top of that, they served the worst Gaeng Massaman Gai (Chicken Masamman Curry – THB200++) I have ever tasted with overcooked chicken pieces in super sweet curry. From my experience in cooking and creating many Asian dishes, the texture of the meat was the end result you would get if you have frozen the dish for many days and heat up when needed with a microwave oven. It was so bad until the meat was with powdery texture. It would surely put a shame to the Thai culinary world since it was voted as the #1 dish in CNNGo’s Top 50 Best Food in the World 2011.

Other than the main dish as above, I have decided to try out their noodle dish which was the Phad Se-Ew Moo (Stir Fry Flat Noodles with Kale & Pork – THB120++). I’m quite a regular for this “hor fun” type of stir fry noodles but the dish served here was horrendous. There were no hints of “wok hei” aka high heat stir frying, balanced flavors and the whole dish had that bitter-like chemical flavors. It was like consuming pesticide without getting murdered.

Overall, the ambience was quite cool for that themed experience or even bumming out with friends over some drinks. However, the restaurant should at least check on their food quality to ensure returned customers rather than concentrating on the one-time Western tourists. The only thing that I had supported was their many scattered donation boxes towards the welfare of some charitable organizations. There will be a surcharge of 10% service tax (ST) and 7% value added tax (VAT) in your bill.

Name: CABBAGES & CONDOMS RESTAURANT
Address: 6 Sukhumvit Soi 12, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand.
Contact: +662 229 4610
Business Hours: 11.00am-11.00pm
GPS: 13.737885, 100.557966

DIRECTIONS:

Take the BTS Sukhumvit Line and stop at BTS Asoke Station. Use the Skywalk towards Exit 2 and walk downstairs towards Times Square Shopping Center Asoke. Immediately, after the building, turn left into Sukhumvit Soi 12. You can see a signboard directing you to the venue. Walk around 10 minutes and you can see the entrance within a compound on your right.

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: 5.5/10 (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)

Are you aware that ZEST Bar Café @ GLOW by Zinc, a cool and comfortable café within a modern and chic hotel, located right in the heart of George Town, is currently having their Thai food promotions? With 4 others Glow hotels in Thailand, namely Koh Yao Yai, Pratunam, Trinity Silom and Sukhumvit, I won’t be surprise that Thai cuisine remains their main theme. Whether it’s for individual serving or with a group of family members and friends, there will always be something for everyone. Moreover, it’s also a great time to pay them a visit and play with their latest props for their Most Creative Selfie Competition to be eligible to win free night stays at one of their leading Thailand hotels. More information is available here.

Do check out their Thai Set Lunch Menu and Ala Carte Menu as shown below. The meals will be available from 11.30am until 5.00pm daily. Click on the menu below for a better view.

Let’s have a look at their Ala Carte Menu to check out some of the great dishes for your lunch. To start off the meal, you can always order their Miang Kam (เมี่ยงคำ – RM8+) or commonly known as “one biteful” in Thai cuisine. The dish will consist of wild betel leaves, toasted grated coconut, dried shrimps, shallots, peanuts, mini ginger cubes with a punch of bird’s eyes chili, served with their own concoction of sweet oozy like palm sugar based sauce.

Alternatively, you can also try out their Som Tam (ส้มตำ – RM10+), a lime zesty and pungently spiced up young papaya salad with dried shrimps, cabbages, long beans, tomatoes, garlic, toasted peanuts, bird’s eyes chilies, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar. It’s a great appetizer in most Thai food servings.

If you are not a fan of papayas, then you can try out their Yam Woon Sen (ยำวุ้นเส้น – RM12+), a glass noodles appetizer filled with punches from the vegetables, herbs and added steamed prawns. The dish had all the 5 main flavors (wan, kem, brieow, ped & kom/ หวาน, เค็ม, เปรี้ยว, เผ็ด & ขม) in Thai cuisine, mainly a balance of sweetness, saltiness, sourness, spiciness and bitterness (from the added cilantro and mint leaves).

The eatery also does serve various soups. One of them being the Tom Kha Gai (ต้มข่าไก่ – RM12+), a thick herbs and spices packed chicken soup with hints of galangal and lemongrass. However, I personally felt that the broth was slightly too thick for me, thus felt rather surfeit after just a few mouthful. I have the feeling that box coconut milk, which was much thicker than freshly squeezed ones, was used in the recipe. Moreover, it lacked the fragrance and flavors from the herbs used. In Thai cuisine, you can’t be slicing everything so delicately. Ingredients such as galangal, lemongrass or even chilies have to be smashed prior to cooking to obtain the optimum flavors. More kaffir lime leaves should be added in too for that distinctive zesty flavor. I hope the kitchen is aware of the proper cooking methods in Thai cuisine.

Another soup option will be their Tom Yam Goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง – RM18+). Unlike the Tom Kha Gai, this soup is pepped up with various flavors, especially from the freshness of the king prawns. However, it still lacked something important – the fragrance from the used herbs and spices. It was again the cooking methods all gone wrong again. I hope they rectify this basic rule in Thai cooking.

As for main dishes, there’s a mix & match of Thai dishes as well as some Western for those who can’t consume too spicy food. You can start with just Pad Thai (ผัดไทย – RM15+), the Thai version of flat noodles wok fried with prawns, bean curds and served with some raw bean sprouts, Chinese chives, crushed peanuts, chili flakes, sugar plus a slice of lime. The version served here was with an additional egg wrap. Notably, a great Pad Thai would consist of a balance of yin and yang flavors from the usage of fish sauce, tamarind paste and lime juice. Of course, there’s the need of the perfect “wok hei” aka high heat stir frying from a super hot wok.

There will be quite a variety of “one dish – one rice” options here starting with the Kaeng Phet (แกงเผ็ด – RM18+). This is basically the authentic Thai version of spicy coconut milk based red curry recipe, with the option to have the dish pepped up with either prawns or chicken. We had this dish cooked with prawns. However, my personal preference would still be with chicken as it would be more harmonious with the texture.

Another version would be the Gaeng Keow Wan (แกงเขียวหวาน – RM18+), an all-time signature Thai green curry dish loved by many food critics. It had an immaculate blend of green curry paste combined with coconut cream with your preference of either prawns or chicken to create that delicious thick curry that would complement your hot steaming rice well. We had boneless chicken cuts for this option. Though the dish may look tame by its color, it could be somewhat spicy for some. As for taste wise, the dish was fine except that I wondered why was broccoli being added instead of the commonly use eggplant. Somehow, the bite sensation and texture were somewhat different.

Next on the list was a dish loved by all of us. It was the Pad Kra Prao (ผัดกะเพรา – RM18+), a minced meat dish stir fried with Thai basil leaves, served with rice and an omelette. Here you have an option of either minced chicken or beef. We chose minced chicken instead. This complete street food meal deal can be quite abundant in Thailand. The simple salty sweet flavors from the added garlic, chilies and Thai basils, combined with soy sauce, oyster sauce and a dash of dark soy sauce would make you crave for more.

Of course, there will be the world’s #1 dish in the menu. Do try out their Gaeng Massaman (แกงมัสมั่น – RM18+), a Southern Thai dish with Indian influence. Compared to the red, green, yellow curries of Thailand, you can find the usage of many dry spices such as cardamom, cinnamon or even nutmeg being used in the recipe. With a long list of needed ingredients, the flavors of Massaman Curry can be quite complicated and yet delish to the palate of anyone. You can have the option of chicken or beef for this dish. The dish would come with added potatoes and toasted peanuts.

Who would miss the many mouth-watering Thai desserts? This dessert would surely tempt those sweet tooth diners. Firstly, we have the Sang Kaya Fak Tong (สังขยาฟักทอง – RM7+), sometimes also known as the Thai Pumpkin Custard. It’s a unique dessert with eggy sweet coconut cream custard steamed in a whole kabocha squash (Japanese mini pumpkin). The slice of dessert was served with added coconut cream and toasted sesame seeds syrup.

You would get to try out of the street desserts such as the Khanom Khao Mao (ขนมขาวเมา- RM7+), a sinfully sugary ripe banana wrapped in grated coconut and sticky rice, deep fried to perfect crispiness and served with extra coconut cream. Though sinful for your diet, it’s the ultimate dessert to end your meal.

Overall, some of the dishes served here can be real fulfilling though they have been tweaked to suit the taste buds of the diners in this region. I’m sure most of us can’t really consume the 100% authentic ones as they can be quite overpowering in terms of spiciness, sourness and sweetness. Anyway, Zest Bar can still be the perfect place to relax and dine while admiring the scenic view of George Town.

ZEST Bar Cafe @ GLOW by Zinc is located at the 1st floor of the hotel along Jalan Macalister just opposite Red Rock Hotel. There are about 20 car park spaces in this hotel with 10 spaces available right in front of the hotel and another 10 spaces behind the hotel via Jalan Naning (opposite Sum Sum Motors). There are also many coupon based parking spaces available surrounding the hotel. Please make sure you have your parking coupons ready as you would need to pay between 9.00am and 5.00pm. However, effective 1 July 2014, valet services would be available for your convenience.

Name: ZEST BAR CAFÉ @ GLOW BY ZINC
Address: 101 Jalan Macalister, 10400 George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-226 0084
Business Hours: 11.30am-5.00pm (lunch), 6.00pm-10.30pm (dinner by booking)
GPS: 5.416638, 100.322952

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

Let’s eat like the pirates at Swez Brasserie @ Eastin Hotel, Penang with their themed buffet Pirates Seafood Night on every Saturday throughout the year 2014. There will be an array of delectable international seafood cuisine for everyone ranging from Canadian lobster, snow crab leg, lobster bisque, grilled lobster, grilled king prawns with cilantro salsa, wok fried mantis prawns with salted eggs and more to tempt your urge for fresh seafood dishes. The promotion is priced at RM80++ (adult) and RM48++ (child) with different menus rotation each week. You can also get more discounts with credit cards mentioned below.

Let’s start at the Salad Bar, Salads & Cold Dishes Section where you would expect to get items such as Tomato, Carrot, Cucumber, Corn Kennel, Onion Ring, Lettuce, Thousand Dressing, French dressing and Italian Dressing with condiments, Pickled Garlic, Pickled Mushrooms, Pickled Cherry Tomato, Pickled Zucchini, Seafood on Ice (Fresh Oyster, Mussels, Prawn, Slipper Lobster, Canadian Lobster and snow crab leg with condiments), Individual Salad in Shooter Glass (4 types), Japanese Baby Octopus Salad, German Potato Salad, Thai Egg Salad, Grilled Chicken Salad, Shrimp and Fruits Salad, Seafood Terrine, Chicken Ham, Beef Salami, Smoked Salmon Platter, Smoked Mackerel Platter, Assorted Sushi & Sashimi (6 types each) with Condiments.

As for the Soup Section, you would get items such as Italian Seafood Tomato Soup, Sichuan Hot and Spicy Soup with Crab Meat and Assorted Bread Roll & Butter.

At the Hot Dishes Section, you would have the Grilled Lobster with Seafood Broth, Sauteed Mussels with Garlic and Herbs, Seafood Lasagna, Seafood Pie, Oyster Kilpatrick, Wok Fried Scallop Meat with Celery and Pine Nut, Sweet and Spicy Chili Flower Crab (Served with Man Tao), Braised Sea Cucumber with Broccoli & Mushrooms, Wok Fried Wanton Noodles with Scallop and Prawn, Wok Fried Mantis Prawn with Salted Egg, Curry Squid, Sambal Ketam Kampung Style, Portuguese Baked Seabass, Thai Style Steamed Tiger Prawns and Steamed White Rice.

At the end of the hot dishes, you would have the Carving Station where you might expect to get Roasted Whole Fish with Spicy Mayo.

There will also be the Action Counter where the Grill Station would have at least 20 seafood and meat choices for grilling with 12 sauces as condiments. There will also be the Pasta Station (Prawn Aglio Olio, Seafood Marinara, Pasta with Clam and Garlic with a selection of pasta choices such as Spaghetti, Fettuccini, Angel Hair and Penne). You will also get the Dessert Station serving Thai Classical Tub Tim Krob.

At the Desserts Section, you would get 8 types of Tropical Fresh Fruits, Chocolate Fountain, Marshmallow Sticks, Dried Fruit Sticks, Fruit Jelly, Cream Caramel, Panna Cotta, Chocolate Mousse in Glass, Chocolate Brownies, Sherry Triffle, Baked Cheese Cake, Butter Cake, Blueberry Crumble with Vanilla Sauce, Assorted French Pastries and Nyonya Kuih.

You would also find a Kid’s Corner with lots of candies plus brewed coffee and tea.

Overall, you would surely be impressed with the varieties of seafood dishes served during the Saturday Themed Buffet and it’s really value for money on the options for international seafood species.

Here’s the summary of all the promotions throughout the year.

SWEZ BRASSERIE PROMOTION 2014 (JANUARY-DECEMBER 2014)
Lunch (12.00 noon – 2.30pm): Monday – Friday
RM50++ (adult), RM25++ (child)
Hi-Tea (12.00 noon – 4.00pm): Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays
Normal weekend: RM58++ (adult), RM29++ (child)
Festive Occasion: RM68++ (adult), RM34++ (child)
Weekend Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm): Friday & Saturday
Friday (Free Flow Friday with Wine): RM128++ (adult), RM48++ (child)
Saturday (Pirate Seafood Night): RM80++ (adult), RM48++ (child)
Semi Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm):
Sunday – Tuesday & Thursday: RM50++ per pax
Wednesday (Wine & Dine): RM95++ per pax

For Standard Chartered Bank, CIMB Bank, Citibank and MasterCard Worldwide card members, you can enjoy 15% discount for the Semi Buffet Dinner (Sunday to Thursday, excluding Wednesday) and Weekend Buffet Dinner (Friday & Saturday) 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: 8.5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR MY READERS: Just print this banner by showing my blog URL (http://www.crizfood.com/2283/chef-petrs-catch-seafood-buffet-sarkies-eastern-oriental-hotel-penang/) and make an early reservation with the hotel (604-222 2000 ext 3601/3602) before 24 April 2013 and you are entitle to dine in with a discounted rate of RM80++/pax (adult) and RM38++/pax (child). Offer only limited to the first 80 early reservations. One printout is for one pax only. Terms & Conditions apply.

If you are in for a seafood buffet of a different kind, do check out Chef Petr’s Catch at Sarkies @ E&O Hotel, Penang. Priced at RM110++/pax (adult) and RM48++/pax (child), you’ll get to savor quite a variety of imported seafood such as Alaskan Snow Crab Claws, Boiled River Cray Fish, Duo of Gravlax, Fresh Oysters on Ice, Marinated Cuttlefish, Seasoned Squid, Deep Fried Snow Crab Claws, Poached Black Mussels, Oyster Omelette and many more on a rotation basis. The seafood promotion which would be held on every Wednesday of the month would last until the end of April 2013. The seafood promotion would be headed by Chef Petr Feher, Executive Chef of E&O Hotel.

There were a few sections for this seafood buffet, starting with the Salad Section, Appetizer Section, On Ice Section, Baked, Grilled, Fried & Roasted Section, Hot Dishes Section, Action Counters, Fresh Fruit Cuts Section, Sweet Dessert Section to Hot Beverages Station. Let’s start the meal healthy with the Salad Section. This section practically has a variety of items such as frisee, rocket, romaine lettuce, purple cabbage, red & green corals, iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, olives, onion rings, pickles, dried fruits, croutons, pine nuts, sauteed mushrooms & garlic, capers and more with a selection of 8 dressings. On top of that, there was also a section where you can have some crackers to go with a variety of cheese such as Cheddar, Emmenthaler, Limberger, Camembert and more plus vegetable sticks for your crudités.

As for the Appetizer Section, there are many choices ranging from raw to cooked items. Some of the dishes included Salmon Sashimi, Assorted Sushi/Maki, Chuka Wakame, Chuka Idaho, Duo of Gravlax, Gado Gado, Grilled Vegetables, Canapes, Assorted Ready Made Salads, Smoked Mackerel (Tenggiri), Pan Seared Tuna and more.

On Ice Section was where all the imported seafood attractions were located. We have the famed Alaskan Crab Claws, River Cray Fish, Prawns, Black Mussels and Fresh Oysters.

Along this stretch would be the Baked, Grilled, Fried & Roasted Section where you can savor the famed E&O Roasted Duck. It was indeed one of the best in town. On top of that, you can have some Cheese Baked Oysters, Oyster Omelette, Herbs Roasted Beef & Lamb, Grilled Meat (Beef, Lamb, Satay & Sausages), Grilled Seafood (Salmon & Scallop), Deep Fried Prawns, Spring Rolls, Samosa & Pandan Wrapped Chicken.

While waiting for your grilled items, you could always pay a visit to the Hot Dishes Section. Of course, there would be the Soup Station here where we had Onion Soup plus Tomyam Soup served with some bread and dinner rolls. On top of that, there would also be some Steamed Rice to be taken with a variety of hot dishes such as Masak Kicap Kambing (Dark Sauce Lamb), Roasted Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce, Sweet & Sour Fish (Deep Fried Sea Bass), Stir Fried Fish with Dried Chilies, Prawns in Coconut Paste, Thai Style Beef in Yellow Curry, Baked Potatoes and Chinese Stir Fry Mixed Vegetables.

There was also the Action Counters where you can order your choice of Fried Noodles plus Stir Fried Seafood.

As for the Dessert Section, there would be two stations. One station would have a variety of fresh fruit cuts while the other would serve all the sweet temptations such as cakes, pastries and ice cream. You could also gather some sweet treats at the so called “Dessert Tree” in the middle of the dining room.

Scattered around the dining area would be two Hot Beverages Stations. There would be some Brewed Coffee & Tea and a machine for you to make your choice of coffee. You can be creative here too just like how I made my Affogato with 2 scoops of Vanilla ice cream plus double shots espresso. 😛

Overall, the quality of the seafood is there with quite a number of imported seafood. However, since it’s a seafood theme with such an amount charged, the combination of seafood ought to be improved further with more options rather than using the same few seafood species and preparing them differently. Moreover, the combination of dishes is 3:2 for seafood versus meat. Ideally, it should be 7:3 or 4:1 combinations. For example, preparations of oysters have 3 types, namely fresh, cheese baked and omelette. Prawns also have 3 styles, boiled, fried and curry. The usage of salmon is definitely in abundance from sashimi, sushi, canapés, gravlax or even grills. Personally, I felt that the kitchen should infuse more local seafood with Asian flavors into the theme to make it more interesting. I’m sure both locals and tourists would love to try out our Banana Leaves Grilled Stingray, Sambal Stuffed Hardtail Mackerel or even various Portugese Seafood Grills, right? Even without the usages of the local seafood, the seafood theme should be more international. It could just be with the addition of the Spanish’s Gambas Al Ajillo or Stuffed Grilled Squids or the French’s way of Simple Baked Fish with herbs, salt & pepper. On top of that, some of the dishes served tend to be on the salty side while others were under flavors. The desserts may be attractively colorful and abundant but somehow they consisted mostly of different versions of cupcakes and macarons or a mix & match of both, a bit lack in unique choices.

Current Promotions by E&O Hotel can be viewed clearer by clicking and downloading the photo below:

Sarkies is located at the new wing of Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang (next to Penang Bowl) along Lebuh Farquhar. If you are coming from Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah towards Weld Quay, keep to your left immediately after passing by CitiBank. When you see the Penang Bowl building on your left (UMW Toyota opposite), please slow down. Turn left immediately after the Penang Bowl entrance. The E&O Hotel car park is situated just inside the building. Parking charges would be a maximum of RM6 (weekdays: Monday-Thursday) and RM12 (weekends: Friday- Sunday)

Name: SARKIES @ EASTERN & ORIENTAL HOTEL
Address: 10 Lebuh Farquhar, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-222 2000
Business Hours: 7.00pm-10.30pm (Chef Petr’s Catch on Wednesday only)
GPS: 5.423624, 100.334988

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: 8/10 (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)

Asian Food Channel (AFC) together with BERJAYA University College of Hospitality (BERJAYA UCH) recently held an event entitled Autumn Treasures with Chef Martin Yan at the university’s fine dining restaurant, Samplings at the Fourteenth, Level 14, Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur. The sit down dinner held on 5 September 2012 was priced at RM290++/pax. I was lucky to be one of the lucky winners of a contest organized by AFC to dine with Chef Martin Yan (甄文達). I’m sure most of you would have known the Chinese-born American celebrity chef for his jovial ways to handle Asian cuisine with a twist of humor. Chef Martin Yan from the famous cooking show “Yan Can Cook” has hosted over 1,500 episodes since 1978. “If Yan can cook, so can you!” became his catchphrase ever since. What impressed me most was his comical ways in chopping food frantically with just a sharp cleaver. He indeed made the whole room filled with laughter when he performed a live demonstration on how to cook his Dragon & Phoenix chicken dish.

During this Autumn Treasures event, five of the chef’s signature dishes were chosen to be served as fine dining dishes, with assistance from the numerous students support from the Berjaya UCH. The menu was as shown below:

The first dish was the Crispy Beancurd Skin Rolls. The spring onions wrapped rolls had stir fried jicama, carrots and mushrooms fillings, beautifully plated with a pickled radish and carrot flower and some drops of hoisin and chili sauce. Although the rolls were quite tasty in flavors and texture, they were not as crispy as the name. Most probably the kitchen had prepared it too early or the oil was not hot enough to give that crisp. Thus, there was this soggy oil after bite.

The next dish was the Dragon & Phoenix in a Basket. The basket basically consisted of deep fried finely julienned yam mixed with some corn starch. The topping had the chicken dish demonstrated live by Chef Martin Yan. They consisted of chunks of chicken breast meat stir fried with onions, straw mushrooms, garlic and Thai basil leaves, topped with some blanched asparagus. I was surprised that my serving did not contain some diamond shape bell pepper cuts as shown in the demonstration. However, even without the flavors from the bell peppers, the taste for the topping with high hints of Thai basil and pepper after taste was nice enough to complement the yam basket.

As for main, we were served with Beef Stew with Beancurd Sticks & Chinese Chestnut. The dish tasted quite similar to my brandy boasted Cantonese recipe of Braised Oysters & Scallops. The beef stew which had tender chunks of wine boasted beef came with some beancurd sticks, Chinese chestnuts, carrots, radish and Chinese mushrooms, came with side dishes such as bread pudding with mixed toasted sesame seeds candy and a slice of garlic bread. The dish was amazingly great and rich in sweet flavors from the long period of stewing. However, such rich flavored dish would go better with plain rice or bread instead of the accompanied side dishes. Moreover, it lacked some fresh greens to subtle the richness from the meat dish.

As an alternative dish to non beef eater, a Vegetarian Spaghetti was also served as main. It was basically some spaghetti with the right al dente served with some fresh onions, carrots, zucchinis and tomatoes sauce, garnished with some julienned bell peppers, parsley and a deep fried beancurd stick. Taste wise, it was a straight forward dish. However, I personally felt that it was a dish not properly justified against the price paid. I was a non paying guest, so I can’t complain much but it would surely piss off those paying ones. The kitchen should have considered serving some vegetarian dishes that has a more sophisticated outlook and taste such as the Agnolotti with Roasted Pumpkin, Broccolini & Chilli Spaghetti with Pangrattato, Pan Fried Potato Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Sage Butter or simply add in a different variety of fresh mushrooms to make the dish more classy.

We were also served with Smoked Marinated Squab. The squab or commonly known as domestic pigeon, had a tough texture almost similar to duck meat but with meat white in color. I personally found that the meat was just mildly marinated with barely distinctive flavors or strong smoke taste. Moreover, it needed some tenderizer such as ginger juice to soften the meat further. The squab was dressed with some brown sauce and served with some simply fried basmati rice with finely brunoised bell peppers and some cherry tomatoes salsa.

Lastly, it was dessert time with Wine Poached Pears being served. The mildly sweetened poached pear in red wine had mixed spices flavors coming from some cloves, star anise and cinnamon. I would say that it was a bit overwhelming for diners who detested strong spices aftertaste.

There were also free flow of Chinese tea, white wine, red wine and sparkling wine, by Australia’s over 160 years winemaking expert, Jacob’s Creek, to pair with the dishes.

All the diners were presented with a certificate signed by Chef Martin Yan to commemorate our memorable dining experiences with the chef.

Here’s the snapshot of the contest winners and guests with Chef Martin Yan, courtesy of Ms. Evelyn Ang Loo.

Overall, it was an eventful evening with Chef Martin Yan. Thanks Asian Food Channel (AFC) for giving me the opportunity to meet up with Chef Martin Yan. To the waiters and waitresses of BERJAYA University College of Hospitality (BERJAYA UCH), you all have done a great job!

Name: SAMPLINGS ON THE FOURTEENTH @ BERJAYA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF HOSPITALITY
Address: Level 14, East, Berjaya Times Square, 1 Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Contact: 603-2687 7073
GPS: 3.142152, 101.710618

In conjunction with the Thailand’s Songkran Festival, Swez Brasserie @ Eastin Hotel, Penang, would be promoting mouth watering Thai cuisine named Tantalizing Thai for the whole month of April 2012 (1-30 April 2012). The Songkran Festival 2012 would be over 3 days from Friday, 13 April 2012 to Sunday, 15 April 2012. Mahasongkran on 13 April 2012 would mark the end of the old year. Wan Nao (14 April 2012) is the day after and 15 April 2012 is Wan Thaloeng Sok, the start of the Thai’s lunar calendar aka New Year Day. The Songkran Festival is also known as the Water Festival where locals as well as tourists would splash strangers on the streets with water, all in the spirit of good fun.

Some of the dishes in the promotion would include dishes like appetizer such as the Spicy Seafood Salad (Yum Talay/ยำทะเล/泰式海鮮沙拉). The dish would have a seafood combination of cooked prawns, mussels and squids, together with some big onions, tomatoes and spring onions, all tossed in a spicy, sweet and sour dressing. The dressing was simple as it had some chopped garlic, red chilies, green chilies, some sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Although the salad was fresh and appetizing, it lacked the authentic Thai flavors. It would be better if some mint and cilantro leaves were to be added in. Furthermore, the sugar should be replaced with palm/brown sugar for that unique sweetness. I won’t mind having some juicy scallops and fish fillet added in this dish too~ 😛

Thailand’s Spicy Prawn Soup with Lemongrass & Lime Juice (Tom Yam Goong/ต้มยำกุ้ง/泰式酸辣鮮蝦東炎湯) would be one dish that you should not miss out in any Thai cuisine due to the unique unity of tastes from the 4S – spicy, sour, sweet and salty. If not, the dish won’t be ranked #8 in the Top 50 Most Delicious Food in CNNGO recently. With the teaming of flavors from the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, garlic, chilies, fish sauce and lime juice, it was a bowl of heavenly dish. The dish had straw mushrooms instead of the usual abalone mushrooms. The flavor was rather mild for a spicy lover like me but it would be subtle enough for general consumers. I would love to have the dish with a mild touch of nam prik pow (น้ำพริกเผา/Thai chili paste) added in plus some natural fresh taste from some cilantro and fresh tomatoes. This dish had some evaporated milk added in for that extra creaminess. The prawns used were from a harder shelled species. I still prefer mine with white shelled prawns.

Thai style steamed fish would also be another dish not to miss out as it has all the nice flavors from the freshly used ingredients. We had the Steamed Sea Bass with Spicy Garlic & Lemon Sauce (Pla Kapong Neung Manao/ปลากะพงนึ่งมะนาว/泰式酸辣蒸石甲魚). The dish had cilantro roots flavor boosted sea bass fillet topped with a spicy, sweet and sour dressing. The dressing basically consisted of chopped garlic, red chilies, Serrano pepper fiery like local chili paddy with a mild sprinkle of sugar and lemon juice.

Great Thai style duck dishes would be quite limited outside of Thailand but Swez Brasserie managed to come out with one flavorful duck dish such as the BBQ Roasted Duck in Red Curry (Gaeng Phed Ped Yang/แกงเผ็ดเป็ดย่าง/紅咖喱燒烤鴨). This curry had a sweet, creamy and salty taste from double coconut cream, red chili paste, sugar and fish sauce, enhanced with flavors from Thai basil, Thai apple eggplant, pineapple, cherry tomatoes and seedless grapes. This was an awesome dish as the roasted duck slices had all the flavors soaked within the meat. Although it was a nice dish to go with hot steaming rice, I found the creaminess to be a bit too thick to my personal liking. Moreover, the sweetness was not close at all to the sweetness from the usage of some natural palm sugar.

There would always be some Thai street food served during the promotion. One such dish would be the Thai Style Fried Noodles with Prawns (Pad Thai Goong/ผัดไทยกุ้ง/泰式鮮蝦炒粿條). The noodles were Thai made flat rice noodles, soaked to soften to get the right al dente. The noodles were fried with some garlic, shallots, unsalted turnip, dried shrimps, deep fried bean curd, fish sauce, tamarind paste, some sprinkles of sugar and a squeeze of lime juice. These fried noodles would then be wrapped into a thin layer of fried egg and serve with some deep fried prawns. The noodles would be served with some coarsely crushed peanuts, chili flakes, sugar, raw spring onions and raw bean sprouts. You can adjust your level of spiciness and sweetness by adding in the chili flakes and sugar a bit at a time.

Thai desserts are something to crave about especially when you need some sweetness to boost up your day. We had the Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang/ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง/香芒糯米粒) which had coconut milk steamed glutinous rice, served with sweet golden Thai mangoes and slightly salted coconut cream. It had some deep fried mung beans garnished for that extra crunch. The whole combination was perfect to end a meal. It would be great if the kitchen would add in some screwpines (pandan) flavored steamed glutinous rice too.

Overall, the dishes served here were more towards the taste buds of the general consumers. Thai dishes used a lot of fresh ingredients such as fiery hot chilies and fresh herbs to enhance the flavor of its cuisine in which the kitchen did not level up to that extent. It would be good for the general consumption who could not take much spiciness but the dishes were nowhere near to the authentic flavors of the real Thai cuisine such as what I had at my favorite Annathai-Kitchen at Pulau Tikus, Penang. The good news would be that you would be served with lots of fresh seafood.

Here’s the summary of the promotion.

TANTALIZING THAI PROMOTION (1-30 APRIL 2012)
Lunch (12.00 noon – 2.30pm): Monday – Friday
RM48++ (adult), RM24++ (child)
Hi-Tea (12.00 noon – 3.00pm): Saturday & Sunday
Normal weekend: RM55++ (adult), RM28++ (child)
Festive Occasion: RM68++ (adult), RM34++ (child)
Semi Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm): Sunday – Thursday
RM48++ per pax
Seafood Supreme Themed Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm): Friday
RM80++ (adult), RM40++ (child)
Mongolian Grill Themed Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm): Saturday
RM80++ (adult), RM40++ (child)

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: 7/10 (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)

This post practically covered the last of the five Thai restaurants within the district of Pulau Tikus, Penang – Aroy Chang Moo Kata which would serve dishes from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces in Northern Thailand. The other four would be home cooked dishes from the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat in Southern Thailand at Annathai-Kitchen, beef noodles from Sukhothai in Central Thailand at Sukhothai Beef Noodles House, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok) style Thai dishes at Aroi Thai Restaurant and Wang Thai Restaurant. So, what are the dishes from this one year old Thai Restaurant that had attracted a steady flow of diners? Let’s read on below.

It’s always nice to start a meal with some salad to boost up the appetite such as the Som Tam (ส้มตำ/Spicy Papaya Salad – RM5), which in Thai means “pounded sourness”. The usage of ingredients varies from different parts of Thailand but basically it would consist of quite similar sauces such as lime juice, bird’s eyes chili, fish sauce (nam pla) and palm sugar. The ingredients in the salad served here included shredded young papaya, tomatoes, yardlong beans, cabbages, dried shrimps and toasted peanuts. The taste was just right to my liking as it was not overly sour and pungent as served elsewhere.

There are many variations on how you would want your fish dish to be prepared. I had Pla Phat Phet (ปลาผัดเผ็ด/Deep Fried Fish in Spicy Sauce – RM35-RM45) with deep fried sea bass in it. The flavor was rather unique as it had a strong hint of galangal in the sauce, freshly blended spices, Thai basils and some coconut milk just to make it a tad more saucy and fragrant. The sauce was great to go with rice but this dish could be a bit spicy for some. Somehow, the taste of Thai basils was not prominent in the dish as they were deep fried.

The next dish was something that most diners would not miss out. It’s Tom Yam but the version served here had a clearer soup based and it’s called Tom Yam Nam Sai (ตมยามนามซ้าย/Clear Tom Yam with Mixed Seafood – RM15-RM25). It had prawns, fish, squids, abalone mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and spring onions all cooked in a flavorful hot pot of sweet and sour soup. It tasted almost similar to the Thai style steamed fish with sour plums but with some hints of fish sauce, tamarind juice, lime juice, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal being added in. I also noticed that they did not include the small spicy killer aka bird’s eyes chilies inside. The spiciness was not as strong as the common tom yam with red chilies oil included.

We were also served the common household dish of Cha-Om Omellete (ขายจิ๋วจะออม /Khai Jiu Ja Awm – RM8). The feathery shoots of this the Thai’s staple food plant (also known as climbing wattle/Acacia pennata) are common used in omelettes, soups, curries or simply by stir frying in mild sauce. Only young shoots are used as the older ones can be rather fibrous, just like the bottom part of an asparagus. The shoot has a unique flavor almost like a much milder version of the stink beans (buah petai). It was just a simple dish but it fulfilled my contentment.

The restaurant does serve some nice prawn dishes such as the Ma Kam Goong Grawp (มะขามกุ้งกรอบ/Crispy Prawns in Tamarind and Thai Basils – RM3.50 each/Min 6 pieces). Each batter coated prawn had a nice dressing of tamarind paste with a hint of plum sauce added in. The prawns were garnish with some deep fried Thai basils and onion. This is a must try dish! Awesome!

The next dish which was the Lab Moo Sub (ลาบหมู/Spicy Minced Pork Salad – RM12) was delicious but it has a “wasabi” type of spiciness. It would be best to go with some rice or just complement it with some vegetable cuts to lessen the hotness. This dish can be prepared easily with just some water cooked minced pork, toasted glutinous rice powder, sliced kaffir lime leaves, onions, chili flakes, fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar and garnished with some spring onions and coriander.

Instead of having with rice, this dish which was the Khoon Ob Woon Sen (คุณอบวุ่นเส้น/Thai Style Glass Noodles – RM15) can be eaten just by itself. In fact, this was one of my favorites. The delicious glass noodles had all the nice gravy penetrated right into each strand, making each mouthful flavorful. The dish contain a generous amount of sautéed prawns, topped on the glass noodles, which have been simmered with some stock, sweet soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, black pepper, garlic, ginger, cilantro roots and garnished with some chopped cilantro. Yummilicious!

Most people would think that Aroy Chang Moo Kata is just the name of the restaurant. Well, they were not wrong. In fact, Moo Kata (หมูกาต๊ะ/pork pan/pork skillet/meat pot – RM30 for 2-3 pax) is actually the Northern Thais’ way of having a feast with a cheaper budget. The moo kata pan would consist of two sections. One part on the dome-like structure would be used for barbequing while the circular shallow area below the dome would allow you to boil-cook some items. Some restaurants such as the BBQ Plaza at Gurney Plaza, Penang would be using gas stove but at Aroy Chang Moo Kata, they were as traditional as can be with the usage of burning charcoal. You would have 3 options of soups here, namely clear chicken stock, tom yam stock or the clear tom yam stock. With the spicy and sour dishes before this meal, we opted for the clear chicken soup. It was indeed a good choice as the soup was very flavorful. The set would come with a plate each of pork and chicken (with 3 marinates such as sesame, tom yam and black pepper), squids, fish, prawns, fish/pork balls, fish cakes, pork bacons and a basket full of vegetables, shitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms and some glass noodles. Some pork fat would be given to you to oil the skillet prior to barbequing your food. This is truly a great bargain for such an amount paid.

The restaurant has only one type of dessert, mainly the Tub Tim Krob (ทับทิมกรอบ/Jellied Water Chestnut with Jackfruit in Coconut Milk – RM2.50/bowl). Somehow, the dessert served here was not to my liking as the mock pomegranate seeds (water chestnut cubes in red colored corn starch) were flavored and colored with rose essence. The dessert lost its originality of its jackfruit flavor as the overall taste was overpowered by the taste from the rose essence. Moreover, the water chestnuts were cubed too finely, resulting in a blob of clumped starch.

The beverages here are rather limited too. You would get canned drinks, packet tea or beers easily. The only item that was freshly brewed was the Lemongrass Tea (RM2.50). You can either have it hot or iced.

Aroy Chang Moo Kata can be easily located right next to the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple and diagonally opposite Wat Chayamangkalaram, the home of Penang’s Reclining Buddha. As this is a one way street, the best way would be through Jalan Kelawei. If you are coming from town along Jalan Burma towards Pulau Tikus, turn right into Jalan Pangkor when you see a “Y” junction just next to the Chinese Recreation Centre (CRC). Drive further on, keep left and turn left into Jalan Kelawei. Drive alaong Jalan Kelawei and keep a watch out for the fourth junction on your left. When you would see the yellow wall of the Wat Chayamangkalaram, turn left into Lorong Burma. Aray Chang Moo Kata is only 2 houses away after the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple on your left. You can find ample parking space along the road. If not, drive further up to Solok Burma on your left to find more parking spaces.

Name: AROY CHANG MOO KATA
Address: 22 Lorong Burma, 10250 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 010-379 9852 (Mr. Jerry Lim)
Business Hours: 11.00am-2.30pm, 6.00pm-11.00pm (Closed Monday)
GPS: 5.431036, 100.313624

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