Friday 20 April 2012

Kampar Fish Jelly Restaurant

Here is the catch, Kampar Fish Jelly Restaurant is not located in Kampar and Fish Jelly is not the signature dish served there. I wonder who is their advisor on branding. Anyway, it is located in Pantai Jerejak, Penang near Queensbay Mall and people make a beeline there for their Yong Tau Foo. It is particularly popular among university students and residents living nearby.

Chefs preparing food at the front of the restaurant.
Long queue at the shop entrance.
Once you reach there, be kiasu a bit and quickly split up your forces with one person queue up while another go into the restaurant to grab a table. Let your queuing friend in front know the table number so that he can inform the staff when he makes the order. Besides Yong Tau Foo, they also have herbal chicken in aluminum foil. My favorite has to be the deep fried beancurd sheets which is very crispy minus the oiliness.

Some of the must try items are fish paste stuffed vegetables and fish balls.

Hand made egg noodle (Hakka noodle) topped with minced meat accompanying the main dish.
Order their barley (Fu Chook Yee Mai) for drinks early as it finish selling very fast, this is their signature drink.



Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday
Morning: 10.30am - 2.30pm
Evening: 6.30pm - 9.30pm

RATINGS
Food                                           : 4/5
Service                                        : 3/5
Atmosphere                                 : 3/5
Value for money                           : 4/5
Chances of going back for more   : 3/5 
OVERALL                                    : 3.4/5

Monday 16 April 2012

Koay Teow Th'ng @ Church Street

Koay Teow Th'ng or flat noodle soup is one of the favorite Penang hawker food. There are varieties depending on which place you go, some serve with chicken, some with pork while quite a few come with duck meat.Personally I prefer the one garnished with duck meat as the soup taste sweeter and richer compare to others. One particular place that I usually go is situated along Church Street and called Eng Loh cafe.

My favorite time to patronize this coffee shop is around 12 noon as it is not so crowded. Being in an old colonial building, the interior is very much cooler thanks to the thick load bearing walls around it. With cooler temperature, you tend to enjoy your food more, my personal feeling anyway.

I particularly like the silky smooth noodle that gives soothing texture in the mouth. It is a healthier hawker food as it is not too oily compared to the other usual fried dishes which Penang is famous for.

Best to be eaten together with the cut chillies to give an explosive impact and improve blood circulation at the same time. RM4.50 for big bowl.
I usually order big bowl with additional Koay Teow simply because it digest quickly and by 3pm in the afternoon you will feel hungry already if you take the small bowl.

The senior couple that have years of experience in preparing this dish.
The building frontage along Church Street.
After your hearty lunch you can just walk across the road to visit the renowned Pinang Peranakan Museum and savoring some Baba Nyonya culture. This is another reason why I like to come here. It is located right in the heart of George Town's heritage enclave where you can visit many beautiful colonial architecture all within walking distance. Places like Fort Cornwallis, the Esplanade, Town Hall and City Hall are just a stone throw away. However, just a piece of advice that you might want to bring along an umbrella with you as the afternoon sun in the tropics is not very pleasant.
Pinang Peranakan Museum

RATINGS
Food                                           : 4/5
Service                                        : 3/5
Atmosphere                                 : 3/5
Value for money                           : 4/5
Chances of going back for more   : 4/5 
OVERALL                                    : 3.6/5

For my other recommendation of this dish, refer to Hutton Lane Koay Teow Th'ng.

If you wish to learn how to cook this dish, refer Recipe Of Koay Teow Th'ng.

Sunday 15 April 2012

Pan Mee

Pan Mee (板面) is a kind of noodle that is quite popular in central Malaysia. But it is quite difficult to find a good one in Penang compare to other more popular local hawker food like Hokkien Mee, Char Koay Teow or Laksa. If you really must have Pan Mee in Penang then head to I Mum Mum at Macallum Street. From Weld Quay, go straight towards Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu Expressway. Right after the first traffic light turn left into a small service road and start looking for a parking space. The shop is facing an internal courtyard but you should see people sitting around the place.

Pan Mee Soup - RM3.00
Spicy Pan Mee - RM3.40
Deep Fried Sui Kow
Deep fried wantan (炸云吞) is quite common in Penang but not deep fried Sui Kow.

The food is actually quite delicious compare to other Pan Mee in town. However, the place is simply too hot and stuffy for me as the heat from the kitchen seems to be unable to escape due to the low ceiling of the place. Hence the only downside is the environment, other than that everything is fine.

RATINGS
Food                                           : 3/5
Service                                        : 3/5
Atmosphere                                 : 1/5
Value for money                           : 4/5
Chances of going back for more   : 1/5 
OVERALL                                    : 2.4/5

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Food Court @ Esplanade

Are you looking for cheap food at one of a kind location? Then you should check out the food court at the Penang Esplanade. Smacked right in between the open space of esplanade and Fort Cornwallis; this place offers variety of Chinese and Malay dishes. This place is very crowded during weekdays' lunch time as many offices, law firms and banks are located in the vicinity. Its environment is very unique because it is situated right in between the two most popular tourist spots in Penang. The food court itself is very interestingly located underneath a huge old trees that shelter the place from the intense heat of the afternoon sun.

Esplanade with the Town Hall and City Hall buildings as its backdrop.



Greeting you at the entrance to the food court is the famous Fort Cornwallis.
The food court underneath the giant tree.
As for the food, my recommendation is Hokkien Char (Hainanese fried egg noodle), Chicken Chop and Fish 'n' Chips. For drinks, you got to try out the Coconut Shake to cool off and refresh yourself on this hot tropical island. It is basically a coconut drink with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream on top. When the ice cream melt and blends in with the coconut drink, the mixture of taste is simply refreshing!

Hokkien Char (Hainanese Fried Egg Noodle and Bee Hoon) - RM4.20
Chicken Chop - RM7.50
Coconut Shake - RM2.50
RATINGS
Food                                           : 4/5
Service                                        : 3/5
Atmosphere                                 : 4/5
Value for money                           : 4/5
Chances of going back for more   : 4/5 
OVERALL                                    : 3.8/5

TAO Authentic Asian Cuisine

There are not many Japanese buffet in Penang. Most of the time you would have to go for A la carte menu in major Japanese restaurants around town. The only place that we usually go for Japanese buffet is TAO. 

TAO (道) restaurant at Juru Auto-City on the mainland of Penang has bigger space and nicer environment compare to the one on the island. It is better to always make a reservation first before going as it is quite packed especially during weekends. It is all you can eat but unlike normal buffet, you need to order your choice of dishes and the waiter/ waitress will bring them to you once ready. Of course you can order as much as your tummy can take. They serve fusion of Chinese and Japanese dishes. 

If you love Sashimi (raw sliced fish/ 生鱼片) and oyster then it is worth it. Total bill for 2 pax including taxes is RM123.95.

Clockwise from top: grill scallop, abalone, Sashimi and grill salmon


Clockwise from top: tempura, Shisamo and Prosperity Prawn

Baked oyster with cheese
grill Saba fish

Contact: 604-5017 826
Business Hour:
Monday to Thursday: 12.00am - 4.00pm / 5.30pm - 10.30pm
Friday to Sunday: 12.00am - 4.00pm / 5.30pm - 11.00pm

RATINGS
Food                                           : 3/5
Service                                        : 4/5
Atmosphere                                 : 4/5
Value for money                           : 3/5
Chances of going back for more   : 2/5 
OVERALL                                    : 3.2/5

Monday 9 April 2012

Tok Tok Mee

In the past, a wantan mee seller will hit a bowl with a pair of chopsticks, making a sound like "tok-tok tok-tok" to announce his arrival and attract people's attention. Hence the origin of the name Tok Tok Mee. Today major hawker stalls in Penang will display the dish simply as wantan noodles.

Wantan noodle is probably the easiest hawker food to prepare. You just simply boil the noodle for an instant and toss it into a plate filled with soya sauce and pepper. The only tough part maybe the preparation of wantan or dumpling. Wrapping the wantan indeed needs skill. And the ingredients within it dictate the overall tastiness of the entire dish as the wantan is the main element of a wantan noodle.

As mentioned, wantan noodle is served with wantan (Cantonese word for dumpling) and vegetable. Wantan is basically a dumpling stuffed with minced pork and prawn which may be boiled or deep fried. It can be easily found throughout Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The taste however, varies from place to place. In Malaysia alone, you will notice the difference from one town to another. I personally like the dish as it is not so heavy and I love noodle! If you are in town center of Penang, then you may want to check out this place along Burmah Road next to New World Park. It is known as Maria Wantan Mee.


A small plate cost RM3.00 and the business hour starts around 5.30pm in the afternoon.

RATINGS
Food                                           : 3/5
Service                                        : 3/5
Atmosphere                                 : 3/5
Value for money                           : 3/5
Chances of going back for more   : 3/5 
OVERALL                                    : 3/5


For recipe of this dish; visit:-

Friday 6 April 2012

Annathai-Kitchen

Can you take hot and sour food? This is the question posed to us by this restaurant's owner when we were about to order. If you are a first timer to this place, don't worry if you don't understand the food name in Thai or you can't read images on the menu well as the boss himself will make recommendation to you. For the first time I think it is OK to let him recommend but if you go there the second time, I suggest you make the order yourself in order to control the amount written on the bill later on. The following images were the dishes recommended to us:

 Chef's choice - vegetable imported from Phuket; fried with egg. This is the best dish!

 Deep fried pork legs

 Glass noodle

 Steamed Lemon Fish

Thai style curry chicken
 Dessert
Drinks: Red Salak


Our bill for the evening (4 adults + my little one playing with food) came down to RM103. Generally satisfied with the service, ambience and taste. If you like Thai food, you should try this place.

Contact: 604-2277 599
SMS Reservation: 019-3108899
Business Hour: 11.00am - 2.30pm / 6.00pm - 9.30pm
Closed on Monday.

RATINGS
Food                                           : 4/5
Service                                        : 4/5
Atmosphere                                 : 3/5
Value for money                           : 3/5
Chances of going back for more   : 3/5 
OVERALL                                    : 3.4/5

Harvest In Cafe, Irrawaddy Road, Penang

 Chicken Mushroom RM8.90

 Sambal Fried Rice RM6.50

Strategically located somewhere in between Gurney Drive and George Town, Harvest In Cafe offers affordable menu in a restaurant settings with a modern and chic interior. There are all sorts of variety to choose from ranging from Western to Asian cuisine. This place is jam packed with people if you go around 1pm for lunch. It is advisable to call and make reservation before you go.



Contact: 604-226 1718 / 016-408 0687
Business Hour: 11am - 3pm / 6pm - 10pm
Closed on Sunday and closed for dinner on Tuesday.

RATINGS
Food                                           : 3/5
Service                                        : 3/5
Atmosphere                                 : 4/5
Value for money                           : 4/5
Chances of going back for more   : 3/5 
OVERALL                                    : 3.4/5

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Affordable Japanese Buffet in Singapore


Finding a good place to dine is indeed a challenge in Singapore, not that there is no place at all. On the contrary, there are plenty of choices wherever you go around the island. The only problem is finding a less crowded place with good food.

It is not surprising that with a population of around 5 million, people have to 'reserve' their seating place in food court by placing TISSUE on the seats!

Until one day I found this little place at the middle of nowhere: Sakura International Buffet Restaurant @ Admiralty Park. To get there, you have to take the MRT to Woodlands Station, then take the bus no. 903 from berth no. 4. When you see a huge campus with lots of green on your right, press the bell and alight at the second bus stop. Then walk across the road and you will see the Sakura signboard at the open car park.

The restaurant is located at the bottom of the car park. It is indeed a very clever way of playing with the terrain of the site to tuck it below street level. And yet when you take the stair down and finally arrive at the restaurant's entrance, you don't feel that you are at underground. By having skylights with trees growing all the way up to the car park above and opening up the whole frontage to a lotus pond in front, the interior is very bright and refreshing.

And of course the food..........they have Sashimi, my favourite! Not to mention that the price is very affordable - SGD48.00 for 2 pax.

RATINGS
Food                                           : 4/5
Service                                        : 3/5
Atmosphere                                 : 4/5
Value for money                           : 5/5
Chances of going back for more   : 5/5 
OVERALL                                    : 4.2/5



Tuesday 3 April 2012

Enjoy your coffee!


Can coffee really keep the doctor away? 

While recent findings have been encouraging, there is still a long way before these prove conclusive. 

By Michael Lim

Not all coffees are the same
The universe of research data on coffee is dotted with contradictions on outcomes. Other than methodology and size of studies, some of these differences may be due to the different ways in which coffee is prepared. 

Unfiltered coffee contains chemicals called diterpenes such as kahweol and cafestol, which are associated with an increase in 'bad' cholesterol and hence an increase in risk of heart disease. Some studies suggest that drinking unfiltered boiled coffee can increase cholesterol by as much as 10 per cent.

These chemicals can be removed with a paper filter. The most well-known chemical in coffee is caffeine

On the average, one cup of brewed or one shot of espresso has about 100mg of caffeine.
Decaffeinated coffee contains a few mg in each cup. The equivalent of a lethal dose of caffeine will be akin to drinking 100 cups of coffee.

Will my heart skip a beat?
It is a common perception that drinking coffee can cause your heart to skip a beat. Perception appears to be different from reality. A Canadian study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in January 1991 reviewed five studies of people with abnormal heart rhythms and found that drinking up to five cups of coffee a day did not worsen the heart rhythm.

Interestingly, a study of about 130,000 Kaiser Permanente health insurance members showed that those who were drinking up to three cups of coffee a day were 20% less likely to be hospitalized for abnormal heart rhythms than non-drinkers.

While the Harvard study on 45,000 healthy men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1990, found that coffee drinking had no effect on the risk of heart attack or stroke, studies in the last few years have put a positive spin on coffee.

A more recent study of more than 81,000 men and women in Japan published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health showed that drinking one or two cups of coffee a day was associated with up to a 23% risk reduction of death from heart disease.

Another large 2008 Spanish study in the Annals of Internal Medicine that tracked 129,000 men and women over two decades found that
- women who drank four to five cups per day were 34 per cent less likely to die of heart disease, while
- men who had more than five cups a day were 44 per cent less likely to die

Is coffee good for my brain?
It appears that the benefits on the heart seen in recent large trials appear to extend to the brain as well. 

A 2009 Harvard study of 83,000 women published in the journal Circulation showed those who drank two to four cups of coffee a day had a 19 to 20% lower risk of stroke than women who drank less than one cup a month.

The data was supported by a 2011 Swedish study of 34,670 women published in Stroke journal that found women who drank more than a cup of coffee each day had a 22 to 25% lower risk of stroke than women who drank less coffee.
  
This benefit is not gender-specific and a 2008 Finnish study of more than 26,000 male smokers found that the men who drank eight or more cups of coffee a day had a 23% lower risk of stroke  than the men who drank little or no coffee.

Coffee and other health benefits
Possible benefits that appear to be associated with regular coffee drinking include lower risk of developing 
- diabetes mellitus,
- gallstones, liver damage, 
- dementia,
- Parkinson's disease and
- colon cancer.

In addition, it also appears to be associated with 
- improved cognitive function and
- performance in physical endurance activities.

Should I start drinking coffee?
Before you start recommending coffee to your friends as a health drink, you will need to answer this question: Can coffee be harmful to health?

Most of the purported benefits of regular coffee consumption are statistical associations and researchers have yet to be able to produce definite evidence that coffee has a direct causative effect for these benefits.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Penang Road Bee Hoon Soup

There are quite a number of places scattered around Penang island that serve Bee Hoon soup. The two most common types served come with either fish or pork. My personal favorite is the one located at Ho Ping Coffee Shop; the intersection of Penang Road and Lorong Kampung Malabar.



The stall is located by the road side just in front of the coffee shop as shown at the bottom left of the picture above. They start operating from 5pm and this is the best time to go as you won't have to wait too long. If you go after 7, there will be too many people by then.


The ingredients are pork's kidney, liver, minced meat and even heart and brain! So far I still don't have the gut to try the extreme heart and brain. I always go for minced meat and kidneys. The soup is very rich in flavor, by far the best among the Bee Hoon soup in town. A big bowl will cost you RM8.50 while the small is RM7.00. The place closes on Thursday.


RATINGS
Food                                           : 4/5
Service                                        : 3/5
Atmosphere                                 : 2/5
Value for money                           : 4/5
Chances of going back for more   : 5/5 
OVERALL                                    : 3.6/5

For other recommendation of noodle soup; kindly refer to:
  • Xiang Xia Bee Hoon Soup 
  • Hor Chiu Hai Fish Head Bee Hoon Soup Seafood Porridge