Imperial Court Dim Sum

Parking is always a major hassle if you plan to go to Northbridge (Chinatown) to have Dim Sum (点心) as there is simply too much traffic and not enough car parks. You may end up parking your vehicle far away and having to walk quite a distance before you could sit down, relax and have a nice morning tea with your family.

Fortunately there is a place outside Chinatown but still close to the city where you can find good Dim Sum. Imperial Court is located at Como next to South Perth alongside the Kwinana Freeway. The address is 125 Melville Parade, Como and there is plenty of free parking space along this street. It faces the majestic Swan River and by the look of this magnificent view will sure opens up your appetite.

This place open at 11am but people would start queuing for a seat as early as 10.30am! Yes, this is how popular this restaurant is. One important thing to keep in mind is that if you are meeting someone, make sure that they are there on time and queue up together with you because if they are not there you will end up waiting in front of the reception counter and won't get a seat even if you were the first one in the queue. 

This restaurant's special: Brown Rice Flour Roll

Xiaolongbao (小笼包) / Steamed Bun

Century Egg Porridge. It comes in middle size bowl enough for two.

Chicken Feet

Egg Tart (蛋挞) is quite nice but a bit sweet for me. It could be just me as other people seems to like it a lot.

Deep Fried Prawn Dumpling (炸虾饺) is very good because it is less oily, the prawns are fresh and the dumpling skin is not too thick but very crispy.

烧卖，this classic dish is juicy and fresh.

Steamed Prawn Dumpling (虾饺), the skin is so smooth it feels good in your mouth.

The long queue before the restaurant open for business.

 Opens everyday except Tuesday.

Dosukoi Japanese Ramen @ Fremantle Market

Japanese ramen has become an international dish that you can find it almost everywhere you go and not necessarily just in Japan. However, to try a true authentic ramen you must make sure that it is prepared by a Japanese. And there is exactly one such place not in Japan but in Australia's popular Fremantle Market.

Dosukoi Ramen is located in stall number 7 of the historic Fremantle Market. The owner of this tiny little stall doesn't encourage his customers to takeaway because the noodles will turn soft and soggy after 5 minutes. So the best way to taste this dish is to dine in. Such is his passion in his dish. However it is a challenge to dine in especially during weekends' peak hours as the small stall only has 13 bar-type seating. It is a common sight to find a long queue of people waiting to pay for their orders; get a ticket and leave their mobile phone numbers. They will then wander off within the market waiting for an SMS from Dosukoi asking them to get back to the stall and dine. If you have eaten there before, you will surely agree that it is worth the wait.

The ramen comes with traditional pork bone stock (Tonkotsu) with soy sauce (Shoyu) or Miso flavouring. Alternatively if you don't like ramen, you can go for either Soba or Udon with fish stock base.  

Dosukoi Ramen does not only fulfill your gastronomical satisfaction but you would also find food for thought in the form of 2 poems by Takayama Soramaru hanging at one side of the wall:

"After ego is gone, true essence is left. Me as I am, the world as it is, just are."

"Leaving on a journey, time begins to slow. One day I will be forgotten." 

Maple Gold Restaurant

Penang is famous for its street foods so much so that most tourists come here all the way from all over the world to get a taste of the wonderful various delicacies that are only available here. However, Penang also has its own higher end cuisine which is less known by most people. It has many fine dining restaurants that offer high quality cuisine in luxurious setting.

One such place is the Maple Gold Restaurant at Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah. Although it is a private club with sporting facilities, karaoke and slot machines only available to its members; the restaurant is however open to the public. It is a Chinese restaurant with modern chic interiors and wedding dinners are held regularly here.

Some of the dishes that you have to try are as follow:

1) Peking Duck

Peking Duck

Egg Flour Wrap

My number one pick as you don't get to eat it everyday. And you don't have to go to China to savour this wonderful dish, have it here in Penang! The skin is so crispy and juicy. Some people like to follow the tradition and eat it together with the egg flour wrap that comes together with it, but I for one just like to eat the skin all by itself. 

2) Stir Fried Duck Meat with Dry Chilli

Dry Chilli Duck Meat

If you are not familiar with Chinese cuisine you must be wondering where do all the duck flesh go if we just eat its skin. Nothing is wasted when comes to Chinese cooking, all the flesh is stir fried together with dry chilli.

3) Fish Steamboat

Fish Steamboat

Steamboat is a great way to gather people together surrounding this warm dish that strengthen the bond of family and friends. A bit far fetched but is quite true most of the time. 

4) Special Bean Curd Stuffed with Minced Prawn and Shark's Fin

Special Tofu with Prawn & Shark's Fin

You have surely eaten Shark's Fin Soup before but have you try shark's fin which is stuffed inside bean curd (tofu)? Real special dish, must try.

5) Crispy Skin Chicken

Crispy Skin Chicken

Another fabulous dish and I'm sure most people will first go for the drumstick, thigh and wing parts as these are the most succulent juicy portion of the chicken. All the breast portion will be left behind most of the time.

6) Deep Fried Cod Fish

Deep fried Cod Fish with crispy skin in light soya sauce.

7) Green Dragon Vegetables

Green Dragon Vegetables

A meal will not be complete without vegetables right because we must have a balance diet after all. The name itself makes you feel like an Emperor having a feast. Try the Green Dragon Vegetable, a really rare dish to find in Penang.

Maple Gold always has a special place in my heart because we used to go there on every 5th Day of Chinese New Year to attend our neighbour's birthday celebration. It was the time when everyone in the neighbourhood would come together socializing while being pampered by delicious feast. Our neighbour's uncle would never fail nominated himself and went up the stage half drunk to sing a song or two. Everyone would dress to kill and enjoyed the evening. It reminds me of the atmosphere of Chinese New Year every time I visited Maple Gold.

Kristal Seafood @ Jalan Burmah

Located right opposite the blue Wisma Perkeso in Jalan Burmah is a modest Chu Char shop lot called Kristal Seafood. Serving typical Penang Chu Char (煮炒) dishes in a strategic location in town. Despite its good location it is not as crowded compare to other similar outlets and this is exactly one of its salient points as you can dine in a more comfortable environment.

Some of the dishes that you should try include the Marmite Chicken; the most common Chu Char dishes of Penang which slathers yeast extract onto fried chicken. Another one is Nestum Prawn where egg was mixed together with Nestum and deep fried with fresh juicy prawn. You might also try the Braised Duck in Young Ginger where the light spiciness of the ginger with the tenderness of duck flesh add to your taste sensation without overpowering your palette.  

Some of the wonderful soups they have include: horseradish soup, watercress soup and lotus root soup.

Location: 224-B Jalan Burmah, Pulau Tikus 10350, Penang, Malaysia.

Tel: 04-227 2218

Opening Hours: 4pm - 1.30am

 

Hungry Ghost Festival 2013

This year's Hungry Ghost Festival falls between 7th Aug until 4th Sep. It is a yearly event which is celebrated in a grand scale in Penang. It is believed that the Gates of Hell will be opened during this period and all the imprisoned spirits and ghosts are given a month long holiday to come up from the nether world into our world roaming freely. I would rather believe that the food in Penang is so great that they have to rise up and have a taste of the street foods of George Town. Makeshift altars will be erected overnight in various places around the city together with the culturally rich staged opera performances to entertain the spirits.

Even the ghost are convinced that Penang is indeed the food capital of Malaysia, then what are you waiting for? Make your way to Penang this weekend and enjoy what the city has to offer to you! 

Sungai Pinang Food Court

Right at the intersection of Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu Expressway (formerly known as Jelutong Expressway) is the Sungai Pinang Food Court. You can find many Penang delicacies here like all the major local noodles dishes, dim sum, fried oyster, chicken herbal soup and last but not least my personal favourite Ikan Bakar (grilled fish)! The Ikan Bakar stall is right at the main entrance and is named East Coast BBQ; sounds a bit confusing especially when you are in West Coast of Malaysia.

The seafoods at the stall are very fresh from the catch by local fishermen, this is the advantage of living on an island surrounded by sea! It is always fortunate to be able to live in Penang because there is always no shortage of seafood all year round! Last time I always thought that seafood could be found anywhere in the world until I visited China. I went to Shanghai and Suzhou and realized that the menu only have fresh water fish and not fish from the sea. I prefer fish from the sea as they have sweeter taste and less bones. After that trip I started to be more grateful and contented that I am able to have seafood anytime and anywhere I want while in Penang.

More on the food court at Sungai Pinang Food Court Revisited.

Penang - Asia's No.1 Street Food City

CNNgo has compiled a list of Asia's 10 Greatest Street Food Cities and guess what, Penang came out on top of the other nine! The list is as follow:

1) Penang, Malaysia

2) Taipei, Taiwan

3) Bangkok, Thailand

4) Fukuoka, Japan

5) Hanoi, Vietnam

6) Singapore

7) Seoul, Korea

8) Xi'an, China

9) Manila, The Phillipines

10) Phnom Penh, Cambodia

And the top 10 list of Penang street food goes like this:

1) Penang Assam Laksa

2) Hokkien Mee

3) Wonton Mee

4) Nasi Kandar

5) Rojak  

6) Lor Bak

7) Curry Mee

8) Char Kway Teow

9) Koay Chiap

10) Ice Kacang

Whenever you are in Penang, don't forget to get a copy of Penang Street Food Brochure from airport, major shopping malls and hotels. Happy food hunting while in Penang!