CRIZ BON APPETITE

I have reviewed Mee Manja when I first started on food blogging but I guessed not many would have known about its existence except those regular customers. Manja is the Malay word for “Pampered”. You would have asked why the name “Pampered Noodles”? You might have interpreted it wrongly as that’s the family name for the cook cum owner Encik Aman Manja. He had followed his father and uncle as early as 13 years old when they were located just opposite the recently relocated premise at Jalan Hutton. For over 40 years and 3 generations, Encik Aman has served thousands of loyal customers with his delicious Mee Goreng and Mee Soup. Encik Aman is in fact the elder brother of the famous CRC Mee Goreng stall located in a coffee shop next to Dorsett Hotel, Jalan Larut, Penang.

While most of the Mee Goreng stalls in Penang are using the modern technology to blend their ingredients, Encik Aman believed in using the traditional way to grind his ingredients with the old fashion Batu Giling (Metate Millstone). According to him, that would preserve the original taste of the blended items. Mee Manja’s style of cooking the noodles is totally different compared to the rest. Their noodles (Mee, Bee Hoon or Koay Teow) are more towards the salty chicken bones soup based flavor, whether fried or soup. You can opt for plain, chicken, beef or mixed meat too. If you do not want spiciness, you would have to inform him.

The Chicken/Beef Mee Soup (RM4) is the most popular in his stall as you can taste the sweetness from the chicken stock. This is really good for eat in. Takeaway would make it soggy.

Somehow, I preferred his Beef/Chicken Mee Goreng (RM4). I felt that the amount of spiciness and taste was just right for me. I do not even have to squeeze any lime juice or sprinkle any vinegar soy sauce served with fresh cut green chillies as provided.

Encik Aman is quite a sociable and friendly person. You can ask him anything in English or Bahasa Malaysia. Finding the place now would be easier compared to previously. His shop is just on your right at the traffic lights between Jalan Penang and Jalan Hutton. Parking might be a problem as it is illegal to park next to a traffic light. You may opt to park your car at his previous shop at Lebuh Clarke or Lebuh Dicken (next to Mydin Supermarket) and walk to his shop.

It has been as a long time since I have taken any Laksa and decided to visit the famous Farlim Shell Station Laksa stall. Coincidentally, PenangTuaPui also have the same thoughts as we went exactly to the same shop, the same day, only at a different time. The last time I went to the shop for their Laksa, they where at the opposite coffee shop where the crowd was amazing. When I went back to the same shop the other day, I was stunned by the lack of customers and stalls in that shop. Then only did I realize that they had moved to the opposite coffee shop with a big signboard “Farlim Shell Station Laksa Café”.

Walking by the Laksa stall, I could smell the fragrant assam aroma of the boiling Laksa soup. Upon finding a cool spot to sit down, I ordered a bowl of their famous Laksa (RM3). It came with a full boneless Ikan Kembong (Indian Mackerel). It was so fresh that you could even see the glitters on its body. The yummy local delicacy consists of thick and spingy rice vermicelli, lots of sliced big onions, cucumber, lettuce, pineapple, chilies and some mint leaves and shredded bunga kantan (torch ginger); accompanied by the fragrant soup base (a combination of assam peel, blended shallots, garlic, chilies, candlenuts, galangal, turmeric, shrimp paste (belacan) and lemongrass); and topped with thick hae gou (black prawn paste).

Although the total dish was great in taste, I still prefer it to be spicier and sour to my liking. Maybe it could be due to the change of cook as I felt that when they were selling along the roadside at the Shell Petrol Station (Jalan Angsana), the soup tasted better. Anyway, the stall did sell some crispy spring rolls (90sen each) too. It tasted real nice when dipped into the Laksa soup.

As the bowl of Laksa could not fill up my ever hungry tummy, I ordered a set of Steamed Bun with Bak Kua (BBQ Pork Slice) and Bak Hoo (Pork Floss) costing me RM2 for both.

As for drinks, I ordered their Ching Po Leung (RM2) which has lots of ingredients such as green sago balls, Attap Chee (Nipah Palm), red beans, red sweet potatoes, dried and wet longan (dragon’s eyes) and some jellies. Although the dessert tasted quite fine, I prefer it to have more sweetness from the Lo Han Guo (magic fruit) instead of adding more syrup.

By the time I finished that bowl of Ching Po Leung, I was still thirsty from the humid weather. I tried out their Ais Kacang (Shaved Ice) at RM2. The sweetness and creaminess seemed to be missing from this dessert. Moreover, there were not much ingredients in it except lots of shaved ice.

Feeling still half filled, I saw some long packets of Keropok Ikan (Fish Crackers – RM3) hanging by the Laksa stall. I bought one packet home to test it out. It was great. The crackers were really crispy and puffy without any hardness in them. This is a must to have while watching TV as I had finished one whole packet within minutes.

If you are not a local, you might get lost trying to find this place. It is in fact within the latest commercial area in Farlim, Air Itam, next to where they have the biggest Pasar Malam (night market) on every Wednesday night. If you are coming from the main road at Jalan Air Itam into Farlim (Jalan Thean Teik), you would pass by one traffic light until you reach a crossroad traffic light. Block 7A is on your left. Turn right into Lebuhraya Thean Teik. Drive forward until you see a small lane on your left (Medan Angsana 1). Drive into the lane until you see Anak Ku Baby Wear Shop. Turn right into the road (Medan Angsana 4) and you will see the shop on your left towards the end.

I had a laugh when I asked Allen and Steven if they would like to join me for a round of “Teong Kok Hoo Chi” (Chinese shark’s fins) yesterday for dinner. Both of them thought that I was crazy enough to go for a RM40 small bowl of soup without realizing that this was the local term used for Economy Bee Hoon (Rice Vermicelli)/Mee (Yellow Noodle) which would cost me RM1-RM1.50 per plate. LOL! I have been using this term ever since I was in my primary school which was ten of years ago. We used to call this dish the “poor man’s shark’s fin”.

Anyway, after a few days of lavish dining, I thought of visiting such stall for a simple meal which is cheap yet delicious. I have tried many such stalls within the town area and find this one along Jalan CY Choy to be one of the best around. Other than having some add on like their ever delicious Lor Bak (Pork Roll), they have something better. Their noodles did not have the strong taste of unwashed Lye water. Here’s my large plate of the Economy Mee (RM1.50) with some sweet chili sauce and fried sweetened tofu sheet (Teik Gar Kee in Hokkien).

If you feel that the noodles is too plain for your taste bud, you can always add in their delicious Lor Bak (RM1 each roll). If you want to try them, make sure you be there early as those yummy rolls will normally be sold out after 9pm. Anyway, you can also contact them if you would like to purchase some from them for your functions.

There would be one disadvantage if you are a person who would want to have some cold drinks with your meal. They do not sell drinks. But you can always try out their desserts which are not so sweet. The Peanut Soup and Red Bean Soup are only selling at 80sen per bowl.

The stall is just in front of SMJK (C) Sum Min at the junction of Lebuh Tye Sin (Si Teow Lor) and Jalan CY Choy. You sure won’t miss it.

Still remember when I was posting up the “Idris Karipap Ayam & Daging” review? I did mention a hawker stall down in Jalan Jones (Jones Road) selling many different types of Kuih Melayu. In fact, there have almost 80 types of modern and traditional Malay kuih (Malay desserts), noodles and rice to fill up your appetite. They call themselves the Mat Relax Corner – a place you can enjoy your favorite local delicacies while seeping in their thick creamy Teh Tarik. The good news is that you could try out any 5 different kuih at merely RM2. Unless there is a price tag on the tray, each item would cost you only 40sen. The cheapest in Penang!

For the last 12 years, they have been there along Jalan Jones and Jalan Kelawei junction selling those yummy desserts. People from all walks of life would gather there for breakfast or afternoon tea. You could even see some in ties sealing some deals there. Surprised right? You can start savoring their food as early as 6.30am but my recommendation would be after 3.00pm as that would be the ideal time for more hot steaming items being displayed on the tables. Here are some of their yummy kuih-muih.

As I always love to consume salty items rather than sweet things, I would like to recommend their Popiah Goreng, Cucur Bawang and Udang, Roti Sumbat Sambal Ikan Bilis and some of their tasty rice and noodles. You can even add in their Sambal Tau Kua if you would like more ingredients in your food.

Finding Mat Relax Corner would not be hard as it is strategically located at the junction of Jalan Jones and Jalan Kelawei, next to the Pulau Tikus UDA Flat. I would advise you to find a place somewhere before the stalls as the place would be high in traffic.

Every year after the celebration of the Nine Jade Emperors mother’s birthday, which is coincidentally the Chinese birthday of my Auntie, we would adjoin to a hotel for buffet lunch on the following Sunday. This year, we had decided to celebrate her birthday together with 60 guests at Sarkies Corner in E&O Hotel for the second consecutive year. From our previous experience, we agreed that the hotel did provide the best money for value buffet hi-tea around town.

By paying just RM42++ (adults) or RM21++ (children) or RM32++ (senior citizen), you could savor one of the most wonderful spread of buffet lines in Penang, ranging from hawker fares to international favorites. Although I had reviewed them earlier, I would like to reassess their standard this time compared to the time when they were only charging RM38++ per adult. With a mere increase of RM4++, the spread this time was incredible. Just look at what I had on my plate for appetizer.

As for the main course, you can try out their ever changing spread of rice and meat section. I could not describe all as there were not less than 15 dishes including Buttered Rice, Nasi Kuyit, Beef Rendang, Curry Chicken, Grilled Lamb in Mint Sauce, etc. Their Roasted Duck, Chicken Wing and Chicken Char Siew stall was always packed. You can even get a whole duck drumstick all for your self.

If you are a fish head lover, try the Curry Salmon Fish Head. It’s worth more than RM30 each outside with that meaty size.

Fancy some grills and tempura seafood? There’s abundant at the grill section with a wide selection of fresh scallops, prawns, salmon, cod fish, seafood on skewers, etc. On top of that, you can have some prawn fritters, tempura “sand divers” (lizardfish/sua chui), crab sticks, etc.

There’s also the hawker section outdoor at the garden area. I forgo that as I was too full. You can savor the thick and juicy Chicken and Beef Satay, Roti Canai, Murtabak, Char Koay Teow, Laksa and Ice Kacang (Shaved Ice with Syrups).

By the time it was for dessert, I was almost at the brim. I thought I could still have some space left for some Pineapples, Dragon Fruits, Watermelons, Papayas or even the 6-flavored ice cream but I could fill no more. How to eat more when I have filled myself up with 50% of the sweet items as these?

(Clockwise): Sago with Coconut Milk and Gula Melaka, Mini Chocolate Tart, Fruit Tart, Mini Butter Cake, Lemon Crystal Jelly with Dragon Fruit, Ivory Cake, Steamed Bread and Butter, Rich Fruit Cake, Chocolate Brownies, Mixed Fruit & Nuts Pie, Grape and Marshmallow Chocolate Fondue.

After this very enjoyable hi-tea buffet lunch, I would like to upgrade my assessment for Sarkies Corner. I would say that they are perfect for the appetite of any nationals, whether young or old.

Visiting the restaurant is one thing but getting a place to dine in would be hard as it would always be full. Make sure you make your reservation a few days earlier to avoid getting disappointed. To get there, just follow the map below as the hotel is situated within the hot nightspots of Penang along Upper Penang Road.

Since I’m into introducing the finger food of Penang, let me introduce you to the Malay version of tea time desserts @ kuih-muih. If you frequent Tanjung Tokong a lot, you would see a signboard by Jalan Tanjung Tokong with the word “Idris Karipap Ayam & Daging” – 60sen each. That’s where Idris’s stall has been for about a decade. One walk near to the stall and you would see endless quantity of karipap being fried in a big wok.

It was only recently that I had gone up that area after a long absence to try out their karipap again. Although the karipap had gone longer and more flat in shape, the filling was still as tasty as before. If you are in for beef, do try out their beef karipap as I found them to be better than the chicken karipap which was much drier but still tasty. The only problem I had was that I prefer flakier dough compared to their slightly harder ones. I hope they can improve on that.

On top of the karipap, they do occasionally sell other yummy Malay kuih-muih. If you are lucky enough, you might get some really nice ones fresh from the oven. I’m going to show you some of the tea time finger food that they have at the time I was there.

Although Idris’s stall does have some good desserts, you can also try out another stall at the junction of Jalan Kelawei and Jalan Jones in Pulau Tikus after 3.00pm on week days. They have many varieties of kuih-muih as well as nasi lemak, nasi ayam, nasi daging, nasi tomato and fried noodles for takeaways. I always get indecisive when choosing from their over 25 types of kuih-muih for my tea time.

Idris Karipap stall is strategically located along Jalan Tanjung Tokong. If you are coming from Pulau Tikus towards Tanjung Bungah, you can see the stall on the left just immediately after the traffic lights along Jalan Fettes. In case you miss it, it is opposite the Ubi Food Court which is next to the Tanjung Tokong Petronas Petrol Kiosk.

Do you believe in Ladies’ Luck? I did and it worked. LOL! I have frequent this shop almost monthly for a few years but never had the opportunity to meet up with the boss but it took Gill’s visit there for the first time to meet up with him. Don’t you think that’s luck? Haha! Anyway, this stall has been there for about a decade, serving and supplying to those community from the different jetties surrounding there and many more. Little known to the outside communities, they are the wholesale supplier of yummy fritters for many food stalls, retailers, weddings, birthdays and parties. They have four types of fritters sold, mainly prawn fritters (Hae Chee) – 90sens, bean curd prawn fritter (Tau Kua Chee) – 90sens, mini spring rolls (Poh Piah Chee) – 80sens and pork rolls (Loh Bak) – RM1.60.

If you are observant enough, you would also see some packets of yellow noodles by the side. This is another way of taking the prawn fritters accompanied by the raw noodles. I have not tried that before as I prefer to take my noodles well cooked minus the taste of the lye water.Some might consider the price of the Loh Bak selling at RM1.30 a piece to be expensive. To me, it’s still reasonable as the pork roll is longer than the norms. There is also another thing that you have to take note of. If you are having takeaways, make sure that you consume soon as the fritters may lose their crunchiness. If you intend to get them for later consumption, either you order and collect them nearer to your party time or you can ask them to semi-fry your orders so that you could refry them when you need them later.

For those people not staying near Weld Quay area, you might get lost trying to locate this shop as it is hidden from the view of the main road. If you are coming from The Pengkalan Weld Shell Petrol Kiosk, just drive forward until you have reached a coffee shop by the name of Xen Teck Café with a little shrine next to it o your left. Drive into the lane and you can see the shed where it housed this stall.

Barely few hours ago was the bon voyage of the Nine Emperor Gods’ spirits to heaven from earth. It was also the birthday of Tao Bo Hood (also known as Tou Mu, Ma Zu, Matsu, Da Mao, Tian Hou), the mother of the Nine Emperor Gods. She is the Chinese form of Buddhist Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, sometimes known as the Thousand-Hand Guan Yin. Apart from praying with lots of Mee Koo (Turtle Shaped Buns) and fruits, I was also treated with a sit down vegetarian lunch.

This was one of the most enjoyable vegetarian meals I have been waiting for each year on the last day of the celebration. Who could resist all the home cooked dishes by the experienced aunties? Moreover, there were more than 20 types of yummy vegetarian dishes at any one time, even more than the plates of rice on the table. LOL! There were also over 10 kinds of local Nyonya delicacies and free flow of thick black local coffee and Chinese tea.

Without fail, I would always seek the advice of the chef on how to cook his vegetarian bee hoon (rice vermicelli) properly. Although he had shared his recipe with me years ago, I just could not get the taste as nice as the way he cooks it. The recipe only consists of bee hoon, shredded carrots, cabbages, sliced mushroom, fermented soy beans and red fermented bean curds. It’s so simple and yet so hard to cook. Sweat~

The dishes that I had there were all magnificent. Just to share with you some of the many dishes below:

Towards the end of the day, I took some photos of the Nine Emperor Gods procession together with Allen and Steven. Nothing much to brag about as the whole event went by so fast.

The interesting things I have noticed were only the long Thaipusam-like skewers piercing through the cheeks of some of the devotees in trance.

If you are a fan of the former 68 Kelawei which has relocated to Batu Ferringhi area under the name The Eclectic, you would surely love the fusion style of food prepared by Beach Blanket Babylon. In fact, Beach Blanket Babylon, The Eclectic, Thirty Two At The Mansion and Bagan 18 are all members of the Penang’s premier group of restaurants. Beach Blanket Babylon is a great relaxation place for food and beverages after a hectic day of work. Located at Penang’s trendiest and most happening Upper Penang Road, it offers great dining areas inside with an English styled ambience, Al Fresco for outdoor diners who prefer to enjoy the light breeze from the Straits of Malacca and a dimly lighted but romantic upper level with mattresses and pillows to cuddle.

Other than the wine and cigars which the café is promoting, they have an interesting menu which comprised of soups, salads, house specialties, main courses, sandwiches, snacks and desserts. The most interesting part is that they do change their menu weekly. Having enjoyed their food ever since they were in different locations in Pulau Tikus and Georgetown before, I was more than eager to find out what they have in store for us. Having all eyes and concentrating deeply onto the menu, we chose a soup and a main course each. We have to skip the desserts as we were still having hangovers from having too much of Jenni’s yummy Tiramisu Cake earlier. LOL!

The soup came first. The Cream of Mushroom Soup (RM8) was way ahead in quality compared to those I have taken before. A few types of mushrooms (fresh ones too I presume) were blended and cooked with barley/rice until broth-like. I love this dish a lot and I do not even have to add in more pepper or salt. The taste was just perfect.

The Sweet Potato and Coriander Soup (RM8) was also great. You can practically get the sweetness of the potato and at the same time the fragrant aroma from the blended coriander.

Immediately after we have finished our soup, the main course was served – Chargrilled Rosemary Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce (RM21) with plentiful of French fries and boiled vegetables. To my surprise, this dish was served on a sizzling plate although it was not stated in the menu. The chicken was well marinated and the taste of the black pepper sauce blended in real well.

Next dish was another surprise as I was expecting just a piece of roasted chicken with some salads but it came with a large bowl of steamed rice. The Quarter Roast Chicken with Mushroom Sauce (RM18) was truly amazing. The sauce itself was a compliment to the overall taste of the roasted chicken. Instead of the usual white sauce mushroom gravy, it came with a touch of tomato puree, herbs and some sliced Chinese mushrooms. This dish is truly magnificent.

Since we were having late dinner, we only ordered Chilled Grapefruit Juice (RM8) and Ice Lemon Tea (RM7.50). Overall, we spent RM77.55, inclusive of a 10% Service Charge. To some, the food might be considered pricy but it was worth every cents to be there dining, using the WIFI service and at the same time watching all the party goers walking by to some of the pubs and discos surrounding there.

Finding your way to Beach Blanket Babylon would not be hard at all as it is situated at a corner lot just directly opposite E&O Hotel (Eastern & Oriental Hotel) along Lebuh Farquhar. Parking can be quite chaotic on weekends. You can opt to park your car in the Penang Bowl car park or a not so far away Red Garden car park (opposite Cititel) and take a stroll to Upper Penang Road entertainment area.

Do you think that floggers are a bunch of great eaters? Well, I must admit that I am surely one as I never stop eating good food anytime of the day. As for my tea time today, I ate 1/8 of a Tiramisu Cake from Jenni Homemade Cakes & Bakery (RM4.40), 2 packs of thin Steamed Potato Kimchi Crackers (40sens) and a hot cup of Old Town White Coffee (RM1.10).

Well, who could resist the temptation of savoring Jenni’s homemade cakes? Not only are the cakes moist and rich in taste, the best part is that they are not too sweet for my taste bud. The greatest news is you can buy selected cakes in halves or quarters. You must try out their cheese cakes. As for me, I can never stop taking them although I did realize that I had gained a few inches to my waistline. LOL! If you are a chocolate and cheese lover, my recommendation would be that you try out their Chocolate Mint Cake, Chocolate Dark/White Belgian, Chocolate Truffle, Chocolate Spanish, Chocolate Rum and of course their Green Tea Cheese Cake and Tiramisu. In fact, you can try out most of their delicious mouth watering 1/2 kg cakes since you can buy them in quarters.

Whenever I consume cakes, I would normally get something salty too. What do you think of a small pack of 5 thin slices of yummy Steamed Potato Kimchi Crackers at 20sen per packet? Wow! It is real cheap! I managed to get 20 small packs from a local wholesale shop for RM4.00. It is a real bargain as the crackers were real good. They come in a few different flavors such as plain, kimchi, tomato and seaweed. I have not tried the other flavors but since the kimchi ones were real good, I would expect the rest to be just as great.

Visiting the cake house would be easy as the Pulau Tikus branch is just next to the Bandar Baru Supermarket along Jalan Cantonment Road. The Bandar Baru Branch is just opposite the Bayan Baru Market (next to Sunshine Square Supermarket) along the main road of Jalan Mayang Pasir.