CRIZ BON APPETITE

At times, we would love to dine out at a restaurant with great ambience and good service, thus Sea Queen Restaurant at Straits Quay, Penang could be the ideal choice with great options for delicious seafood. Overlooking a splendid seafront, the restaurant pampers its diners with freshly caught seafood in its most authentic and delicious ways. Sea Queen Restaurant can accommodate up to 1800 patrons or 180 tables for both indoor and outdoor events including weddings, annual corporate dinners, anniversaries, birthdays or any private functions.

To start the meal rolling, you could always choose one of their Signature Appetizers which would be the Deep Fried Soft-shelled Crabs with Salad and Mustard Sauce (RM30++). The crispy batter fried soft shelled crabs combined with the wasabi spiced up mayonnaise were heavenly palatable especially when you combine with some of the fresh greens.

You may also want to try out their many varieties of quality enriched soup but we skipped that and went for their Signature Roasted Chicken in Thai Style (RM30++ for half bird). You may think that it would be just some roasted chicken in some Thai chili sauce but it was more than that. It was a 2-in-1 dish with some nicely roasted chicken with delicious crispy skin served alongside with some spicy Thai salad tossed with some chicken breast meat. It was a killer.

The main dish for the meal was definitely the Deep Fried Crab with Rock Salt & Spices (market price at RM12/100g – estimated price for this meat crab dish (~600g x 2 crabs) was at RM140++). It was a remarkably prepared dish that caught all of us licking our fingers endlessly to savor any excess flavors~ LOL~ 😛 The size of those crabs and the unique way in the preparation would surely make me go back for more in the future. However, do not be stingy and do request for bigger sizes of crabs as smaller ones won’t be as fulfilling as bigger ones through my experiences dining there a few times.

As for prawns, their Deep Fried Prawn “Tian Jin” Salad with Crispy Cheese (RM50++/ medium) was something great to indulge in. On top of being super fresh, each bite had the fragrance and flavors from the deep fried cheese crumbles.

If you are into claypot dishes, their Braised Sliced Pork Belly with Salted Fish (RM20++/small) was a hit amongst us as the flavors were great to go with hot steaming rice.

For more exotic flavors, you could always order their Braised Venison with Special Sauce in Stone Pot (RM20++/small). The dish was somewhat like the sweet and sour pork but with higher usages of pineapple slices and capsicums. Taste wise, it was fine except that I would have expected more tender venison slices for smoother bites. A light squeeze of grated ginger juice would have done that justice.

There should always be at least a healthy dish to balance up our meal, thus we ordered a few meatless dishes to go with our meal. Firstly, it was the Braised Bean Curd with Bean Roots (RM12++/small). The dish practically consisted of some slices of deep fried homemade tofu, topped with some bean curd sticks and served with baby bok choy in flavorful gravy. We also tried out their Stir Fried Crispy Vegetables with Almond Flakes (RM15+/small). It was just a basic stir fry vegetables with added lotus roots topped with some deep fried almond flakes. To top up more vegetables, we also had their Stir Fried Angel Luffa with Shimeji Mushrooms and Black Fungus (RM15++/small). Again, it was just another basic vegetables dish, except this dish has additional sweetness from the added wolfberries.

If you are not planning to have your dishes with steaming rice, you can always opt for other styles of stir fried rice and noodles. One of the recommended ones would be their Sea Queen Special Mixed Fried & Crispy Rice (RM12++/small). It was quite unique as it combined puffy yet crispy deep fried cooked rice, fried until perfection. You can also try out their Stir Fried Hor Fun with Seafood & Egg Sauce (RM12++/small). I quite like this dish as the added eggs were oozy and raw enough to my liking. On top of this, you can also try out their Signature Stir Fried Rice Vermicelli & Glass Noodles (RM12++/small). I loved the “wok hei” aka high heat cooking here as it had that extra burned taste to my liking. Moreover, the combination of rice vermicelli (bee hoon) and glass noodles (tang boon) were flavorful and great for my palate.

To complete our meal, we had desserts and one of my recommended ones would be their Signature Chilled Lemongrass Jelly with Lime (RM5++ each). The dessert was great after a hearty meal of rich food as the sourness from the added lime sorbet surely did clear the excess oiliness in the mouth. It came with some added basil seeds for the extra texture on top of the smooth crystal jelly like lemongrass jelly. If you like a firmer texture of jelly, you can try out their Chilled Osmanthus Jelly (RM5++/6 pieces). The jelly had a significantly distinctive chrysanthemum flavor with added osmanthus petals and wolfberries. You can also try out their Chilled Gui Ling Gao with Longan (RM5++/bowl) served with honey. It had the distinctive herbal bitterness, not something palatable to anyone if they do not like having bitter herbal tea for cooling the body. For me, it was a quality bowl of almost konnyaku jelly like texture which was quite ideal for my body’s well-being as bitterness is one of the qualities beneficial to our body system to eliminate the toxic within.

Overall, I quite like the spreads in their Ala Carte Menu, especially those fresh seafood items, namely the crabs. Moreover, they do have some unique desserts that would be quite ideal to end any meal either chilled or hot. Compared to many other restaurants of the same category, their pricing could be quite reasonable as they have their own fish farm to cater to their own supplies.

You can check out more on my reviews on their Set Lunch Promotion and Wedding Packages by clicking on the links.

It’s easy to locate the restaurant as it’s located within the Straits Quay Marina Mall premises. Drive all the way up Jalan Tanjung Tokong until you see Tesco Seri Tanjung Pinang on your right. At the traffic lights, turn right into Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang. Drive all the way until you see the colonial style mall building. Turn into the left of the building and drive straight until the end towards the beach area and you will see the restaurant. Parking is at RM1 per entry.

Name: SEA QUEEN RESTAURANT
Address: G3 & 3A, Straits Quay, Seri Tanjung Pinang, Tanjung Tokong, 10470 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: +6010-404 0299, +6010-405 0299
Website: www.seaqueen.my
Business Hours: 11.00am-2.30pm/6.00pm-10.30pm (Daily), 11.00am-11.00pm (Public Holidays)
GPS: 5.459273, 100.314161

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

If you or any of your relatives or friends would want to plan a wedding banquet, fret no more as Sea Queen Restaurant at Straits Quay, Penang, has the exact locations for your memorable occasion at one of the wedding venues, whether it’s indoor or outdoor. Sea Queen Restaurant has been boasted as one of the great wedding venues in Penang with a few venues within Strait Quay Marina Mall to cater to your wedding reception needs. You can have your wedding reception indoor with a capacity of up to 40 tables or you could also combine another 55 tables outdoor together with your garden wedding reception. Do check out with them on other facilities such as a cruise out to the sea on a chartered yacht for a minimal fee of RM500++ (8 pax). If you are looking for a bigger venue, they do have the Level 6 equipped with private kitchen to cater to up to 200 tables. Well, what about guests who required Halal dishes to be served? You’ll be in for a surprise as they have that thought of too as they do have another section at Level 4 which could cater to the Muslim crowds up to 100 tables. If you had a hard time finding a venue for your wedding reception, do check out with them as they are very accommodative to help you solve your worries.

Before I go into details on one of their wedding packages, let’s have a look at their standard Wedding Menu. There are all together 5 menus (Pearl, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire and Diamond), ranging from RM488++ until RM1188++ per table. The dishes may look as though they had been fixed but the restaurant does allow some of the items to be changed to suit your needs.

We did try out their Emerald Wedding Package (RM668++) which came with 9 items instead of the usual 8-dishes package. We started off with the Five Hot & Cold Combination Platter. The platter came with four hot dishes and one cold dish which consisted of Crab & Minced Meat Rolls, Curry Potatoes in Glutinous Rice “Pear”, Ham & Nori Meat Rolls, Stir Fry Mixed Vegetables with Seafood and Chilled Spicy Jelly Fish with Smoked Duck. I quite like the Crab & Minced Meat Rolls and Chilled Spicy Jelly Fish with Smoked Duck. However, the rest of the item on the platter would need some improvements. The Ham & Nori Meat Rolls tasted too “fake” to my liking. I would prefer this item to be replaced with grilled bacon with minced prawns, something simple yet delectable. Steamed stuffed Shitake mushroom in some eggy sauce would also be nice. The Curry Potatoes in Glutinous Rice “Pear” may look unique but texture and bite wise, it was almost dessert-like to my liking. I would prefer the filling to be more savory base with fillings such as minced meat with spring onions/chives for that extra bite.

Next on the list was the Braised Seafood Soup with Crab Meat. Taste wise, it was proven to be pepped up with rich stock and fresh crab meat. However, I sensed that something was missing from the soup to give it a bit more flavors and texture. I would suggest the kitchen to garnish the soup with some deep fried scallops to justify the quality of the soup.

The Stewed Chicken with Chinese Herbs Wrapped in Aluminum Foil was somehow too mild for me. It lacked the distinctive herbal flavors as I would have expected. I would think Steamed Stuffed Roasted Chicken or commonly known as 8-Jewels Chicken/Pat Po Chicken would be a better choice as a replacement.

We were also served with Steamed Snapper with Siamese Sauce. No doubt the fish was extremely fresh but the sauce somehow did not taste Siamese as I would have expected. It tasted more towards Indian curry with a dash of lime juice. I won’t mind having the dish in other Thai-style cooking method such as the Pla Phat Phet, a galangal and coconut milk enriched spicy curry base or even the Pra Nung Ma-Naew, a lemon juice and chopped red chilies based appetizing gravy. Even a simple plum, salted vegetables and tofu way of steaming would do more justice to this fish dish.

The Pan Fried Sea Prawns was something simple and yet flavorful to my liking. The sauce had just the right aromatic flavors to capture my attention. How I wished I had a plain bowl of rice at that time to savor this delicious dish.

There was also a common dish you’ll see served in most banquets which was the Trio Mushrooms with Bean Curd Roots & Bean Curd Puff. I did find the dish to be most appropriate to be served after a long list of cholesterol-rich dishes. However, it would be great if the kitchen were to tone down on the rich usage of sauce as we were not dining with plain rice.

As usual, the last dish prior to dessert would be a starch based dish, namely Steamed Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf. Somehow having rice in replacement for glutinous rice in this dish was not to my palate. It did not bring out the flavors in the generously added ingredients. There are many signature styles of fried rice available in the restaurant and I hope the kitchen would replace this rice dish with something more unique. Maybe the kitchen can think out of the box and come out with something as simple as Pumpkin Fried Rice, Wax Meat Fried Rice, Crab Meat/Seafood Fried Rice, etc.

The restaurant does have some unique desserts to end the course meals. We ended our meal with Chilled Longan with Syrup and Sweet Fancy Double Delights. The former was something quite common and nothing much to shout about but the latter was something I would love to give them credit for their hard work. We were served with hot mini steamed buns filled with lovely oozy yet buttery custard. On top of that, we were also served a chilled mocha-like dessert filled with fragrant pandan (screwpine) custard. What a great way to end the dinner.

Overall, the spreads for their Emerald Wedding Package (RM668++) was quite standard in any wedding banquet. There are still rooms for improvements compared to the ala carte dishes I had earlier. Though their pricing could be quite competitive on the market, I would love to see more variance in their dishes compared to other wedding menus out there.

You can check out more on my reviews on their Set Lunch Promotion and Ala Carte Dishes by clicking on the links.

It’s easy to locate the restaurant as it’s located within the Straits Quay Marina Mall premises. Drive all the way up Jalan Tanjung Tokong until you see Tesco Seri Tanjung Pinang on your right. At the traffic lights, turn right into Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang. Drive all the way until you see the colonial style mall building. Turn into the left of the building and drive straight until the end towards the beach area and you will see the restaurant. Parking is at RM1 per entry.

Name: SEA QUEEN RESTAURANT
Address: G3 & 3A, Straits Quay, Seri Tanjung Pinang, Tanjung Tokong, 10470 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: +6010-404 0299, +6010-405 0299
Website: www.seaqueen.my
Business Hours: 11.00am-2.30pm/6.00pm-10.30pm (Daily), 11.00am-11.00pm (Public Holidays)
GPS: 5.459273, 100.314161

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

For those who would like to have fuss-free meals in a less crowded place with great ambience and good service, you could consider paying Sea Queen Restaurant at Straits Quay, Penang. Currently, they do provide quick lunch set meals during weekdays (11.00am until 2.30pm, excluding public holidays) at RM7.90++ per set – a bowl of rice with your choice of dish, on top of a complimentary bowl of their home-cooked soup-of-the-day plus free-flow of tea/water. One thing for sure, you won’t get bored as there’s a total combination of 32 options for your lunch, namely 4 meat options (chicken, fish fillet, mantis shrimps & pork), cooked to your preferred style, namely with dried chilies sauce, dried shrimps sauce, spring onions & ginger sauce, sweet & sour sauce, marmite sauce, wheat flakes, lemon sauce or mixed vegetables.

During one of our visits to Straits Quay Marina Mall, we paid the restaurant a visit and tried out their set lunch. To get a better experience, we ordered chicken with marmite sauce, thus Marmite Chicken. The set came with a bowl of hot steaming rice, some generous amount of chicken slices in sweet based marmite sauce plus some side greens. We were served Pork Tripe Soup for the day and it was quite rich in flavors, especially from pepper corns. Overall, it was one of our preferred choices.

We also tried out their Fish Fillet in Lemon Sauce. Flavor wise, it was appetizing. However, it would be better if the kitchen were to cook the fish in bigger slices instead of cutting them into strips to maintain the moist within.

Lastly, we ordered their mantis shrimps in dried shrimp sauce. Locally, we called this dish Kam Heong Mantis Shrimps which has a bit of curry powder, stir fried with dried shrimps and curry leaves. No doubt this was another dish in demand. However, I personally would prefer the batter coated mantis shrimps to be crispier with less sauce. It was a bit overwhelming to go with the rice.

Overall, I do find the set meals here to be fuss-free and yet affordable. We could resist dining in an air-conditioned restaurant and paying only RM7.90++ for a meal and to be served like a king or a queen? Moreover, there are 32 combinations of set meals you can choose from and the soup provided would be of good quality. Please do take note that the set lunch is only available on weekdays.

You can check out more on my reviews on their Ala Carte Dishes and Wedding Packages by clicking on the links.

It’s easy to locate the restaurant as it’s located within the Straits Quay Marina Mall premises. Drive all the way up Jalan Tanjung Tokong until you see Tesco Seri Tanjung Pinang on your right. At the traffic lights, turn right into Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang. Drive all the way until you see the colonial style mall building. Turn into the left of the building and drive straight until the end towards the beach area and you will see the restaurant. Parking is at RM1 per entry.

Name: SEA QUEEN RESTAURANT
Address: G3 & 3A, Straits Quay, Seri Tanjung Pinang, Tanjung Tokong, 10470 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: +6010-404 0299, +6010-405 0299
Website: www.seaqueen.my
Business Hours: 11.00am-2.30pm/6.00pm-10.30pm (Daily), 11.00am-11.00pm (Public Holidays)
GPS: 5.459273, 100.314161

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

For those workers at the UNESCO Heritage Site of George Town, Penang, you are in luck as a new self-service Japanese fast food by the name of Sumo Sumo Fine & Fast Japanese Food Restaurant has recently opened an outlet along Lebuh Bishop, Penang, on 7 September 2015. The concept is real simple. You walk in, order your food from the menu at the back of the counter, pay for your food, collect a number and wait for your collection of your orders. You can even add on a cold or hot beverage with an additional RM1.50. The best part is… all items are NETT PRICE. There are also ample seats available for a quick meal.

For those who love to have rice (don), there are some impressive dishes on the Don Series. One of the most ordered items on this list would be their Sumo Chicken Don (RM9.90nett). The bowl of goodies had a base of steamed rice (a mix of Japanese & Thai rice grain) with a light drizzle of sweet gravy, topped with some slices of karaage chicken slices with some homemade salad dressing. It came served with a generous amount of fresh greens. Impressive! It had just the right amount of steamed rice to keep your tummy filled.

Another impressive to my liking would be their Teriyaki Salmon Don (RM13.90). It came with quite a large slab of grilled salmon topped with some teriyaki sauce and lots of fresh greens too. Slurpilicious!

For those who love to have some Japanese curry over your rice, their Tempura Curry Don (RM9.90) can be quite tasty. To my surprise, I thought they would just serve the rice with some vegetables tempura, but they did add in a tempura prawn too. However, I did find the curry base to be a bit too mushy due to the usage of too much blended potatoes. Moreover, it did lack a touch of fruity green apples to enhance the flavors and bost up the appetite. Overall, it was still a great dish to savor and real valued for your money.

I did also try out their Udon Noodles with Teriyaki Chicken (RM11.90). I was impressed with the quality of udon they were using. It was not the soft soggy type but one with the right al dente texture to please my taste bud. Moreover, the broth had just the right balance of flavors from the usage of fresh ingredients. I also liked how they served the teriyaki chicken on a separate dish as I could taste out the flavorful marinate on the nicely grilled chicken.

At the moment, they only have Karaage Chicken (RM4.50) as side dish. This was the dish that would normally be sold out quite fast, especially during lunch time and it was also the main item on their Sumo Chicken Don set. Overall, it was a nice side dish to add onto your order. However, it was a bit salty to consume by itself unlike with the Sumo Chicken Don set which would come with some rice and greens to balance up the total flavors. I would advise the kitchen to minimize the salt usage as the salad dressing itself would have been adequate to boost up the overall flavors.

Here’s a summary of the dishes you can order at Sumo Sumo Fine & Fast Japanese Food Restaurant (as at 14 September 2015):

DON (RICE) SERIES:
Katsudon (RM9.90)
Sumo Chicken Don (RM9.90)
Teriyaki Chicken Don (RM9.90)
Gyudon (RM10.90)
Teriyaki Salmon Don (RM13.90)

CURRY DON (RICE) SERIES:
Fried Fish (RM8.90)
Tempura (RM9.90)
Karaage (RM9.90)
Chicken Cutlet (RM9.90)
Grilled Salmon (RM13.90)

UDON NOODLES SERIES:
Plain (RM7.90)
Teriyaki Chicken (RM11.90)
Karaage (RM11.90)
Tempura (RM12.90)
Beef (RM13.90)

SIDE DISH:
Karaage Chicken (RM4.50)

ADDON:
Lemon Tea/Peach Tea/Green Tea/Orange/Hot Green Tea (RM1.50)

Overall, I do find the items served here to be simple and yet appetizing. For that reasonable price you are paying for a rather balanced diet, you can’t complain much right? The only setback is that they are still new and still need some rooms for improvements to get their kitchen stock right. Some items on the menu could be sold out even before the end of lunch time as they have quite an impressive amount of takeaways. I hope they rectify this issue soonest possible. On top of that, I hope they will have some desserts on their menu as well. Who won’t love some konnyaku jellies or some matcha ice cream with their meal?

It’s easy to locate the restaurant as it’s just next to the Acupaday Café (same row as Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) and opposite to Sentral College). Though finding parking spaces can be quite hard during lunch time, you can always call up to make your order and then drive up to the shop to self collect.

Name: SUMO SUMO FINE & FAST JAPANESE FOOD RESTAURANT
Address: 57, Lebuh Bishop, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: +6018-408 5641 (Darren Lim)
Business Hours: 11.00am-3.00pm, 6.00pm-9.00pm (Closed Sunday)
GPS: 5.418686, 100.341365

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

Buon appetito~ Let’s enjoy some great Italian cuisine with the newly launched Viva Italiano Promotion at the Garden Cafe @ Golden Sands Resort, Penang. The promotion is available from 7.00pm until 10.00pm on every Wednesdays until the end of October 2015. Priced at RM78nett (Adult) and RM39nett (child from 6-11 years old), diners would get to savor the best of what the Italians could offer in their culinary spreads. Do enjoy the serenading music from the resident house band.

To start off the meal, let’s dip into their Appetizer & Fresh Salad Bar. You would expect to get at least six kinds of imported and local fresh vegetables with their house dressing/vinaigrette and condiments such as French, Italian, Tartar, Thousands Island, Herbs Vinaigrette, Paw-paw Dressing, Garlic Crouton, Gherkin, Black and Stuffed Olive, Jalapeno Pepper, Red Pimentos, Onion Rings, lemon Wedges and Silver Cocktail Onion. On top of that they do have the Caprese Salad (tomato slices with fresh buffalo milk made mozzarella with drizzle of olive oil and some sprinkles of salt. Where are the sweet basils? :P), Caesar Salad, DIY Bruschetta, Assorted Cold Cut, Poached Half Shell Mussel with Vegetable Emulsion, Grilled Trio Color Pepper with drizzle pesto, Chilly Oil and sprinkle with Parmigiana Italian Pasta salad.

As for Soup, they have two options such as the Minestrone Casalinga and Crème de Pomodoro, served with freshly baked Breads, Rolls, Crisini (bread sticks) with Salted, Unsalted Butter and Margarine. I fell in love with the Crème de Pomodoro as it had the sweetness of all the added carrots, celery, onions, garlic, tomatoes with a light hint of oregano and sour cream. Instead of having it with bread rolls or crisini, I had some garlic croutons on the soup and it was heavenly delicious. As for the Minestrone Casalinga, I found it to be a bit lack in flavors compared to my home cooked Russian Borsche Soup. I would think bay leaves did play a high role in pepping up the flavors of tomato based soup which the Minestrone Casalinga had none.

Moving towards the Hot Items Section, we had the Risi e Bisi (Rice & Peas), Pasticio (Layered Pasta with Tomato Sauce), Milanese Style Osso Bocco, Baked Pesto Chicken, Pan Fried Fish with Dill Cream Sauce, Potatoes Gnocchi with Green Peas served with Cream Sauce, Grilled Lamb Cutlet with Thyme Garlic Gravy, Sautéed Broccoli and Carrot and Grilled Prawn with Parmigiana Paprika Cream Sauce. The Risi e Bisi was practically buttered risotto with boiled peas. It went well with the juicy and yet tenderly prepared Milanese Style Osso Bosso beef chunks. Basically, everything on the hot item spread had its own unique flavors with the Potatoes Gnocchi with Green Peas served with Cream Sauce as my all-time favorite. Somehow, the texture of the gnocchi had that chewy yet flavorful potato sweetness that got me quite addicted to the dish.

As for the Carving Section, the highlight of the night was their Roasted Beef with Caramelize Onion Brown Sauce. Everything was just perfect as the beef had just the right texture and was not overly done. At the Heating Element Section, they were serving Fristo Misto Di Mare. Every culture has its own unique fried items and the kitchen did really well by serving the Deep Fried Calamari and Deep Fried Prawns at their freshest state. I simply love the crisp on the well marinated seafood.

They also do have a Pasta Stall serving a variety of pasta such as vegetable fusilli, penne and spaghetti plus various condiments. As for the sauce, you would have options such as Napolitana, Carbonara, Bolognese and Marinara. Amongst the 4 sauces, my recommendation would be the Bolognese sauce as it has more texture and bites from the minced meat. However, I wondered why they have the “boil & dress the sauce” version unlike most restaurants as it was too “instant” to my liking. It’s advisable to request for the pan-stir version which would thicken up the sauce and make the pasta dish more palatable.

To wind up the meal, we had our sweet indulgence in their Dessert Section with mostly cakes. Those that we had on the evening included Assorted Tropical Fresh Fruits, Strawberry Pudding, Apple Pie, Morello Cherry Cake, Panna Cotta, Orange Zesty Cake, Fruits & Nut Cake, Orange Cream Caramel, Tiramisu, Peach Cobbler, Creme de Menthe Cake, Warm Chocolate Pudding and more. It was indeed a dessert paradise for many sweet-tooth diners. However, to my personal preference, I would have expected the pastry chef to come out with more unique Italian pastries rather than just having lots of “quite standard” types of cakes. The only dessert that stood out to be rather Italian was their Tiramisu Cake. Though lacked the authenticity of having the delish with savoiardi (lad fingers), it was still a delicious mascarpone cream based dessert. I was actually looking forward to a good mix and match of Italian pastries and cakes that stood out from other buffet spreads but not many were present. The pastry chef should look into producing more pastry items such as cannoli, brioche, cream horns, eclairs, appolini and more to give the diners more options into Italian pastry treats.

Overall, I quite like the concept of having a themed buffet dinner once weekly as you would not get bored with the spreads if you were to be an in-house guest. At the same time, it would give the kitchen ample time to plan and pep up more goodies. I would say their first introduction to the Italian dishes for the night to be quite impressive, considering that the kitchen staff took the effort to ascertain that the dishes served were at their freshest state.

Do check out the hotel’s other promotions by clicking the poster below for a clearer view.

The restaurant is just located within the premises of Golden Sands Resort. Drive all the way up towards Batu Ferringhi. When you see the Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa on your right, slow down and watch out for the Golden Sands Resort entrance which is right after the Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa. Park your car at the ample car park there and walk into the main lobby of the resort. Head towards the left side of the lobby and you would see the Garden Café there.

Name: GARDEN CAFE @ GOLDEN SANDS RESORT
Address: Batu Ferringhi Beach, 11100 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-886 1911 (Direct Restaurant Line)
Business Hours: 7.00pm-10.00pm (Ala Carte: 6.30am-11.00pm)
GPS: 5.477405, 100.251657

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

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 90 hotels under the Shangri-La brand with a room inventory of over 37,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, Canada, mainland China, Fiji, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in mainland China, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka. For more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.

If you are into authentic Japanese cuisine and love to have a healthy yet fuss-free spread of choices, you should pay Enoshima Japanese Restaurant @ Cititel Express, Penang a visit. Not only would you get to relax in their cozy yet relaxing ambience, you would get to savor their hot and fresh serving delicacies during lunch or dinner. Their menu could be quite extensive with options such as appetizers, salads, sushi, sashimi, hand rolls, western fusion, obanzai (native Kyoto traditional cuisine), kushiyaki (skewed items), grilled, deep fried, teppan (skillet fried), rice, noodles, nabe (hot pot dishes) and ala carte dishes. All orders would come with a 10% service charge.

While your meal is being prepared in the kitchen, you would be given some appetizing pickles to boost up your appetite. Basically, it was just some pickles of cucumber, carrot and daikon slices.

To start off, you can always try out their Mixed Vegetables Tempura (RM20+). I’m actually quite fussy when it comes to tempura items but I found the crispiness of the batter was just right to my palate. The tempura went well with their tentsuyu sauce.

As for main dish, the restaurant has quite a selection of choices. I ended up having their Salmon Teriyaki Sushi Set (RM42+). It was a fulfilling combination as I love salmon as well as sushi. The salmon was grilled just right with a light glaze of teriyaki sauce. Perfect! The 7 pieces of sushi were fresh with every bite. The set would also be served with salad, stir fried mixed vegetables, chawanmushi, miso soup and fresh fruit cuts of the day.

If you are rushing for time, you could always try out their Omu Rice (RM16+). Instead of having just plain fried rice in my egg wrap, I had requested for garlic fried rice. The kitchen replaced my rice without additional charges. What a great service. However, it was not of the standard I had expected. No doubt the seasoning and flavors of the garlic fried rice were perfect but it somehow lacked the “wok hei” aka “high heat cooking” I was expecting from a great plate of aromatic yet slightly burned taste of fried rice.

Overall, it was still a nice place to hang out with family members or friends over some simple yet fulfilling meals. I would love to head back to the restaurant some day to try out the rest of their cuisine.

Since Enoshima Japanese Restaurant is the sole eatery in Cititel Express Penang, they would also serve breakfast too but it’s just a hassle-free and simple breakfast for the hotel’s guests. Walk-in diners would be charged RM20+/pax.

The Enoshima Japanese Restaurant can be located at the lobby of Cititel Express Penang. As you enter the lobby of the hotel, turn left and walk up the stairs and you will see the restaurant on your right. If you are coming in via St Giles Wembley Penang, turn right upon entering the lobby and walk up to the lounge area. You would see a door on your left. Open the door and just follow the passage way and it would lead you up to another entrance of the restaurant.

Name: ENOSHIMA JAPANESE RESTAURANT (江の島) @ CITITEL EXPRESS PENANG
Address: 123, Lebuh Noordin, 10300 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: +604-263 2263
Business Hours:
Breakfast: 6.30am-10.30am
Lunch: 12.00noon-2.00pm
Dinner: 6.00pm-10.30pm
GPS: 5.412614, 100.329733

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

The Lobby Lounge @ St Giles Wembley Hotel, Penang, is not just a relaxing venue for house guests but also a great place for walk-in guests to indulge in some of their delicious food. Since the Wembley Café is a 24 hours eatery at the hotel, you can practically order any item from the lobby lounge menu as well as the Wembley Café menu and the staff would bring your order right to your table. The choices of dishes would include snacks, beverages (alcoholic & non-alcoholic), appetizer, salad, soup, sandwich & burger, pizza, pasta, grill, main, local specialties, noodles, vegetarian and desserts. You can also get serenaded by their in-house keyboardist, Dino, from 7.30pm until 10.30pm on all nights except Sunday.

Since I have 2 hours to kill before the arrival of my friend, I ordered their Ginger Coffee (RM14nett). I’m quite used to consuming Ginger Tea aka Mamak’s Teh Halia as it did take awhile for me to adapt to the flavor of the slightly acidic yet bitter Arabica coffee with the presence of ginger. It was the “love it” or “hate it” type of beverage.

My mouth was also in for some munches and I found the Crispy Nacho Chips with Cheese Sauce & Tomato Salsa (RM18nett) to be just the snack to nibble while reading some newspapers. To my surprise, the cheese sauce was really delicious and the tomato salsa had just the right amount of sourness to keep that snack craving ongoing. Thumbs up!

Overall, if I were to be in town and needed some hours to kill off, I would normally pay a visit to the Lobby Lounge as the place is comfortable and away from all the noise pollution. It’s also a nice spot to meet up with friends or clients over a cup of coffee or some snacks.

To get to the Lobby Lounge, just walk into the main entrance of the hotel and head to your right. You would see a bunch of friendly staff at your service.

Name: LOBBY LOUNGE @ ST GILES WEMBLEY HOTEL
Address: 183, Jalan Magazine, 13000 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-259 8000
Business Hours: 12.00pm–12:00am (Sundays–Thursdays), 12.00pm–1.00am (Fridays & Saturdays)
GPS: 5.413164, 100.330428

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

You may have tried many hi-tea options in Penang, whether it’s by the beach, in heritage buildings or even in some cafes but are you aware that you can now have it at 59Sixty Dining Room & Lounge @ The Top, Penang, right up at the 59th floor of the iconic KOMTAR (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak) Tower? It’s priced at 68nett for 2 pax or RM38nett/pax with a pot of your selected tea from 3.00pm until 5.00pm daily. Do make prior reservation so that you won’t have to wait too long for your freshly prepared items. The best part of the deal is that you would get to have a great 360° panoramic view of Penang. Who knows, you might even spot your house from the high angles~ 🙂

Let’s have a look at what would be served for the 2 pax set. Firstly, you would get to choose your pot of tea (Sri Lanka’s Dilmah tea brand) from 4 options, namely English Breakfast Tea, Earl Grey, Green Tea with Jasmine and Pure Peppermint Leaves. There would be more options available in the near future. For the English Breakfast Tea and Earl Grey, you would get additional herbs and spices to infuse your tea with more flavors such as mint leaves, lemongrass, honey, lemon slices, cherries and cinnamon barks.

As for the English style Hi-Tea, you would expect to get a 3-tier serving portion for two. The first tier would consist of items such as fruit mousse, cheesecakes and chocolate fruit tartlets. The second tier would consist of club sandwiches, muffins and cookies whereas the bottom tier would consist of 2 types of scones served with strawberry jam and clotted cream.

Overall, I quite like the concept of having hi-tea with panoramic view of the whole Penang. The price of RM68 for 2 pax is reasonable with a quality pot of tea, especially with Earl Grey and English Breakfast Tea which would come with additional addons of herbs and spices. However, I do find the items served to be a bit out of balance as the whole set consisted of more sweet items rather than a good ratio of sweetness versus saltiness. It was at 9:1 ratio. It will be great if the pastry kitchen can come out with a 7:3 or even 3:2 ratio of items. Instead of just the 3-tier “club sandwich” as the sole savory item, it would be great to replace it with 3 other smaller items such as cucumber & cheese sandwiches, mini egg croissants, vol-au-vents with tuna/turkey/chicken filling or even simple mini dinner rolls with salmon/turkey ham rolls. At least the diners would not feel too surfeit over too much sweetness.

59SIXTY DINING ROOM & LOUNGE AT A GLANCE:

Buffet Lunch (Monday-Friday): 12.00pm-2.30pm: RM88nett/pax
Brunch (Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays): 11.30am-3.30pm: RM98nett/pax
Buffet Dinner (Daily): 6.30pm-10.00pm: RM168nett/pax
English Hi-Tea (Daily): 3.00pm-5.00pm: RM38nett per pax or RM68nett for 2 pax
Sixty Lounge (Daily): 4.00pm-2.00am: (Happy Hours: 4.00pm-8.00pm/In-House Band (Wednesday- Saturday): House rules of No Slippers, No Shorts, No Singlet/Vest and Above 18 years old apply.
Note: Senior Citizens (60 years old & above) and Children (3-7 years old) are entitled to 50% discount. Child below 3 years old is FOC.

The 59Sixty @ The Top, Penang can be accessible through the information counter next to Maybank Komtar @ Lebuh Tek Soon. Please make prior reservation prior to your dining there as it’s a restricted access area and only the authorized ushers could lead you up to the top of the building. To get there, you have to drive along Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong into Jalan Ria and then turn right into Lebuh Tek Soon. It’ll easier if you were to park nearby there. There are 3 car parks available here – Ground Floor Komtar (after Pos Malaysia Komtar), Komtar Multi-Storey Car Park (on your right), Open Space Car Park (after the Komtar Multi-Storey Car Park on your right via a small lane/exit for the car park). However, if you are dining until late, it’s advisable to park at other more brightly lighted car parks such as the Prangin Mall Car Park (1400 car lots), 1st Avenue Car Park (170 car lots) or even the Open Space Car Park opposite Hotel Jen/next to St Giles Wembley Hotel Penang (100 car lots) and walk over to the entrance as some car parks adjacent to Komtar will be closed as early as between 9.00pm and 10.30pm. For those visiting the Sixty Lounge until late, you can park at the Open Space Car Park (after the Komtar Multi-Storey Car Park on your right via a small lane/exit for the car park). However, if you are staying up until the wee hours of the day, please travel at least in pairs to the car park as it’s not so brightly lighted up. The Komtar area is currently under revitalization process, thus please give it some time to refurbish the conditions of all the surrounding car parks.

Name: 59SIXTY DINING ROOM & LOUNGE @ THE TOP, PENANG
Address: Level 59 & 60 Komtar, Jalan Penang, 10000 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: +604-262 5960/+6017-289 0255
Business Hours:
Buffet Lunch (Monday-Friday): 12.00pm-2.30pm
Brunch (Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays): 11.30am-3.30pm
Buffet Dinner (Daily): 6.30pm-10.00pm
English Hi-Tea (Daily): 3.00pm-5.00pm
Sixty Lounge (Daily): 4.00pm-2.00am (Happy Hours: 4.00pm-8.00pm/In-House Band (Wednesday- Saturday)
GPS: 5.414995, 100.329913
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/onlyworldgroup

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

For those who are into Vietnamese cuisine but have no opportunity to travel out to the country at the moment to experience the authentic gastronomic adventures, you can now visit Nada Lama @ Hotel Equatorial, Penang, to savor their “Lively Vietnam” Buffet Promotion. For a short and limited period of 18-24 August 2015, 6.30pm until 10.00pm, you can now try out the most diverse healthy gastronomies in the world with its lively, fresh flavors and artfully composed meals under the expertise of Chef Tran Kim Hoang Trong and his team. The buffet is priced at RM148nett (adult) and RM74nett (child) with different menus on a rotation basis.

Let’s jump into the simple and yet enchantingly sophisticated cuisine, starting from the Salads, Starters and Soup Sections. You would find spreads such as the Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with Beef Slices, Duck with Cabbages & Banana Blossom Salad, Watercress with Beef Salad, Steamed Rice Cake with Dried Shrimps, Green Papaya Salad with Prawns, Pea Sprouts with Tuna Salad and Salted Vegetables with Chicken Soup. Wow! It was an impressive spread of dishes that caught my attention. Practically everything here suited my palate real well. However, I should think that the kitchen had forgotten to sprinkle the rice cakes with dried shrimps~ LOL~ 😛

As for the Hot Buffet Section, you would get to try out their Vietnamese Style Stewed Beef, Vietnamese Stewed Chicken in Ginger, Stir Fried Angle Beans in Hot Garlic Sauce, Wok Fried Squid in Sweet & Sour Sauce, Deep Fried Eel in Tamarind Sauce, Fish Paste Stuffed Fried Tofu in Tomato Sauce, Stewed Prawns in Caramelized Fish Sauce, Grilled Duck Legs with Red Fermented Bean Curd, Stewed Red Snapper with Black Beans, served with White Rice and Chicken & Egg Fried Rice. I immediately fell in love with the Vietnamese Style Stewed Beef as each bite of the juicy and tender meat was pepped up with simple and yet flavorful texture. The Fish Paste Stuffed Fried Tofu in Tomato Sauce may look simple but each of the silky soft deep fried tofu with smooth fish paste was remarkably addictive. On the other hand, the Stewed Red Snapper with Black Beans complemented real well with the Chicken & Egg Fried Rice. Thumbs up!

At the Live Cooking Sections, you would get to savor their Chicken & Dried Bamboo Glass Noodles and Skillet Fried Beef with Rice Noodles. Somehow the soup base for the noodles had some hidden added herbs infused in it, somewhat like the flavor of ginseng but milder. The whole concoction was delicious. I was totally impressed by how the Vietnamese team marinated the beef slices unlike those I have tried elsewhere which were rather bland. With the combination of rice noodles, fresh greens and some pickled carrots, it was indeed a comfort dish. The only thing was that I had wished to have some added fried chili flakes in oil to spice up the dish a bit more. Now I’m yearning for more of the Bún Bò Xào~ 😛

We also had our mouth sweetened up at their Dessert Section. You get to savor their Baked Cassava (Tapioca) Cake, Jelly & Pomegranate Seeds in Sweet Syrup, Green Beans & Seaweed in Syrup, Mung Beans in Coconut Milk and Stewed Lotus Seeds with White Fungus.

On top of all the robustly flavored dishes, there were also some sections for those international spreads such as the DIY Salad Section, the Fruit Cuts & Fruit Cocktail Section and the International/Local Dessert Section.

Overall, I would say this was one of the best buffets I have had on Vietnemase cuisine for a super long time. At least you could taste the authentic flavors of Vietnam with their imported fresh greens and herbs. Thanks to Chef Tran Kim Hoang Trong and his team for taking their efforts in looking into such details. Vietnamese cuisine would contain lots of fresh greens, beef and duck, thus some of you might think that the cuisine would not be suitable for you. Well, there are also other spreads of seafood and chicken which would be palatable to most diners. A set of menus will be on rotation basis to enable diners to experience the best of what Vietnam has to offer.

If you are coming from Bayan Baru area towards Jalan Tun Dr Awang, make a right turn into Persiaran Bukit Jambul at the second traffic lights. Drive all the way up the sloppy road until you see INTI International College on your left. Drive about another 150m onwards and turn right into Jalan Bukit Jambul at the first junction you see. You will see the hotel on your left. The easiest way to get there would be by parking your car on the right side of the building as your enter the hotel’s car park. Take the nearest stairway up a level and you will see the restaurant on your left. Nada Lama is just opposite the Kampachi Japanese Restaurant by the pool side.

Name: NADA LAMA @ HOTEL EQUATORIAL
Address: Jalan Bukit Jambul, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-632 7073
Business Hours: 6.30pm-10.00pm
GPS: 5.337122, 100.285308345

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

For those who have frequent E&O Hotel (Eastern & Oriental Hotel), you would know that it has the reputation of pampering its diners with the best and freshest choice of dishes for their various promotions. Currently, Sarkies Corner at the old wing of E&O Hotel is having their Seafood Steamboat Promotion from 6.30pm until 10.30pm on a daily basis. Priced at RM88.00nett (adult) and RM35.00nett (child from 6-12 years old), diners would get to savor the fresh ingredients with their richly pepped up soup stocks. Of course, it’s best to enjoy the steamboat with your family members and friends. There won’t be fun when you are having the steamboat alone right?

There would be 3 options for your soup base, namely clear chicken soup, Chinese herbal soup and tomyam soup. You can only choose one option and the soup is refillable.

Basically, you would be served with 2 big plates of fresh ingredients for your order. The main “seafood/meat” plate would consist of crabs (one crab per person), prawns, scallops, mussels, bamboo clams, salmon slices, chicken slices, beef slices and fish balls. On the second “vegetable” plate would consist of napa cabbages, baby bok choy, enoki mushrooms, oyster mushroom, Shimeji bunapi mushrooms, wood ear fungus, Japanese tofu, eggs (one egg per person) and dried bean curd sticks. Condiments provided would include their spicy homemade chili ginger garlic sauce (this is spicy hot but I like it!), sesame oil, soy sauce, red sweet potato sauce, red chilies and garlic in oil. Note: If you are not a beef eater, please inform the kitchen so that they can replace something else for you.

Overall, I quite like the concept of serving steamboats in Sarkies Corner @ E&O Hotel. At least I won’t have to wash up after all the hectic preparations in the kitchen~ LOL~ 😛 The best part on the steamboat was to have all the fresh seafood simmering inside the hot pot and infused the soup with lovely oceanic flavors. Well, the more people there are, the more seafood you would get, thus richer after cooking soup base.

Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang (next to Penang Bowl) is located 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 Victory Annexe building. Parking charges would be a maximum of RM6 (weekdays: Monday-Thursday) and RM12 (weekends: Friday- Sunday). Sarkies Corner is located within the old wing of the hotel.

Name: SARKIES CORNER @ EASTERN & ORIENTAL HOTEL
Address: 10 Lebuh Farquhar, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-222 2000
GPS: 5.423624, 100.334988

RATING:
Ambience: 8.5/10 (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: 8/10 (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)