CRIZ BON APPETITE

Savoring The Best All Over Town…

SIN ENG HEONG FOODSTUFF MANUFACTURES

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 21 - 2008

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I always love to bring back something nice and unique for my parents to try when I am somewhere out from my hometown Penang. Last week’s half day trip to Ipoh was a worthwhile one as I managed to get the famous salted chicken as well as some yummy biscuits for my family. Thanks to J2KFM for introducing me to this wonderful biscuit manufacturer’s shop down in Ipoh.

One step into Kedai Biskut Sin Eng Heong, you can practically smell the aroma of freshly baked biscuits everywhere. There were many types of biscuits laid on the tables as well as the shelves. Most of those biscuit would be sold out even before the owners have the time to pack them into individual boxes. Now you know how fresh those biscuits are. The most popular biscuit sold in the shop is their Fluffy Kaya Puff. I have not tasted any that are as delicious as those sold there. Now I am regretting not buying more back home. Here are the photos of the yummy Fluffy Kaya Puff at 50sen each and you can get them to pack for you in a box of 5’s or 10’s.


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Other than the kaya puff, you can even try out their Lou Poh Peng, Salted Egg Biscuit, Spicy Biscuit, Tambun Biscuit (plain, orange, pandan flavored), mini mooncake (baked and snow skin) and many other confectionaries. There were just too many to name here.

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On top of all these yummy freshly baked goodies, the shop does sell other products by other biscuit companies such as the thick and thin Chicken Biscuits (Kai Zai Peng) from Long Kee. Surprisingly, they do not have these goodies from Pun Chun which I felt tasted better. Upon checking and having a headache on what to choose from tens of different types of biscuits, I spotted a plastic canister filled with thin crispy Chicken Biscuits (RM12 for about 30pcs). The biscuit was extremely crispy thin and tasted even better than those I had mentioned above. Do watch out for the label under the name Genuine Taste Trading from Kampar (605-466 4803). I have not noticed this label before but they sure did produce the best Chicken Biscuit that I had tasted before. My advice is to buy more than one canister as I am still regretting now for not buying more. 😛

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Getting to the shop would not be hard as Sin Eng Heong is just diagonally opposite the famous Foh San Restaurant along Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri (formerly Jalan Clare). One thing to take note is that please place your orders for the foodstuff, especially the Fluffy Kaya Puff during weekends as they are sold off very early.

SINENGHEONGMAP

Name: SIN ENG HEONG FOODSTUFF MANUFACTURES
Address:
64, Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri (Jalan Clare), 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel: 605-243 9659
Opening Hours: 9.00am – 9.00pm (Mon – Sat), 9.00am – 6.00pm (Sun)
GPS: 4.594873, 101.084776

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

CHINESE CHIVES FLOWER ROASTED PORK FRIED HOR FUN

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 20 - 2008

I got up real early this morning just to prepare a meal for my family today although it is a Sunday. Have you ever encountered trying to think of what to buy back for lunch on a Sunday? If it is not Fried Rice then it would be the usual noodle dishes that I got rather bored with. With a little of creativity, I came out with something you cannot buy from any stalls around, which I would like to share with you all. Here is the recipe to my CHINESE CHIVES FLOWER ROASTED PORK FRIED HOR FUN.

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INGREDIENTS
1.5 kg hor fun (open up and cut into 1.5” strips)
600gms roasted pork (chopped)
300gms Chinese chives flower (cut into 1” length)
1 piece thick fish cake (halves and cut into strips)
2 pieces artificial crabsticks (cut into 4mm thickness)
5 eggs (beat with 1 Tspn sesame oil, 2 Tspn soy sauce and pepper)
10 porcelain spoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
6 Tspn soy sauce
1 Tspn dark soy sauce
3 Tspn sesame oil
3 Tspn oyster sauce
Pepper
Salt
Sugar

PREPARATION

1. Heat up wok with 6 porcelain spoons of oil and saute some chopped garlic. When the garlic becomes slightly brown, lower fire, pour in the hor fun. Add in 1 Tspn of dark soy sauce, 3 Tspn of soy sauce, 1 Tspn oyster sauce, 1 Tspn sesame oil and some pepper. Higher fire and stir until it looked slightly dried up. Scoop and leave aside.
2. Put in some oil and chopped garlic. Stir fry the fish cake for two minutes. Scoop and leave aside together with the diced crabsticks.
3. Put in 3 porcelain spoons of oil and sauté some garlic until brown. Pour in the roasted pork, 1 Tspn soy sauce, 1 Tspn sesame oil, 2 Tspn oyster sauce, pinch of sugar, and some pepper and stir fry for about two minutes. Add in the Chinese chives flower and stir until cook. Scoop and leave aside.
4. Add in the balance oil, sauté some garlic on high fire. When slightly brown, pour in the beaten eggs and scrambled it until loose.
5. Lower the fire. Pour in the fried hor fun and stir thoroughly. Next, pour in the rest of the ingredients and stir thoroughly.
6. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste (if not enough)
7. Scoop into dishes and serve while it is hot. You can garnish with fried shallots and serve with shrimp paste chili (sambal belacan).

(Serves: 4-6)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

AUN KHENG LIM SALTED CHICKEN

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 18 - 2008

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My friends always described me as a nut when it comes to getting gifts for them. They always get food rather than something that they can keep and appreciate. Well, they were right and errr… isn’t a nut food too? 😛 I was down in Ipoh for just a few hours and I ended filling up my car with nothing but delicious food from Ipoh. What a typical me… haha! This time, it was Ipoh’s famous salted chicken. I have tried so many different shops in Ipoh as well as a few from Penang but I still like this shop the best.

The herbs (Dong Quai or Chinese Angelica of Female Ginseng) stuffed inside the chicken and under the wings made the chicken just nice for my taste bud. Moreover the salt used to bake the wrapped chicken does not make the meat over salty. The meat still remained juicy and yummy. I always have the problem not having enough of the delicious chicken as it’s rather small and not as meaty as some chicken meat. Maybe that’s the ideal size to get the best taste out of it.


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Do you know what is so great about getting this salted chicken? It’s not only good to be served as one of the delicious dishes on your dining table, it can also be made into a delicious sandwich. Without fail, I would make some each time I get hold of a bird. The herb and slightly salted fragrance of the meat, together with some fresh lettuce, tomatoes and mushrooms always make great sandwiches. This is what I had for my lunch today. You should try that too! 🙂

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The price per bird (not really that meaty but nice) is RM16 nett. You can ask them to pack for you individually in a box with a beautifully designed red plastic bag if you intend to make it a gift for someone. Finding the way to the shop is rather easy if you know the way well. Just move around the main road along Jalan Raja Musa Aziz until you see a corner shop with red, white and blue stripes on your right. That’s the shop.

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Name: AUN KHENG LIM SALTED CHICKEN
Address: 24, Jalan Theatre, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel: 605-254 2998
Opening Hours: 10.00pm – finish
GPS: 4.594680, 101.083274

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 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)

BREEZE CAFE

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 16 - 2008

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Other than Northam Beach Café, there is another place called Breeze Café right up by the coastal area of Tanjung Tokong. The concept here is totally different compared to NBC as all the food and beverages are managed by only a restaurant there. They do serve Western food, noodles & rice dishes, finger food up to ice creams, coffee and hard liquors. Not a bad place to laze about on the easily available deck chairs while enjoying the cool breeze from the sea. This is quite an ideal place for love birds as well as for small groups of friends.

The management can even arrange for BBQ by the beach for a minimum of 4 persons (RM25+ each), a group of 25 persons (RM25+ each plus a free bungalow stay) and themed buffet dinner for a minimum of 20 persons (RM25+ each) by the beach. You can check out more information on the promotion through any of their other restaurants, Nyonya Café (i-Avenue) in Bayan Lepas, Penang or Nyonya Café (New World Park), Penang.

My friend and I paid a visit recently and found the place quite relaxing except that you might find some stray mosquitoes biting since the place is dimly lighted and with a lots of decorative plants around. Both of us ordered a Shirley Temple (RM8) and a Kickapoo (RM4) as our drinks.

As for starter, I ordered a bowl of Mushroom Soup (RM4.50). It came in a big soup bowl with a few largely cut crouton. Not bad for the pricing but the soup tasted ordinary.

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As for the main, I ordered the Chicken Cordon Bleu (RM10). The dish was presented in a simple way with the usual fries, salad, white plain bread (a quarter and non-toasted?) and the stuffed breaded chicken drumstick garnished with some mushroom sauce. Maybe it was my luck as the chicken was quite burn and dry and the stuffing has no taste of cheese at all. The mushroom sauce was rather bland too.

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My friend ordered a Black Pepper Chicken (RM9). The garnishing was the same except that he got a larger piece of battered chicken drumstick with thigh. As for the black pepper sauce, I felt that it was rather diluted with not much of pepper taste in it. I still love the one at Yaw’s Roast & Grill.

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My friend and I then ordered Love Boat (RM8) to share out as dessert. We were allowed to choose 3 flavors from the list of 6 flavors such as Vanilla, Coffee, Chocolate, Strawberry, Rum & Raisins and Mint Chocolate Chips. You can even order a scoop at RM3.50.

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The total price came up to RM47.85 which included a 10% service charge. Overall, the place is not bad for drinkers. As for food, I would hope that the management would spice up the quality in order to gain more diners. I have not tried their other stir-fried dishes with rice or fried noodles yet. Maybe I might have other opinions of the taste and quality.

Most people, even the locals would miss this place as it is situated right inside the coastal area of Tanjung Tokong. If you are driving up from town area towards Tanjung Tokong / Tanjung Bungah / Batu Ferringhi, you will see the Penang Chinese Swimming Club on your right. Drive forward until you see a traffic light (Tanjung Bungah Hotel on your right). Make a U-Turn and drive towards the swimming club. Turn left into the road after the swimming club until you see Naza Hotel. The café is just next to the hotel. They do also provide budget motel here under the name Sea Wind Beach Motel. You can park right inside or just along the road. Parking spaces are rather limited within the compound.

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Name: BREEZE CAFÉ (BAYU SEAFOOD VILLAGE)
Address: 515, C.M. Hashim, Tanjung Tokong, 11200 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 604-899 7099
Website: www.seawind.where2go.com.my
Opening Hours:
6.30pm – 1.00am (Mon-Thur), 6.30pm – 2.00am (Fri-Sun)
Note: Kitchen will close an hour earlier.
GPS: 5.463835, 100.305777

RATING:
Ambience: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 6/10 (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)

HOT WOK

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 14 - 2008

NOTE: This restaurant has ceased their operation after many decades. The chef had migrated to Perth Australia recently in 2011. Alternatively, you can still try out their traditional Nyonya spread at another outlet – “The Wok” Authentic Penang Nyonya & Local Cuisine, 26 Jalan PJU 5/21, The Strand, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya. 603-6142 7388 / 012-263 5460

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Ever wonder where you would treat yourself or your guests to a sumptuous Peranakan (Straits Chinese) meal with great indoor and outdoor ambience? You should check out Hot Wok, a stunning Peranakan theme restaurant, which has just relocated right into the heart of Georgetown, Penang. Since the Nyonya restaurant started its operation in 1994, they have impressed many locals and foreigners with their quality food and great history on the Peranakan culture.

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Walking into the restaurant is like walking back into time as the interior and exterior of the restaurant are beautifully decorated with intricate wooden carvings and fabricated windows of the heydays. The existence of beautiful marble top coffee tables, wooden chairs, hanging porcelain lamps and many unique artifacts adorning the walls within the restaurant will allow you to experience the feeling of dining as a Nyonya or Baba. If you are observant enough, you may find a few great museum pieces proudly being displayed along the walls. Some are originals as far back as the early 19th Century.

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I revisited the place together with a friend of mine recently and found that the quality of the food served there has not change at all. Hot Wok has been one of the pioneers in Nyonya Cuisine in Penang. In fact, there are many other restaurants booming up to cater to the high demand on Nyonya food recently but what they lack in is the atmosphere and Peranakan experience that Hot Wok was able to provide.

We ordered a few dishes such as the Lobak (RM8), Jiu Hoo Char (RM8) and Curry Chicken Kapitan (RM14) to be taken with rice.

The Lobak (meat roll) is made out of fresh pork marinated in 5-spice powder with other ingredients and wrapped in tofu skin. The end product would then be deep fried to get the crunchiness and golden color.

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The Jiu Hoo Char is a combination of cuttlefish strips stir fried with stripped turnips, carrots, mushrooms, pork and at times big onions. This dish is best eaten when wrapped in a fresh lettuce leaves.

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The Curry Chicken Kapitan was indeed good. Choice pieces of thighs and drumsticks were cooked in blended spices, lime juice, Kaffir lime leaves and thick coconut milk. This dish was good compared to the rest of the places I have taken as the gravy was thick and nice.

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We ordered some great desserts such as the Chilled Sago with Jackfruit (RM3.50) and Chilled Sago with Honey Dew (RM3.50). Both were topped with creamy coconut milk.

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Since the boss also recommended their famous Hokkien Mee (RM4), we tried out a bowl and the dish was great. The sweetness of the soup is incompatible to those I have taken before. I could imagine the amount of bones and long hours they have taken to get the thickness of the soup. You can even have addons such as pork ribs as well as their crunchy roasted pork. The price might come up to RM7 but you sure won’t regret ordering such a quality bowl of Hokkien Mee. Anyway, you do not have to worry too as they will also allow you to use your credit cards on Hokkien Mee purchases. Well, I don’t think I know any other hawker stalls in Penang that provides this sort of services, do you?

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Overall, the total price came up to RM53.70 which included a 10% service charge (RM4.90) for the appetizer, food and drinks. I won’t consider this expensive as Nyonya cuisine required a lot of preparations. Moreover, the food was of quality.

You won’t miss the restaurant as it is situated within two shoplots just between Nagore Place and Giant Supermarket along Jalan Burmah. As for parking, you can always find ample parking spaces within the Giant Supermarket compound or along Jalan Nagore.

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Name: HOT WOK
Address: 124-E&F, Jalan Burmah, 10050 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 604-227 3368
Website: www.hotwok.com.my
Opening Hours: 11.00am – 1.00am
GPS: 5.420987, 100.325378

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 excelle
nt)

TANJUNG BUNGAH MARKET WAN THAN MEE

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 9 - 2008

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It really amazed me how an elderly couple could work almost without any rest practically every hour of the day for years without ever taking time off to relax for their old age. You got me right! They have been selling Wan Than Mee 24 hours a day for years, only taking a 10-hour break every Tuesday from 12.30am until 10.30am. Gosh! I won’t want my life to be this way when I get old. Surprisingly, they still get a lot of supporters going for their Wan Than Mee at odd time as the pricing is dirt cheap! But there’s a catch, you might have to serve yourself as the old man could be rather slow in serving as it’s a one-man business.

Out of curiosity, my friend and I went over to try out the noodles. It was cheap indeed but the taste was just average. I guessed this stall is catering to those lower income groups as well as the TAR College students staying around that area. We ordered a dry Wan Than Mee (RM2.50) each with barely a few pieces of char siew pork and a slice of fish cake. It is quite expensive for a plate of almost nothing noodles. Maybe the rest of garnishing were added into our side orders. I’m not sure about that as it was my first time there. The noodles appeared to be as below.


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We ordered a bowl of Wan Than Soup (RM2). There are about 20 plus Wan Than. The soup based was fine but the filling for the Wan Than was little and a little lack of flavors.

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We also ordered a plate of Fried Wan Than (RM2 for 24 pieces). Instead of waiting for the old man to serve us, we did the frying ourselves. I saw quite a few people did that.. I guessed that must be the trend there as everyone willingly helped out the old man. Well, the taste was the same. The Fried Wan Than also lack of flavors as the filling were little.

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Next was the mixed vegetable (RM2) with some dark soy sauce added. As for the drinks (RM1 per glass), we made our own. You can have a choice of Chrysanthemum, Nutmeg, Rose or Keat Poh. Overall, the noodles were just average but considering the crowd and orders, I guessed there were still many compassionate people out there who loved to support this old couples.

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Just drive into the Tanjung Bungah Market and you can see only one stall in the hawker centre opening up for business during the wee hours of the night. You sure won’t miss it as there will be continuous flow of people patronizing the stall each night.

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Name: TANJUNG BUNGAH MARKET WAN THAN MEE
Address: Jalan Sungai Kelian, 11200 Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 24 hours (Closed Tuesday 12.30am – 10.30am)
GPS: 5.464038, 100.284898

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 6/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 5/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

MELLANO FOOD CORNER

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 7 - 2008

NOTE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CEASED OPERATION

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There are many businesses in Penang that had converted part of their business to food business. The latest being the Mellano Florist along Jalan Dato Keramat. What I do not understand is that how could a restaurant have only 3 main dishes and 3 main beverages to serve its customers. Customers would want more choices when dining in. The 3 dishes mentioned are the Broadbean Delight (RM3.50), Glass Noodles in Chicken Soup (RM3.50) and Shanghai Beef Noodles (RM6.00). The drinks are Mango Yogurt (RM2.50), Strawberry Yogurt (RM2.50) and Root Beer Float (not available)

The Broadbean Delight was just some flour cake (somewhat like our koay kak) cut into strips using wavy chee cheong fun knife. It came with some soy sauce, crushed peanuts and some chicken meat. It looked impressive but the taste was totally not Malaysian and not to my taste bud.

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The Glass Noodles in Chicken Soup came with some chicken strips, wood fungus, and 3 chicken balls. The soup tasted real flat for those who do not consume chili powder. It is very Taiwanese style. Not to my liking as well and the portion was real small.

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The Shanghai Beef Noodles came with only thinly sliced beef and some intestine. This was again without much taste and no side sauces came with it. The soup in fact was too diluted without the sweetness of bones.

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The drinks were normal with the Root Beer Float being not available on the first day of launching. I guessed the owner should look into adding more choices and to ensure the satisfactions of its customers. Overall, it flopped my taste bud totally.

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The restaurant cum florist is located just immediately after the Honolulu Restaurant (previously Federal Theatre) along the main road of Jalan Dato Keramat. Parking can be real scare over here even if you are on a bike. So, be prepared to park behind Honolulu Restaurant and walk up to the restaurant.

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Name: MELLANO FOOD CORNER
Address: 373, Jalan Dato Keramat, 10150 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 604-229 6012, 012-411 6012
Opening Hours: 7.00am – 3.00pm (Closed Wednesday)
GPS: 5.412537, 100.319456

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 1/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 4/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 6/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

GUANGZHOU CAKE HOUSE

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 6 - 2008

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Whenever you think of having some little tarts or some finger food, you would think of having them in Dim Sum shops. Maybe you are not aware that there is this little shop along Lebuh Carnavon that sells those yummy delights fresh and hot without having to pay as much if you were to dine in a Dim Sum shop. Guangzhou Cake shop has been there for many years and is manned by a few elderly folks. They produced different type of delicacies that will suit your breakfast, lunch as well as tea needs. Some of the food are ideal if you were to have parties.


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Egg Tarts, especially those mini ones are the hot items in the shop. These are normally sold out before 10am. I was so engrossed in munching my Mini Pandan Egg Tart that I totally forgot to take some shots. Quite typical of me when something that nice are laid right in front of my eyes. Anyway, you can still take a peek at those mini tarts in the photo above.

On a normal week day, the shop will produce tens of different type of delicious treats such as Egg Tarts (Mini Plain and Pandan Flavored as well as plain normal sized ones), Yam Cake, Fried Yam Cake, Radish Cake, Pineapple Tarts, Coconut Tarts, Ma Lai Gou (Pandan or Brown Sugar), Woo Tao Kok, Char Siew Buns, Siew Bao, Glutinous Rice Ball with peanut filling, Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball with peanut filling, Char Siew Sou, Or Nee, Rock Biscuit and many more yummies. Here are some of the items which I had taken shots of.

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If you are coming from Prangin Mall along Jalan Dr. Lim Chwee Leong, turn left into Lebuh Carnavon. Drive further until you have passed the second road (Lebuh Kimberley) on your left and you will see the unnamed shoplot displaying those yummy delicacies right in front of the shop. Normally, it would be an elderly lady selling those yummies. Make sure you reach there early to get the best choices or just give them a call to place your order. My recommendation would be the Mini Pandan Egg Tarts (a box of 10’s @ RM4). Make sure you consume them fast while they are fresh. Leaving them for later consumption will make the surface dry and crack.

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Name: GUANGZHOU CAKE HOUSE
Address: 158, Lebuh Carnavon, 10100 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 016-470 3392
Opening Hours: 8.30am – 4.00pm
GPS: 5.415442, 100.334712

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

BM YAM RICE

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 4 - 2008
When you feel like taking Yam Rice in Penang island, you will normally ended up at Yong Tau Foo stalls or stalls that sells Pig Stomach Soup, Egg Soup, Cabbage Soup and so on. Most of the time, you do not even see any yam or dried shrimps in the rice. I have frequent this specific Yam Rice stall right in Chai Leng Park, mainland Penang for the past eight years or more and the standard still maintained the same. Each time I am in mainland, I will visit this stall without fail regardless of eating in or takeaway. Why not? It is the best Yam Rice I have taken in Penang. Who knows? It might be the best in Malaysia too.

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Together with a client of mine (my Chinese clients will always end up with me here. :P), I visited the place again. As usual I will order the big bowl of Salted Lettuce (Kiam Chai) Soup with my own selection of lean meat, belly meat, pig stomach and meat balls. You can even add in other parts such as intestines, liver and so on. The soup, a bowl of Stewed Pork Legs and Beancurd in Dark Soy Sauce and 4 bowls of yam filled rice cost us only RM13.40. Don’t you think that’s really cheap? By the way, their combination of specially prepared chili paste in dark soy sauce really blends in well with the rice. Here are what we ordered.


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If you are coming from the Butterworth Ferry Terminal, just turn right as you come up to the traffic light junction and drive towards the “mini Penang Bridge”. You have to pay a toll of RM1 if you are driving a car. Just follow the sign to Prai and Chai Leng Park towards Megamall/Pacific. If you are coming from the Penang Bridge/North-South Highway, turn into Jalan Baru where Megamall/Pacific is, drive towards an overhead bridge and make a U-turn to reach Chai Leng Park. When you see Pearl View Hotel on your left, turn left into the junction (Jalan Kurau). Turn left at the first junction, right at the first junction and right again into Lebu Kurau Satu. You will see the stall on your right in Kedai Kopi Chin Heng. The stall is in between another Yam Rice stall (I have tried before but not as good as this one. Just follow where the most crowds are. They are usually not wrong) and a vegetarian restaurant. You can also visit their other branches (call up and enquire where about) in Jalan Raja Uda and Bukit Mertajam areas. All of them carry the same name “BM Yam Rice”.

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Name: BM YAM RICE @ CHAI LENG PARK
Address: 45 Lebuh Kurau Satu, Chai Leng Park, 13700 Prai, Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 012-429 3567, 012-401 3147
Opening Hours: 9.00am – 3.30pm
GPS: 5.412537, 100.319456

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 9/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

KRISTAL SEAFOOD CAFE

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 3 - 2008
Where would you go for some hot steaming homecooked food after working late in the office or had just arrived from a long tiring trip from outstation? Most of the time you would just end up at Mamak stalls or McDonald’s to grab your meals as majority of the good restaurants and famous hawker stalls would be closed by then. Well, I had that experience myself as I had late dinner dates with a few friends of mine. By the time they have finished their work (especially those from malls) and refreshed themselves, it would be almost 11.00pm at night.

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You might get some stalls still selling rice/porridge but their food were precooked and left on the warmer for hours. What I needed was some freshly cooked dishes with rice. I have searched for this type of service all over Penang and managed to find barely a handful scattered at different districts of the state. One of the coffee shops worth mentioning would be the Kedai Kopi Kristal Seafood located right in the heart of Pulau Tikus. Not only do they serve their customers right until 2.00am, they also provide delivery services right to your doorsteps. What impressed me most was their internet/WIFI ready access in their shop as this extra service is extremely rare in Penang coffee shops.

The charges for the food here can be considered reasonable with a meat/vegetable dish in the range of RM6, RM8 and RM10 whereas seafood dishes would be RM10 and above based on the market rate. My friend and I spent barely RM32 on the food and drinks, not forgetting the extra helping of rice we had ordered. It was a waste that there were just the two of us. If there were more, we would have tried out their impressive arrays of steamed fish and spicy prawns. Here were the basic dishes that we had ordered.

HONEY CHICKEN (RM8)

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FRIED JAPANESE TOFU WITH PACIFIC CLAMS (RM8)

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FOO YONG TAN (RM6)

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PRESTEAM RADISH SOUP (RM5)

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I did also find out that there was another room upstairs with air-conditioning and KTV that can cater for a small gathering of 50 persons or more. It is real easy to find the shop as it is situated along the main road. Just refer to the map below for directions.

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Name: KEDAI KOPI KRISTAL SEAFOOD
Address: 224-B Jalan Burmah, 10350 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 604-227 2218, 012-438 3962, 016-445 6882 (Mr. Y.K. Lim)
Opening Hours: 4.30pm – 1.45am
GPS: 5.430064, 100.313351

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

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