CRIZ BON APPETITE

Savoring The Best All Over Town…

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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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)

 

Not many people are aware that along the quiet road of Jalan Pintal Tali (formerly named Rope Walk) housed a 130-year-old hotel building from the late 80’s. After refurbished and given a new lease of life, the hotel is now named 1881 Chong Tian Cultural Hotel, the first and the only Chinese heritage hotel in Malaysia with 7 differently designed rooms for rental and a private museum with all the artifacts from the era. Within the premises of this hotel lie two restaurants – Chinese and Western. I had the privilege to try out their Chinese cuisine recently.

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The Chinese dishes served here had a light touch of fusion, created by the experienced chef throughout his culinary journey. He’s none other than Chef Wah Seong (Wah Ah Keat).

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The first dish served was the Braised Duck With Preserved Mustard Cabbage (梅菜扒肥鴨- RM30++ for 1/2 Duck, RM60++ for Whole Duck). The dish was extremely good, considering that the flavors from the well managed preserved mustard cabbage (Mui Choy) was not over salty and the duck meat was juicy and tender. This is a must try dish~ 🙂

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The next dish was the Stir Fry Assorted Mushrooms with Fish Cake (潮州小炒皇). Other than Shitake and Bunapi Shimeji (White Beech) mushrooms being stir fried with their signature homemade fish cake, the dish has also some pickled Chinese cabbage, chive flowers and added chili slices to pep up the overall taste. It’s still a nice plate of dish although I prefer to have it minus the pickled cabbage but with added deep fried Chinese cruller (you tiao).

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We were also served with a claypot full of Fragrant Spicy Lime Prawns (香辣青檸蝦 – RM20++ Small, RM40++ Medium or RM60++ Large). This dish tasted almost like the Thai version of Lime Prawns with less herbs and spices used. Basically, there were lots of chopped garlic being used, some chili paste, sugar, lime juice with some roughly smashed up bird’s eye chilies. The overall taste was fine except that I found the spiciness was not up to my level~ Haha! 😛

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Another dish we had may look simple but it had the best flavors presence. It was the Fried Bean Curd with Minced Meat & Shrimps (辣子爆豆腐 – RM15++ Small, RM25++ Medium or RM35++ Large). Laced on the plate were some deep fried homemade bean curd topped with the chef’s specially concocted recipe – spicy sauced minced meat, chopped shrimps with hints of some dried shrimps being added and garnished with some chopped spring onions. I can have bowls of rice with just this dish. Thumbs up!

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As Chinese New Year is approaching real soon, you can also make your reservation for your family, friends or colleague gathering at 1881 Chong Tian Hotel. The package which I had tried earlier was RM588nett. It was a 8-course dinner. Overall, it was quite reasonable in terms of flavors.

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1881 Chong Tian Hotel is located along the center part of Jalan Pintal Tali. If you are coming from Jalan Penang into Lebuh Campbell, drive on until you have reach the third junction on your right. Turn right into Jalan Pintal Tali and you would see the brightly lighted up heritage hotel on your right. There would be some reserved parking spots for you (upon availability) in front of the hotel if you were to dine there.

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Name: 1881 CHONG TIAN HOTEL
Address: 38, 40, 42, Jalan Pintal Tali, 10100 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-263 1881
Business Hours: 11.00am-10.00pm
GPS: 5.417247, 100.33412

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: 7.5/10 (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)

 

Another new heritage building has popped up in Penang within the buffer zone of the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site. The place has been named Nostalgie, a French word for nostalgia. It sure got me nostalgically yearning to be stuck in the days of my ancestors where life has been much simpler and uncomplicated as today. Nostalgie has been refurbished with cool heritage settings while maintaining its colonial days architectural structures. The place has a comfortable ambience with some genuine Nyonya style structures, a mini garden and some state-of-the-art decors, to give you the feel of the good old days with a touch of the modern lifestyle. If you are an antique lover, you would surely chance upon some skillfully crafted structures with embedded ancient iridescent nacre or also known as the “Mother of Pearl”. The nacre consists of blends of minerals that are secreted by oysters and other mollusks and deposited inside their shells, coating and protecting their bodies from parasites and foreign objects. It has the same compounds as in pearls and you would experience the optical phenomenon of hues changes as you view them from different angles, thus giving you the iridescence effect.

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Nostalgie is still quite new in this business with its operation started just a few weeks’ ago. It’s a family run café cum hotel business, managed and operated by siblings, Jean Lee and Jason Lee. Currently, they have started their café while waiting for their rooms to be fully furnished. The rooms would probably be available in December 2011. As for the café, they do serve some delicious and homemade pastas, pizzas, sandwiches and dessert. All the items are freshly made daily without the usage of any preservatives. The menu has a rather limited selection at the moment as they have plans to expand it in due course when the place is officially opened for business. Nevertheless, the chef had the passion to pep up dishes that would woo any diners.

We started the meal with their Spaghetti Marinara with Prawns (RM24). This dish came with two super king sized pan-fried prawns freshly obtained from the nearest fisherman’s wharf. The marinara sauce was thick and flavorful with a light touch of saltiness from the accompanied grated parmesan cheese. The pasta had just the right al dente and each mouthful had all the taste of freshness from the tomatoes, onions and chopped basils used. It was a heavenly dish although it needed a bit more of extra virgin olive oil for that extra moisture. With prawns being used, it would be great too if the chef would have added in some dashes of white wine and chopped parsley or oregano to pep up the herby taste even more. By the way, you could request for additional parmesan cheese to tempt your cheesy taste bud.

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Another of their signature pasta would be their Chicken and Basil Pesto Fettuccine (RM21). This dish would also come served with linguine upon availability. The dish was awesome. The chef did a great job in preparing the sauce that complemented well with the pasta. The sauce had that nutty flavor from what I presumed was blended walnuts as it was much drier and less oily than that of pine nuts, with stronger hints from the sweetness of basil leaves and garlic. It also had a much lighter hint of crushed black peppers in which I would prefer them to be a bit stronger. The pasta came with some slightly sautéed cherry tomatoes, a skillfully pan-fried chicken breast meat and garnished with a mixture of pesto, red chilies and Kalamata black olives. The chicken breast meat was much juicier than I anticipated. A job well done! Alternatively, instead of Parmesan cheese being used in the pesto, Romano cheese would also be great for that extra cheesy and creamy flavor.

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If you are a pizza lover, you would love the next dish. It’s their Prawn & Chilies Pizza (RM30). The pizza came with their homemade thin base, spread with their moist tomato sauce, topped with fresh prawns, onions, mozzarella cheese, chopped basils and red chilies. It may look Italian but had some Asian flavors in it. Simply Irresistible with the cheesiness! Although the pizza tasted great, I have a feeling that the chef loved basils a lot. A bit of chopped parsley/oregano would provide a better justice to any cheese based dishes, regardless of seafood or meat.

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Another of their good pizza would be the Chicken with Feta Cheese Pizza (RM28). The pizza came with their homemade thin base, spread with their homemade basil pesto (the same recipe as above), topped with cubes of chicken meat, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and feta cheese with some sprinkles of dried oregano. I could have this pizza for the whole day. The combination of mozzarella cheese and feta cheese was great as it had that unique and fragrant cheesiness. Each bite was heaven with a little squeeze of juices coming from the baked cherry tomatoes. You should not leave this place without trying this pizza out!

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They also serve sandwiches here. One of their hot items is the Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich (RM14). It had a juicily pan-grilled chicken fillet in teriyaki sauce, served with lettuce, onion and mayo between a pair of whole meal bread slices and some French fries. I would say that the teriyaki chicken fillet was nicely done but the usage of this kind of bread might not be suitable as it was rather dry. It would be nice if these were to come with some steamed dinner rolls. Even if the kitchen had decided to use whole meal bread in the future, it would be recommended if they had a thicker spread of mayo with some thinly sliced fresh tomatoes. At least with these solutions, diners would have a much juicier bite, even if those slices of bread were toasted more.

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Currently, they only have their homemade Carrot Cake with Crème Cheese Frosting (RM12/slice) for dessert. More options would be available in due course. This was one great secret recipe by Jean Lee. The carrot cake was moist and flavorful from the sweet grated carrots with a hint from some grounded cinnamon. It had some little bites from the added roasted walnuts and raisins. Combined with the creamy cheese frosting with a touch of lemon zest, the cake would be a target for dessert lovers. Unfortunately, I’m not such a sweet tooth and I found the cake to be a bit sweet to my liking. I prefer mine to be more towards the healthy version with the natural sweetness coming from some sweet Australian carrots and raisins. The cake would go well with a cup of hotly brewed coffee… minus the sugar for me. 😛

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As for beverages, it was more of a kopitiam style with fresh juice, chilled juice, coffee, tea and soft drinks. More options would be available in due course such as cocktails and mocktails. What we had were some iced/hot coffee/white coffee (RM5) and a Chilled Cranberry Juice with Longan (RM9).

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Here’s a little sneak preview of the unfurnished rooms and their surroundings. The rates would definitely be much cheaper than some of the scattered boutique hotels along that heritage zone. The rooms are scheduled to be available somewhere in December 2011.

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Overall, Nostalgie is a great place for some relaxations with the companionships of family members and friends. The charges for the food and accommodation would also be reasonable and affordable for all walks of lives. The only problem would be the scarcity of finding a comfortable parking space. Well, that won’t be a problem if you would park your car a bit further away and take a mild stroll towards the venue while enjoying the heritage of George Town.

The café is located just a stone throw away from 55 Café @ Coffee Atelier. If you are driving along Lebuh Farquhar into Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling, keep a watch out for the Goddess of Mercy Temple on your right. Immediately after the temple, turn right in Lorong Stewart and make a zig zag turn and you will see the café on your right, just right after to the only mansion there with a compound. Parking can be quite limited during peak hours. I would advise you to find whatever parking space you can along some of the lanes there and walk to the venue. Alternatively, you can drive a bit further up after the Goddess of Mercy Temple and park your car at the designated metered car park. Be warned here that the local Municipal Council can be quite strict in unpaid meter. Make sure that you have enough of coins inserted to last your visit to the café. Another warning would be that the place would be quite flood-prone during heavy rains but on VERY RARE occasion. Do pick a nice and sunny day for your visit.

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Name: NOSTALGIE (CAFÉ & BOUTIQUE HOTEL)
Address: 34, Lorong Stewart, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-261 0977
Business Hours: 10.00am – 9.00pm (Closed Thursday)
GPS: 5.419378, 100.337458

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

 

NOSTALGIC MOMENTS AT YENG KENG HERITAGE HOTEL

Posted by crizlai On April - 19 - 2011

Within the buffer zone of the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site lies one of the oldest surviving intact buildings in the historic enclave of Chulia Street, Penang. Originally built in the 1800’s as a private residence to Shaik Eusoffe bin Shaik Latiff, an Indian Muslim family, the unique Anglo Indian bungalow had gone through many hands, such as the trustees of the Cantonese Club ‘Yin Han Pit Shu’ and the Straits Chinese British Association, before being leased out to Yeng Keng Hotel in the early 1900’s. One main feature that remained distinctive from the rest of the buildings along Chulia Street (Lebuh Chulia) today is the unique Chinese architectural gate entrance and the many artistic murals scattered all over the premises. Some of the artifacts dated as far back as tens of decades ago can still be found here in the mini museum set up by the present establishment.

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With the conservation and upgrading efforts by the present owner, Hoo Kim Properties Sdn. Bhd. since 2009, the new Yeng Keng Hotel was completely refurbished in mid 2010. The new establishment has a mix of the past and present state-of-the-art facelift, with heritage accommodations, swimming pool and an al fresco area for dine and wine. The hotel is now managed by Mr. Jacky Chung, Hotel Manager and Mr. Tan Jie Yong, a seasoned chef who had traveled throughout a few Asian countries, cooking as well as lecturing Hainanese cuisine, as its Executive Chef.

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There are 20 rooms in this heritage hotel. The suite of all suites would be the Yeng Keng Suite (RM600+, Present Promotion RM500+). There are also 2 units of the Chulia Suite (RM500+, Present Promotion RM400+), 2 units of Family Triple (RM440+, Present Promotion RM380+), a unit of Garden Suite (RM440+, Present Promotion RM350+) and 14 units of others such as the Courtyard Doubles, Mansion Doubles and Courtyard Twins (RM380+, Present Promotion RM300+). A 10% service charge would be applicable to all check-ins which would include a quantity of American Breakfasts set by the management. Check in would be from 2.00pm while check out would be at 12.00pm. Just call in to check out on their ongoing promotions.

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As for food, there would be a mix of Western and Hainanese cuisine served here, with a note that some of the Hainanese dishes might need to be preordered earlier. Breakfast would be served from 8.00am until 10.30am. Lunch and dinner would be from the ala carte menu as early as 11.00am until 10.00pm. Presently, there’s the Hi-Tea Promotion at only RM7.00+. You get to have free flow of coffee or tea with a cake-of-the-day (eg, Apple Strudel, etc). The bar would open all day long until late.

Here’s a peek at what are the dishes available in this hotel. Firstly, there’s the Hainanese Spring Rolls (RM12.00+ for 2pcs or RM24.00+ for 4pcs). Each piece of the spring roll has stir fried cabbages, carrots, onions, mushrooms, chicken meat and crab meat. Although the rolls tasted nice, it came in a form rather moist compared to the ones I have tasted elsewhere. This could be due to the fact the vegetables were cut in strips as in Cuttle Fish Strips Stir Fry Vegetables (Jiu Hoo Char) instead of being cubed as in Sole Fish Stir Fry Vegetables (Phnee Hoo Char). A bit of diced water chestnuts added in would also be great for that extra crunchiness. These rolls were served with a condiment of a mixture of tomato ketchup, LP Sauce, sliced onions and chilies, a combination more suitable for Western diners. I would prefer mine to be served in the traditional way of herbed soy sauce, mustard paste (somewhat like LP sauce) and sliced chilies. The Hainanese Mushroom Soup (RM10.00+ per pax or RM45.00+ for 10 pax) was something quite similar to the Japanese Miso Soup with the usage of some blended fermented black beans. Instead of using cubed tofu, the Hainanese version has sliced button mushrooms, glass noodles, chicken meat and chicken gizzards. This dish would be suitable for those who love internal organs in a much clearer soup.

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The Yeng Keng Chicken Chop (RM15.00+ per pax or RM30.00+ for 10 pax) was presented with crispy boneless chicken on a bed of shoestring chips and topped with mixed vegetables, cubed onions and sliced button mushrooms in some tomato base gravy. It tasted not bad but a bit too salty for my liking due to the over salty marinates. Moreover, frozen mixed vegetables were not my preferences due to the fact that they lacked the natural taste of fresh vegetables. The Grilled Fish with Butter Sauce (RM18.00+ per pax or RM36.00+ for 10 pax) was rather unique and tasty except it had a bit of marinate problem. Since it was served with salted caper pickles and butter sauce, the fish fillet should not have been marinated in salt. The outer batter coated part was fine except for the a bit salty fillet within. Maybe it was the hotel’s way of cost effectiveness, but I don’t quite fancy dory being used for this dish as it would not provide the juiciness as in other fishes such as the barramundi, mari mari or grouper. It would be great if the hotel would opt for these fishes (with different price tag of course). The sautéed sliced potatoes with onions went great with this dish. This is the type of originality that I love most when dining outside.

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The Braised Lamb Shank (RM35.00+ per pax or RM70.00+ for 10 pax) served with spaghetti, roasted potatoes and blanched vegetables was a great recommendation. The meat was tender and has the right ingredients used while braising. If only I could get them to add in a bit of red wine during the braising process for that extra flavor. 😛 There was also the Hainanese Style Chicken Pie (RM25.00+ for 3-5 pax or RM35.00+ for 10 pax with extra filling) which would require a pre-order of 24 hours. I always love dishes with butter brushed pastry. It had small chopped chicken pieces stewed with onions and shitake mushrooms (instead of button mushrooms), topped with mixed vegetables (again? sweat~) plus cut hardboiled eggs, prior to being laced with puffy pie pastry and baked to perfection. The dish was slightly different compared to the one I had in another Hainanese restaurant as it lacked the creaminess from some sliced potatoes and the sweetness from fresh carrots. The next dish was the Inchi Kabin (RM10.00+ per quarter chicken, RM16.00+ per half chicken or RM30.00+ per whole chicken), a common Hainanese household fried chicken served with crackers. Although the dish tasted not bad, it could be due to my spoiled habit of having mostly drumsticks in my meal as I found the chicken pieces a bit too dry for my liking. We were also served with Curry Tumis Tau Teh Fish (RM100.00 – RM120.00 based on market price). The Chinese Pomfret or commonly known locally as Tau Teh is one of the most expensive species in the pomfret family as it has thick, smooth and juicy flesh. The fish dish was nice but it was in a drier version due to the likings of the hotel’s guests in dipping with bread or served with rice. Unfortunately, it spoiled the quality of such an expensive fish as there were not enough liquid in the gravy to be absorbed into the fish. The flesh ended up a bit too dry. It would be better if black pomfret or even stingray (which can be arranged) be used for a lower price. This dish came with sliced lady’s fingers and tomatoes. The next dish which was the Braised Duck with Yam (Ar Or – RM50.00+ per half duck or RM85.00+ per whole duck) also came in thick gravy compared to norm. It has a strong taste of sliced ginger. As for this dry version, it would be ideal to be taken with rice. Normally, most Hainanese would have this dish as a sort of soup dish.

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On top of the above few dishes for a larger group of people, you could always order other individual dishes such as noodles and rice from their ala carte menu. Their Hainan Mee (RM10.00+) was quite big a portion and tasty. Somehow, it looked darker just like the local Hokkien Char with the usage of dark soy sauce. I wondered if the chef got it right as the gravy should be quite similar to that of the more pale looking Fried Oyster Yellow Noodles. The next noodle dish consisted of another version of flat rice was the wet Beef Hor Fun (RM15+). It was also big and delicious. I loved the well marinated beef slices as well as the beaten egg enhanced flavorful gravy.

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As for dessert, they have some simple ice cream desserts but I went for something that has been quite rare in the dessert scene nowadays – the Bomb Alaska (RM20.00+). The dessert has 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream topped with some mixed fruit cocktail and wrapped in a layer of butter cake slices. This wrapped cake would then be sprinkled with some rum and covered with a layer of airy and slightly sweet meringue. The following process would be to burn some brandy over the meringue to create the lightly burnt taste. I found the dessert to be delicious if I leave it a bit longer for the ice cream to moist the cake well. If you consume the cake immediately after the fire is out, you might find the cake to be a bit too dry. As an option, it would be better for the chef to firstly moist the cake with a mixture of the fruit cocktail juice and rum or just add some soda (such as 7-up or Sprite just as how you would do it for the base of a truffle) with rum. At least this would have a consistent moist for the whole dessert.

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Unless you are there just for the Bomb Alaska, I would advise you to get at least 3-4 diners to share out this big dessert. Here’s the burning process video of the dessert.

Overall, Yeng Keng Hotel is a nice place for couples and families. Not only are the rooms modernly equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, it also offers great heritage living experiences in a romantic and tranquil environment. Let’s hope the new restaurant would be constructed fast enough to draw in more crowds, thus having more choices as well as a higher standard in food quality.

Finding the hotel won’t be hard as it’s the only hotel along Chulia Street with a beautifully constructed Chinese arch right at the entrance. If you are coming down from Cititel along Penang Road, just turn into the second lane on your left which is Chulia Street. Drive further for another 300m and you would see the hotel entrance on your left. Next to it is a guard house where you can get permission to park your car at the back of the hotel. There are limited parking spaces here. If you can’t get any car park within the hotel, just drive a bit further up and you would see a no through road next to Sky Hotel. You might find some parking spaces here.

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Name: YENG KENG HOTEL
Address: 362 Chulia Street, World Heritage City of Georgetown, 10200 Penang, Malaysia
Contact: 604-262 2177
Business Hours: 8.00am-10.30am (breakfast), 11.00am-10.00pm (lunch & dinner)
GPS: 5.419162, 100.334959

RATING:
Ambience: 9/10 (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: 8.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 9/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

If you are thinking of having a wide spread of dishes for your buffet dinner, why not pay Palms Coffee House at Hydro Hotel Penang a visit? You sure won’t regret as there are so many varieties of sweet and savory dishes for you to choose from Friday to Sunday. As for Friday Fiesta (RM55++), there would be a selected theme each week, namely Little China Town, Country & Western, Al Arabia Affair and Hawaiian Dazzle. You may want to call up 604-890 5999 ext 170 to check out the theme for that day. As for Saturday Special, it would be Saturday BBQ Buffet (RM65++). The Sunday Servings would be Oodles of Noodles at RM28++. Children would get to dine for half the price.

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Just to let you have an idea of what we had for the Saturday Buffet Dinner, I’ll show you section by section of the food served. For those who love starters, there was the salad corner with so many items to choose from ranging from just some DIY & ready-made salads, cold cuts, Japanese Sashimi, Oriental deep fried finger food to even our local favorite – the rojak (mixed local fruits and vegetables with shrimp paste). This section was very impressive and healthy indeed.

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As for the main buffet line, you would get some buns, soup, vegetables, clams, tofu, spaghetti to fried rice. What? Where those the only items I would get for paying RM65++? Where were the rest of meat, poultry and seafood then? Everyone was stunned! You can find all kinds of cuisines at Miami restaurants too.

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Unknowingly, some surprises awaited us by the pool side. A wide variety of well marinated meat, poultry and seafood were waiting for our orders to be grilled by the skillful staff of the hotel. There were chicken and beef satay, lamb, beef, chicken, prawns, stingrays, dory fish fillet, squids, flower crabs, mussels, chili stuffed Indian mackerel (ikan cincalok), mackerel (ikan kembung) and sausages available for us to choose from.

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For sweet tooth lovers, the dessert section would be heaven. There were endless rows of delightful bites ranging from local delicacies, tarts, cakes, jelly, mousse, pudding, ice cream and fruit cuts. The whole section was simply colorful and delicious!

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We were also lucky to be in the same venue as our local Ferrari Club members on that night. Everyone was drooling over the cars… err… and whoever in them. Now I have a problem choosing which car/human model. 😛

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By the way, the 4-stars Hydro Hotel Penang has some great suites if you intend to spend your vacation here. The sea facing suites sure give you a nice view of the horizon overseeing the Andaman Sea. Dawn and dusk sceneries can be quite beautiful for couples and families. You can always check up http://hydrohotelpenang.com/ for more information on the rooms and rates.

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Anyway, you can also get more discounts on food and lodging if you purchase the Friends of Hydro membership card. It’s only RM10 each. You would get 30% off the total food bill (buffet or ala carte), 15% off non alcoholic drinks and 50% off published room rates or 10% off best available rate, whichever is lower. Do also check out their other promotions too.

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It won’t be hard to locate the Palms Coffee House as it’s just within the premises of Hydro Hotel Penang. Drive all the way from Jalan Tanjung Tokong towards Batu Ferringhi/Teluk Bahang. When you see Mar Vista Resort on your left, you would be going into a hilly road. Immediately after the hilly stretch, you would see the Hydro Hotel Penang signboard on your left. Just turn left into the road and you would see the hotel on your right. You sure won’t miss it as there’s only one pedestrian bridge from the hotel leading to Miami Beach front.

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Name: PALMS COFFEE HOUSE @ HYDRO HOTEL PENANG
Address: Miami Beach, Batu Ferringhi, 11100 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-890 5999
Opening Hours: 6.30pm – 11.00pm
GPS: 5.477555, 100.269488

RATING:
Ambience: 9/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 9/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7.5/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

 

A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT E&O HOTEL

Posted by Criz Lai On October - 12 - 2008

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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.


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(Clockwise) Fresh Tuna and Salmon slices, Sushi with Wasabi, Thai-style Egg Salad, Prawn Fritters, Golden Abalone Salad, Unagi (Grilled Eel), Salmon Gravlan, Grilled Scallops, Smoked Lamb Salad, Vegetarian Duck with Seaweed and some hams.

Can you imagine that I had not even touch on the full salad, soup, buns, scones and dim sum section yet? This is already heaven for me!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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?

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(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.

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Name: SARKIES CORNER, EASTERN & ORIENTAL HOTEL
Address: 10 Lebuh Farquhar, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-222 2000
Opening Hours: 12.00pm – 3.00pm
GPS: 5.423361, 100.335946

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

E&O HOTEL SUNDAY BUFFET HI-TEA AT SARKIES CORNER

Posted by Criz Lai On May - 19 - 2008

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Where would you treat your family for lunch on a Sunday? You should try out Sarkies Corner Sunday Buffet Hi-Tea, located in Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Hotel. By paying just RM42++ (adults) or RM21++ (children), you could savor one of the most wonderful spread of buffet lines in Penang, ranging from local delicacies to international favorites.

You may want to know what are the choices of food available in Sarkies Corner? At one corner would be the appetizers which consist of greens, salads, cold cuts and at times sushi. You have the soup section as well. As for the main course, there are so many dishes that stood out amongst the best in Penang, namely the roasted duck, chicken, grilled fish, skewed BBQ chicken (satay), roti canai, curry fish head, etc.

The restaurant provided a generous amount of food and all of them are of quality. I was surprised that they have thick slices of grilled cod fish and salmon, which are considered expensive in the market. They even gave a curry fish head each for those who love this dish.

As for dessert, there would be the local kuih (desserts), fruits, choices of cakes, jellies ice creams and of course our local favorite, Ice Kacang (Shaved Ice). Coffee, tea and juices are free flow.

If you are in for quality food without worrying about your waist line, this would be the most ideal buffet hi-tea in town. Please make reservation days earlier before you go there as there will be large crowds. You can even reach there earlier before 11.30am to ensure a good sitting place. Here are some of the photos of the food that the restaurant was serving.

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I am sure everyone knows about the location of E&O Hotel, the oldest hotel in Penang. If you are not sure, you can refer to the map or ask any of the friendly Penangites and they would be glad to show you how to go there.

EOMAP

Name: SARKIES CORNER, EASTERN & ORIENTAL HOTEL
Address: 10 Lebuh Farquhar, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-222 2000
Opening Hours: 12.00pm – 3.00pm

GPS: 5.423154, 100.336021

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: 9/10 (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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