CRIZ BON APPETITE

Savoring The Best All Over Town…

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From breakfast, lunch, dinner until supper, Wembley Café at The Wembley Hotel Penang would surely impress any diner with their sumptuous buffet spreads. Wembley Cafe provides accessible and affordable high quality food and service to everyone. Recently, I tried out their Thursday Japanese & Western themed buffet and was blown away by the amount of Japanese inspired dishes rather than being served with just sushi and sashimi. The buffet which would be served from 7.00pm until 10.00pm is priced at RM95nett (adult), RM48nett (child) and RM67nett (senior citizen).

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Let’s take a look at the buffet spreads. From the Salad & Appetizer Sections, you would find the “Make Your Own Salad” with a selection of greens such as Beet Root, Carrot, Cherry Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini, Cucumber, Corn Kernel and Mix Leaves accompanied by Dressings & Condiments (Thousand Island, Lemon Herb Vinaigrette, Italian dressing, Caesar Dressing, Turkey strips, Grated Parmesan, Olives, Crouton, Pumpkin Seed, Sunflower Seeds & Fruit Pickles), Japanese Potato Salad (Potato, Carrot, Red Onion, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Boiled Egg & Spring Onion), Crabstick Salad (Japanese Cucumber, Salt, Kani & Mayonnaise), Chuka Idako, Chuka Kurage, Vegetable Anti Pasto (Roasted Abalone Mushrooms, Roasted Bell Peppers, Roasted Zucchini, Olives & Artichoke) and Penang Rojak (Young Mango, Jicama, Cucumber, Dough Stick, Rose Apple, Guava, Pineapple, Bean Curd, Pounded Peanut & Rojak Sauce)

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Their Seafood on Ice has always been the crowds’ favorite as they do serve Snow Crab Leg, Half shell oyster, Mussel, Scallop, Flower Crab & Tiger Prawn (with Tabasco, Lemon, Spicy Cocktail Sauce, Chili & Lime Dressings)

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The Sushi & Sashimi Section would include Tuna, Butter Fish, Salmon Sashimi, Nigiri and Rolled Sushi (served with Kikkoman, Wasabi & Pickled Ginger)

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For Cheese, Soups and Bread, you would expect to find some International Cheese (with Crackers, Dried Fruits, Grapes & Honey), Kimchi Soup with Chicken, Miso Soup with Salmon Head & Belly plus Assortment of Rolls, Loaf Bread with Butter. There was also the Bubur Lambuk for the Ramadhan period.

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For Main Course, you would get a mix and match of Japanese and Western cuisine such as Yaki Udon with Seafood, Stir Fried Miso Butter Prawns, Mixed Vegetables (Yasai Itame), Roasted Tenderloin with Mustard & Peppercorn, Miso Honey Lamb Ribs, Chicken Teriyaki, Hasselback Potatoes, Baked Mussels with Ebiko Chili Mayo, Stuffed and BBQ Squid, BBQ Saba Mackerel, Barbecue Chicken with Italian Herbs, Garlic & Chili Flakes, Silver Anchovies XO fried Rice and Steamed Rice.

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At the BBQ, Tempura and Steamer Sections, you would find delicious items such as Chinese BBQ (Roasted Chicken, Roast Duck & Chicken Char Siew, served with Chicken Rice and Condiments, various ad-hoc prepared Tempuras (with Grated Radish, Ginger & Tempura Sauce) plus Chawan Mushi.

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The Asian Tapas Section would consist of Chicken Satay with Condiments and Peanut Sauce, Grilled Sausage with Chili Mayo, Sesame Balls, Corn on Cob, Japanese Okonomiyaki and Korean Pancake (with shoyu, vinegar, onion, garlic & green chili).

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For Fresh Fruits and Desserts, you would get items such as Assorted Fruit Platters, Cakes, French Pastries, Jellies, Tart, Kuih, Omochi, Ice Kacang (Red Beans, Herbed Jelly, Cendol, Cream Corn, Red Jelly & Pickled Nutmeg), Ice Cream (Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Green Tea and Yam with Mango Sauce, Strawberry Sauce, Vanilla Sauce, Chocolate Sauce and Condiments), Chocolate Fondue (Marshmallow, Cookies & Dried Fruits) and Freshly Brewed Coffee & Tea.

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Overall, I like the buffet spreads here as the dishes are of quality and freshness. The differences compared to many other hotels are that most of the dishes served here are in smaller portions and would be replenished freshly from the kitchen. Moreover, the different themes available daily would ensure that diners would get the best dining experiences.

Let’s have a look at the dining promotions for the hotel from July to October 2016 as below. Do click on the photo for a clearer view.

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To get to the Wembley Cafe, just walk into the main entrance of the hotel and head to the elevator to go up to Level 2 of the building. You would see a bunch of friendly staff at your service. Wembley Café has a 24-hours in-room service to cater to in-house guests.

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Name: WEMBLEY CAFE @ THE WEMBLEY HOTEL
Address: 183, Jalan Magazine, 13000 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-259 8123
Business Hours: 24 Hours
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: 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)

About Cititel Hotel Management Sdn Bhd (CHM): Cititel Hotel Management Sdn Bhd (CHM), is an established hotel management company with an inventory of over 4400 rooms and employee strength of over 2300. It is known for its collection of centrally located hotels and continues to actively seek opportunities in key Asian cities to build and expand its portfolio, particularly in the three and four-star categories. CHM is a subsidiary of the renowned IGB Corporation Berhad, a Malaysian property and investment holding company, acknowledged for its excellence in both commercial and residential property development.
About The Wembley, Penang: The Wembley, Penang accommodates 415 well-appointed guestrooms located in the heart of George Town. Furnished with batik-style designs and complementary broadband internet access, The Wembley, Penang, also provides exclusive privileges such as private check in, complimentary broadband internet usage and access to the private lounge on the Executive Floor. The Wembley houses a pillar-less grand ballroom which can accommodate approximately 1,200 persons, 10 meeting rooms, Wembley Café – 24-hours dining restaurant, lobby lounge, a salt-water infinity swimming pool, a gymnasium, a helipad (the first for a Penang hotel and in the Northern Region), Executive Suites and Executive Lounge and the DSRT Sky Room. For more information, please contact +604 259 8000 or visit www.StGiles.com
About Cititel Express, Penang : Adjacent to The Wembley is the 3-star Cititel Express, Penang which is the epitome of a Smart, Clean and Simple hotel has also open its doors for both the business and leisure travellers. Cititel Express accommodates 234 guestrooms and family rooms with all the essential amenities for a refreshing experience with great value. The hotel appeals to busy executives seeking affordable accommodation within a functional environment with a local identity and service that is friendly, attentive and yet unpretentious. Enoshima Japanese Restaurant offers delectable cuisine at the Lobby Level. For more information, please contact +604 259 1188 or visit www.cititelexpress.com

 

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)

 

WESTERN CUISINE AT EL CASA WINE & DINE RESTAURANT

Posted by crizlai On June - 30 - 2011

Many outsiders might not notice that within the suburbs of the Georgetown is a little cozy restaurant by the name of El Casa Wine & Dine Restaurant, which serves freshly home cooked pork-free dishes without the usage of monosodium glutamate (MSG). The name itself is self explanatory as this is a place to dine with wine or simply to chill out with partner or friends over a few glasses of wine. A corner lot along the colonial days’ row of residential houses, this restaurant promised a dimly blue lighted ambience with some impressive mini chandelier-like ceiling lamps and a romantic outdoor dining area for those who love dining under the glittering of the stars during dinner time (but do mind those pesky night blood suckers, ok?).

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As for starter, there would always be the Daily Chef’s Homemade Special Western Cream Soup (RM6.90) or Homemade Puree of Forest Mushroom Soup (RM6.90), respectively served with a slice of garlic bread. The daily chef’s homemade soup can vary from tomato, cauliflower, watercress and carrot soups. The Soup of the Day happened to be Tomato Soup which had fresh tomatoes, celeries, onions and so on, all blended and cooked into a smooth paste, with a drizzle of black pepper. Not too bad for the taste but I would prefer to have some cream added on to give it an extra boost of creaminess and that impressive flowery presentation as you would have on your latte. The Homemade Puree of Forest Mushroom Soup on the other hand had the creaminess from some sautéed potatoes blended in with wild mushrooms with a touch of thymes, mixed herbs and olive oil. It was a great chance from those powdered one which you could easily get from those street western food stalls. There was also the El Casa Salad (RM11.90) which in my opinion was rather a small portion to justify against the price. It came with just a few leaves of red leaf lettuce, green apple slices and topped with their homemade honey mustard dressing and some bread crumbs. Although the taste was acceptable, it lacked those crunchy bites from the croutons which they were to have as in their menu description. Moreover, they omitted the sundried tomatoes, which were not suitable for our consumption on that night without any replacements. They could have used some fresh tomatoes or even substitute with raisins or finely sliced carrots to boost up the bulk and colors. What happened to the creativity of the chef?

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Their first signature dish that filled the room with cheesy aroma was their Homemade Chicken Au Gratin (RM17.90). It had layers of creamy cheese made out of a combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, topped on some mushroom slices plus chicken drumstick cuts and baked to golden perfection. It comes together with some sautéed garden vegetables, fries and a bowl of spicy tapioca chips. It’s rich in flavors and would surely fit any ages of diners.

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The next dish was their signature Pan Roasted Fillet of Norwegian Salmon (RM27.90) which came with a mixed herb lemon butter sauce and served with mixed herb mashed potato and sautéed garden vegetables plus a bowl of freshly cooked buttered corn kernels. The fillet was well marinated exteriorly but with a bit too much of salt applied. Luckily, the interior part still maintained that moist to justify the whole combination. It blended in quite well with the butter lemon sauce which had a strong citrus sourness. I personally felt that a more buttery and salty brand of butter (such as Butter Cup) with just a light twist of lemon juice would taste better. At least they can just pan roast the salmon without much marinates to maintain its original taste. Their mashed potatoes side dish was lovely.

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For steak lovers, the next dish which was the Sirloin Steak (180 gm – RM28.90) served with some sautéed garden vegetables, potato wedges, and a bowl of freshly cooked buttered corn kernel, topped with black pepper sauce would be the ideal choice for your visit. The medium-rare slab of well marinated grilled beef with some sprinkles of black peppers was just right in taste even without the accompanied black pepper sauce. The only hiccup was the fatty parts which was a bit too tough to my liking. Overall, it was a great dish.

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In between those meaty dishes, we had the Spaghetti Seafood Carbonara (RM18.90), which had pieces of tilapia fillet, squids and prawns cooked in their special creamy white sauce and garnished some grated parmesan cheese and served with a baguette toast. Taste wise, it was not bad but I would prefer my sauce to be a bit creamier or thicker, not drowned in so much sauce and with more sprinkles of mixed herbs. The spaghetti had the required al dente for each bite.

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Next was the Charcoal Grilled Hawaii Chicken (RM13.90) which was served with their homemade tropical barbeque sauce, accompanied by some fries, sautéed garden vegetable, slightly grilled sweetened pineapple and a bowl of freshly cooked buttered corn kernels. This was just a normal tasting grilled chicken with the basic marinates. It lacked some hammer pounding to tenderize the meat through the grilling process, thus certain parts with veins could be rather hard to consume. The tropical barbeque sauce was quite unique with some citrus sweetness.

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The last of the main courses was the Pan Roasted Seabass Fillet with Arrabbiata Sauce (RM19.90), served with some sautéed garden vegetables, potato wedges, and a bowl of freshly cooked buttered corn kernel, topped with Arrabbiata sauce. The sauce was somewhat spicy with some traces of tomatoes, garlic, chilies, herbs and olive oil. The texture and moist within the fillet was just nice to savor the fresh flavors from the fish. It was a unique concoction but somehow it killed the original taste of the fish with an overpowering sauce. A simple sauce of just chopped garlic and butter with a fresh twist of lemon juice would suit the dish more.

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Finally, it was time for some delicious Home Desserts (RM5.90). We had Lemon Mousse with Chocolate Topping for the night. Although this was a nice and light palate-cleansing dessert to end a meal after such heavy main courses, it somehow did not go well with the chocolate topping. It tasted rather weird for many. It would be better if the chef just keep the dessert simple with just a spray of whipped cream with some sprinkles of lemon zest. Alternatively, truffles, mixed fruit yoghurt or just a simple scoop of ice cream with some fresh fruit cubes would end a meal better.

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The best part of dining here other than sipping in wine and other beverages would be having some hot brewing flower teas in their fine China wares. They have a few options here such as the Organic Green (RM6.90) which would help in lowering the cholesterol and blood pressure, strengthening the immune system and fighting against aging, Pink Rose (RM6.90) which would help to regulate blood circulation, purifying, cleansing and detoxifying and to have a glowing and youthful appearances on the skin, Jasmine (RM5.90) which would help to cool the body, refresh mind, help catharsis, and to regulate aging and constipation, Red Tea (RM5.90 – sometimes also known as the Long Life Tea) which is an anti-oxidant-rich, caffeine free tea suitable for people with busy lifestyles and Chrysanthemum (RM5.90) which would help against cough, expectorant, anti-oxidation, enhance immunity, inhibition of blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.

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El Casa Wine & Dine Restaurant would not be visible by the main road. If you are from town towards Pulau Tikus along Jalan Burma, keep to your right after passing the Giant Supermarket (Penang Plaza) at the junction of Jalan Burma/Jalan Larut. Keep driving until you have passed Him Heang, a church, Jemputee (junction of Jalan Burma/Jalan Chow Thye), a vegetarian food court and Malaysian Chin Woo Association on your right. Turn right into Jalan Servis (between Chin Woo Association and Malaysian Buddhists’ Association) and drive all the way in until your see a right junction (Jalan Irrawadi). The restaurant is at the corner lot of Jalan Servis/Jalan Irrawadi. It would be easier to find parking spaces here during dinner time after the working hours of the surrounding offices.

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Name: EL CASA WINE & DINE RESTAURANT
Address: No. 2, Jalan Irrawaddi, 10500 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 04-229 9223, 012-979 3318 (James), 017-572 9988 (Colin)
Business Hours: 11.00am-3.00pm, 6.00pm-10.00pm
GPS: 5.426246, 100.320678

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)

If you remembered the beautiful chill out place formerly call Sunset Bistro up at Bayu Senja, Batu Ferringhi area which was burnt down due to the so-called arson attack in late January 2011, you would surely not miss out the reincarnation of such cool bistro which now carries the name of Bora Bora By Sunset. A brainchild of Ms. Melynda Soon, the bistro was opened towards the end of May this year at a new location. It’s located just a shop lot away just before the Tarbush Lebanese Restaurant, hidden right behind some night market stalls along the famous Batu Ferringhi stretch. It has a better ambiance compared to the former with more cozy and dimly lighted corners for romantic couples. The bistro covers a long stretch of cemented pathways up to the edge of the beach, with an ejected wooden platform in between, to watch the beautiful sunset over the horizon of the Andaman Sea. Comfortable and uncomplicated, this snazzy bistro is actually a reminiscent of those smaller water holes by the beaches of some South East Asian countries. With an open rainforest concept, you are assured of cheap beers, reasonable priced beverages and a decent spread of cuisine, done in the simplest way to tempt any taste bud.

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An uprising star on the night scene in Penang, Bora Bora By Sunset without fail has attracted a steady stream of regulars amongst the locals, tourists and expatriates. Even the workers there were all well trained to make the best out of your visit. Occasionally, there could be some well-heeled guests swinging and twisting out from nowhere. Are you sporting enough to put on your best dancing shoes and join in the crowd? After all, this would be the best opportunity to let your hair down and mingle with everyone.

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Do check out how fun-filled the crowd can be even on weekdays. 🙂

There would never be an ending to the choices of cuisine available here, ranging from light snacks, sandwiches, local food fares, spaghettis, pizzas to western cuisine and desserts. The Special Fried Rice (RM8.90nett) had a twist of everything Malaysian. The rice had a mild spiciness with chunks of chicken meat and prawns. The only thing that it lacked was that “wok hei” (high heat cooking) that the locals would love to have but the tourists just loved the way it was presented. It came with an Indian papadam, two big skews of succulent Malay satay, a sunny side up omelette and an assortment of fresh greens. Everything tasted well except that the kitchen should take note of the excess oil from the satay gravy. It made the rice a bit oily.

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The newly introduced Pan Grill Lemon Citrus Butter Beef (RM31.90nett) had a touch of Mediterranean flavors. It had side dishes such as sautéed potatoes and fresh greens. The slight smoky flavor from the pan grilled beef, combined with the citrus butter with a touch of black pepper and herbs blended in well with the freshly handpicked greens. Although the dish was quite appetizing, in my opinion, this concoction would suit seafood better, preferably fish. Another thing that the kitchen should take note of would be the species of potatoes used. Certain potatoes imports such as those Australian or China ones are more suitable for deep frying or boil cook rather than being sautéed. Indian potatoes would be the ideal ones as they have that nice soft texture. Diners’ choice of meat should also be considered here as some might not like their meat to be so well done. It should be a norm when ordering but somehow the waiter kind of forgotten about the importance of the diners’ preferences.

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Pizzas… I always love thin crust pizzas or those wood fire ones. We ordered The Bora Bora Special Pizza (6” – RM12.90nett or 8” – RM13.90nett) which has turkey ham, pineapple, button mushrooms and olives. Compared to the dough for the pizza base from the former outlet, this one would need more experimenting. The base was rather compact and did not provide that mild crunchiness. Moreover, the pizza base sauce was rather thinly spread and did not have that distinctive tomato taste. On top of that, fresh pineapple cuts were used instead of the sweetened canned ones. There’s nothing wrong with that except that the kitchen should have chosen a riper pineapple and got rid of the harder parts. It did not flow smoothly with each bite.

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The best part was the dessert time. We ordered the Chocolate Brownie with Ice Cream (RM7.90nett). It was simply marvelous after a hearty meal. The slightly oven burned taste for the almond bits and raisin filled brownie went well with the scoop of vanilla ice cream. I just wished the scoop would be larger… haha! 😛

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As for beverages, you can get just anything from coffee, tea, soda, fruit juices, lassi, milkshake, punch, cocktail, beers to any of your preferred hard liquor. Beer lovers would surely love this bistro as they have Skol (RM8nett per bottle), Anchor (RM9nett per bottle), Tiger (RM10nett per bottle), Carlsberg (RM10nett per bottle), Guinness Stout (RM12nett per bottle), Heinekken (RM13nett per bottle) or Corona (RM19nett per bottle) which ranges from as low as RM38nett per bucket to RM93nett per bucket. Paulaner is at RM26nett per bottle. Well, we just got ourselves Iced Peach Tea (RM5.90nett) and Mango Lassi (RM8.90nett).

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With such a relaxing and stress-free environment combined with the ever friendly and fun-filled staff, it would be a great hangout place for just any ages. Moreover, all the items are at nett price. As for the food, there are still rooms for improvement since the newly appointed chief, Chef Mady Ahmad, just came in barely a week ago to revamp the whole kitchen. I guessed I may have to comment more on their food during my next visit.

It might be a bit hard for foreigners to find this bistro as it would not be visible from the main road. But no worries as I’m going to show you some landmarks that would lead you directly to their door step. Just drive all the way up to Batu Ferringhi until you reach the traffic lights with Petronas petrol station at the junction. Further up would be Lone Pine Hotel on your right. Drive slowly and watch out for the tall Tarbush Lebanese Restaurant neon signboard on your right. Just before the restaurant is the Beach Corner Seafood Restaurant (Happy Mart Mini Market is just across the road). Park inside the car park (RM3 per entrance) and you would see a green gate on the right. Walk through that gate, turn left and you would see the bistro there waiting to greet you with open arms.

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Note: The entrance to Bora Bora By Sunset is actually opposite the Desire Reflexology Centre and Fish Spa (left side of Jalan Batu Ferringhi) but quite unnoticeable with a small signboard in yellow neon lights with a beach view background. As parking spaces would be very limited inside there, it would be a better idea to park your car next door (Beach Corner Seafood Restaurant) with ample parking spaces.

BORABORAMAP

Name: BORA BORA BY SUNSET
Address: Lot 415, Jalan Batu Ferringhi, 11100 Penang, Malaysia.
Business Hours:
12.00noon-1.00am (Sunday to Thursday)
12.00noon until 3.00am (Friday, Saturday and Eve of Public Holiday)
4.00pm-7.00pm (Happy Hours)
Contact: 012-553 1313 (Ms. Melynda Soon)
GPS: 5.474476, 100.248114

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

 

WALKING DOWN MEMORY LANE AT LITTLE COTTAGE CAFÉ 2

Posted by crizlai On November - 25 - 2010

Walking into this restaurant reminded me of the good old childhood days when I had regular meals with my family in such a comfortable and family-oriented ambiance. A branch out from the Little Cottage Café (LCC1) located along the busy street of Jalan Burma, this restaurant within the premises of Hotel Waterfall carries the name of Little Cottage Café 2 (LCC2). Established somewhere at the end of 2006, LCC2 has been serving Western and Italian meals as its successor, LCC1. On top of its Ala Carte dishes, their set meals and Sunday Buffet Lunch remains the two top choices of the public.

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A few of us managed to pay a visit to LCC2 prior to my hectic office relocation some time back. It was a totally different experience altogether as the Sunday Buffet Lunch (RM25.90+ adult/RM13.90+ child) crowd was there. Set Lunch (from RM9.90+) and Set Dinner (from RM25.90+) were also available for the day. We started off with some signature cocktails and mocktails – Red and White Wine Cooler (RM9.90/glass), Little Cottage Mocktail (RM7.90), Little Cottage Fruit Shake (RM12.90) and Homemade Sparking Golden Lime Juice (RM6.90). The Little Cottage Fruit Shake remained the favorite of many.

Some of the house specialties were introduced to us. The Clam Chowder in Bread Bowl (RM19.90) came first. It had this thick and creamy soup, served within a local bun called “Penggali” bread (later mispronounced by many and commonly called Benggali bread today). The taste of the chowder was fine but there were just too much potato cubes which overshadowed the already minute-sized local softshell clams (lala). I would also prefer the bun/bun slices to be slightly toasted for that extra flavor. It’s a bit pricey though.

The next dish was the Cream of Mushroom (RM6.90) which had a varieties of fresh mushroom blended. It tasted not bad except that I would like mine to be a bit thicker with some crème added in.

The “Ossu Buccu de Angelo” aka Lamb Shank (RM29.90) got all of us yearning for more. In fact, I would say this was my favorite dish of the day. It had finely stewed, juicy and tender lamb shank served with some fragrant Italian mushroom rice and grilled/fresh vegetables. I can have this dish the whole day! Most recommended! 🙂

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The next on the list was the Seafood “Olio” Spaghetti (RM28.90) which you can have an option for spicy or non spicy (children). The spaghetti came with a combination of prawns, half-shelled mussels and squids in special white sauce. Taste wise, it wasn’t that bad provided you love the fresh fishy taste of seafood. Well, it wasn’t as spicy as I would have expected. Some paprika please~

There was also the Chicken Sausages and Turkey Ham Combo (RM29.90) which would suit kids more but it came with a hefty sum to pay, though the amount of food would be enough to two kids or an adult. It had a combination of chicken sausages, turkey ham streak, baked potato and fresh vegetables, served with house sauce and tartar sauce. The house sauce was really mild.

LCC2 has some impressive set lunches from as low as RM9.90. You would have an option to choose from the 15 items available daily. Each set would come with a butter roll, soup of the day, main choice of set meal, dessert and coffee/tea. For a healthy start, you can order the Garlic Lingguine (RM9.90). It had flat pasta cooked with some chopped onions, chillies, black olives and fried garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Since I’m a garlic lover, I have no problem with this dish although it might not be enough for a big guy like me. This dish would be more suitable for ladies who are rather conscious about their waistline.

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If you think you would like to have something a bit heavier but not too meaty, one ideal set lunch choice would be the Grilled Almond Fish (RM15.90). This dish would come with a grilled fish fillet topped with a generous amount of almond flakes and served with baked potato, boiled vegetables, fresh greens and tartar sauce. This was not a bad dish either except I would prefer some dressings on my fresh greens. Overall, it was kind of “dry”.

Not meaty enough for your set lunch? You may want to try out their Lamb Shoulder (in Black Pepper Sauce) – RM19.90. The dish came with two large slices of lamb shoulders in black pepper sauce and served with baked potato, boiled vegetables and fresh greens. Well, make sure you did state your choice of cooking method here. We should have ordered medium rare instead of getting the well done as it was rather tough with certain bite.

As for set dinner, there would be 10 choices daily from as low as RM25.90. Each set would come with a butter roll, soup of the day, main choice of set meal, dessert and coffee/tea. You would also have the option to add on a piece of Tiramisu Cake (RM4.90) or a change of soup to Clam Chowder Soup (RM5.90 – Friday to Sunday only). What we had was the most expensive item on the list – the Lobster Combo Special (RM49.90). It had a cheesy baked lobster thermidor with a choice of fish, chicken, lamb, steak or mussels. We opted for chicken. Although the lobster was nice, I felt that the price was a bit too high, considering it was just a baby-sized lobster. Moreover, there was nothing so special about the grilled chicken topped with a funny combination of black pepper and house sauce.

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If you intend to have a more romantic meal, LCC1, which has been in operation since 2003, would also be a better choice as it caters food on both floors with a dimmer setting and romantic corners. Do watch out for some of their promotions during off peak days (Monday to Thursday), festive seasons and special occasions.

Getting yourself there won’t be hard as LCC2 is located within the premises of Hotel Waterfall right at the end of T-junction between Jalan Gottlieb and Jalan Kebun Bunga/Jalan Utama. If you are coming from Jalan Burma, turn left into Jalan Jalan Gottlieb/Jalan Bagan Jermal traffic lights. Drive all the way until the end until you see Jalan Ayer Rajah on your left. You can see a big cake house and Hope Children Hospital there. Slow down and watch out for a small service road on your left. Turn left into the service road and turn right. You can easily see the Hotel Waterfall sign there. There should be ample car parks there during non peak period.

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Name: LITTLE COTTAGE CAFÉ 2 @ WATERFALL HOTEL
Address: 31 Jalan Gottlieb, 10450 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-228 1128
Opening Hours: 11.00am-3.00pm, 6.00pm-10.00pm
GPS: 5.430484, 100.299531

RATING:
Ambience: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8.5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7.5/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

LOCAL AND WESTERN CUISINE AT THE GATE CAFÉ

Posted by crizlai On August - 25 - 2010

Hunting for an early dinner in Taiping, Perak can quite tedious especially those good ones would only operate from 6.30pm onwards. I never had such problem in Penang at any odd hours. LOL! Anyway, after a few failed attempts to locate good hawker food stalls along the Taiping Lake Garden as well as at the Pusat Penjaja Taiping, I ended up at The Gate Café. Initially, I thought it was just another mamak store but upon checking, they have both local and western cuisine in their menu. Better still, all items were at nett price. Cool!

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Since I had a car load of other Taiping local goodies, especially the Huan Chu Leng, I decided to go for a light dinner. We just ordered a set each of Grilled Chicken with BBQ Sauce (RM8.90) and Grilled Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce (RM8.90). To my surprise, the grilled chicken drumstick fillet came out better than my expectation. The surface still had the crispiness from the grilling and the meat was tender and juicy. There was a hint of turmeric being used as marinates. Nice! The BBQ sauce was also great. Although the black pepper sauce was a bit diluted but it was quite flavorful to compliment the grills. Each set came with some greens and potato salad. The potato salad was beautifully prepared too. What a nice change from the usual fries.

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As for beverage, we had Iced Lemon Tea (RM2.50) and Sprite Float Jumbo (RM8.50). Just look at the size of the mug! I was wondering how my friend could gobble up that much liquid mixed with 3 large scoops of Vanilla ice cream. Amazing! Anyway, that drink was a good bargain.

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What amazed me were not the Western dishes but the spread of buffet dishes they have for breaking fast during this Ramadhan Al Mubarak period (16 August – 8 September 2010, 6.30pm-8.30pm). I should have waited to try out those dishes cooked by their Chef Emer, Chef Ahmad and Chef Hassan although driving back to Penang alone with a full stomach might not be a good idea after all. 😛 There was a little corner with all those ulam-ulam (raw vegetables with sambal belacan), Mee Kari Bali, cut fruits, local desserts (kuih-muih), rainbow jelly, cendul and many more. On the other corner were the main dishes with hot steaming rice or Nasi Briyani, Sayur Goreng Buncis Ala Malaysia, Ikan Keli Masak Lomak, Kari Daging Kampung and so on. The menu changes daily with at least another 20 proposed attractive dishes such as Ayam Rendang Trengganu, Daging Arab Utara and Udang Goreng Nestum. It’s only RM18.00 nett (per adult) or RM12.00 (per child). Hmm… maybe I shall visit the café in another visit. Those dishes sure gave out a nice and flavorful aroma.

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If you are driving in through the Simpang highway, go all the way up the flyover until you see a “Y” junction (Masjid India Jalan Kota). Turn right into Jalan Kota and drive all the way until you see Public Bank on your right. Turn right into the junction before the bank (Jalan Sultan Abdullah) and drive all the way pass a cross junction (Jalan Sultan Abdullah/Jalan Panggung Wayang). From here you can see Pusat Penjaja Taiping (Chu Chang Ka/樹下) on your right and Taiping Studio on your left. The Gate Café is just below the Taiping Studio at the cross junction between Jalan Sultan Abdullah/Jalan Maharajalela. There would be ample free parking spaces behind the building. For your information, if you turn left into Jalan Maharajalela, it would lead you directly to the Taiping Lake Garden/Taiping Zoo.

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Name: THE GATE CAFE
Shop Address: 33 Jalan Maharajalela, 34000 Taiping, Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: 05-805 7748
Opening Hours: 9.00am – 12.00am
GPS: 4.85038, 100.74421

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (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: 6.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 9/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

PRE FLOGGERS GATHERING AT 75 CELSIUS RESTAURANT & BAR

Posted by crizlai On August - 21 - 2009

NOTE: This restaurant has ceased its operation.

Prior to our 4th Penang Floggers Gathering scheduled to be held later in the evening, we were given a treat at 75 Celsius Restaurant & Bar, located along the promenade of the beautiful Gurney Drive last Saturday. Thanks to Ken and William for giving us this privilege to savor almost all that they have in the menu.

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Although I did pass through the Gurney Drive stretch quite often, little did I know that the little hidden treasure could provide such a wide range of western cuisine to please my forever craving appetite. Let’s start with what they have in their menu. Initially, they were 3 types of soup being served here. The Creamy Mushroom Soup (RM6.90) came with 3 freshly mixed mushrooms stewed to perfection, garnished with some cream, herbs and served with a slice of garlic bread. The taste was great compared to others except that it would be better if they cut down a bit on the level of saltiness. The Creamy Tomato & Bacon (RM6.90) was my favorite as it was mild enough for my liking and the sautéed beef bacon chips did add in that extra flavorful taste. This was served with a slice of garlic bread as well. The Oxtail Soup (RM8.50) was good too as it had the right amount of herbs and spices usage and the oxtail was tender and superb. This soup was also accompanied with a slice of garlic bread.

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Next on the menu were the salads. The Crispy Chicken Salad (RM12.90) came with some pieces of golden fried bread crumbed chicken, sliced and laid on a bed of mix greens, dressed by some mayonnaise like oriental dressing. Except for the meat slices which were a bit dry to my liking, the whole combination justified each other well. The next salad which was the Chef’s Salad (RM11.90) was normal except that it had additional tuna flakes and crab filament stick slices added in, topped with Thousand Island dressing.

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For those who would like to have some light meal with loads of greens, you should check out the Sandwiches section in the menu. The Turkey Fresco (RM11.90) was indeed lovely with a slightly butter toasted croissant filled with turkey ham, greens and oozing dressing. The Hamburger Delight (RM16.90) was our favorite as the beef patty was firm and tasty. The Cheezy Beef Roll (RM15.90) did not impress me much as it was just some marinated beef slices baked with cheese. The Tuna Supreme (RM12.90) was just another common tuna filled croissant but it was delicious as the filling was rather moist. All the above sandwiches would be presented with some green salads and French fries.

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If you like to have something even lighter, you could always look into their Snacks sections. You could try out their Cheezy Garlic Bread (RM6.90), Tempura Prawns (RM9.90), Tempura Calamari (RM8.50), Fish Cocktail (RM8.50), Mushroom Bruschetta (RM7.90) and Lamb Bruschetta (RM8.90). All snack meals would come with some green salad. Except for the Fish Cocktail which had some blended fish, prawns and squids being a bit too soft for my liking, I loved the Lamb Bruschetta a lot. The lamb slices was stewed perfectly in their own secret recipe until the meat were tender. The only problem I had was the understanding on bruschettas. All along I thought they would be served with filling on top of the bread slices. Instead I had 5 slices of garlic bread served with a bowl of lamb stew. I guessed that would be their way to avoid the bread being soiled by the lamb gravy.

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There would also be pasta dishes available here to tempt your appetite for Italian cuisine. We had the Aglio Olio (RM15.90). This dish was kind of fusion as it had some aubergine (eggplant/brinjal), ham slices and tiger prawns added in on top of the usual garlic, herbs, chili flakes and olive oil. Overall, the taste was still superb as it was just right for my level of spiciness. The Alla Carbonara (RM10.90) was also good with the right amount of creaminess but I would prefer a bit more sauce. It would be even better if only the beef bacons were not chopped so fine and linguini pasta be used instead of spaghetti pasta. My preference would still be the one I had at QEII. The next two pasta dishes which were the Alla Marinara (RM16.90) and Baked Cheezy Seafood Pasta (RM16.90) was a bit disappointment for most of us as both dishes lacked the special unique taste of some white wine and cognac. Moreover, I’m still pondering which item in the ingredients caused the overpowering fishy taste.

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Now, let’s look at the colorful Main Course dishes. The Tagarashi Salmon (RM17.90) was uniquely presented. It had Nori (seaweed) rolled into salmon fillet, mildly grilled and topped with some spicy curry cream sauce. This was served with ratatouille on mashed potatoes and green salad. Each flake of the salmon with the sauce was delicious, so was the ratatouille with the mashed potatoes.

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The Lemon Butter Fish (RM12.90) was next. It had some French fries laid on a pool of buttered lemon cream sauce, topped with a battered fried fish fillet and some shredded carrot strips as garnish. The tangy flavored white sauce blended in well with the whole presentation.

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The Jacuzzi Beef (RM16.90) was presented on a bed of fresh lettuce and was served on a hot plate. It had some paprika sprinkled French fries and black pepper sauce as gravy. Everything on the hot plate was good except that I found the gravy to be a bit mild for my taste bud. This dish would be mild enough for a kid’s consumption.

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For those Ribeye Steak (RM17.90) lovers, the next dish would be a great bargain. The accompanied simple yet fragrantly sautéed potato slices with onions itself was a kill. The steak was cooked medium and the pepper mushroom sauce clicked well.

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The Spice Lamb Leg (RM18.90) was presented on some sautéed potatoes with rosemary. The meat was grilled fragrantly and served with some Pineapple Jack Daniels (JD) sauce. Except for the meat which was a bit dry, that was a great way to have lamb minus the mint sauce.

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There was also the Lamb Cutlet (RM20.90) served with ratatouille on mashed potatoes and mint yogurt sauce. The mint yogurt sauce was something new to me and it was delicious with the grilled cutlets. The ratatouille was as tasty as before. Now, that made me missed Remy from Walt Disney’s Ratatouille more and more. 😛

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Teriyaki Chicken (RM15.90) was served next. Except for the beautiful presentation, everything tasted quite normal. I would suggest to the chef that the chicken be marinated longer to get the best out of the teriyaki taste.

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The Roasted Chicken Drumstick (RM15.90) looked great with the sautéed potatoes with rosemary and orange ginger sauce. The combination might be unique for many but my preference would still be the classic gravy where some chicken broth are to be pan cooked with some remain juices from the roasting, some flour, salt and black pepper to taste. A dash of dry white wine would surely boost up the taste further.

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Everybody was complimenting on the Chicken Chop (RM10.90). It may be the most common item in any Western food menu but the one served here was rather unique. Maybe it was our luck that day but the chicken drumstick fillet was indeed thick and juicy. The outer crust was still crispy after being exposed so long for our photo shooting and the oriental sauce on it was delicious. It’s a great bargain here!

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The last of the main course we had was the Black Pepper Mushroom Chicken (RM10.90). It looked as if the drumstick had shrunk compared to the chicken chop earlier. It surely had something to do with the frying flour as this was grilled. Overall the taste was still fine. This would suit me better if the gravy was a bit spicier for my taste bud.

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Hmm… I had just realized something here. They do not have any desserts in their menu. I think they should consider on having some for those for visiting families with kids. Nevertheless, they do have a wide selection for beverages, ranging from coffee, ice coffee, coffee with liquor, chocolate, blended, milkshake, juice, tea, special, sodas, cocktails, liquor and beer. Here are some of the non-alcoholic drinks some of us had ordered (except for Caffe Baileys which contained some Baileys Irish Whisky Cream). They are Cappuccino (RM5.00), Hazelnut Cappuccino (RM5.50), Ice Expresso (RM7.00), Caffe Baileys (RM8.00), Ice Blended Green Tea Special (RM9.50), Ice Blended Chocolate (RM9.50), Ice Blended Wildfruit (RM9.50), Vanilla Milkshake (RM8.00), Strawberry Milkshake (RM8.00), Lemon Temptation (RM7.00), Philadelphia (RM7.50) and Dawn of The Beauty (RM7.00).

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As for the alcoholic section, I found something interesting. Don’t you think some of the names given were rather kinky? LOL!

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There are over 30 types of cocktails, hard liquor and beers for you to choose here. Some of the alcoholic drinks ordered by us included Michael Jackson (RM10), Lemon Drop (RM10), AK47 (RM18.00), Tequila Sunrise (RM13.00) and Screwdriver (RM13.00).

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Dining here can be rather humid during sunny afternoon as the place is open air. I would advise you to dress casually or dine during late evening. Please take note that all prices would be subjected with a 10% service charge.

The shop is strategically located along the sea front of the famous Gurney Drive (right before Coffee Island and Crepe Cottage). If you are coming from town into Jalan Kelawei, turn right at the first junction (Jalan Lim Chin Guan) where Gurney Tower is. Drive towards the end and turn left. You would pass through Evergreen Laurel Hotel and a stretch of hawker centers on your left. Slow down as 75 Celsius is immediately after the last hawker center (Song River Café). I would advise you to park your car in the Jalan Birch Car Park (the road after Song River Café) and walk up to the restaurant cum bar, especially during weekends.

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Name: 75 CELSIUS RESTAURANT & BAR
Address: 75, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-227 3775
Business Hours: 11.00am-2.00am
GPS: 5.433140, 100.316246

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

WHERE TO EAT? NO EYE DEER!

Posted by crizlai On August - 10 - 2009

I can still remember vividly more than a year ago when I was asking my friends what they would want to drink in a restaurant and they would reply “Anything” or “Whatever”. Those were what Out Of The Box Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) and Tongee (KL) Sdn. Bhd. stormed the market with in early 2008. One consisted of different flavored tea whereas the other consisted of different flavored fizzy drinks. The thrill lies in what you would get in the can. You would have to open up a can of “Anything” or “Whatever” to find out the flavor yourself. This is a genius way to promote a product right? Well, the same goes for our dinners after years of having the same type of food in Penang. Where to eat? No idea! Hey! That’s a great place to dine now – No Eye Deer! Let’s go! 🙂

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Since you now know you can only get your “Anything” or “Whatever” in any of the 7-Eleven outlets, why not head up to the first floor of Prima Tanjung to get your “No Eye Deer”? The restaurant has been there for many years serving a nice array of unique fusion meals that would tempt and spoil anyone’s desires to have a great dining experience. With a cozy ambience, soft background music and great artistic displays of the proprietor, Ken Low, this restaurant would be ideal for those who love to dine in style.

So, what’s cooking in the kitchen of No Eye Deer? What came out on our dining table was a surprise as all the time many of us had perceived that this was a total Western cuisine restaurant. We were served Beef and Chicken Laotian Laksa (RM12.80+/bowl). These two were their signature dishes. Each bowl would come with springy firmed rice noodles, richly flavored in the stock from the respective meat choices and topped with bean sprouts and basils. Of the two options, I loved the beef dish better as the tender beef slices gave the spicy and piquant soup base a richer taste. Thumbs up!

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This was followed by the Soup of the Day – Pumpkin Soup (RM7.80+). This was something unique as the sweetness of the blended pumpkin, herbs and cream, garnished with some croutons was good.

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The next dish which was the Pan Grilled Sea Bass with White Sauce (RM19.80+) was presented with tangy white sauce and served with fresh crisp salad and mashed potatoes. The fish was done perfectly as it had a bit of charred taste while maintaining its juiciness. The white sauce was wonderfully prepared too as it had just the right creaminess and blended in real well with the double scoops of homemade mash potatoes which were marvelous.

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We then had the Jumbo Vienna Sausage (RM15.80+) which consisted of two smoked cheddar stuffed chicken sausage served with mash potatoes and salad. The gravy for this dish was just right as it was not so salty when taken with the slightly salty cheese filled sausages.

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Chicken Parmigiana (RM18.80+) was next. This Italian styled chicken fillet was served with freshly stewed tomato and Mozarella cheese. It had mash potatoes and salad as side dressing. I would advise you to consume this chef’s recommended dish soonest possible as the moist from the stewed tomatoes would eventually soil it swiftly. With so many of us taking photos, it did turn soggy but the taste was still great for those who love the sweetness of fresh tomatoes.

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No Eye Deer has many surprises for its patrons daily as the Special of the Day was the Meaty Beef Pie (RM16.80+) which was served with golden French fries, fresh crisp lettuces and a cup of their specially prepared gravy. The crust was nicely baked and the gravy was delicious with the tender beef chunks. My only complain was that the ingredients used were a bit too strong and it overpowered the natural taste of the beef chunks within. Maybe the restaurant should consider looking into this by having the meat more towards the savory taste than being so sweet.

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Their Traditional Grilled Steak (RM29.80+) which had char-grilled tender beef steak, served with traditional rich brown gravy, homemade mashed potato, broccoli and carrots, looked so burned and was drowned in a pool of gravy but the look can be deceiving. It was darn delicious as the meat was tender and juicy. The only comment I had was that there were too much of diluted gravy on the meat. I hope the chef would thicken the gravy more as it tasted quite normal and it did kill the fragrance of the char-grilled steak a bit.

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I thought those were all since I was not the one who ordered the dishes when a gigantic Caveman Platter (RM68.00+) was presented right in front of me. Gosh! It was meant to serve 3-5 persons! The dish had a mixed platter of char-grilled lamb, chicken kebabs, chicken sausages, chicken wings and pepper lamb sausages. Although served with some gravy, I found most of the items rather dry to my liking. Maybe I’m not a fan of barbeque stuff. But the pepper lamb sausages kept me eating more. They were unique as I had not seen them being served anywhere around town before. Anyway, this dish would be great for those who love lots of meat in their diet.

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The meal finally ended with a dessert – Coffee Jelly (RM5.80+). This dessert was voted as the Best Jelly in Malaysia by readers of ‘The Star’ Newspaper dated 23rd March 2008. The Japanese jelly was mildly flavored with coffee and was served chilled in some mixture of fresh cream and syrup with some sprinkles of cocoa powder. It was remarkably wonderful for coffee lovers like me.

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The restaurant also had a unique way to serve scoopful of ice creams in a cone – the Upside Down Ice Cream (RM4.80+). It had two scoopful of Vanilla ice creams served on a plate with a cone upside down and sprinkled with a generous amount of chopped roasted peanuts and glazed with some melted chocolate. This dessert would surely be great amongst kids.

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Choosing your beverages here can be real interesting as the beverage would come in many unique names. We had Drama Queen (RM8.80+) – glamarous smoothie of pink guava and pineapple with sour plum, Wacky Wizard (RM8.80+) – delicious & wacky smoothie of mango yoghurt and pineapple and also Chunky Monkey (RM8.80+) – rich and delicious banana smoothie with ice cream and chunky peanuts. All the beverages had their own specific uniqueness in taste and presentation.

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Please take note that all prices would be subjected with a 10% service charge. The restaurant would be easy to spot as it’s located at level one above the 7-Eleven Prima Tanjung outlet, facing the direction of Island Plaza along Jalan Tanjung Tokong. There would be ample parking space surrounding the multi-level shop houses.

NEDMAP

Name: NO EYE DEER RESTAURANT
Address: 98-1-26, Prima Tanjung, Jalan Fettes, Tanjung Tokong, 11200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-899 0488
Business Hours:
6.00pm-11.00pm (weekdays), 12.00noon-11.00pm (weekends), (Closed Tuesdays)
GPS: 5.450906, 100.305169

RATING:
Ambience: 8.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8.5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 9/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

HOU MEI NOODLE HOUSE

Posted by Criz Lai On August - 12 - 2008

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Before the Dreamz show started, we had decided to go for some food to fill up our tummies since we had skipped our lunches due to the rushing to catch a bus up Genting Highlands. After moving around the dining area in search of food, we tried out the latest in contemporary Asian cuisine, the Hou Mei Noodle House. At least that was where we could savor a unique fusion of Western and Asian Cuisine all in one place.

Since I can’t live without curry, I ordered the Curry Hor Fun Noodles (RM14.95). The dish came in a large bowl with 3 chunky pieces of chicken meat, 2 prawns, 5 half pieces of soy bean cakes (tau hoo pok) and some long beans. I would think it is a bit pricey but what else would I expect as I was in Genting. Of course food would be more expensive there. The soup base was spicy with a mild taste of lemongrass but it was not as spicy as I would like it to be although I did add lots of chili paste which was not hot enough. Moreover, I needed to add in some soy sauce to boost up the salty taste in it. Passable but not as tasty as those I can get from Penang.

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On the other hand, my friend decided to order the much recommended Hawaiian Chicken Chop (RM21.30). They have an average size of grilled chicken meat, topped with some sweet and sour gravy, a piece of canned pineapple and some vegetables. The portion and taste was fine but for me I would love to have some salad cream to go with my vegetables.

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Overall, the restaurant has the ambience to make one feel relax. We paid a total of RM44.85 for the meals, inclusive a plastic cup of cold Chinese tea (RM2.30) and sprite float (RM6.30). All prices have 5% Government tax and 10% service tax added in. Hou Mei Noodles House is just next to the entrance of the Starworld Casino within the First World Hotel premises.

Name: HOU MEI NOODLE HOUSE
Address:
Level 2, First World Plaza, Genting Highlands Resort,
69000 Pahang, Malaysia.

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

EA BISTRO AND PUB

Posted by Criz Lai On June - 28 - 2008

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You may have pass by this restaurant always but maybe you did not pay much attention as it is hidden at the end of a lane. This restaurant is actually right with the premises of the Penang Eurasian Association. That’s how it got its name as EA Bistro & Pub. Not only does the restaurant serve Set Lunch (RM9.90) daily (except Monday), it also served one of the best Western Food as well as Japanese Meals around the area and everything in this restaurant is freshly cooked daily. Even the soups are prepared with the freshest ingredients and the Japanese meals are prepared with imported Japanese products.

My friend and I discovered this place on our way to Tanjung Tokong area a few days back and decided to try out this place. We ordered the BBQ Chicken (RM16.90) and Blackened Chicken (RM16.90). The Blackened Chicken is actually grilled cajun spiced chicken breast meat served with black pepper sauce. Every piece on the plate is well prepared and tasty. The portion served is extremely large.

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The BBQ Chicken on the other hand is a grilled cajun spiced chicken drumstick served with sweet fragrance-rich BBQ sauce. Absolute delicious too!

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For every order of an Ala Carte Western Dishes, you are can upsized to Set Dinner with an additional RM7.00. You will get a glass of soda of your choice, a fresh Mushroom Soup, a spicy green salad, and coffee or tea. This is recommended for those big eaters. You should also try out the smoothness of their Vietnamese Coffee. This is such a great offer!

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There will also be different Live Bands performing from Thursday until Saturday. Thursday would be Jazz Night, First and Third Friday would be Country Night, Second and Fourth Friday would be Retro Night and Saturday would be Oldies Night. This is not a bad place for group gatherings or party but you will expect dimly lighted place with some smoke since this is a bistro cum pub.

There is also a list of Teppanyaki and Sashimi dishes, Spaghetti and Pasta, and finger food available for your hungry tummy. The boss recommended their Yaki Udon, Yaki Mesi, Spaghetti Marinara and Chicken & Mushroom Fettuccine for our next visit.

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If you are coming from town towards Gurney Plaza along Jalan Kelawai, you will reach a traffic light. Go straight and turn into the second lane on your left. The restaurant is just at the end of a no-through road, right in between the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Malaysia building and Arcadia Apartment. Hunzaland Project Office is just directly opposite the lane. The will be parking space inside.

EABISTROMAP

Name: EA BISTRO & PUB
Address:
107-A, Jalan Kelawai (Solok Serani), Pulau Tikus, 10250 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 604-228 2406, 016-422 6688 (Pauline)
Opening Hours:
11.30am – 3.00pm (Lunch)
6.00pm – 10.00pm (Dinner)
6.00pm – 1.00/2.00am (Pub)
6.00pm – 12.00/1.00am (Live Band – Thursday – Saturday)
GPS: 5.434593, 100.310315

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (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)

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