CRIZ BON APPETITE

Swez Brasserie @ Eastin Hotel, Penang will be having “Wonderful Indonesia” Buffet Lunch promotion on Weekdays for the month of August 2015 (1-31 August 2015). Diners will be treated with authentic Indonesian cuisine for all parts of the country. The Buffet Lunch would be priced at RM66nett (adult) and RM33nett (child). Senior Citizen would be entitles to a 50% discount.

To start off the meal, you might be interested in the infamous Indonesian appetizer known as the Gado Gado (Mixed Salad with Peanut Sauce). It’s a DIY salad which would consist of shredded jicama, cucumber, carrot, blanched long beans, boiled potatoes, deep fried bean curd and hard-boiled eggs with superbly tasty peanut dressing and Emping Melinjo crackers as garnish. That’s a bonus indeed as most eatery would just provide some sort of crackers instead.

As for soup, you can try out their Sup Buntut (Indonesian Style Oxtail Soup). Well, in Malaysia, we called it Sup Ekor (oxtail) rather than buntut as it meant buttock in Bahasa Malaysia~ LOL~ Anyway, this soup can be considered one of the more expensive dishes in Indonesian cuisine as it would require long hours of simmering as well as the pricey beef option. Compared to the Malaysian version of Sup Ekor, Sup Buntut would have lesser spices and herbs flavors but with a stronger sourness with the generously added amount of fresh tomatoes.

Do check out their Nasi Goreng Ikan (Indonesian Style Fried Rice with Fish Flakes). I quite like the fragrantly spiced up fried rice with some freshly prepared fish flakes. Other than plain steamed rice, this dish would add on more flavors with the other main dishes. With the add-on of Sambal Ikan Bilis with some hard-boiled eggs. I could have this dish just by itself.

Indonesia is famous for its Pecel Lele (Fried Catfish). Of course, the smooth and fine texture of the fish was an added bonus to go with the fried rice.

The thick gravy Beef Rendang Jawa went well with the fried rice as well as the thick gravy based curry was pepped with fragrantly concocted spices.

For some vegetables instead of the other meaty stuff, you can always try out their Lontong Sayur (Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Broth), a turmeric and coconut base dish filled with lots of vegetables, bean curds and tempeh. However, I did not see any of the healthy tempeh in the dish. Maybe it could be due to its availability as it’s not something easily obtained from the Malaysian market. This is a common Indonesian dish served with lontong (steamed banana leaves wrapped rice cake).

My favorite Perkadel or commonly known as Bergedil here in Malaysia were very flavorful. However, the potatoes were too mashed up. It would be great if the kitchen could make them more coarsely for that extra bite. Some added green and red chilies within would have pepped up the flavor even more.

As for side dishes, who could resist Sate Ayam (Grilled Chicken Chunks on Skewers)? These came served with some nasi himpit, cucumber and onions plus the beautifully pepped up peanut sauce. What made me curious was that why they serve Malaysian Nasi Himpit instead of Lontong which is of the same compressed rice cake but with the fragrant from the wrapped banana leaves?

For a lighter meal, you could also try out their Bakso Ayam (Chicken Meatballs Noodles). I personally prefer the beef balls version as it would be tastier than the ones in chicken stock.

As for dessert, there would be some items available such as the Pisang Goreng dengan Coklat dan Keju (Banana Fritter with Chocolate Syrup & Grated Cheese), Kek Lapis (Indonesian Layer Cake), Homemade Apom Cawan, Chilled Es Teler and more. Es Teler is somewhat like the Thai’s Tub Tim Krob except it has added condensed milk and palm sugar. Normally, it would have sliced jackfruits, young coconut and avocado but you could also top up with any other fruits you like such as mangoes, strawberries, toddy palm seeds or even jelly noodles.

Overall, if you are into Malaysian cuisine, there won’t be lots of differences in Indonesian cuisine as most of the dishes would be quite similar but with some extra tweaks. I would prefer if the kitchen would create something out of the norm, something that you could hardly get from the Malaysian culinary scene. Javanese dishes could be quite similar to ours but Balinese dishes could appear to be more outstanding. The kitchen should consider dishes such as Sate Lilit, Sate Udang, Sate Belut, etc instead of the commonly available Malaysian satay choices. As for main dishes, there are more options such as their famous Bebek Goreng (Crispy Fried Duck), Be Siap Betutu (Slow Roasted Chicken), Pesan Be Pasih (Grilled Fish in Banana Leaves), Ayam/Iga Penyet (Fried & Smashed Chicken/Beef Ribs) and more. Even the sambal has to be distinctive compared to the Malaysian version with options such as the Sambal Terasi and Sambal Matah.

The Swez Brasserie is located at the ring wing of Eastin Hotel, Penang (next to Queensbay Mall). If you are coming from Georgetown towards Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone via Bayan Lepas Expressway, do watch out for the Pulau Jerejak signboard (leading to Pulau Jerejak jetty). Ignore the turning and drive on to the next left junction. Turn left into Jalan Aziz Ibrahim and drive on until you a roundabout. Turn 3 o’clock and drive on until you see a big Eastin Hotel signboard at the first right junction. Turn right and drive on. Park your car at the basement car park. Take a lift to the first floor lobby and you would see the restaurant there.

Name: SWEZ BRASSERIE @ EASTIN HOTEL
Address: 1 Solok Bayan Indah, Queens Bay, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-612 1128
Business Hours: 12.00pm-2.30pm (Buffet Lunch), 6.30pm-10.00pm (Ala Carte Dinner)
GPS: 5.33643, 100.306345

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

The Sigi’s Bar & Grill on the Beach @ Golden Sands Resort, Penang, is currently having its unique, gourmet burgers with international flavors from now until end of August 2015. The Burger Mania promotion is available from 11.00am until 6.30pm daily. These burgers would include choices such as Lamb Kofta Classic Burger (RM58nett), Egg and Cheese Burger (RM30nett), Charcoal Bread Beef Burger (RM50nett), Chicken Cajun Delight (RM42nett) and Big Wave Fish Burger (RM42nett). Most set would come with either some crispy nacho chips or French fries and a complimentary soft drink of either Coke or Sprite. For reservations, please call +604-886 1852 or +604-8811 911.

With Penang having one of the best durians during this season, the highlight of the August month will be their own concoction of Durian Cheese Chicken Burger (RM45nett), a chicken patty filled with oozy fresh Penang durian flavored cheese. The best part would be that the unique concoction would leave no extruding after dining breath. You can still kiss your partner with a disliking for the King of Fruits without getting a hard slap~ Haha~ 😛 In fact, I do love the aromatic scent as it was almost like the scent of a ripened cempedak (scientific name – Artocarpus integer). Fresh custardy fresh durian paste, combined with added melted cheese in the nicely grilled chicken patty was truly another umami experience. By the way, umami is the fifth taste your tongue could sense other than the usual sweetness, saltines, sourness and bitterness. I’ve to compliment the chef for creating such a unique patty. It may be the only one in the world as well.

If you were to have the durian-phobia of putting your most hated fruit into your mouth, you can always opt out for some other burgers in their menu. One of the recommended ones would be their Charcoal Bread Beef Burger (RM50nett). The beef burgers would be served with toasted charcoal buns plus condiments of French cornichon (small pickled gherkins), lettuce, tomato slices, sliced cheese, garlic aioli, smoked BBQ sauce, tomato ketchup and a side dish of delicious crispy nacho chips.

There would be more option in the menu such as the Lamb Kofta Classic which come with fragrantly cooked lamb, topped with some garnishing of diced onions, diced tomato and Middle Eastern crushed foul medames bean in a sesame seed bun, served with French fries and a lemon wedge. The Egg and Cheese Burger would consist of a fried egg, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and French fries. On the other hand, the Chicken Cajun Delight would have grilled chicken breast seasoned with Cajun spices, served with a bed of fresh lettuce, tomato slices, tomato sauce, garlic aioli, cheese and French fries. There would also be something on the menu to pamper those seafood lovers such as the Big Wave Fish Burger. The burger would come with a crispy batter-fried fish fillet, served with julienned lettuce, tomato slices, coleslaw and tartar sauce plus a side dish of French Fries and a lemon wedge.

If you feel that you could still put in some other dishes, you may want to start off with their Signature SBG Caesar Salad with Smoked Salmon (RM44nett), a plate of crunchy Romaine lettuce tossed in Caesar dressing, served with beef rashers, garlic croutons and parmesan cheese with rolls of smoked salmon.

To wind up the meal with something sweet and cooling might be a great idea too. You can check with staff if they have Durian Cake (RM22nett) available. You would get to indulge in a piece of the delicious cake, served with vanilla ice cream with some chocolate dressings.

For more options on the lunch, dinner or pool side & garden menus, you can always click on the photos shown below to view the relevant menu.

Overall, I would think that the chef did a great job in creating a dish that’s so Penang via durians. I would love to see the restaurant coming out with more local fruits creations in the near future. Who knows? You might get to savor more out-of-the-world dishes soon with his creativity? Ice Blended Rambutan Float? Mangosteen Pudding? Nutmeg Dragon Beard Floss? I would surely be adventurous enough to try all out~ 🙂

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

Name: SIGI’S BAR & GRILL ON THE BEACH @ GOLDEN SANDS RESORT
Address: Batu Ferringhi Beach, 11100 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-886 1852 (Direct Restaurant Line)
Business Hours:
11.00am-6.00pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm (Bar: 11.00am-11.45pm)
GPS: 5.477405, 100.251657

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

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

Have you ever felt that going out for lunch at times could be quite a hassle? By the time you drive out, find a parking space and barely had proper time to chew your food, your one hour of lunch time would probably be up and you would need to drive back to your work place. Well, some of you might argue that your office is surrounded by all sorts of eateries and lunching out won’t be a problem. That’s actually THE PROBLEM. Are you really having a balanced diet? As carnivorous homo-sapiens, we tend to follow where our eyes and nose lead us to without even considering the side effects of having the wrong choice of food. Awww… those prawns and squids look too good to resist! Wow… They have aromatic and tasty coconut milk infused curries! Whoa… Those flat noodles with big succulent prawns, squids and cockles would be nice for my meal today! By the time you realized that you have put in so much of oily and high cholesterol items into your body, it’s already too late to manage your diet plan. But you can always find more info about any recipe prior to cooking so that you can make the right decisions about your diet. You’ve just lost your battle against your temptation to savor those high cholesterol food items again. This is not uncommon as it happens to us almost all the time. Eventually, WE ARE WHAT WE EAT…

Luckily, I managed to get to know The Healthy Food People (THFP), a healthy gourmet lunch box delivery service that would ensure that I can have my daily guilt-free food consumption. Not only did I save on my petrol expenditure, parking fees and the risk of being exposed to the UV rays from the sun and the acidic rainfall, I did find more time in indulging every bite from my lunch box and yet getting the adequate rest during my lunch break. Most importantly, with the balanced proportions of carbohydrates, vegetables and protein in the lunch box, I managed to continue my work efficiently and effectively without feeling the lethargy as before. Most of us realized the effects of carbs-boosted items within our bodies and yet we still consume them excessively and habitually. Instead of the body producing just the right amount of glucose and glycogen in your blood, cell, muscle and liver, the surplus carbohydrates will eventually be converted to fat. That’s how you have the unnecessary flabbiness all over your body.

Let’s not talk more on how to diet as you can easily look up the information online. We should just concentrate on the ways on eating wisely so that we can maintain or dropping a size. Moreover, eating healthily can reduce the risks of major diseases, while also you can help treating pain using resources like the gelatti 91 strain that is a great cbd product for this. The reasons I like about the lunch boxes provided by The Healthy Food People are stated as below:

– Fresh & quality ingredients used.
– Balanced diet of Carbohydrates, Vegetables and Protein
– Minimal usage of salt & sugar and maximize usage of natural ingredients
– Air frying, grilling, roasting, steaming, broiling, etc without deep frying to ensure lesser oil in food
– Innovative cooking styles without many repetitive main dishes monthly (if they have is also due to the request of consumers), thus you won’t get bored with their food.
– Great delivery time to ensure the freshness of your meal.

Though the dishes won’t be the same weekly, here are some samples of their nutritional dishes for a week:

Chicken Teriyaki Soba Noodles

Starch: Soba Noodles
Vegetables: Pickled Carrot & Cucumber
Main: Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Verdict: I’m impressed on how THFP served their chicken breast meat. The grilled teriyaki chicken breast meat was packed with flavors and it was moist and juicy until the last bit. The mildly flavored soba noodles were mixed with some slices of earthly flavored Shitake mushrooms. The pickled carrots and cucumbers complemented real well with the meat and noodles.

Sea Bass with Garlic Crumbs Topping

Starch: Penne Pasta
Vegetables: Tricolors Zucchini, Yellow Squash & Carrot mixed with Pasta, plus Iceberg Lettuce with Dressing
Fruits: Pomelo with Fuji Pears
Main: Baked Sea Bass
Verdict: I do find THFP to be quite generous in the serving of fresh fish. The thick slab of sea bass with the slightly salted garlic crumbs was quite addictive. The buttery, cheesy and herbed penne pasta with lots of tricolors vegetables complemented the fish dish real well. Compared to the previous serving, I had two other bonuses for the day which were the iceberg lettuce and the fruits. It was the perfect meal and I won’t mind ordering this set again if it’s in their menu in the near future.

Baked Coconut Chicken

Starch: None
Vegetables: Mixed Greens with Mustard Vinaigrette
Fruits: Mixed Local & Imported Fruit Salad with Homemade Yoghurt Dressing
Energy/Calories: Mixed Dry Fruits & Nuts (Protein, Fiber & Healthy Fats)
Main: Fresh Grated Coconut Coated Grilled Chicken
Verdict: This set was something out of the norm as it did not come with any starch item. However, you still get your required energy from the accompanied fruits and nuts. I’m actually not quite fond of having grated coconut on savory dishes but I still find this set to be quite acceptable to my liking as THFP used unsweetened grated coconut for this recipe.

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon

Starch: Steamed Brown Rice
Vegetables: Summer Garden Greens
Main: Pan Seared Salmon with Honey Soy Glaze
Verdict: Though this set might be a bit small for big eaters, I found that THFP were rather generous in serving a thick slab of grilled salmon. The sweetness with a tad of light saltiness from the honey soy glaze was quite appetizing. There were some greens and brown rice to complement the main dish. However, I won’t mind if THFP replaced the brown rice with some rosemary baked potatoes instead.

Hoisin Glazed Chicken Kebab

Starch: Cilantro Basmati Rice
Vegetables: Spiralized Sesame Carrots Salad
Main: Grilled Chicken Chunks with Vegetables
Verdict: The skewers of low calorie hoisin sauce marinated chicken breast meat combined with a mixture of greens were fragrant and flavorful. The chopped cilantro boosted basmati rice went well with the meat. The spiralized sesame carrots salad was a bonus for some extra crunchy bites.

If you needed something more to go with your meal, you can always order their other products. Their All Natural Jolly Jar (RM9.90nett) was filled with loads of fruits, oats, yoghurt and seeds. Wow! I would consume a jar of this delicious Parfait with all the wonderful nutrients within daily.

THFP do also serve Cold Pressed Juices (RM8.50nett/bottle). You have to check out with them on what would be available for the day. I ordered their Hand Crafted Singular • Raw Fit Juice of Cashew Milk which consisted of raw cashew, Himalayan pink salt, agave nectar and cinnamon. It was superbly healthy and delicious.

For a person who would not go on a healthy diet on a daily basis, I do find the dishes served by THFP to be flavorful and attractive enough to change my perception on dining healthily. Of course, you would not find every dish served by them to be palatable to you in a short period of time. It might take some time for us to get use to eating healthily but it’s the best for our own health. If I can cater from them on a daily basis for a few months without getting bored on dining healthily, why can’t you? 🙂 Anyway, you have the option to choose your favorites by checking out their FB for their weekly menu as stated below.

Name: THE HEALTHY FOOD PEOPLE
Central Kitchen: Sungai Nibong, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: +6019-420 2047
Email: thehealthyfoodpeople@gmail.com
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/thehealthyfoodpeople
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehealthyfoodpeople
Testimonial: http://bit.ly/bzeathealthy
Payment Mode: Cash On Delivery (COD) or local bank transfer
Delivery Fees: Flat rate of RM3 per trip
Delivery Days: Monday until Friday, excluding Saturdays and Sundays and some public holidays

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