CRIZ BON APPETITE

For meat lovers, especially beef and poultry lovers, you are in for a meaty treat this coming October 2012 as Swez Brasserie @ Eastin Hotel, Penang, would be having its German Galore Promotion for the whole month of October 2012 (1-31 October 2012). You can now savor all the delectable spread of German cuisine under the skillful hands of the Jr. Sous Chef, Chef Kelvin Cheong. However, you won’t be able to try out any pork related items the Germans are famous for as the restaurant is halal. For MAYBANKARD, VISA, CIMB and UOB card members, you can enjoy 15% discount for the Semi Buffet Dinner (Monday to Thursday) and Weekend Buffet Dinner (Friday to Sunday) from 6.30pm – 10.00pm.

One of the main appetizers of the day would surely be the German Potato Salad (德式馬鈴薯沙拉). This nicely chilled authentic German salad recipe had me digging in for more. It was a simple dish with just a few ingredients and yet the slight creamy and sour flavors in it were truly refreshing and appetizing. Can you imagine a dish with just diced potatoes, diced onions, diced turkey ham, black pepper, vinegar, salt & sugar to taste with a light sprinkles of chopper spring onions can be so fulfilling? Yummy!

The next appetizer was the German Sauerkraut Salad (德式酸菜沙拉). The sauerkraut which is basically shredded cabbage and sugar under pickling processes through lacto-fermentation, had that slight sourness. When combined with some sliced celery, capsicum, onions and tossed with some sliced bratwurst, it was another great dish to start off prior to a heavy and meaty meal.

As for main, we had an assortment of German Sausages (Bratwurst) and Chicken Schnitzel served on Rotkohl, with Onion Sauce (with diced turkey ham) and Dijon Mustard as condiments.

The Germans are the experts in making wurst (sausages) for centuries and they claimed to have created more than a thousand types of wurst throughout Germany, with variants in different regions of course. Their wurst basically falls into 4 categories such as Rohwurst (fresh/raw), Kochwurst (cooked), Buchwurst (boiled/scalded) and Bratwurst (grilled/pan-fried). There are also the schinken (hams) such as the Rohschinken (fresh/raw), Kochschinken (cooked) which would be ideal for topping breads. We managed to try out 5 types of the wurst (chicken & beef) such as the Bratwurst, Foot Long and Weisswurst.

The Chicken Schnitzel (德式雞排) on the other hand was a hit amongst us. The golden breadcrumbs crusted boneless chicken thigh meat had just the right marinates with a mild touch of parmesan cheese, butter, pepper and a light hint of lemon juice. It was perfect with some sprinkles of roasted almond flakes for the extra crunchiness.

One of the side dishes that came severed with the main dishes was the Rotkohl (Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage), another staple dish in Germany. Compared to the Sauerkraut, this dish had a more distinctive tangy sweetness from some added apple cider and spices such as cloves and cinnamon barks. Some toasted turkey bacons were added in for a mild tad of saltiness. This dish went well with all the meat dishes.

Another of the main dishes served was the Beouf (Beef) Stroganoff on some puff pastry. This is quite a flexible dish as it can be use to top any of the starches such as rice, noodles, pasta, bread and more. The taste of this dish was quite similar to those beef stews except that it was rather mild in spices. Basically, you can taste the natural sweetness from a high usage of onions, mild peppery taste from some mustard and black pepper, earthly taste from some mildly sauteed mushrooms and some creamy and sour flavors from the added sour cream. The only doubt I had was on the origin of the dish. It was to be a Russian dish but got famous throughout the surrounding countries and the Germans also claimed it as theirs. LOL!

A meal won’t be complete if you did not have the national dessert of Germany – the Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake) or simply known as the Black Forest Cherry Torte. Resident Pastry Chef, Chef Franco Ho did a great job here by producing the most amazing slice of cake I had for a long time. The cake was filled with the right sweetness of cream with added juicy black forest cherries. Thumbs up!

Another two desserts that got the Germans munching practically any time of the day was the Berliner (Berlin Donuts) and Pretzels. The Berliners were simply deep fried yeast dough balls with custard, crème or jam fillings. On the other hand, the Southern Germany favorite of Pretzels came plain with some sprinkles of icing sugar. This light snack would be great if dunked into some black coffee, especially those filtered coffee.

Overall, Swez Brasserie had its limitation in serving the German cuisine as pork remains the most popular choice of meat in Germany. Due to the restriction in serving pork related dishes, you would see more of chicken, beef or turkey being used as alternative ingredients. The taste of the dishes might differ significantly from the authentic ones by this substitution of meat choices. I do hope there would also be some German schinken (hams) being served during the actual promotion dates rather than having only German wurst (sausages). For bread, it would be great if they also have some of the famous ones such as those with sourdough and/or Pumpernickel, a deep brown colored steamed, sweet-tasting rye bread. These bread choices would be lovely to go with the meaty dishes such as the Beef Stroganoff or maybe Kartoffelsuppe, a potato and wurst soup. I guessed the kitchen should consider serving some German soup as well for those light eaters. There are many soup options in Germany such as the Gebundene Ochsenschwanzsuppe (German Oxtail Soup), Ueberbackene Zwiebelsuppe (German Onion Soup), Graupensuppe Eintopf (German Barley Soup with Bacon) or even a simple Erbsensuppe (German Pea Soup) to consider.

Here’s the summary of the promotion.

GERMAN GALORE PROMOTION (1-31 OCTOBER 2012)
Lunch (12.00 noon – 2.30pm): Monday – Friday
RM48++ (adult), RM24++ (child)
Hi-Tea (12.00 noon – 3.00pm): Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays
Normal weekend: RM55++ (adult), RM28++ (child)
Festive Occasion: RM68++ (adult), RM34++ (child)
Semi Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm): Monday – Thursday
RM48++ per pax

For MAYBANKARD & VISA card members, you can enjoy 15% discount for Texas Grill Semi Buffet Dinner (Monday to Thursday) and Weekend Buffet Dinner (Friday to Sunday) from 6.30pm – 10.00pm.

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, 604-612 1138
Business Hours: 12.00pm-2.30pm (Lunch), 6.30pm-10.00pm (Dinner)
GPS: 5.33643, 100.306345

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

The Northeastern Style Dumplings, more commonly known as DONGBEI JIAOZI (東北餃子), are the staple food of the capital city of Beijing, China. The ravioli textured and size like dumplings can be stuffed with just anything you like. Since Dongbei cuisine are often quite heavy in the usages of meat, garlic, vinegar and thick sauces, you would expect the stuffing to contain meat of any sort combined with different types of vegetables as well as different versions of vinegar content condiments. Now these delicious dumplings with natural fruit or vegetable flour skins are available for purchase in Penang.

You can also serve these dumplings with some noodles as how I did it. This noodle dish was simply irresistible!

PHONE UP ORDER: (FROZEN PACK/冷凍包裝)
Price: RM0.80nett/pc
Orders: (Penang Island Only/只限檳島)

PACKING 1: (RANDOMLY SELECTED – NO CHOOSING/沒得挑選)
15pcs pack: RM12.00nett (include 5 types of mix fillings)
• Cabbage (白菜)
• Celery (芹菜)
• Capsicum (青辣椒)
• Tomato + Egg (番茄 + 蛋)
• Chives + Egg (韭菜 + 蛋)

PACKING 2: (RANDOMLY SELECTED – NO CHOOSING/沒得挑選)
50pcs pack: RM40.00nett (include 8 types of mix fillings)
• Cabbage (白菜)
• Celery (芹菜)
• Capsicum (青辣椒)
• Tomato + Egg (番茄 + 蛋)
• Chives + Egg (韭菜 + 蛋)
• Radish (白蘿蔔)
• Mushroom + Carrot (香菇胡 + 蘿蔔)
• PORK FREE (Chives + Glass Noodles + Egg + Prawn) 素三鲜 (韭菜 + 冬粉 + 蛋 + 虾)

PACKING 3: (SELECT YOUR OWN FILLING/隨意挑選以下餡料品種)
100 pcs pack: RM80.00nett
• Cabbage (白菜)
• Celery (芹菜)
• Capsicum (青辣椒)
• Tomato + Egg (番茄 + 蛋)
• Chives + Egg (韭菜 + 蛋)
• Radish (白蘿蔔)
• Mushroom + Carrot (香菇胡 + 蘿蔔)
• PORK FREE (Chives + Glass Noodles + Egg + Prawn) 素三鲜 (韭菜 + 冬粉 + 蛋 + 虾)
(SPECIAL REQUESTED MEAT/特選肉類):
• Beef + onion (牛肉 + 大葱）
• Mutton + Carrot + Coriander (羊肉 + 白蘿蔔 + 香菜)
• Spicy Fragrant Chicken (香辣味雞肉)
• Pork + Dried Seaweed (豬肉 + 紫菜)

Note: Some basic ingredients include pork n prawn unless stated otherwise.

SKIN FLAVORS: (RANDOMLY SELECTED – NO CHOOSING/沒得挑選)
• WHITE – Milk + Egg White (牛奶 + 蛋清)
• GREEN – Spinach (菠菜汁)
• YELLOW – Carrot (胡蘿蔔汁)
• RED – Dragon Fruit (火龍果汁)
• BLACK – Toasted Black Sesame (黑芝麻)
• PURPLE – Purple Cabbage (紫甘藍汁)

Name: DONGBEI HANDMADE DUMPLINGS (東北手工藝餃子)
Contact: (+6)012-480 2909 (Ms. Song/宋小姐)
Business Hours: Please call up for more information on available date, time and exact pick up point along Jalan Gottlieb (near Waterfall Hotel), Penang.

RATING:
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)

More and more home based bakers had popped up recently in Malaysia to share out their delicious delicacies. Well, I won’t mind indulging in more homely bakes since they have the strictest handling procedures without added preservatives, quality ingredients and the huge passion in the heart to bake the best for their happy customers. One such outlet is the Homemade Delicacies located in Lunas, Kedah, Malaysia. Their delicious homely bakes surely reflected the carefulness and conscientiousness of the master baker to excel in this industry. All you need to do is to call up the baker to place the necessary customized orders and door-to-door delivery to savor these delicacies.

One of the lovely cakes that I love quite a lot was their Mango Cake (1kg – RM79nett). Not only was the taste perfect for my boost of sweet tooth, it was gracefully decorated with a beauty of its own. It was elegantly presented and yet superbly flavorful with the generous amount of natural fruits toppings. The moist and spongy cake layers within had just the right sweetness from the chunks of mangoes and fresh cream. Mango lovers would surely fall in love with this cake at first sight. From the outlook of the cake, you can clearly see the passion of the baker, spending a huge amount of time, tediously applying layers and layers of sliced mangoes onto the cake, thus creating a winning entry. At least 5 quality mangoes were used to come out with such a cake. To avoid disappointment since quality mangoes can be quite limited to source, it would be advised to preorder the cake earlier.

Another of the most sought after cakes from Homemade Delicacies that we had tried was the Belgium Chocolate Cake (1.5kg – RM89nett). Every bite of the moist chocolate cake melted heavenly in the mouth with a high hint of imported Dutch cocoa powder with a mild bitterness from some light touch of coffee powder. The creamy melted chocolate cream (ganache) in between the cake layers had just the right sweetness that made the whole cake irresistible. Some bonuses of chocolate balls were garnished on the cake for a state-of-the art effect. Now this cake is reminding me to visit my usual Chocolate Buffet in Penang as well. Haha~ 😛

On top of the sweet treats available from Homemade Delicacies, there would also be some light savory finger food ideally for parties, meetings, picnics made to your orders. One of the options would be the Mini Tuna Quiche (RM27nett/ box of 9 pieces). The fillings were actually made out of beaten eggs with some cream (sour/yogurt) plus mayonnaise. It also had some added cheese combined with some well drained tuna flakes, tomatoes and cut olives. The fragrantly baked crust plus the nice combination of filling made these quiches nice snacks over coffee or tea. For stronger flavors, some sprinkles of mixed herbs (or even dill alone for seafood) plus a light touch of paprika or chili flakes would make them the perfect finger food for my palate.

As Mid Autumn Festival is just around the corner, Homemade Delicacies would also produce daily fresh mooncakes such as the Traditional Baked Mooncakes, Snowskin Mooncakes, Shanghai Mooncakes, Jelly Mooncakes and more. Of all the mooncakes, we had tried out the Shanghai Mooncakes (RM40nett/box of 4 pieces). The Shanghai Mooncake had the full fragrance from the quality butter, egg and flour. Each had some sweet pure lotus paste with one fresh salted duck egg filled within its soaring round shining shape. Very much different textured with a crusty bite compared to the traditional ones. The added pumpkin seeds on the surface gave it an extra crunchiness.

Other than that, we also managed to try out the many varieties of Jelly Mooncakes (RM30nett/box of 4 pieces). Some of the options we had tested out were the sweet corn, dragon fruit, green tea, chocolate and coffee. The new generation type of Jelly Mooncakes resembled the concept of those traditional ones with so called “fillings”. Basically, both the “filling” and “crust” were from the same compounds, with the “filling” being a bit firmer and stronger in taste whereas the “crust” had some evaporated milk added in for the extra creaminess. Somehow, my preferences were towards those more natural flavored ones such as the sweet corn and dragon fruit.

Overall, if you need to indulge in some heavenly homely bakes with the highest quality of ingredients. You will know where to find them now. Other options might include cupcakes, tarts, cookies, jellies and more. Most likely whatever you want, she might be able to pep them up for you. As these snacks and cakes are all home baked, you would have to call up Nicole Ann Ng to make the necessary orders and delivery arrangements.

Name: HOMEMADE DELICACIES
Address: Lunas, Kedah, Malaysia.
Contact: 012-492 1648 (Ms. Nicole Ann Ng)
FaceBook: Homemade Delicacies
Business Hours: Call up for delivery availability (within Lunas, Penang island and mainland)

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

Asian Food Channel (AFC) together with BERJAYA University College of Hospitality (BERJAYA UCH) recently held an event entitled Autumn Treasures with Chef Martin Yan at the university’s fine dining restaurant, Samplings at the Fourteenth, Level 14, Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur. The sit down dinner held on 5 September 2012 was priced at RM290++/pax. I was lucky to be one of the lucky winners of a contest organized by AFC to dine with Chef Martin Yan (甄文達). I’m sure most of you would have known the Chinese-born American celebrity chef for his jovial ways to handle Asian cuisine with a twist of humor. Chef Martin Yan from the famous cooking show “Yan Can Cook” has hosted over 1,500 episodes since 1978. “If Yan can cook, so can you!” became his catchphrase ever since. What impressed me most was his comical ways in chopping food frantically with just a sharp cleaver. He indeed made the whole room filled with laughter when he performed a live demonstration on how to cook his Dragon & Phoenix chicken dish.

During this Autumn Treasures event, five of the chef’s signature dishes were chosen to be served as fine dining dishes, with assistance from the numerous students support from the Berjaya UCH. The menu was as shown below:

The first dish was the Crispy Beancurd Skin Rolls. The spring onions wrapped rolls had stir fried jicama, carrots and mushrooms fillings, beautifully plated with a pickled radish and carrot flower and some drops of hoisin and chili sauce. Although the rolls were quite tasty in flavors and texture, they were not as crispy as the name. Most probably the kitchen had prepared it too early or the oil was not hot enough to give that crisp. Thus, there was this soggy oil after bite.

The next dish was the Dragon & Phoenix in a Basket. The basket basically consisted of deep fried finely julienned yam mixed with some corn starch. The topping had the chicken dish demonstrated live by Chef Martin Yan. They consisted of chunks of chicken breast meat stir fried with onions, straw mushrooms, garlic and Thai basil leaves, topped with some blanched asparagus. I was surprised that my serving did not contain some diamond shape bell pepper cuts as shown in the demonstration. However, even without the flavors from the bell peppers, the taste for the topping with high hints of Thai basil and pepper after taste was nice enough to complement the yam basket.

As for main, we were served with Beef Stew with Beancurd Sticks & Chinese Chestnut. The dish tasted quite similar to my brandy boasted Cantonese recipe of Braised Oysters & Scallops. The beef stew which had tender chunks of wine boasted beef came with some beancurd sticks, Chinese chestnuts, carrots, radish and Chinese mushrooms, came with side dishes such as bread pudding with mixed toasted sesame seeds candy and a slice of garlic bread. The dish was amazingly great and rich in sweet flavors from the long period of stewing. However, such rich flavored dish would go better with plain rice or bread instead of the accompanied side dishes. Moreover, it lacked some fresh greens to subtle the richness from the meat dish.

As an alternative dish to non beef eater, a Vegetarian Spaghetti was also served as main. It was basically some spaghetti with the right al dente served with some fresh onions, carrots, zucchinis and tomatoes sauce, garnished with some julienned bell peppers, parsley and a deep fried beancurd stick. Taste wise, it was a straight forward dish. However, I personally felt that it was a dish not properly justified against the price paid. I was a non paying guest, so I can’t complain much but it would surely piss off those paying ones. The kitchen should have considered serving some vegetarian dishes that has a more sophisticated outlook and taste such as the Agnolotti with Roasted Pumpkin, Broccolini & Chilli Spaghetti with Pangrattato, Pan Fried Potato Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Sage Butter or simply add in a different variety of fresh mushrooms to make the dish more classy.

We were also served with Smoked Marinated Squab. The squab or commonly known as domestic pigeon, had a tough texture almost similar to duck meat but with meat white in color. I personally found that the meat was just mildly marinated with barely distinctive flavors or strong smoke taste. Moreover, it needed some tenderizer such as ginger juice to soften the meat further. The squab was dressed with some brown sauce and served with some simply fried basmati rice with finely brunoised bell peppers and some cherry tomatoes salsa.

Lastly, it was dessert time with Wine Poached Pears being served. The mildly sweetened poached pear in red wine had mixed spices flavors coming from some cloves, star anise and cinnamon. I would say that it was a bit overwhelming for diners who detested strong spices aftertaste.

There were also free flow of Chinese tea, white wine, red wine and sparkling wine, by Australia’s over 160 years winemaking expert, Jacob’s Creek, to pair with the dishes.

All the diners were presented with a certificate signed by Chef Martin Yan to commemorate our memorable dining experiences with the chef.

Here’s the snapshot of the contest winners and guests with Chef Martin Yan, courtesy of Ms. Evelyn Ang Loo.

Overall, it was an eventful evening with Chef Martin Yan. Thanks Asian Food Channel (AFC) for giving me the opportunity to meet up with Chef Martin Yan. To the waiters and waitresses of BERJAYA University College of Hospitality (BERJAYA UCH), you all have done a great job!

Name: SAMPLINGS ON THE FOURTEENTH @ BERJAYA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF HOSPITALITY
Address: Level 14, East, Berjaya Times Square, 1 Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Contact: 603-2687 7073
GPS: 3.142152, 101.710618

I always love to have trotters as they are naturally rich in collagen and gelatin. Collagen makes up connective tissue like tendons and ligaments, all of which you are able to consume by braising the trotters with the right preparation. It’s good for your joint health. On the other hand, gelatin is another substance found in the tissue of animals, especially a very high concentration in pigs. This easily digested form of protein helps the human body in growth and tissue repairs, thus giving you a great protection against sickness. What I’m going to share today is a traditional recipe named BLACK VINEGAR TROTTERS WITH GINGER. Not only is the dish good for general health, it’s also great for post-labor women to cleanse the body of blood clots and so called “wind”. Most of the Chinese women in Malaysia would have this dish on the 12th day during their confinement period.

INGREDIENTS:
3-4 pork trotters (about 2.5kg – front legs as hinds have more fat)
600g lean meat
1.5L sweetened black rice vinegar
1.5L hot water
500-600g old ginger (remove skin and smash lightly)
4 tbsp sesame oil
Salt to taste (about 1 tbsp)
Rock sugar to taste (about 150g)

OPTIONAL:
Hard boiled eggs
250g roasted black beans
4-5 cloves garlic

PREPARATIONS:
• Rub the chopped pork trotters and lean meat with salt and wash to rid of meat odor. Scald with hot boiling water to remove scum and rinse well.
• In a non aluminum wok (vinegar’s acidic reaction to aluminum), pour in the sesame oil and sauté the smashed ginger pieces until fragrant.
• Add in the rinsed meat piece and sauté until the meat firmed up. This is to ensure that the meat won’t easily dissolve in the process of cooking.
• Add the black rice vinegar, hot water, some salt and rock sugar.
• When the soup boils, lower the fire to LOW and let it simmer for 1-1.5 hours or until meat is soft.
• Taste the gravy for saltiness and sweetness. If not enough, add in more salt and rock sugar to adjust to your personal taste bud.
• Let the meat stand in the wok for 4-5 hours to absorb the flavors before serving with hot steaming rice.

Note: You can also use a pressure cooker for a faster cooking time. Add in the black rice vinegar, hot water, some salt and rock sugar in your pressure cooker. Bring to boil. Add in the sauteed meat and ginger. Close lid and let it pressure cook under MEDIUM-LOW fire for 10-12 minutes. Let the meat stand in the pot for 4-5 hours to absorb the flavors before serving with hot steaming rice.

(Serves: 6-8)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Swez Brasserie @ Eastin Hotel, Penang is promoting its Chinese Cuisine for the whole month of September 2012 (1-30 September 2012). There would be an array of halal Chinese dishes ranging from appetizers, main dishes and desserts to fill your appetite. This promotion would be arranged under the skillful hands of Chinese Chef, Chef Cheah Teik Huat and Jr. Sous Chef, Chef Ong Chin Hock. For the month of September, there would also be a 15% off the bill for all MAYBANKARD, VISA, CIMB and UOB card members.

As for appetizer, we started with a bowl of Herbal Chicken Soup each. The soup was rich in herbs flavors which basically consisted of Chinese Angelica (Dong Quai/當歸), Codonopsis Pilosula (Dang Shen/黨參), Rhizoma Polygonati Odorati (Polygonatum odoratum (Mil.) Druce/Yu Zhu/玉竹), Red Dates (Jujubes/紅棗) and Wolfberries (Goji Berries/枸杞). Based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice, this herbal soup is great to enhance energy (Qi), nourish the Yin, moisturize the lungs, Alleviate dryness and promote blood circulation. This was one soup most Cantonese would love to have in their meals occasionally.

The next appetizer was Kerabu Jelly Fish. Although I quite like the chewy texture on the jelly fish, I found the dish to be out of the Chinese cuisine ingredient list. It was more of a Peranakan (Nyonya) cuisine. I would think that this dish would be best served chilled the traditional Chinese method by mixing with some soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil and vinegar with a light touch of sugar.

As for main courses, we had Fried Rice in Lotus Leaves. You can taste the flavor of the lotus leaves richly infused into the fried rice. It had some dried shrimps, mushrooms and cubed chicken slices added into the rice. However, it lacked the flavors from some added Chinese sausages – the halal version, since they can’t serve pork ingredients in the restaurant.

Next on the list was the Stir Fry Vegetables Treasure. It was just a simple starch gravy dish with various blanched vegetables added in such as white cabbages, mustard stems, water chestnuts, Chinese mushrooms, button mushrooms, ginkgo nuts, asparagus and carrots.

The Roasted Garlic Marinated Chicken was quite nice indeed as you can taste the right combination of seasoning on each of the chopped pieces. The condiment which consisted of slightly sauteed chopped garlic, blended ginger, spring onions, Chinese parsley, sesame oil with a light touch of salt was perfect. The sauce would also be great with just plain steamed white chicken the Hainanese style.

We also had some Wok Fried Butter King Prawns. The dish had some king Tiger prawns stir fried with some chilies, curry leaves in butter and garnish with some egg floss. However, I still think that this dish is more towards Asian fusion than traditional Chinese cuisine.

The last of the main course presented was the Sweet and Sour Fish. This was another common Chinese household dish. The dish had batter coated sea bass fillet topped with tomato ketchup based stir fried pineapple, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and red chilies. Simple as it may look but the fillet still had the slight crispiness that I like.

Last but not least, we had some Double Boiled Snow Fungus with Pears as dessert. This was another common Chinese household dessert which would be quite beneficial to strengthen the Yin in the body with the current weather which caused many people to be down with flu and cough. The dessert had snow fungus, Asian pear slices, dried longan, red dates and wolfberries. The only ingredient missing here was the Chinese almonds or commonly known as apricot seeds, which would be great to strengthen the respiratory system. Moreover, the chefs used sugar rather than rock sugar for this dessert, thus having a stronger sugar sweetness. You can also try out my personal recipe for this wonderful dessert.

Since the Mid Autumn Festival would be celebrated on 30 September 2012 (15th day of 8th lunar month in the Chinese calendar), you would expect to savor the delicious mooncakes during the month of September 2012. Eastin Hotel Penang would also be selling their brand of Eastin Mooncakes at the hotel lobby from 1-30 September 2012. There would be 6 choices ranging from Red Bean Paste (RM16.50/pc), Assorted Fruits, Nuts & Chicken Bits (RM17.00/pc), Jade Custard (RM17.00/pc), Low Sugar White Lotus (RM17.50/pc), Golden Honey Grapefruit with Pineapple (RM17.50) and Lotus Paste Single Yolk (RM18.00/pc). Takeaway mooncakes would be subjected to 6% service tax while dine in would incur a 10% service charge and 6% service tax. You can place your order through +604-612 1128 (Tel), +604-612 1199 (Fax) or email to info.pg@eastin.com

Overall, the spreads served in this promotion were a bit too common in my opinion just like how you would get during any wedding banquet. They lacked the creativity. The dishes have more localized flavors rather than exploring further into the international Chinese cuisine scenes from countries such as China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. There are so many regions in China alone and the chefs could have come out with some of the regional cuisine based on the Eight Cuisines of China such as Hui (Anhui), Yue (Guangdong), Min (Fujian), Xiang (Hunan), Su (Jiangsu), Lu (Shandong), Chuan (Sichuan) and Zhe (Zhejiang). Somehow, the dishes served lack the sourness and spiciness as you would get in certain regional Chinese cuisine. I hope the chefs would look into this matter further to provide more options to the diners.

For MAYBANKARD, VISA, CIMB and UOB card members, you can enjoy 15% discount for the Chinese Cuisine Promotion for the whole month of September 2012.

Here’s the summary of the promotion.

CHINESE CUISINE PROMOTION (1-30 SEPTEMBER 2012)
Lunch (12.00 noon – 2.30pm): Monday – Friday
RM48++ (adult), RM24++ (child)
Hi-Tea (12.00 noon – 3.00pm): Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays
Normal weekend: RM55++ (adult), RM28++ (child)
Festive Occasion: RM68++ (adult), RM34++ (child)
Semi Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm): Monday – Thursday (From 21 August 2012)
RM48++ per pax
Weekend Themed Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm):
Friday: Seafood Supreme
Saturday: Japanese
Sunday: East Meets West
RM80++ (adult), RM40++ (child)

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, 604-612 1138
Business Hours: 12.00pm-2.30pm (Lunch), 6.30pm-10.00pm (Dinner)
GPS: 5.33643, 100.306345

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: 7/10 (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)

While visiting Penang, most tourists would look for some gifts to take home to share with their family members and friends. What gifts could those be since Penang has a vast variety of traditional and local products that would impress just anyone? Could they be some handicrafts, herbs & spices, pickled fruits, fermented seafood by products or confectioneries of many kinds? Why not Pineapple Cakes? Huh? Isn’t that the local product of Taiwan? Yup! You’re right but as in concept. However, the pineapple filling itself is 100% home grown in Nibong Tebal, Penang, carefully handpicked and processed under strict quality control right in the heart of George Town, Penang. Where else can you get these delicious pineapple cakes except from Gartien (小田佳園), located within a heritage house along Lorong Macalister, Penang.

You may ask me why I chose Gartien’s Pineapple Cakes (RM38nett/box of 10 pcs) over other almost similar product on the market. Firstly, I support local products as the ingredients used were extremely fresh from the farm. Secondly, it was the texture of the pineapple filling that caught me by surprise. Instead of the normal blending the pineapple into puree form prior to cooking, brunoised pineapples (pineapple cubes) were used. The brunoised pineapples were then simmered with minimal amount of raw sugar and honey for 12 hours to produce a tasty, tangy and yet juicy pineapple jam that was perfect as filling. On the other hand, the slightly golden brown baked pastries had just the right amount of flour, pure butter, egg and milk powder to give them the perfect buttery and milky flavors, not forgetting its fluffiness. With a good combination of 3:2 on filling versus pastry, each bite was heavenly~ 🙂

The handmade pineapple cakes, which do not contain any preservatives and artificial coloring, would be sealed in little internal laminated packages to maintain its freshness up to a month. I’m sure such delicious temptations would not even last more than 2 days in any household~ LOL!

I also did some personal tests on the best beverages to complement these heavenly sweet treats by preparing a series of hot and cold beverages such as coffee, chocolate, water and various Chinese & English teas. Hot beverages were unanimously voted as the best, especially unsweetened teas with unique fragrance such as Oolong (烏龍茶), Jasmine (茉莉花茶), Ginseng Tie Guan Yin (人參鐵觀音) and sugarless Earl Grey with a slice of lemon. Pu Er (普洱茶) and Lok Pou (六寳茶) with chrysanthemum (菊花) were nice but the thick black tea somehow overpowered the natural sweetness from the pineapple cakes.

Other than having the pineapple cakes as your breakfast, tea, supper or anytime in between when you need your boost of sweet temptations, when else can you purchase them? Of course, you can also purchase them during any festive season. Since the pineapple cakes would come in a nicely printed box in a beautifully designed paper bag, it would be ideal as gifts to your family members, relatives and friends. You can even serve them during auspicious occasions such as Chinese New Year or house warming parties as pineapples carry a deep meaning in the Penang Hokkien dialect – “Ong Lai”, meaning “Prosperity Comes”.

Since pineapples also bring about a good gesture of great beginning (Hou Yi Tao) in the Cantonese community, the pineapple cakes would also be ideal to be served during weddings or as token of appreciation door gifts during wedding receptions. Who knows? A little package might even brighten up the face of a beneficiary with a sweet smile during any charitable event? The option is vast as per your imagination. You can practically serve these delightful sweet treats at anytime and anywhere throughout the year.

Overall, I find the pineapple cake to be awesome, not only through its freshness and real pineapple texture but also due to its versatility to be served during any occasion. After all, pineapples are low in fat and cholesterol and contain calcium, potassium, magnesium, copper, Vitamin B1, B6 & C and dietary fiber, which are rich in nutrients for the body.

Finding the bakery won’t be hard as it is situated right in the heart of George Town, Penang. If you are coming from KOMTAR along Jalan Penang into Jalan Burma, just keep to your left. Immediately when you see Hong Leong Bank, turn left into Lorong Macalister. Drive on for about another 200m and you would see the shop on your left right before Lorong Bertam. For those staying in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, you are in luck as Gartien has a few retailers located there. Just check out the address below. For those who yearn for the delicious pineapple cakes but not in Penang, there’s always the postal order link. Shipping fee is RM8/box within Malaysia. The shipping fee may vary depending on the quantity ordered as stated in the checkout form.

HEADQUARTER & FACTORY:
Name: GARTIEN @ 小田佳園
Address: 68, Lorong Macalister, 10400 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-229 0068
Website: www.gartien.com
Email: info@gartien.com
FaceBook: www.fb.gartien.com/
Business Hours: 10.00am-5.00pm (weekdays), 9.00am-6.00pm (weekends)
GPS: 5.416195, 100.328433

ALSO AVAILABLE IN MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA:
• DRAGON BOAT PALACE (龍坊酒家)
149 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3175, Australia.
• STRAITS KITCHEN
Pinewood Shopping Centre (Centreway), Mount Waverley VIC 3149, Australia.
• LAGUNA QV
QV Retail 221 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 30000, Australia.
• WING CHEONG CHINATOWN (WING CHEONG TRADING & CO)
14-22 Heffernan Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia.

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

I love roasted duck, especially those that have been prepared perfectly without the intrusive and overpowering ducky taste. The usage of duck meat can be quite versatile. You can have the duck meat served as an appetizer, a main course, a topping for your grain byproducts such as pasta, noodles or even rice and lastly as snacks for your breakfast, tea or supper. Since I could hardly find any snacks around my region with duck meat, I had decided to create my own and it was a hit amongst my family members and friends. Thus, I now share with you my recipe for ROASTED DUCK PUFF. Do enjoy~ 🙂

Basically the filling for the puff consisted of my own version of mushroom gravy which I had shared earlier, together with other ingredients of my choice. As for the puff pastry, you can use Gordan Ramsey’s Rough Puff Pastry recipe but this time I’ve decided to use the prepacked version since it was the fastest way to come out with some delicious snacks within the shortest period. I’ve a long line of hungry people waiting my creations you know? 😛

INGREDIENTS:
2 packs of frozen puff pastry (40g x 10 x 2, 4” x 4”)
3 roasted duck/chicken drumsticks (remove bones & slice to bite sizes. You can substitute with smoked duck breast meat but it can be a bit more oily and chewy)
1 cup mushroom gravy (please refer to my earlier recipe, just use a scissor to dice the mushroom slices evenly)
1 big onion (finely dice)
1 small carrot (finely dice & blanch – 2mm x 2mm)
2 potatoes (finely dice & blanch – 5mm x 5mm)
2 tbsp parsley (finely chop)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & black pepper to taste
Some meat stock
Brandy/red wine (optional)
Softened butter
1 egg yolk (beaten)

PREPARATIONS:
• Blanch the carrot and potatoes dices separately until 75% cooked (approximately about 4-5 minutes each). Drain well.
• Heat up 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the onion dices until translucent.
• Add in the mushroom gravy, carrot and potatoes dices and stir until cooked. You may add in some meat stock if it becomes too dry.
• Add in the roasted duck meat and chopped parsley. Stir fry evenly for about 5 minutes.
• Add salt and black pepper to taste. You may add in more brandy/red wine for that extra boost.
• Scoop out onto a bowl and leave to cool before wrapping. (Note: Please ensure that the filling is cooked very dry to avoid excess fluid from oozing out while baking)
• Place the square puff pastry on your palm with the pointed corners facing up. Fill up about 2 tablespoons of the filling. (Note: Try to avoid letting the edges touch any of the filling as it would not seal properly)

• Join the top and bottom corners while pressing hard and holding it up like a bag.
• Press the left and right sides firmly and accordingly to seal the filling properly.
• Place the pastry on a flat surface and use a fork to press on all the sides to secure the filling even more.
• Use your fork to make 3-4 punches on the top.
• Brush your baking tray with some butter and place the pastry on it.
• When you have arranged your pastries with an allowance of 1” apart, slightly brush the pastries with some softened butter and then some beaten egg yolk.

• Preheat your oven on 200°C for 5 minutes.
• Place your baking tray inside and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
• When the pastries are baked, take out and place on some kitchen towel to soak any excess oil.
• Serve hot.

(Makes: 16-20 pieces)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Sometimes we have leftovers of roasted duck or chicken in our chiller and we do not know what to do with them. Most Asian families I know would just stir fry those pieces of meat with some chopped garlic, soy sauce, dark sauce with a pinch of sugar. For me, it got sort of boring now. Instead of that, I always love to apply the East Meets West concept in my cooking. Thus, I came out with my own recipe for my ORIENTAL STYLE ROASTED DUCK FETTUCCINE. It’s another great way to enjoy your pasta too. 🙂

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkt fettuccine pasta (or any pasta weighing about 500g)
1/2 roasted duck/chicken (remove bones & tear to bite sizes. Roast them a bit if required. Leave some for garnishing)
1 cup meat stock (boiling 3 cups of water with the duck bones and 300gm chopped jicama until left about 2 cup)
1” ginger (finely julienne)
1 tbsp garlic (finely chop)
300g young spinach (use leaves only)
30-40 cherry tomatoes (slit a bit and roast for 5-6 minutes or you can use sundried tomatoes if available)
5-6 tbsp oyster/mushroom sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp Shao Xing wine/red wine
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & black pepper to taste

GARNISHES:
Chinese parsley (optional)
Roasted duck (optional)

PREPARATIONS:
• Heat up a pot of water with one tablespoon of salt and cook the pasta to the al dente required. It would take about 10-12 minutes. Drain well and fold in some extra virgin oil to avoid the pasta sticking together.
• Heat up the extra virgin olive oil and sesame oil. Sauté the chopped garlic and julienned ginger until fragrant.
• Add in the meat stock and oyster/mushroom sauce. Cook until thickened like gravy.
• Add in the wine and stir evenly.
• Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• Pour in the pasta and spinach leaves. Stir evenly with a pair of chopsticks.
• Pour in the shredded roasted duck meat and roasted cherry tomatoes. Mix thoroughly.
• Scoop out onto a serving plate and garnish with some roasted duck meat and chopped Chinese parsley.
• Serve hot.

(Serves: 5-6)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

NOTE: This outlet has ceased its operation around the 3rd quarter of 2012.

Nowadays, diners are getting quite fussy about their food intake due to health reasons. They prefer food made from natural ingredients, no MSG, less oil, less sugar and with more nutrients. Recently, a group of housewives led my Mdm. Lim Lay Gaik had decided to join effort to cook some of their favorite dishes, of course the healthy way, to serve their family, friends and guests. Hidden within a corner lot bungalow unit along Jalan Pemancar, Gelugor, Penang, this little spacious yet comfortable eatery by the name of Yummy Tummy Delight sure knows how to pep up good food.

As the food served here are randomly cooked based on the ladies’ choices for the day, there would hardly be fixed dishes. Nevertheless, you can still be assured of some home cooked main courses, snacks, desserts and beverages daily. One of the almost available daily dishes would be the world’s #7 ranking Penang Assam Laksa (RM6.90nett). One sniff and you would know that the stock has been skillfully prepared with lots of fish bones, tamarind juice, herbs and spices. Although a bit spicy, this flavorful and thick soup based bowl of delicacy would sure soothe your sourness crave. It would come with lots of vegetable and fillet of a yellow-tailed scud (ikan selar) or sardine (ikan sardine), depends on market availability.

Occasionally, you would also find them serving Penang Hokkien Mee (RM6.90nett). The heavily simmered prawn shells and pork ribs indeed flavored the soup real well. The soup had that touch of mild sweetness; obviously from some add ons of rock sugar. The dish would be served with some yellow noodles/rice vermicelli, shrimps, pork ribs and egg garnished with some homemade deep fried shallots and chili paste. As a Hokkien Mee lover, I simply love the natural flavors of the overall dish. Slurps~ 🙂

There also do serve Seafood Nasi Lemak (RM4.50nett) on certain days. The fragrantly coconut milk steamed high quality rice sure complemented well with the thickly spiced up prawn curry, turmeric marinated fried fish (ikan gelama/jewfish), egg and some vegetables.

You would also get a fragrant home style Yang Zhou Fried Rice (RM5.90nett) with some shrimps, egg and Chinese sausages. It may look like any common fried rice but every single rice grain was skillfully flavored. More sambal belacan please~ 😛

The next dish which was the Fried Radish Cakes (RM5.90nett) was my all time favorite. Not only was the dish less oily than those I have tried elsewhere, it had that nice mild wok hei (high heat frying) with just the perfect flavors in it. The egg used was fresh and the bean sprouts were cooked just right for that extra crunchiness.

As for snacks, you might get to try out their homemade Yam Cakes (RM3.90nett/3pcs). Each bite had that generous amount of sandy bites yam pieces plus some dried shrimps. On top of that more deep fried dried shimps, fried shallots, chopped spring onions and red chilies were add as garnishes, accompanied by their homemade chili sauce. However, I found the texture to be a bit on the soft side. It could be due to their healthy way of omitting the usage of some lye water. The perfect combination would be 400g rice flour, 20g tapioca flour, 1 teaspoon lye water and 1 litre water, to be mixed with the rest of the ingredients and seasonings, prior to steaming for about 45 minutes.

Another option might be the Pumpkin Cakes (RM3.90nett/3pcs). Basically, the method of cooking would be the same except of the replacement of yam chunks with pumpkin chunks. Although still a bit soft to my liking, the nice sweetness from the ripe pumpkin chunks was just right. I personally prefer the pumpkin cakes than the yam cakes.

Whenever they served the Penang Assam Laksa, there might also be some Spring Rolls (RM2.90nett/3pcs). Basically, there was nothing much to shout about as these were just some common finger food. You can either eat these rolls with their chili sauce or just dip them into your laksa soup.

On and off, they would also utilize their home grown screwpines (pandan) to make some nice Nyonya kuih. I have tried their Kuih Talam (RM2.90nett/3pcs) and these were sinfully delicious. The balance between the pure pandan juice and mildly salted coconut milk topping was perfect.

For those who love to have mildly sweetened desserts, you are at the right place. Their Bubur Cha Cha (RM3.90nett/bowl) was heaven! It had just the right amount of coconut milk with added rock sugar as sweetener. Other than with sweet potatoes and yam, it also came with some tapioca flour made sweet potatoes and yam just like the ones you have at those Taiwanese dessert shops such as Blackball.

The Red Bean Soup (RM3.90nett/bowl) was also nice as it had blended red beans soup coupled with some whole azuki beans, kidney beans and some tapioca flour made sweet potatoes and yam too. Mildly sweetened and perfect to end my meal.

Sometimes, they might also cook some herbal type of desserts such as the Snow Fungus with Ginkgo Nuts (RM3.90nett/bowl). This Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) recipe would be great during this season for those who have cough and cold. The way they cook this dessert was based on their liking of having a softer textured snow fungus, thus you would find the soup to be rather starchy. The snow fungus is great to nourish the body, heal dry coughs and clearing heat in the lungs. The dried longan would nourish blood circulation and has a calming effect on nervous system. The red dates are basically for balancing the formula with a light touch of sweetness. The ginkgo nuts on the other hand would help in lungs related ailments, urinary incontinence and also as a digestive aid.

Overall, some of the dishes served here can be quite nice. However, there are still some rooms for improvements for some of the dishes I have tried. There are still many other dishes I have yet to try out such as their Jawa Mee (RM6.90nett), Nissin Noodles with Sausage & Egg (RM6.90nett), Curry Chicken with Mantou (RM5.90nett), Pandan Ang Koo (RM2.90nett/3pcs), Loh Bak (RM2.90) and more. Drinks such as their daily brewed herbal tea and soy bean milk are priced at RM2.90nett each. If you fancy healthier version of street food, this is the place for you. Delivery can be arranged for purchases of over RM30.00nett within the vicinity of Gelugor, Jelutong, Green Lane, Bayan Baru and Bayan Lepas areas.

Since this is a private owned house within a rather upmarket residence area, you might just pass it as just another house. Moreover, it’s hidden from the main street. If you have a GPS, it would be hassle free to find the location as I have listed below. If not, just follow the directions as mentioned here. If you are coming from Bayan Baru/Bayan Lepas area along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah towards Green Lane/Jelutong, do watch out for the Gelugor Post Office traffic lights (Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah/Hilir Pemancar). Drive on after the traffic lights until you see a Mobil petrol kiosk on your left. Slow down and keep to your left. Turn left into the first left junction (Hala Pemancar). Drive about 50m and you would see a 3-level corner lot bungalow with green transparent awning at 11 o’clock. Park your car along the road and walk in towards the stainless steel gate. The auto bell will ring and there will be people inside opening the door for you. You can’t miss it as there’s a banner there stating “Yummy Tummy Delight”.

Name: YUMMY TUMMY DELIGHT
Address: 378A, Jalan Pemancar, 11700 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 019-280 7560 (Ah Gaik)
Business Hours: 11.30am-7.00pm (Tuesday-Saturday ONLY)
GPS: 5.372685, 100.308112

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