CRIZ BON APPETITE

Note: This restaurant has ceased its operation in early 2011

Surprised? Why worry? Sooner or later you have the opportunity to order one too. Why wait when you can choose one for yourself right now at Hui Wei? The exterior was solid but the interior had a pillow like softness. Unfortunately, there’s only one size and one presentation. You may think there’s not much option for someone who would be in heaven soon but I still love my coffin a lot… it’s truly heaven and it tasted great! Huh?? What??

Haha!! I finally caught your attention here. Hui Wei is actually a restaurant with a menu offering food ranging from dim sum, set meals, snacks to steamboat. My food for the day was indeed called Coffin (棺材板-RM7.90). The “Coffin” was actually a sliced portion of a French loaf, having a carefully carved out Coffin Cover”, a dug hole in the middle and filled up with creamy, oozy, cheesy and delicious seafood and meat. The filling tasted just like how they would prepare a baked lobster in a restaurant but instead of lobster meat, it had sliced crabsticks, mushrooms, prawns, squids, shark fins, fish balls, chicken, onions and a slice of cheese melted on top. The whole dish was unique and delicious. Now you know where to order your “Coffin”. LOL! The only thing that I had realized on was the chocolate Chinese character on the cover. They should have used mayonnaise instead for a savory dish but who on earth would want their restaurant name to be imprinted on a “coffin cover”? I guessed one of the directors who are involved with geomancy would have known what’s best for the restaurant.

The price range of each set meal would differ depending of what main dish you would order. Each set meal would come with a plate/bowl of rice/noodle/porridge, soup, main dish, stir fry vegetable, dessert and your choice of beverage (Pearly Milk, Mocha, White Coffee or Wu Mei Juice). I ordered the Marmite Chicken Rice set (RM14.90). Except for the stir fry vegetables which were overcooked and drowned in the gravy, everything seemed to be in order… errr… but too small a portion to justify the pricing. The meal had a bowl of rice with some minced meat plus gravy, a small strip of flour coated marmite chicken breast meat, a bowl of old cucumber soup, some grass jelly cubes with nata de coco in syrup and a glass of herbal drink. Overall, it was just an average meal.

The dim sum side orders were disastrous as they were rather stale to my liking. Continuous steaming of the dim sum is most likely to be the cause as my two orders was bad. The Mushroom Siew Mai (RM2.80) had a change in color and was extremely dry. The Har Kow (RM2.80) had hard skin and the prawn within had turned into sticky paste like. I hope the management would think of a better solution soon or else this type of quality would surely turn off a lot of customers.

On top of the normal beverages, you can always opt for some nice tea brew. The pot of flower tea I had ordered consisted of rose, apple and osmanthus (RM6.00/pot). It was simply refreshing.

To get to the restaurant is rather easy as it is located along Jalan Burma. If you are coming from Komtar area along Jalan Penang into Jalan Burma, drive all the way to the Jalan Larut/Jalan Burma traffic lights. After the traffic light, keep to your right. Drive pass 3 junctions (Jalan Clove Hall, Jalan Arratoon, Jalan Phuah Hin Leong) and your will see Restoran Hui Wei there next to a nasi kandar shop. The shop is actually just opposite SRJK Union, Jalan Burma. As the restaurant is along a heavy trafficked road, I would advise you to park your car at Jalan Phuah Hin Leong or along the road after the restaurant (Jalan Tavoy).

Name: RESTORAN HUI WEI
Address: 142G, Jalan Burma, 10050 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-226 0966
Business Hours: 8.00am-4.00am
GPS: 5.423436, 100.321694

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

Note: Due to parking problems, Yaw’s Roast & Grill has shifted their business back to their previous premises (1, Gerbang Midlands, 10350 Penang, Malaysia) as at March 2010.

Aww… I really missed this western food corner previously located somewhere in the residence area of Pulau Tikus. It was a dimly lighted, cozy and romantic place to be in for some quiet moments. If not for the local municipal council’s pressure to shut down the place, it would be indeed a love nest for couples. Anyway, the little homely restaurant had recently relocated to a brighter and more spacious venue along Jalan Transfer, just next to the Caltex petrol kiosk. The menu had remained the same but the pricing had increased a bit since my last visit there. After all, it was not exorbitant as we have to understand that the price of ingredients had increased quite a lot recently. Moreover, the price of food ordered here are net priced.

As usual, garlic toasts were given complimentary from the kitchen, slightly toasted to perfection with yummy garlic butter and herbs. A piece each was not really enough for two persons but what would a person expect when they are free right? Anyway, you can always order more but I did not find out how much they would cost.

Since it was their opening day, there were no special dishes of the day. I ordered the Cream of Mushroom Soup (RM4.50) as starter. The soup was creamy with chunks of finely chopped mushroom. It was normal for me as what you would get from any of those economical western food stalls around town. Somehow, I felt that what I had at Louis Café, just a block away, tasted better. Again, you can’t compare a RM10 (excluding tax) bowl of Italianese Wild Mushroom Soup with something less than half the price here, right?

The main meals were served quite promptly. It was my favorite Black Pepper Chicken Chop (RM8.00). The chicken was finely fried with the chef’s special breaded flour and it was crunchy indeed. As usual, I would request for a separate but additional amount of black pepper sauce for me to dip in my fries. The gravy was as thick as ever but mild in hotness as this place was also the western food venue for a lot of families with children.

The next meal was the Spaghetti in White Mushroom Sauce (RM8.50). The amount served was quite reasonable with 6 large meatballs garnished on top. The dish had some sliced mushroom, chopped coriander and sprinkled with some mixed herbs. The texture for the spaghetti was softer than the ones I had at QEII, which was based on the Italian’s choice of springiness. The mushroom gravy was just normal with not much distinctive flavors, except for the taste of the herb garnishing. The fried meatballs tasted great with the right amount of flavoring. They had a hint of some cheese like substance inside. The only drawback was that they could have added in more corn flour to make them a bit softer.

Since the waitress did mention that they have some local dishes served as well, I ordered their famous Hainanese Fried Noodles (RM4.50). It was in fact Hokkien Char. The serving was a bit small for an individual but the amount of ingredients such as meat slices, large prawns and a generous amount of Chinese cabbage (choy sum) justified the price well. The dish was indeed quite tasty.

They do also have beverages of all kinds, from iced tea, coffee, beers and brew of the day. I had their special Iced Winter Melon (RM3.00). It was a perfect beverage for such a humid weather. Fresh as well as sugared winter melon slices were brewed with red dates to come out with this refreshing drink. I would recommend this drink to everyone (upon availability). It would even better if they brew the beverage with some dried longan meats. 🙂

It’s so much easier to locate this newly relocated restaurant compared to the earlier one. If you are coming from Jalan Penang into Jalan Burmah, keep to your right and turn into Jalan Transfer. You can see a used car shop just at the junction. Just drive until the traffic light. After the traffic light, keep to your right and drive until you see the Caltex petrol kiosk. The restaurant is just located right before the petrol kiosk under the name Dim Dim Yuen (serving dim sum and chicken rice in the morning).

Name: YAW’S ROAST & GRILL
Address: 25 & 27, Jalan Transfer, 10050 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 012-412 9957 (Telephone order), 012- 484 8178 (Mr. Yaw)
Opening Hours: 5.30pm – 11.00pm (Closed Monday)
GPS: 5.421095, 100.330811

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

Note: This restaurant has ceased its operation in early March 2010.

This restaurant with a nice view of the Gurney Drive promenade reminded me of the day when our local internet advertiser, Nuffnang, had its first community event titled “The Orient’s Voice” for the Penang bloggers at the then named Foodloft. Gosh! That was about two years’ ago. Today, the restaurant had been revamped under a different management and renamed as Ko-Fu-Loft. The new restaurant now serves dim sum as well as some Chinese cuisine with a touch of Mamak style beverages. Not long ago, more than 20 floggers from Penang (many oldies and newbies) and one mummy flogger from Singapore were given the privilege to try out the food there. Thanks to Jian for extending the invite to all of us.

The meal started with Ko Fu Sesame Seed Ball (口福芝麻球 – RM10.90). The presentation was rather simple but impressive with the sesame balls laid on some spoons. With some many ingredients added into the minced meat, somehow the appetizer lacked the moisture within. It was rather dry for many of us and the outer lacked the fragrance from the sesame seeds. By adding a bit of chopped onions, some corn flour, a few drops of sesame oil and some sprinkles of pepper would have made them better.

The next appetizer was the Crystal Spring Roll Skin Stuffed with Vegetables & Chicken Meat (公主水晶卷 – RM6.90). The skin was perfectly done as the name itself as it was almost crystal clear but the filling was not as compactly rolled as it was supposed to be. Moreover, I personally felt that the vegetables and chicken meat were left exposed to the atmosphere for too long and had lost their moisture and sweetness. The sugar content within the accompanied sauce was also too overwhelming for most of us. There would still much room for improvement for this healthy meal and hopefully it could be as good as the ones I had at Metro Café.

The following were some of the selected dim sum from the restaurant. Both the Steamed Fresh Prawn Dumpling – Har Kau (鲜明虾饺 – RM5.50) and Pork Dumpling with Fish Roes – Siew Mai (鱼子烧卖皇 – RM5.50) had the standard presentation. The prawns within the dumpling were indeed fresh and steamed just right to melt in the mouth.

As for the pork dumpling, I found too much of fat been added in thus it has the slightly rough bite. Overall, it was still a fine dish.

The Minced Squid with Crab Claw Meat (百花酿蚧蚶 – RM6.90) which was next was very well presented. The squids were well minced until one would think that it was fish ball instead. It was soft and juicy combined with the freshness of the crab claws. The accompanied gravy was mild enough for us to taste out the true beauty of the fresh seafood.

The hot and fluffy Signature Steamed Custard Creamy Bun (美味流砂奶黄包 – RM5.50) was next. The texture for the steamed bun could be improved further as it was not as finely textured as it should. Although the custard within suited my taste bud well, the skin somehow was a bit too thick for my preference. Moreover, there were signs of some crystallized parts that made each bite not so smooth flowing.

The next dim sum which was the Deep Fried Yam Paste with Minced Pork (蜂巢炸芋角 – RM4.50) has always been my favorite in any dim sum restaurant. The crispy outer layer with the smoothly blended yam paste filled with juicy sweetened pork slices (char siew) was good. It could have been even better if some toasted sesame seeds and chopped coriander were to be added to pep up the taste.

After all the savory dim sum presented, we were served with Deep Fried Pandan Lotus Paste Dumpling (翡翠煎堆仔 – RM4.50). Somehow, I felt that the glutinous rice used was rather thick. Even the screwpine leaves (pandan) flavored lotus paste tasted too artificial. They should have used those freshly squeezed flavoring instead.

I was looking forward to trying out their Szechuan Aromatic Duck (四川香酥鸭 – RM18.90) as I had from many other restaurants but somehow the restaurant got everything wrong. The crepe like egg wrapper was too dry. It even got torn even before I could wrap anything in it. Even the duck meat slices were tough and coated with some sort of batter. I wondered if this was the right way to serve this dish as what I had before as in Claypot Restaurant was the shredded duck meat version where each mouthful does not require much chewing into the tough meat. Maybe the restaurant would need to look into ways to tenderize the duck meat if they were to present it in this way.

We were then served with Jingdo Pork Ribs (京都排骨 – RM14.90). I’m normally not a fan of pork ribs, except the ones I had at Chin Bee Tea Cafe, as most of the time I had bad experiences with tough bites. Surprisingly, the ones served here was not as bad as I thought except that a bit too much of black pepper had been added that made the dish a bit too spicy for many. It would be better if this dish were to be taken with steamed rice.

Although the Deep Fried Five Spices Calamari (五香盐炸墨门 – RM13.90) looked like any fritters, it has the unique taste of some five spice powder and salt that made it appetizing and the calamari was tender and juicy. However, it was just another version of tempura coated calamari.

We also did try out their Deep Fried Homemade Bean Curd (香炸黄金豆腐 – RM12.90). Although the bean curd was smooth, it lacked the taste of soy bean in it. Moreover, it was also rather bland in taste. To me, it was nothing special except some batter coated bean curd slices. If only they could consider adding some spring onions, finely slices wood ear fungus and so on that would add a little more texture in the dish and make the bean curd taste better.

The All in 1 Roasted Meat with Vegetables (盆菜 – RM19.90) served here is actually an economical version of “Poon Choy”. The authentic version from other restaurants could cost anything between RM300 – RM600. The restaurants used the basic ingredients here with some stewed cabbage as base, topped with some roasted pork, chicken, duck, broccoli, mushrooms, deep fried prawns and few slices of abalone. The dish would be quite a bargain as it would come with some pickles, stir fry greens and a bowl of rice. However, when you have 4 pots served, you might get different taste as what we had experienced. There were a bit of inconsistency detected here during our review as each has their own unique taste. We had stronger oyster sauce flavored, cabbage flavored, meaty flavored and another one with the right combination of the other three. That’s the suspense you might get when ordering this dish.

The Fried Seafood Emperor Noodle (香炒海鲜王帝面 – RM12.90) served was not as impressive as the name. Somehow, everything was rather mild in taste. The noodles were rather dry and it lacked the wok hei (high heat cooking). There were not even any obvious hints of sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce or even pepper in the dish. Moreover, some gravy on top of the suggested sauces on such noodles would be nice for the overall taste and presentation.

Lastly, the dessert of the day was Water Chestnut and Sago in Coconut Milk (热马蹄西米椰酱汤 – RM3.50). The dessert did not get many of us interested as the color and aroma from it did not get many of our attention. The water chestnut practically has been boiled for hours and lacked the sweetness in taste. The sago was a bit too soft and the combination of coconut milk served with these two ingredients just did not match well. Moreover, the coconut milk has the strong “packet” taste in it. I guessed the restaurant would have to seek other alternatives to this dessert.

Overall, the restaurant has a milder way to cook up food for its patrons. It might be good for those with a healthy diet in mind but it might not be such ideal for the Penangites who have stronger taste buds. It would be great if the restaurant would revamp their existing menu to suit both parties.

If you are familiar with the roads in Penang, it would be easy to find the restaurant as it is located within the premises of Gurney Plaza, facing the beach front of Gurney Drive. Once you have parked your car in the complex car park, just move up to level 4 and you can see the restaurant at the far end of the complex.

Name: KO-FU-LOFT
Branch Address: 170-04-59, Level 4, Plaza Gurney, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-229 5011
Business Hours: 10.00am-10.00pm (weekdays), 9.00am-10.00pm (weekends)
GPS: 5.438375, 100.308784

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

Invited Reviewers:
Allie
Buzzing Bee
Cariso
Criz
Food4tots
Nutty Eve
Food Paradise
Food Promotions
Gourmet Garden
Now Eating
Penang Tua Pui
Steven Goh
What2SeeOnline
Yummy Station
Yum Yum Bites
Chef Khoon from KDU

NOTE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CEASED OPERATION BUT THE PUB IS STILL IN OPERATION

If I mention about Restoran Zim Sum along Jalan Anson or its sister companies, Town Steamboat Restaurant and Dim Sum Food Restaurant along Jalan Macalister, most Penangites would know about them. What about another sister company by the name of 7’S (Seven Sister) Café & Restaurant just a few blocks away along Jalan Nanning? Quite a number of people who passes by this nice bungalow lot would think that it’s just another pub in town. You are wrong as this place served one of the cheapest set lunches in town.

I was there to try out their set menu recently and found their food quality to be real impressive at the price I was paying. The set menu came in 3 categories – Noodle Soup & Pasta Set (RM7.80nett), 4-course Western Set (RM14.80nett) and Rice Set (RM10.80nett). All sets will come with a Dessert of the Day (Ice Cream) and a Drink of the Day (Iced Lemon Tea, Soft Drink, Coffee or Tea).

Since there were only two of us there for lunch, we tried out two of the set meals. I had the Western set which also included Appetizer of the Day (Classic Caesar Salad) and Soup of the Day (Fresh Mushroom Soup). The salad portion was big and has a few fried sausages in it.

The Fresh Mushroom Soup was great too with lots of mushroom slices in it. It might not be the best around but it was quite creamy and tasty.

I get to select my main meal from a list which comprised of Grilled Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce, Pan Fried Salmon Steak with Lemon Cream Sauce and Black Pepper Grilled Lamb Chop. I opted for the latest. I did not regret ordering this dish as the presentation was marvelous and the black pepper sauce was thick and tasty. There were lots of potato wedges and greens hidden under 3 big pieces of juicy medium rare grilled lamb meat.

Dessert of the Day was next. It was just a plain scoop of Strawberry Ice Cream. Who would want to complain? That was a bonus!

My friend on the other hand tried the Rice Set thinking that it would be small serving. He chose the Seafood Japanese Tofu from a list of dishes which also included Stir Fried Chicken with Dried Chilies, Sweet & Sour Fish Fillet, 7’S Homemade Steamed Chicken in Ginger Sauce and Fried Lamb Cubes in Teriyaki Sauce. The dish came in a clay pot with lots of Japanese Tofu and mixed seafood. The gravy was nice.

A large bowl of rice with an omelette above and some fresh tomato slices was accompanied with the dish. Dessert followed.

I would surely drop in to try out their Noodle Soup and Pasta sets when I am down that area again. The list of food listed such as Egg Noodles in Homemade Abalone Soup, Yellow Noodles in Homemade Light Ginger Soup, Spaghetti with Grilled Chicken, and Spaghetti with Grilled Dory Fish was quite impressive.

This place also does provide Happy Hour from as early as 4pm until 9pm.

Moreover, there’s a public karaoke area for you to sing your heart out until 3am in the morning.

If you are coming from KOMTAR area (Jalan Magazine and Jalan Dato Kramet) into Jalan Macalister, you would see its sister companies, Town Steamboat Restaurant and Dim Sum Food Restaurant on your left. Drive on and turn into the second junction (Lebuh Nanning) on your left. You will see a big white bungalow with red trims on your right. The famous Lorong Seratus Tahun curry mee is just opposite this restaurant.

Name: 7’S (SEVEN SISTER) CAFE & RESTAURANT
Address: 26 Lebuh Nanning, 10400 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-228 2653
Opening Hours:
Restaurant: 11.30am – 3.00pm, 6.30pm-10.00pm
Pub: 4.00pm-3.00am (Karaoke), 4.00pm-9.00pm (Happy Hours)
GPS: 5.415253, 100.322270

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: 8.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

I was quite reluctant to post up this review as the experience there was not so pleasant. If not for the great taste of the Pei Pa Duck, I would have just ignored them. Anyway, it’s better for me to forewarn my readers rather than to let them endure the high pricing, bad taste quality of their other products. I was there on their second day of their night operation. While I was dining half way, the garden lightings went dark. Some short circuit I guessed but while dining there for barely 25 minutes, the whole café went dark. Worst still, twice. I hope they did not employ cheap electricians to handle their wiring as it might be quite risky for the patrons there. Well, this might just be a coincident while I was there.

This was not a big issue for me. The main problem lied on the water quality of that area. The water tasted just like chlorine. Although the drink maker did solve this problem, the duck rice hawker did not. The rice tasted horrid. The taste of chlorine was overpowering for me to finish it. I did inform the boss about that and I hope he would take heed on my complaint before he loses more customers. Anyway, before I knew about the problem, I ordered a quarter of a Pei Pa Duck, a mixed platter of Char Siew, Roasted Pork, Chinese Sausage and Roasted Chicken. It came with a complimentary bowl of Chop Suey. All for RM24 which I considered quite high price for the small portion served for 3 persons.

The Pei Pa Duck was tasty. I ordered just a quarter to try out and I was lucky enough to have the drumstick. The meat was tender and without the strong taste of duck scent. The skin was fried to perfection and maintained its crispiness. The sauce which came with the duck was tasty and combined real well with the duck meat. Although this is not the best in Penang, it still deserved some mentions.

The mixed platter itself was a disaster. The roasted chicken was so bland. Even the roasted skin has no flavor on it. The Char Siew was also terrible. It was dry and tasteless as if it was left there for quite a long period of time. The roasted pork was also dry. The skin was so badly roasted that you would need a hammer to break it apart. Worst still, their utensils were so soft that you can perform some magical bending with them. The Chinese sausage had the best taste amongst all but the boss must make more improvement on the dish as it was still a bit too dry.

I can’t comment much on the complimentary Chop Suey as it was given free but I also hope the boss would make some adjustments to the taste. There was only the thick sour taste of Assam juice and nothing else. The soup lacked of the taste of spices such as dried chillies, ginger and lemongrass.

If you are coming from Bukit Jambul Complex towards the Penang International Airport along Jalan Tun Dr Awang, you will come to a “Y” junction. PISA Stadium is on your left, Public Bank is on your right. Turn right into Jalan Dato Ismail Hashim which will lead you to Sg. Ara district. You will pass 3 traffic lights. Drive on until see S.M.K. Sg. Ara on your left. Keep to your right and you would see another traffic light not far away. Turn right into Jalan Kenari. You will see a sign there stating Desa Ria. Drive on and turn left into the first junction (Tingkat Kenari). Drive on and you would see the café not far away on your right. This place will also serve dim sum (Tien Tien Lye Dim Sum) from 5.00am until noon.

Name: PEI PA DUCK RICE @ XIN JIANG CAFE
Address: 14A, Lengkuk Kenari, Desa Ria Sungai Ara, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 9.00am – 12.00am
Contact: 016-450 3406
GPS: 5.318031, 100.266983

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: 6/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 9/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

You may not know but there are about 13 dim sum shops in Georgetown area alone. Some are newly established with great ambience and choices, whereas there are still a few older but well established ones that regulars would still frequent. One such shop ios the Yong Pin Restaurant located along Jalan Sungai Ujung, Penang. Instead of covering on the not-so-many varieties but delicious dim sum they have, let me share with you their yummy noodles.

One such noodles that I have not seen from other dim sum shop is their Fried Duck Yee Foo Noodles (RM5.50). The yee foo noodles dish was great with all the gravy from the stewed duck seeped right inside the noodles, making the whole combination very tasty. The restaurant only serves this wonderful dish on Friday and Saturday.

Another noodle dish that’s worth mentioning is the Hong Tu Wo Mian (RM5). It came with some yee foo noodles cooked in some thick soup, somewhat like the sharksfin soup. It had some pork, prawns and beaten eggs in it. You can add in some black vinegar if you want it to be more sourly. The dish tasted great too.

The next dish we ordered was the Sheng Mian (RM5). The crispy noodles was actually fried wan than noodles which were topped with some gravy, prawns, fish slices, pork slices and vegetables. This is another dish worth eating.

Most of you might not be aware of Sunday Metro’s SMS Pick of the Best Dim Sum in Malaysia as published on 6 July 2008. Yong Pin Restaurant was voted as one of the top choices in Penang, as highlighted.

This restaurant sure did provide some great authentic dim sum such as the Black Vinegar Pork Legs, Broiled Fried Chicken Legs, Fried Paper Wrapped Chicken and so on. Although the varieties are not as many as those bigger dim sum shops, there are quite a few of their steam as well as fried dim sum that’s worth trying out.

Of all the dim sum that I had in this shop, I would never miss out their Prawn Rolls and Fried Water Chestnut Cake. The Fried Water Chestnut Cake is soft and fragrant with lots of finely sliced water chestnuts inside while the outer layer has a bit of crispiness. I would have two to three plates on each visit as I find them to be not overly sweet. Do try them out if you ever visit this place.

If you are coming from Jalan Penang into Jalan Dr. Lim Chwee Leong (road leading to KOMTAR/Prangin Mall), keep to your left and turn into the second road on your left which is Jalan Sungai Ujung. Find a parking space as the shop is just on your right along a row of shop houses.

Name: YONG PIN RESTAURANT
Address: 11-B&C, Jalan Sungai Ujung, 10100 Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours:
6.00am – 12.00pm, 7.00pm – 12.00am (Closed Monday)
Contact: 604-261 1355
GPS: 5.415989, 100.332175

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is not hard to find the tea garden as it is strategically located opposite the Prangin Mall’s Pizza Hut. Drive from Penang Road into Jalan Dr. Lim Chwee Leong (previously Prangin Road), and you will reach a traffic light. The tea garden is on your left. You can find some parking by the road side or in a car park on your left before the next traffic light.

Name: FUN TEA GARDEN / DYNAMIC CAFE
Address:
150 & 152, Jalan Dr. Lim Chwee Leong, 10100 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 013-421 1274 (Danny Ooi)
Opening Hours:
Dim Sum: 7.30am – 6.00am (Closed Thursday)
Economy Rice: 5.30pm – 3.00am (Closed Thursday)
GPS: 5.414822, 100.332148

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