CRIZ BON APPETITE

You might get an 8-inch pizza anywhere throughout the world but I won’t think you could get any 8-inch halal burger from anywhere in Malaysia except at Zul’s Burger in Penang. At Encik Zulkifle’s humble little corner stall located right towards the end of the Kompleks MPPP Lebuh Nipah (opposite Kayu Nasi Kandar Penang), you could find a variety of burgers and hot dogs in super huge size. All would come with custom ordered buns which I have yet to see from any other street burger stalls in Penang.

The most impressive of all the burgers would be the super huge 8” Diameter 3-Tiers Giant Burger (RM30nett) which would be big enough to feed 2-4 pax.

Just look at how big it was compared to my friend’s hand.

In between the 3 tier potato bun like texture burger would be 5 meat patties (chicken and/or beef), 5 chicken sausages, 5 eggs and 5 pieces of cheese, topped with lots onions, mixed vegetables, lettuce, mayonnaise, baked beans, black pepper sauce and chili sauce.

All eyes were on the burger as we were wondering how we could gobble down such a huge size. It was truly an oozy experience for us. Taste wise, the burger was just like any other common burgers except for the size. All the meat patties and sausages were slightly cut up and pan fried on the skillet with the eggs prior to being evenly spread out on the buns.

Effective 11 April 2012, it would be another tough challenge for many as the burger diameter size would be increased to 11 inches (RM30nett). Not only would it be the biggest halal burger, it would be the biggest burger in Malaysia with the nearest competitor being Euro Deli group of restaurants for their 9 inches Matterhorn (non halal) burger. The filling would be the same as the former 8 inches burger.

Another version of this giant burger would come in 7 inches by 12 inches rectangular shaped bun (RM30nett), another unique size and shape I have yet to see anywhere in Malaysia. I presumed it’s the only one in Malaysia too. The filling for this version would also be the same as the 8” burger.

The rectangular giant burger weighed about 1.6kg (total weight 1913gms minus plate weight 286gms). It was heavy but not as heavy as the Matterhorn burger which would be about 2.75kg in weight (1.5kg meat patty plus 1.25kg of bun and vegetables). If you can’t finish this burger, don’t even think of winning the Matterhorn Challenge with a RM100 cash reward.

Well, creamy and sweet cakes for birthdays may be gone with the birth of this 11” giant burger. Won’t it be great to have one giant 11” Birthday Burger Cake (RM30nett) instead? 😛

For those FaceBook users, there was also a burger named after the famous social network site – the FaceBook Burger (RM10nett).

The burger had 3 burger patties (chicken or beef or mix) with 3 eggs, a piece of cheese and vegetables. It was also another tall and filling burger for many.

We also had the longest Chicken Hot Dog (RM10nett). The custom made bun had a foot long sausage with onions, mixed vegetables, lettuce, mayonnaise, baked beans, black pepper sauce and chili sauce. At least this hot dog was still within my consumable size.

Just a comparison on how long this hot dog was can be seen at the photo below.

Here the man, Encik Zulkefli Bin Hassan, who had started the huge craze amongst the Penangite ever since his opening on 23 October 2011. He had vast experiences dealing in food businesses from Vietnam to Thailand. He’s well versed in Vietnamese language too~ 🙂

There are more items available here such as rabbit burger, lamb burger as well as fish burger. You can click on the menu below for a clearer view.

Overall, the items served here were of a slightly above average taste and texture. No doubt the portions were super huge out of the norm but there are still rooms for improvements in term of taste. The usage of the chili sauce was a bit too overpowering for those who could not savor too spicy stuff. Their self concocted mayonnaise and black pepper sauce also needed some extra tweaking for a more flavorful “kick”. Instead of the Anchor brand “light” cheese, they should consider using another brand for more cheesiness. Their most important task would be on the balancing of the sauces for the right bite. I found the giant burgers and long hot dogs to be a bit too oozy wet to my liking. I love the nice sauce balance just like the way my food were presented to me at one of my regular street burger stalls down at Georgetown Penang.

Note: If you visit the place too late in the night (after 10.00pm or so), you might not have any drinks to go with your food. Just walk to the convenient store next to Kayu Nasi Kandar to purchase your drinks.

Zul’s Burger Penang is located just opposite Kayu Nasi Kandar within an isolated Malay food court named Kompleks MPPP Lebuh Nipah. If you are driving up towards Bukit Jambul via Jalan Yeap Chor Ee/Jalan Bukit Gambier, just take note of the USM traffic lights. Immediately after the traffic lights, take note of the 4th traffic lights (1st traffic lights to Taman Perkaka/USM, 2nd traffic lights to Bukit Jambul/Equatorial Hotel, 3rd traffic lights to Taman Lip Sin/Super Tanker Food Court, 4th traffic lights to Kayu Nasi Kandar/The CEO – Penang’s first smart office). At the 4th traffic lights (Jalan Bukit Gambier/Lebuh Nipah 5), turn left into Lebuh Nipah 5 and drive until the T-junction (Lebuh Nipah 5/Lebuh Nipah). Turn right into Lebuh Nipah and take the first right turning into Lebuh Nipah 7 (as stated in Google map but Kayu address is stated as Lebuh Nipah whereas opposite The CEO address is stated as Lebuh Nipah 5~ A bit of confusion here~ LOL!). Take note that there’s a left turning into the Kompleks MPPP Lebuh Nipah. Drive until the end and you’ll see Zul’s Burger Penang at the last corner lot next to a residence house.

Name: ZUL’S BURGER PENANG @ KOMPLEKS MPPP LEBUH NIPAH
Address: 30Y, Kompleks MPPP Lebuh Nipah, Sg. Nibong, 11900 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 012-578 8771 (En. Zulkefli Bin Hassan)
Business Hours: 7.00pm-2.00am
GPS: 5.335989, 100.293376

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

If you are seeking for cheap and good food around the central region of Malaysia, you should not miss out this simple and yet fulfilling food stall located within Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia. Goes by the name of Gerai Makan Fei Kee, this little corner lot food stall is just at the main road of Jalan Batu 18, leading to Kampung Dato’ Lee Kim Sai. Although quite secluded within the housing estate, their unique and down to earth dishes have not stop people from all walks of life to frequent their stall.

The husband and wife team, Lau Lian Kee and Lai Tsuey Ngoh, started this food business a few years back. Their signature dish which comprises of steam freshwater fish head had attracted many people due to its freshness, non-muddy taste and lastly its cheap pricing. Instead of the usage of Tilapia (非洲魚) as served by many restaurants within the KL/Selangor regions, they used another fish species known as the Chinese Carp (Tongsan/Song Yu). Thus, you have their signature Steamed Carp with Salted Black Beans (RM20 for a 10” long fish head). I have a phobia in taking muddy-taste fish but this dish turned out to be fine. Mr. Lau sure knows how to get rid of the earthy smell in the flesh. The dish had some salted black beans (douchi/豆豉), lots of ginger strips, sliced red chilies, mildly sprinkled with some quality soy sauce and shaoxing wine, followed with chopped coriander and spring onions as garnishing.

Another of the home cooked dishes that I like was their Steamed Pork with Salted Fish (RM16). The balance in the fatty and lean parts of the pork slices, mildly marinated in some pepper, soy sauce and corn starch, mixed with some quality salt fish slices and topped with some ginger strips and red chilies did impress me. Each bite just melted into my mouth. It was delicious indeed.

With such a big fish head and a pork dish, we needed some vegetables. We tried out their Fried Sambal Belacan Kangkung (RM9). The kangkung (water spinach/water morning glory/空心菜) were young and crunchy. The sambal belacan had the right combination of pounded chilies and toasted shrimp paste and it was not too spicy for us. I found some dried shrimps being used in this dish too. It was a refreshing dish for us.

We also had some Stir Fry Bean Sprouts with Salted Fish (RM9). I found this dish to be a bit pricey since bean sprouts were supposed to be dirt cheap but I’m not complaining. The bean sprouts were stir fried just right while maintaining their crunchiness and the usage of deep fried salted fish was just right.

On top of the above dishes, we also did order the Steamed Tofu with Garlic (RM5). It was just one of those boxed tofu you can get easily at the supermarket. I could easily cook that at home with the exact amount of fried chopped garlic, soy sauce and chopped spring onion garnishing but I was again fooled by the chef as there were some deep fried dried shrimps added too. This was another of those simple and yet delicious dish to go with our rice.

Overall, the total bill came out to RM70 for the 6 of us, excluding the special tea leaves we brought in for our beverages. I expected the meal to hit the RM100 mark for such a big fish head and dining in the central region where the cost of living is higher but it ended up so cheap. Unbelievable! No wonder The StarMetro and Dong Fan Ri Bao (東方日報) wrote about them in 2009 and 2008 respectively.

For those without a GPS or are not familiar with the Rawang area, you might get lost. But no worries, you could always ask those around the area how to get to Kampung Dato’ Lee Kim Sai. From there it would be real easy to find the food stall. If you are using the North-South Highway, turn into the Rawang Interchange. Drive all the way until a T-junction and turn right into Jalan Bakar Arang. Drive on all the way passed Jalan Ciku (right) and Jalan Kuala Garing (left) until you see a sign leading to Stesen KTM Rawang. Ignore that and drive straight until you see a cross junction below a flyover. Turn right into Jalan Rawang and take the first right turn into Jalan Batu 18. The food stall is just on the right, diagonally opposite Jalan Batu 18/3 (leading to Kampung Dato’ Lee Kim Sai). You can see a big Hino signboard at the left corner shop lot of the small lane and Poh Huat Auto Air Cond Service/Yik Lee Motor at the right side.

Name: GERAI MAKAN FEI KEE
Address:
No. 1C, Batu 18, Jalan Besar Rawang/Ipoh, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, West Malaysia.
Contact: 012-203 1938, 016-694 7309
Business Hours: 11.30am-8.30pm (Closed Wednesday)
GPS: 3.314804, 101.577191

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 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: 7.5/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)