A Penang food guide based on my personal views and tastes, archiving the great finds and the personal favourites, so that hopefully it will provide some answers to the question "where to eat?" Comes with dashes of recipes and rants & raves about life in general...Flogger’s Makan-Makan Get-Together
By lingzie | July 21, 2008
While chatting with PenangTuaPui the other day, I realized its high time I stop procrastinating and just organize this flogger’s get-together that has been at the back of my mind for quite some time…
So fellow Penang floggers, what say we have a get-together? Meet up for some food, some photos (of the food!), a few good laughs, and finally put a face to our online personas. 
The Makan-makan get-together details….
Date: 2 August 2008 (Sat)
Time: 7.00pm onwards
Venue: Hai Nan Restaurant at Tanjung City Marina (next to the jetty)
All floggers welcomed! If you’re interested to come along and do what Penangites do best (eat la! lol), do email me at lingzie@gmail.com
Preferably by July 31 so that I can make arrangements with the restaurant.
Please feel free to spread the news too. Thank you!!
~prays that people will actually email to say they want to come!~
Topics: Misc | 10 Comments »
Terubong Seafood @ Paya Terubong
By lingzie | July 13, 2008
I hardly venture into Paya Terubong/Air Itam area for some strange reason, though this place holds one of the best seafood places in Penang, if I dare say. 
Cheap and good is what you will find at Terubong Seafood. Usually packed with locals tucking into fresh seafood, my dad told us we’d go at 6pm to avoid the rush crowd!
I left the ordering to my parents as they have been to this place more times than I. A short while later, we were presented with our first dish…their signature deep fried tiny prawns (RM8)… these were crunchy and absolutely delicious! A great snack!
We also ordered another signature - ladies fingers (RM6). This was cooked with the similar marinade as their ‘ikan bakar’ (grilled fish). I loved this dish! Spicy but really good!
Next up was their home made fish ball soup (RM15). The soup was flavorful with a hint of Chinese wine and the fish balls fresh with a slight crunchy bite to it.
Then came the sweet and sour prawns (RM17) which were just perfect! Not too sour.
Finally came the steamed fish Teow Chew Style (RM45). Their other very popular fish dish is the ‘ikan bakar’ but we decided to try the steam fish this time. And this steamed fish did not disappoint!
Finally we decided that we still had a bit of space left in our stomachs, so we ordered a plate of fried maggi mee (RM3)… which was definitely one of the best fried mee’s I’ve had in a long long time. Definitely got ‘wok hei’ and not too salty or oily. Thumbs up!
My saliva is dripping already as I type out this entry, despite the fact that I’ve just had dinner… must visit this place again soon!
Terubong Seafood can be contacted at 04-8660903, 012-4103303.
This review by Food4Thot has the full address as well as directions to this place. For other reviews hop on over to BackStreetGluttons page.
Topics: Chinese food | 16 Comments »
Sakae Teppanyaki @ AutoCity Juru
By lingzie | July 3, 2008
From the people who brought us Sakae Sushi, they now have a specialized teppanyaki outlet - Sakae Teppanyaki at AutoCity Juru which has been opened for a few months.
Sakae Teppanyaki is now our current favourite dining place if we happen to be in the Juru area. My fascination with teppanyaki began at a young age, due to one particular Cantonese movie which featured the lead actor as a chef in a teppanyaki restaurant. I do not remember who the lead actor was, nor the name of that movie. But the sizzle of the food being skillfully cooked right in front of your eyes left a deep impression in me.
And so I was more than delighted to find another teppanyaki outlet in Penang! Sakae Teppanyaki offers set meals which comes with a refreshing salad with a tangy dressing and rice.
For an additional RM3 you can opt to have Garlic Brown Rice…
I do find that the set has a bit too much food for just myself alone, so we usually share.
Watching the chef in action is part of the fun… as he whips out portion after portion of piping hot food…
We’ve tried a variety of meats including the salmon, squid, chicken and beef.
The salmon is a cooked just right. While the squid is excellent!
Recently we also tried their lobster set. There was a slight confusion when we ordered the lobster set (which was RM90/set if I’m not mistaken). It states in the menu that you have to order a minimum of 2 sets, because one set consists of half a lobster, including some other meat items. So, we ordered 2 sets and were presented with this…
And finally, after all the meats, came the stir fried veggie. Some sets come with stir fry assorted mushrooms which I also love!
Sakae Teppanyaki also offers ala carte items if you don’t fancy the set. Overall I would say this place offers good food at affordable prices. Business hours are Mon-Thurs 11.30am-10pm, Fri-Sun & Eve of Public Holidays 11.30am-11pm.
Topics: Japanese Food | 18 Comments »
Marvellous Magnificient Macarons!
By lingzie | June 29, 2008
Ah…macarons… Chewy crisp tops and creamy centers… the perfect treat for anyone with a sweet tooth!
Sunny of Big Boys Oven showing us the way…
We were delighted when our macarons had ‘feet’! Horray! Them macarons can be temperamental I tell you…. not easy to make… all the elements have to fall into place - oven temperature, drying time, etc… But we were still so proud of the result. (PS: can you tell which were the ones we made, and which were the ones Sunny made?! lol)
Sunny’s tea time treats… which we look forward to almost as much as the actual class itself.. (sometimes more!)… drools..
Now this… is one orgasmic tasting tiramisu I tell you!!
For more macarons and other orgasmic desserts… hop on over to Big Boys Oven’s baking class schedule. July classes are up! Happy Baking!
Topics: Misc | 9 Comments »
Pulau Tikus Laksa & Char Koay Teow
By lingzie | June 22, 2008
Apologies for the lack of updates lately. Some things going on personally, good things I would say. And also travelling quite a bit for work. So here’s something short and sweet and old school… good ol’ Penang hawker food.
One of my favourite places to go to for lunch in Pulau Tikus is this lil old kopitiam tucked along a row of shophouses opposite the police station. The kopitiam (Kopitiam Sin Hwa) is located directly opposite Arcadia Florist.
Most of the patrons here will usually order both the laksa and char koay teow. Because they are equally good!
The laksa comes in the original Penang Assam Laksa version, as well as the Siam version. But I will usually order the ‘cham’ which is a mix of the assam and Siam version. Resulting in a soury laksa with a slightly ‘lemak’ taste to it.
The Char Koay Teow here is probably not as famous as Ah Leng or Sister’s Char Koay Teow, but still an above average plate. Simple and good, without all the lavish mega huge prawns etc…
So the next time you’re in Pulau Tikus, do swing by this kopitiam and let me know what you think of the laksa and char koay teow!
Topics: Penang Hawker Food | 14 Comments »
The Sire Museum Restaurant @ King Street, Penang
By lingzie | June 15, 2008
I couldn’t resist deviating from my China Gourmet Tour Series yet again, to blog about this exciting new place in town!
Located along King Street (opposite the new Great Eastern building and across the road from Dewan Sri Pinang) is this elegant, charming restaurant serving ‘the best of Old & New World Cuisine’. The name itself ‘Sire’ lulls one into reminiscing of the old English days when one with power and authority were addressed as such.
I immediately fell in love with the interior. High ceilings all done up in white giving it an airy spacious feeling. Dotted with blossoms and blossoms of flowers, framed artwork and stained glass.
Looking at its simple white facade, one couldn’t possibly have guessed the treasures it holds within its deep enclaves. As I moved around in the restaurant snapping photos, I was invited to have a look upstairs. They have a small little mezzanine floor which holds a few tables. Thinking I had seen it all, I was puzzled about the invitation. But I looked up from the mezzanine and discovered another flight of stairs… and that started my journey through the Museum part of the restaurant. I found my way up tiny staircases, revealing rooms which held old antiques and letters. And came down spiral staircases to old grand pianos, a water feature and large airy living rooms. Enthralled by its beauty, I was told that this was the first house the late tycoon Yeap Chor Ee stayed in. And all these antiques belonged to him and his family.
*Collages inspired by this post My first time trying my hand at making collages too!
After exploring the place, I hastily returned to my seat, not wanting to miss capturing photos of…the food!
I excitedly told the rest of my family about the hidden treasures of this place, as I dug into the complimentary salad and garlic tomato loaf (which almost disappeared by the time I returned)
We ordered a portion of mushroom soup (RM10.80) to share. It was not the best mushroom soups I’ve tried, but still passable.
Shortly after that came our mains… the Teriyaki Salmon (RM40.80) came first. And as I took photos of it, wafts of fragrant teriyaki tickled and taunted my nostrils…
While my Poached Caramlized Snapper (RM29.80) was light and pleasant on the palate. The snapper is also a healthy alternative with just a little oil from the side vegetables and a small portion of mashed potatoes.
Then came the ‘heavyweights’ - the Sizzling Tenderloin (RM35.50). Tender and flavorful, although my dad did find it a bit too salty for his liking.
The Lamb Shank (RM49.80) came looking very impressive. And the taste did not disappoint.
Finally, came the ’star’ of the meal - the Black Angus Rib Eye Steak which costs a hefty RM105.80! I have never had beef this pricey, save for Kobe beef. Therefore, I was curious how this dish would taste. The meat had a lovely buttery taste to it, smooth and tender.
Then came the part of the meal I always look forward to the most… the dessert! The complimentary dessert that comes with every order of a main course is a scoop of ice cream.
We ordered an additional Walnut Brownie (RM12.80). It came out warm, chocolate-y and moist. Yum!
Overall, we found the food satisfactory. But I definitely loved the ambience of the place.
The people behind The Sire also operates Ferringhi Garden.The Sire is currently having its opening special until 21st June 2008 where you will get complimentary garlic & tomato bread (freshly baked too!), appetizer, dessert of the day and coffer or tea with every order of a main course.
The Sire Museum Restaurant located at 4 King Street, 10200 Penang. T: 04-264 5088, 04-263 4359.
Topics: Western Food | 11 Comments »
China Gourmet Tour Series Part 2 - E-Spring Hotel’s Restaurant @ Cong Hua, Guang Zhou
By lingzie | June 11, 2008
When my friends heard I was going on a gourmet tour to China, everyone said ‘oh! then you’ll be eating all the exotic stuff like cockroaches etc’
Well….I didn’t exactly eat cockroaches. But I did eat some pretty exotic stuff! During the dinner at E-Spring Hotel’s in house restaurant, our first dish for the night was this…
At first glance, I thought it was some sort of roasted pork. Then, Hugo Leung came over to our table and explained that the meat placed in the purple cabbage was snake meat!! The darker meats in the center was squirrel, and on the sides were crocodile meat!
I nearly fainted!! Everyone was surprised and somewhat alarmed. But, I told myself, yet again, I’ve traveled this far…. and so picked up a piece of each of the different meats. To my surprise, I actually liked the snake and crocodile meat! The snake meat had a slight springy taste which I didn’t expect. My palate was not quite used to the squirrel meat though. I found it rather ‘gelatinous’.
Our menu for the night… we were in for a lot of food!
The chicken with fresh ginger sauce dish was something we were much more accustomed to. I loved the freshness of the chicken spiced up by ginger, garlic and onions… Also loved the presentation of this dish. The way the chicken was laid out reminded me of the fictional phoenix.
Next up was yet another exotic and rather controversial dish - the ’shui yu’ (turtle/terrapin meat) soup. I couldn’t bring myself to eat the ’shui yu’. It was just too exotic for me. But I did try the soup which was very milky in taste.
We were then presented with a simple tofu stuffed with meat dish and ‘yao mak’ (Chinese garden lettuce) vegetable.
Our next dish was an interesting fish dish. I’m not quite sure what fish was served, but it had a very silky texture, high in fat content.
Just as we thought that we’d be ’safe’ from exotic dishes…we were then presented with stir fried crocodile meat! This time I did not hesitate to dig in! In fact it was so good, it disappeared quite fast.
Then we had yet another dish similar to padi chicken, which is called hasma.
Finally we have the last savoury dish for the night… the ‘lap mei fun’ (waxed duck and sausage rice). This version came with a variety of grains and sweet potato.
For dessert, we had an array of beautifully arranged fruits and deep fried glutinous rice cake.
All in all, one of the most interesting dinners I’ve had ever!
E-Spring Hotel is located in Glade Village, Jie Kou, Cong Hua, Guang Zhou, China.
Topics: China Gourmet Tour | 5 Comments »
Miss Saigon Vietnamese Cuisine @ E-Gate
By lingzie | June 6, 2008
Taking a short break from the China Gourmet Tour series to come back to good ol’ Penang food. (Part 2 of the gourmet tour series in the next post!)
Being a foodie… I’m always on a lookout for exciting new additions to our local food scene. Therefore, I spied this Vietnamese restaurant taking over another restaurant (Beguadro) at the end of April. They were scheduled to open in May. And so I decided to give them about a month to iron out any initial kinks they may have had. I was excited about this place, though I’ve never really had authentic Vietnamese cuisine.
We visited this place on Monday evening. And for a weekday, this place quickly filled up! Guess Penangites really love flocking to anything and everything new!
Miss Saigon is a lovely cosy restaurant, with nice dark wooden furniture and really cute wooden utensils.
They serve mostly ‘one plate meals’ with a variety of appetizers, noodles and rice dishes.
We ordered their recommended Summer Style Northern Roll - prawns and vegetables wrapped in rice paper with a special dipping sauce. Quite a small portion, but I really enjoyed the spring roll. Lots of fresh vegetables. A refreshing appetizer indeed. Other appetizers that appealed to me on the menu included their prawn past with sugarcane. I’ve been wanting to try them since it made its appearance on Asian Food Channel’s Restaurant Makeover!
And of course when one is in a Vietnamese restaurant, there is no escaping their Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup! A generous portion indeed loaded with thinly sliced beef. I didn’t get to try this but my grandpa thoroughly enjoyed it!
Miss Saigon also offers the chicken version of this dish, perhaps being aware that most Chinese do not take beef. This is the Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup with the rest of the condiments.
I had the Fragrant Paste with ‘La Lot’ Leaf. The menu indicates that the fragrant paste is made up of chicken, crab and prawn if I’m not mistaken. I loved this dish! The rice was a combination of different grains, which added a lot of texture. While the fragrant paste wrapped in the leaf was nice and moist. I did expect it to be spicy though looking at the photo from the menu, but it wasn’t. Would have preferred it to have a bit of spiciness to it. But that’s just me. Perhaps this is the original way they make it in Vietnam. I also loved the side of vegetables that came with it. Overall I would say it’s a pretty healthy dish.
We also tried the Vietnamese Southern Noodle - Stir Fried Chicken. I had a few bites of this, and was totally sold on this dish! The noodles reminded me of our local Assam Laksa noodles, only much silkier and smooth. And I loved the taste of nuts mixed into this dish.
Next up, we tried the fragrant beef baked in bamboo cup. Now this I liked too! The beef was spicy, quite similar to a dried curry. While the rice and vegetables are the same as my La Lot Leaf dish. Some may find that the rice portion a bit small. But it was just nice for me. Leaves more stomach space to sample other things!
Overall, we liked the things we tried at Miss Saigon. I would have loved to sample some of their desserts (yummy looking apple pie on the menu!) But we were just too stuffed!
Drinks include their signature Lemongrass tea which I love to bits!! And their Vietnamese coffee. We did note that drinks were rather expensive though. The mains cost about RM14-Rm20 depending on what you order. We spotted a tiger prawn dish too that cost about RM30. For the 5 of us, the bill came up to about RM120 which covers the 5 mains, 2 portions of spring rolls, 3 lemongrass teas, 1 coffee and a coke.
I’m definitely coming back here for more!
Miss Saigon is located at 1-01-15 E-Gate (next to Old Town Coffee), Lebuh Tunku Kudin 2, 11700 Gelugor, Penang. For reservations you can call 04-377 6083/ 04-229 0263.
Opening hours: Mon - Sun 11am-3pm, 6pm-11pm. Pork Free
Topics: Vietnamese Food | 12 Comments »
Gourmet Tour Series Part 1 - Tai Wing Wah Restaurant (Hong Kong)
By lingzie | June 2, 2008
The long awaited photos from my China Gourmet Tour are finally here! To kick things off, I’ll be posting our first dinner of the tour at Tai Wing Wah Restaurant in Hong Kong.
We were all very excited because its the very first dinner on the tour. Expectations were high and with our tummies already growling, we scanned the menu… (which unfortunately didn’t make much sense to me!)
Service was at their level best, because famous Hong Kong ’sek sun’ Hugo Leung Man-To (owner of Tai Wing Wah) was with us. And not long after, we were presented with our first dish of the night…
“Char Siew” (roasted pork) roasted to perfection accompanied with a sourish sauce. We were told that the meat was taken from free range pigs with no growth hormones injected into them. The “char siew” tasted very tender and best of all…no gamey taste detected.
Next up was a fried vegetarian roll or “Chun Fa Kuen” (in Cantonese). A nice crunchy bite!
Then came the stir fried XO Cow’s Tongue. When I heard that it was cow’s tongue, I had my apprehensions… for I have never taken something so…exotic! But then I thought I’ve traveled this far…and its time to be adventurous! And so I took a bite…… and reached for more! It was utterly delicious! (tasted just like thinly sliced beef!). Hugo Leung explained that this dish was inspired by the Korean BBQ.
We were then served another one of Tai Wing Wah’s specialities… the rice with pork lard. It’s something ridiculously simple - rice mixed with pork lard and a bit of their soya sauce. Who would have thought that something so simple could taste so good? And it sure did taste absolutely wonderful!!
Fluffy morsels of rice, delicately coated with the smooth fragrant pork lard…with a zing of saltiness from the soya sauce. I could eat a whole bowl just by itself and die happy!
But alas, I could only take a few mouthfuls as I knew there were lots more decadent dishes to sample…
We then had shark fin soup.
By this time, I was already feeling full… but then came the tiger garoupa fish…
And then came a very odd looking dish…
Hugo Leung explained what the dish was, but with my horrid Cantonese, I only managed to catch the term ‘kuan ji tau’ (in Cantonese) which was what the orange looking substance was supposed to be. Hugo Leung further explained that they used pork trotters to broil the sauce and that this ‘kuan ji tau’ is very nutritious as it is rich in collagen. Very good for the ladies who want smooth wrinkle free complexion! With lots of questions racing through my mind, I asked a fellow tour group mate sitting next to me, what ‘kuan ji tau’ was. He explained that it was part of the fins of the shark!Until today, I’m not too sure what it was… anyone can decipher what it is from the menu above?
I gingerly took a bite and didn’t quite like it as it tasted a bit ‘fishy’ and chewy with a slight crunch to it.
The following dish was not as ‘exciting’ but still good nonetheless… duck eaten with vinegared ginger.
And then came another stunner… the snow crab steamed in egg.
The crab shell was very soft as we just needed a pair of scissors to cut through the shell, to reveal the sweet succulent meat within… I dug in with much glee!
By this time, everyone had almost surrendered, with little or no stomach space left… but then we still had to make room for the “Char Siew Fried Rice” and vegetarian fried noodle…
May look very simple… but the taste… awesome! Definitely got ‘wok hei‘.
We were told that this vegetarian fried noodles (fried with red fermented beancurd) came about as a request for something tasty but simple from a Hong Kong celebrity’s wife. ‘To Kor’ aka Hugo Leung explained that good food does not necessarily mean expensive or exotic food. Instead chefs should know how to get the best flavours out of normal everyday ingredients and use them in such a way that it tastes good.
Then came Tai Wing Wah’s famous dessert - the ‘Ma Lai Ko’ (literally translated to mean Malay Kuih) It is a Chinese version of the English Sponge Cake which is steamed instead of baked. No oil is used in preparing this dessert. I somehow found it’s sweet fluffy texture very comforting to taste. Reminded me of home.
Another dessert we had was the white lotus paste pau. I was already filled to the maximum by this time, and very nearly wanted to forego the pau. But I kept hearing everyone else exclaiming how fragrant the white lotus paste was… and so… I reached for a piece and ate it very slowly, enjoying each morsel… until I climbed onto the tour bus!
And with that we ended our very first Gourmet Tour dinner…filled to the brim with glorious food and great company. More to come in Part 2. Stay tuned!
Me with Hugo Leung and wife (both are very friendly, humble people)
Tai Wing Wah Restaurant is located at 2-6 On Ning Road, Yuen Long, N.T, Hong Kong.
T: (852) 2476 9888
*UPDATED: This gourmet tour with Hugo Leung is organized by Anne of Blue Pacific Tours. For more details, you can contact Anne at 03-9200 9191.
Topics: China Gourmet Tour | 19 Comments »
Happiness!
By lingzie | May 31, 2008
Happiness is enjoying a yummy cup of ice cream with one of your best girlfriends, sharing gossip and just catching up…
Ice Cream topped with a shot of alcohol from Hajime, KL
Happiness is getting to indulge in a slice of heavenly cake, just because…
Sweet Pleasure from Bakerzin
And Happiness… is being featured in tonite’s and tomorrow’s Guang Ming Daily!
Have no idea what the article says though. My limited Mandarin allows me to read my name, and half a sentence here and there in the article! Will have to get my brother to translate for me!
Thank you so much to the feature writer from Guang Ming. I was so nervous and excited when I met her but she quickly put me at ease.
Will put up the online link soon, if there is one.
Topics: Misc | 18 Comments »