600 CC Taiwanese Restaurant @ Tesco E-Gate, Penang.

When it comes to Taiwanese style of Beef Noodles, I always have this restaurant in my mind, probably due to childhood memories as I used to go to this restaurant quite often with my mother last time. 600CC Taiwanese Restaurant is a chain restaurant which opened its first outlet many years ago at Bukit Jambul Complex (correct me if I am wrong). As of now, 600CC has five outlets (all of them in shopping malls) in total, namely Gurney Plaza, Prangin Mall, Mega Mall, Sunway Carnival and Tesco E-Gate Penang. Variety-wise, they have a lot to offer, but I have no interest on their other dishes as I find most of them are rather pricey. However, their desserts will be worth of trying as I find them pretty special especially their Taiwanese TofuHua (台湾豆花) and their Iced Red Bean Blended Milk (红豆牛奶). To my surprise, I find the quality of the food will be rather inconsistent depending on which outlet you are heading to.

Zhonghua Gourmet (中华海鲜鱼翅) @ Cititel Hotel, Penang.

I am always skeptical to try on Dim Sum at Hotels due to their prices are always on the steeper side, but coincidentally, I had the chance to visit Zhonghua Gourmet, which is one of the restaurants inside Cititel Hotel, Penang, at Penang Road (from the main entrance of Cititel Hotel, walk until the very end of Ground Floor, and you will find Zhonghua Gourmet there). Zhonghua Gourmet offers authentic and exquisite Chinese cuisines to its customers, you will find a lot of Dim Sum lovers there, especially during brunch hour (around 11am to 12pm), weekends. I had my visit at around 1pm and the restaurant was flooded with customers. Anyway, their Dim Sum were good no doubt (everything was served piping hot), but they were rather expensive too. Parking will be a bit troublesome as the parking rate is pretty expensive, try to find yourself a parking outside of the hotel. Service-wise, was pretty attentive and the ambiance was pretty good either, in short, my overall experience at Zhonghua Gourmet was rather good.

Chalet Healy Tearoom @ Araluen Botanic Park, Perth, WA.

Araluen is a very beautiful place in Perth which is 35km (south-east) away from Perth city, the word "Araluen" simply means "Singing Water" in Aboriginal language. In Araluen Botanic Park, visitors get to see all those colorful blooming flowers and breath-taking scenery, so I was there for a day trip, and was introduced to the park's environment and some history. Coincidentally, there was this small little cafeteria up the hill and Ken never let go any chances to hunt for food does he ? Chalet Healy Tearoom offers morning/afternoon teas and lunches and it operates from 10am to 4pm daily. I did not check out their entire lunch menu but I did glance through and I've found out that they do offer some Salads, Chips, Burgers etc but most of them were priced steeply. As for teas, they have a wide selection of pastry cakes and coffee/teas. Prices are reasonable by Perth's standards. Try it out to experience the truly Al-fresco dining experience with amazing breath-taking scenery (especially after the tiring walk/tour around the park).

Restaurant Law Chang Kee (璋记饭店) @ Nibong Tebal, Penang.

I am not a regular patron at mainland areas (Butterworth, Bukit Mertajam, Seberang Perai etc), I rarely do review on eateries at mainland, mainly due to I am a retard to the routes. As for this time, I happened to pass by this place during our one-day trip to Parit Buntar/Taiping. Law Chang Kee is very famous among the locals, especially for their "Tu Bo Sweei" (Boiled Little Octopus) and "Chim Moey" (Crab Porridge). I can't help much in terms of directions as I was led by my local friend either (Yes, I am that bad when it comes to food hunting at mainland). I once had a lunch here with my family back in many years ago, it was an early afternoon and the place was very crowded. Do go there earlier to avoid disappointment and long waiting time. Price-wise, was very cheap, in fact, you can hardly get all these dishes at this price in Penang (referring to Penang Island), although ambiance might not be that ideal but their foods are definitely one of the best that you can ever find. Moreover, most of the ingredients used in their dishes were very fresh during our visit, I am looking forward to my next visit.

Korea Palace @ Tanjung Tokong, Penang.

** Korea Palace has renamed as Gangnam Style**

Ever since the launch of Korean Dramas, Korean Pop Singers/Bands, a lot of these K-fans are very interested to try on Korean cuisine and that explains why on the recent mushrooming of all these Korean eateries. There are a few of the more famous Korean restaurants in Penang namely Daorae, Bee Won Restaurat and the restaurant I am covering in this post- Korea Palace. Korea Palace has two outlets in Penang in total, one being stationed in Krystal Point (Bayan Baru) and the other one at Tanjung Tokong. Along with some friends of mine, we've visited the one in Tanjung Tokong, opposite to Precinct 10. From Jalan Tanjung Tokong, upon reaching Precinct 10 and Island Plaza, pay attention to the building opposite to Precinct 10, which has CK Furniture and some electrical appliances outlets, Korea Palace is located at the first floor of that building (colorful and huge banners will be there too). Korea Palace offers one of the most authentic Korean cuisine in town (the lady owner of Korea Palace is a Korean), price-wise, I would say average since I was expecting such range of pricing. Service was attentive earlier but when the restaurant started to flood with people, the staff tends to forget some of my orders (for refilling the side dishes). There are ample parking spaces right in front of the building itself too, but do watch out for peak hours and reservations are recommended to avoid disappointment.

O' Briens (Irish Sandwich Cafe) @ Queensbay, Penang.

The long-awaited O' Briens, the Irish Sandwich Cafe has landed in Penang, which is also their 13th outlet in Malaysia and first in Penang. As the name suggested, O' Briens is a franchise-based cafe which originated from Ireland, they serve mainly some some healthy made-to-order sandwich none other than any outlets. We were told that all the breads in the store are sugar-free as well as their sandwiches will be prepared using the freshest and premium grade ingredients. In conjunction with their new opening at Queensbay (not inside the mall but opposite to Queensbay Mall instead, right beside Tutti Fruitti and opposite HSBC Bank), they are offering 5 types of sandwiches at a very affordable price of Rm10. Promotion valid from 29th June until 8th of July 2012 only. 30% off will be given for a limited time from 9th of July until 9th of August, so grab this chance to try this delicious and healthy sandwiches. Service was a bit slow that day due to its promotion and service crew were not too familiar with the system. As for the price, tho it will be slightly pricier if without the promotion, but I am still recommending one to try them out due to their superior food quality.

Five types of Sandwiches under the promotion were: 

1. O' Briens Classic Tripledecker 
2. Chicken Slice and Cheddar on Shambo
3. Sundried Tomato on Hot Ciabatta
4. Chicken, Chicken Crisp and Cheddar Wrappo
5. Tuna Swiss Melt