Thursday, August 29, 2013

Launching of New Dishes at Tian Ding Xiang (天鼎香) @ Gurney Plaza, Penang.

Tian Ding Xiang (天鼎香) Chinese Restaurant needs no introduction, it is one of the most popular family-meal spots within the infamous shopping mall- Gurney Plaza. If you have never been there before, try to hit this place up during your next visit to Gurney Plaza. Tian Ding Xiang has an extensive menu featuring some uncommonly seen Chinese dishes; Peking Roasted Duck, a wide variety of Double Boiled Soup just to name a few. I was fortunate to be invited to sample some of their meticulously designed new dishes which were launched few days ago. To read my previous review on the restaurant, please click the link here.

Many Thanks to Sherlyne for extending the invitation. 


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

International Cuisine/ Moon Cake-Review @ Eastin Hotel Penang.

The long-awaited Mid Autumn Festival is just around the corner, with less than 3 weeks, Moon Cake enthusiasts should be able to get themselves some nice Moon Cakes easily at any shopping malls in Penang. With that, Eastin Hotel Penang is proud to offer Penangites with more choices of their very own brand of Moon Cakes. 

Saturday, August 24, 2013

NOIS Coffee @ The Palazzia, Jalan Bukit Gambir, Penang.

Many might not notice about this unpretentious and quiet little cafe situated at The Palazzia, along Jalan Bukit Gambir. The Palazzia? You asked. It's actually the building right opposite to Plaza Ivory which the place is commonly known as "Bicycle Town". NOIS Coffee serves some nice coffee, together with their infamous sandwiches as well as some cakes. The place is cozy and homely which makes it suitable for gathering and light breakfast with friends or family. Besides, they do have a shelf which displays some for-sale items by customers. Some of the noticeable ones are Vietnamese Coffee and Fashion Accessories. If you wish to place any of your goods on sale at the shelf, do drop them an email or give them a call. Parking was easy to find and service was fast, the only drawback could be the limited choices on the menu. 

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Coffee Garden Cafe @ The One, Bayan Baru, Penang.

** Coffee Garden Cafe has since ceased its operations until further notice.**

The One at Bayan Baru is an interesting place for me to hunt for new eateries as many new eateries are mushrooming at that area and Coffee Garden being one of them. Coffee Garden Cafe has two outlets in Penang, their first outlet was opened at Sunway Carnival Mall few months ago and the new outlet at The One is actually their first outlet in Penang Island. Coffee Garden Cafe offers a wide variety of Coffees, Fruit Juices and Sandwich at affordable prices. The place is perfect for breakfast and tea time but it would be slightly inappropriate for lunch in my opinion, due to their limited choices (they do offer Spaghetti, Nasi Lemak but the choices were rather limited). I like their healthy concept of serving sandwiches but after tasting one of their sandwiches, I would still prefer SandWHICH....

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Taiwan Bull @ Queensbay Mall, Penang.

Regular patrons at Queensbay Mall should be quite familiar with this place- Taiwan Bull. The restaurant has been there in the mall for quite a few years, it was situated at the Lower Ground floor earlier ago but it has now moved to Queens Market, at level three of Queensbay Mall. As the name might have hinted you, Taiwan Bull serves Taiwanese food mainly. They do have quite an impressive amount of choices to offer but the choices are not that stand out in terms of uniqueness. While most items are priced reasonably, their service could be more attentive in my opinion. 

Monday, August 19, 2013

Hou Mei Yuen Pan Mee (好味园) @ Bukit Jambul, Penang.

Housed within some medium-low cost apartment at Bukit Jambul, adjacent to Vistana Hotel Penang, there's a rather famous Pan Mee hidden under the trees. Hou Mei Yuen Pan Mee has been there over the past decade, I've started eating their Pan Mee since I was in primary school (more than 10 years ago anyway). The place is often loaded with patrons during lunch hour, particularly factory workers working around Bayan Baru area. For those who are very close to me, you would have known that I'm a regular at this place where basically I will visit Hou Mei Yuen at least once in a week. Reason? Their chili paste. I'm aware that people are complaining about the inconsistency about the noodles. Yes, I couldn't agree more. It's the chili paste that keeps me coming back for more; also, do avoid peak hours like lunch hour (12pm to 1:30pm) unless you want to wait for hours or you want your noodles to be over-cooked. Both soup and dry version of Pan Mee are available at Hou Mei Yuen. 

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Penang Teo Chew Cendol @ Lorong Macalister/ Macalister Lane, Georgetown, Penang.

The previous experience at the famous Cendol stall at Penang Road was a horrible one and I don't bother to go back again... Fortunately, one of my readers recommended that I should check this place out for their Cendol, reason was obvious, relatively cheaper and they are more generous in giving the jelly; best part is I don't have to queue to get myself a bowl of refreshing icy cold Cendol. Together with Monica from The Yum List, we were very lucky to be able to hunt this place down. It is very easy to locate this place, you may catch the stall at the junction between Lorong Macalister and Burmah Road, right in front of Hong Leong Bank and stone throw away from Hai Onn coffee house. 

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Moustache Houze @ Campbell Street, Penang.

There are literally countless of heritage cafes sprouting out in the bustling roads of Georgetown recently and here comes another new one- Moustache Houze. Helmed by two pretty ladies, Moustache Houze has opened its door for less than 2 weeks and the place has been flooded with crowd since then. The iconic location of Moustache Houze makes it very easy to be found even by non-locals; it is situated towards the end of Campbell Street, Penang. This humble cafe has a very cozy and homely ambiance, with a twist of their own funky interior design as well as a mural paint painted on the wall of their cafe which has since then, became one of the landmarks of the cafe. The cafe serves cakes and beverages at the moment but they will be coming out with more and more to offer in the future, told by one of the partners. I don't find there's a need for further description on the place as the photos below will unveil the stories of the cafe. Also, I can tell that this place is going to be the next "hit" in Penang. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Official Launching of Gartien Mid-Autumn Limited Edition @ Goh Kaki, Bishop Street, Penang.

In conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival which is around the corner (middle of September), Gartien is proud to launch their limited edition of new packaging for this auspicious season. The new trendy yet elegant packaging was designed by the very beautiful yet talented Penang-based artist- Ms. Li Jynn; the artwork resembles the moon which refers to the Moon Cake Festival or commonly known as Mid Autumn Festival. Ms. Li Jynn wishes to create awareness to the public by including a Civet Cat in her artwork, which reminds one about the rights of other living things when celebrating the festival. I was honored to be invited to this event to witness the official launching of their limited packaging at Goh Kaki, Bishop Street, Penang.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Cosas United's New Outlet @ Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang.

Cosas United has opened another new outlet of theirs in the new Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang. I was fortunate to be invited to attend their fashion show earlier ago which can be found here. Their grand opening of the outlet falls on 23rd of July, 2013 and it has attracted a lot of customers since then due to their life-time service where customers are allowed to change the spare parts as long as the warranty is valid. Some photos taken during the opening:

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Miam Miam @ Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang.

Miam Miam, a newly opened French cum Japanese Restaurant, located at ground floor of Gurney Paragon Mall, right beside to Ben's and beside Starbucks as well as Italiannies. I was tempted to try some of their rather unique dishes namely Squid Ink Pasta and Soufflé. Choices are rather limited, I wouldn't say their dishes are really French-authentic, maybe they have added their own twist but food's good generally. Service was standard-attentive, I expect no less from such restaurant, not impeccable and improvements are needed, probably they are still new and unable to cope with the heavy customer flow just yet. Prices are considered on the higher side in Penang's context, but I wouldn't mind paying slightly more for some uncommonly found dishes in Penang, would you? 

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Pasta Zanmai @ Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang.

Ever since the opening of Gurney Paragon Mall, long queues of crowds have always been spotted, especially during the weekends; Sushi Zanmai being the outlet with the longest queue followed by Rakuzen and Pasta Zanmai. Intrigued by the Japanese-Western twist, I was rather excited to pay this place a visit, well, I am also a huge fan of Pasta dishes. Pasta Zanmai is located strategically beside Rakuzen and Sushi Zanmai, at level 6 of Gurney Paragon Mall. Do try head to there earlier, ideally as soon as 11am to avoid the queue. Most dishes were just okay-average but I will definitely back for more, for novelty than absolute taste that is.  

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Sweet Hut @ Precinct 10, Tanjung Tokong, Penang.

3rd of August 2013 marked the grand opening of Sweet Hut Dessert House at Precinct 10, Tanjung Tokong and I was fortunate to be invited by the lady owner- Zenny, to witness the very important moment. Sweet Hut is a renowned franchised dessert restaurant originated from Kuala Lumpur and they have just opened their 11th outlet here in Penang. Sweet Hut offers a wide variety of desserts where most of them are fruit-based desserts at very affordable prices. Service was superb as owner Zenny and her mom- Annie were two friendly and cheerful ladies, my previous experience at this place was awesome, warmly welcomed by the two of them. Additionally, free parking will be made available at Precinct 10 during day time (before 7pm) and Sweet Hut opens until midnight! Do try their desserts out if you are well prepared for a sweet indulgence during midnight!

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Mimi's SL Coffee House @ Wisma Central, Macalister Road, Penang.

Hidden in one of the buildings at Macalister Road, Mimi's SL Coffee House is rather obscure to the public due to its hidden location. One might not even realize that there's such an eatery set within the building. Mimi, the lady owner of the eatery, has many years of experiences in cooking some of their infamous Nyonya dishes namely Assam Laksa, Nasi Ulam and Assam Pedas with Nasi Ulam and Assam Pedas being some of the popular choices by regulars. The availability of the few special dishes changes daily; due to the high demand and low quantity, reservation is strongly recommended to avoid disappointment. Wisma Central is the building beside New Lane and opposite to Lye Peng Travel Agency. To reach Mimi's SL Coffee House, walk in from the front entrance of Wisma Central and turn left on your first turning, walk straight and proceed with a left turn followed by a right turn. You should be able to see some tables around the area, Mimi and her staff will attend to you shortly.