Thursday, May 22, 2014

The Lightbulb @ Jalan Zainal Abidin, Georgetown, Penang.

A long stroll along Jalan Zainal Abidin, you will find The Lightbulb, a newly opened yet curious cafe (right next to the UMNO building) which seeks to serve more than an ordinary cup of coffee and all day breakfast menu. It can be easy to miss this place, they do not have catchy sign board nor attractive exterior design. It is also likely that this cafe will be covered up by cars parking right in front of the cafe. The interior of cafe was carefully decorated with many light bulbs to suit the theme- some entangled on pipes while some are left hanging around in the air; glowing with mellow yellowish light that bestows a romantic atmosphere. While the laid-back ambiance does score some marks but sitting on the low wooden storage stool for some time might not be too comfortable for the back. I would suggest you to go for the ordinary chairs if you are about to spend some time in the cafe. Prices are certainly wallet-friendly and service was attentive but there were some hits and misses for the food, we wondered if we did not order the right dishes; well I guess that calls for a second visit. Nevertheless, this is a decent place to have a quick recharge in the afternoon. 



Pasta lovers will be glad to know that The Lightbulb offers a few types of Pasta dishes. We opted for their Aglio Olio (Rm 11), well-cooked (al-dente) Spaghetti tossed with Olive Oil, Garlic, Zucchini, Olives and with an extra touch of Cheese Powder. It was simple but some of us thought that the Pasta barely registered any flavors. It was not bland but it was not any good for those who prefer bold flavors; it was fine for me nevertheless. The portion, on the other hand, might be a little small for some but I am not complaining for that price. 


Pan Grilled Chicken (Rm 15) was a little less successful. Albeit the skin was crisp but we thought that the Chicken could need more time for marination, the sauce had not done much in its aid either, it was not thick enough to cling onto the Chicken. I don't normally comment much on the sides but the blanched Broccoli and Carrots were bland, it appears that they might have forgotten the extra pinch of salt when cooking the vegetables. However, we did like the fact that the Chef tries to make a twist by adding Sauerkraut to the dish for the extra acidic tilt.


"Rolling in the Light" (Rm 17) shared the same ingredients as Pan Grilled Chicken Chop, except the Chicken Thigh was replaced with Chicken Roulade. My untrained taste buds could not tell the ingredients stuffed inside the Chicken as the flavor was a little thin and soft. To serve with their Brown Sauce, both the dishes somewhat tasted similar to me. 


We hoped to go for their Pumpkin Orange Soup (Rm 7) but it was not available so we had Mushroom Soup (Rm 7) instead. Unfortunately, the Mushroom Soup did not manage to impress us, the Mushroom aroma and flavor were subdued while the cream was overwhelming. Also, an extra slice of Garlic Toast would definitely add some value to it. 


Salted Caramel Ice Cream (Rm 7/ scoop)


Green Tea Ice Cream (Rm 7/ scoop)

Sweet ending was a resounding success. We were pleased with both Salted Caramel and Green Tea Ice Cream. The former one possesses the right balance of buttery-caramel flavor with a touch of saltiness which cuts through the sweetness by a little. The latter one was equally delectable. The intensive Green Tea flavor was indeed impressive, but what makes it good was the smooth and creamy texture in which the Ice Cream slides down the throat easily, leaving a pleasant Green Tea-after taste. We'd recommend their Ice Creams. 


Latte (Rm 9.90)


Ratings:
Taste: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Service: 7.5/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Price: 7.5/10 (1-3 expensive, 4-7 average, 8-10 cheap)
Parking: 6/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Ambiance: 8/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Service Charge: No
Government Tax: No
Pork-Free/ Wifi-Available

Additional Information:
Address: 57, Jalan Zainal Abidin, 10400, Georgetown, Penang. 
Business Hours: 10:30am to 11:30pm on every Monday to Thursday; 10am to 12am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Contact Number: 604- 226 4972

57 Jalan Zainal Abidin, Georgetown, 10400 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

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