Flame @ De View Hotel, Air Hitam, Penang.

Perched high on a rooftop of a building at Air Hitam, Flame is a rooftop restaurant that redefines barbecue dining with a view. Specializing in flame-grilled creations, the menu is a celebration of smoky aromas and charred perfections; with a mix of local delights. Those who seek for a better view should look out for the igloo at the al-fresco dining area; each igloo is equipped with a cooler to ensure comfort. You will be rewarded with a scenic view overlooking the Air Hitam town and Kek Lok Si at the back. The restaurant itself on the other hand, offers a more proper sit-down dining experience. Definitely a unique dining spot for any occasions without putting a dent on the wallet.

Many Thanks to Flame for extending the invitation.

REVE Kitchen & Dessert Bar @ King Street, Georgetown, Penang.

** REVE has since ceased its business operations **

Decked out in a garden-like setting, the newly opened REVE Kitchen and Dessert Bar is a profusion of greenery and calm. The cafe uses white color as the theme... with all tables and chairs are in white hues while the colorful plants make up the space, turning it into a lovely, picturesque space. The menu on the other hand, is a little weak. It has quite limited choices of mains with only a handful of desserts. Different menu will be rolled out for both lunch and dinner sessions. The serving portion is fairly small while the price points are on the higher side. Worth trying but more for novelty experience.

Nellcis Passion Heart Cafe @ Muntri Street, Georgetown, Penang.

Tucked within one of the heritage houses along Muntri Street, Nellcis Passion Heart Cafe is one of the latest members to the Penang cafe scene. Be sure to check the place out if you have exquisite taste buds. Reason? They have Durian and Cempedak Cakes. Do expect to see some cakes with quirky and playful combinations, Black Forest with Red Wine cake just to name one; best of all, all the cakes are priced at unbelievably affordable prices and the cakes will be generously sliced. However, I do not see this place as a good place to retreat or for gathering, it does not have the perfect setting. The lack of air-conditioners could be frustrating for the heat-intolerant either. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a simple cafe to enjoy a decent slice of cake, you are at the right place. 

U Desserts (優甜品) @ Raja Uda, Butterworth, Penang.

*U Desserts at Raja Uda has since closed down*

With more than 5 outlets in Southern Malaysia and 7 outlets country-wide, a renowned chain dessert cafe has finally set foot here in Penang. Tucked within the shop houses right opposite to Chung Ling Butterworth along Jalan Ong Yi How, U Desserts pride themselves by offering some inexpensive but delectable sweet treats. You might need to spend a little more time in picking your choice as their extensive menu has myriad of sweet treats await you. Ambiance was simple but comfortable although the service could be more attentive. An ideal place to satiate your cravings for desserts! 

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!

Tong Pak Fu (糖百府) @ Burmah Road, Penang.

Located in the bustling heart of Georgetown, it shouldn't be too new for our fellow hardcore dessert fans in Penang as it has been quite some time since the opening of Tong Pak Fu, one of the famous Hong Kong dessert eateries. Tong Pak Fu in Penang offers most of the items offered in other places, they do have a wide array of desserts for dessert lovers to choose, from the tropical fruits like mangoes and durians, until the Asian traditional desserts like Sesame paste dessert and Red Bean soup etc. The service was a bit slow and not too efficient during my visit, parking might be a problem during peak hours. I'd say the price is slightly on the higher side but it would be worth if it satisfies your crave wouldn't it?

Lucky Dessert 发记甜品 @ Queens Market, Penang.

Lucky dessert is a well-known outlet for dessert in Hong Kong. Their best-remembered and best-selling item is their durian dessert- The Trinity Durian and Mango Series, which were awarded by some famous magazine as the best dessert in Hong Kong. Their first outlet in Malaysia was opened not long ago in Sunway Giza Mall, Kuala Lumpur. Now, Penangites have the chance to try this famous dessert out without travelling all the way down to Kuala Lumpur as their first outlet in Penang's Queensbay Mall  was opened a week ago, and soon in Gurney Plaza. Happened to know their opening via facebook, where I was aware of their opening promotion, but was too late as the promotion just ended yesterday. Aside from those, Lucky Dessert has some other dessert to offer to their customers too, from the ordinary dessert like sweet potato dessert to crepe. DO try it out if you happened to pass by.

Their fridge displaying all sorts of dessert they are offering to their customers. Apparently their Mango and Durian Delights are their must-try dessert.

Mango Roll (Rm 6 for both). The staff reminded us that we should start with the mango first before we get our hands on the Durian as the flavor of mango will be slightly lighter compared to durian. Fresh mangoes were wrapped (the outer layer was made with glutinous rice flour) and topped with some coconut flakes. The juices of the mangoes will spill out once you bite onto it. However, the taste was just decent although they made a very good combination.

T. Mango Delight (杨枝金露 in chinese, Rm9) The dessert comes in a rather high price considering the portion was not that big. The person in charge explained that they have done some research on the preferences of Penangites where they prefer smaller portions, so they have reduced the serving size. Although I agreed with what he was trying to tell me but at least they shall cut down the price. Rm9 is still quite expensive in my opinion. Chunks of mangoes, pomelos and some sago were added into the dessert to increase the texture and flavor. Some coconut milk can be tasted too. The dessert was not too sweet and the taste was quite good, just the portion.........

Durian Wrapz (Rm5 for each) Some big chunks of durian and some cream were wrapped in a layer of pancake. The Durian Wrapz will be served cold. From the look, I thought the outer layer of the Durian Wrapz will be quite hard but soft and tender inside. I was wrong. The outer layer of the wrapz was very smooth and tender while the fillings inside were very creamy and smooth. A very strong flavor durian just mushed out with a bite on it. Highly recommended for durian lovers.

T. Durian Delight (Rm 10) Durian lovers shall not miss this dessert. The smell and flavor were so strong that you can even smell it before you actually started to dig into it. Big chunks of durian can be found too, similarly to T. Mango Delight, except durian was used instead of mangoes. I was rather disappointed with the portion again......

Aside from those dessert with stronger flavors, we have tried some other dessert as well. Green Tea Snow (Rm 6.90) was one of my favorites out there (except of durian). The green tea flavor was obvious and the dessert was not too sweet as I dislike those dessert where heavy syrup will be poured. The snow ice was quite smooth either. Some raisins and grass jelly have been added to increase the texture too. The price was reasonable too. Definitely one of my favorites, highly recommended. 

Ratings:

Taste: 8/10

Price: 6.5/10

Service: 8.5/10

Parking: 9/10

Service Charge: No

Government Tax: No

Additional Information:

Address: 4th floor of Queensbay Mall (Queens Food Market). 100, Pesiaran Bayan Indah, 11900, Bayan Lepas, Penang. (facing the escalator from Sakae Sushi)

Business Hours: 10am - 10pm Daily.

Lucky Dessert Facebook Page

Some awesome food that you can find in Balik Pulau

I am pretty sure that everyone has heard of the name Balik Pulau before especially during this durian season. People from all over the world visit Balik Pulau just because of the durian ! As for us, our main purpose for this trip was also for durian, well partly. Other than durians, Balik Pulau has a lot of wonderful and worth trying food. I'll introduce one by one of them to you. First and foremost:

Yup, you guessed it right !! Its durian. Durian is a seasonal fruit where the best time to taste the fruit of the king is now (June) Durians are everywhere in Balik Pulau, in fact, there's a durian festival organized somewhere near the mountain peak by Penang Tourism. The fruit is so tasty and sweet especially the creamy and mouth watering texture.

Various kinds of fruits can be seen over those booths. Different "brands" of durian will be shown in front of the booth too, so do the prices. Seasonal fruits just like rambutan and mangoesteen are also favoured by tourist and visitors. No doubt those fruits are a bit pricey compared to others.

Laksa is also famous in Balik Pulau, but i am not going to describe and comment more on it since I've blogged about it before.

This is actually the main topic for this blog post, the pictures shown above were actually brown sugar pau (Rm1 each), those black spots are actually melted brown sugar..the texture of the pau was very fluffy and the aroma of brown sugar was fully utilised. Best served while hot. The brown sugar pau is actually quite rare in Penang, in fact, this is actually my first attempt on it.

Peanut Pau (Rm 1.30 each) The peanut stuffing is quite sweet but they were okay for me. The fragrant of the peanut actually works well with the fluffy outer skin of the pau. Had I mention that all the pau in the stall were handmade ? So you can roughly imagine the texture of the pau.

The stall that sells the pau is actually quite hard to find as the road is quite remote where you need to travel around 2km from the Balik Pulau market (roughly 3km from the Balik Pulau Bus Station). From the market, you will notice there's a roundabout at the end of the road, so go straight without turning (there's 2 exit in the roundabout only). The pau will be on your right hand side if you are moving from the roundabout, you will also notice there are some shop houses on your left. Try ask for directions from the people in Balik Pulau market and they'll be happy to direct you.