Dinhokee (鼎好记) @ Terengganu Road, Penang.

*** This eatery has since closed down.***

With all these buffet steamboat outlets mushrooming in Penang these days, we Penangites have more choices to choose from when it comes to buffet steamboat, whether the concerns are on the prices, quality, services, parking, ambiance, food choices etc. My recent visit to this steamboat outlet was during New Year Eve, the place was very crowded and finding parking can be a little troublesome. One can have their cars parked opposite the place, in a housing area or just beside the road. There are a couple of parking spaces right in front of the place but obviously they are not sufficient. Anyway, you can choose to have the steamboat pot with barbecue plate on top or just ordinary steamboat pot (soup version only). If you are going for the soup version only (no barbecue for you), then you can choose to sit in the comfortable air-conditioned room. You can always grab your ingredients and ask the staff to barbecue or pan fry for you, they do have this service. As for price, I supposed the prices are pretty okay, after all, its an "All You Can Eat Buffet".

A very elegant set up, they are using the electronic stove which is much safer compared to the traditional gas or charcoal stove, good for those with children. Extra fruit juices are available to quench your thirst, but they are not included in the buffet sadly, you will have to pay a little more for them. Soup-wise, choose between the ordinary chicken stock (clear soup version) or tom yum.

Well, we were there pretty late that night, a lot of the food were finished and were not refilled in a fast pace, so there was a small table for the appetizers (fresh greens, fruits etc), another table for the sauces, fried rice, fried chicken, Herbal Eggs, some dim sum namely Siew Mai (Chinese Dumplings), a table for fried stuff such as fried fish balls, Thailand Pandan Chicken, fried fish cakes etc....you will find some vegetables inside the fridge too. 

The usual ingredients that you will get for steamboat. Something unique here was all the seafood were being marinated first, such as yellow curry powder, black pepper sauce etc. They do have some little shrimps too, they were very fresh and best for barbecue. As for meat, they serve chicken, pork and beef. 

They were very good in marinating their meat, particularly their beef. Thinly sliced and just perfect for some "Shabu-shabu" action, dip into the soup for a couple of seconds and your meat will be perfectly cooked. It worked perfectly with their home made sourish garlic chili sauce too. Their chicken and pork were not too shabby, but, the beef still prevails in my opinion.

As mentioned earlier ago, these were their deep fried finger food. Most of them were okay, the chicken turned out to be very disappointing. One of the bigger sized fried chicken I had was not cooked thoroughly, a result from attempting to maintain the smooth and juicy texture I supposed. They could have chopped the chicken evenly or to pay extra caution to the cooking time to overcome this problem. 

Marinated meat, be it pork, chicken, beef, marinated seafood such as cuttlefish, squids, small shrimps etc can be barbecued. I adore their effort to place all the ingredients separately (unlike some other steamboat outlets) and garnished with some chopped cabbage. Simply pass all the ingredients that you have chosen to the barbecue counter outside and tell them your table number, they will fry for you and will deliver to your table later on.

As for desserts, they have ice kacang (shaved ice dessert) and ice cream. A small ice shaving machine will be there and you have to operate it by your own. The ice will be coarsely shaved thanks to the machine and the texture was very horrible, more like biting ice cubes. On the other hand, I would recommend my readers to go for the Nestle ice cream instead. There were 4 flavors available, peppermint, yam, sweet corn and strawberry. Simple yet satisfying.

Ratings:

Taste: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Price: 7/10 (1-3 expensive, 4-7 average, 8-10 cheap)

Parking: 6/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Service: 7.5/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Service Charge: No

Government Tax: No

Additional Information:

Address: 29-A, Jalan Terengganu, 10460, Georgetown, Penang.

Price: Adults (Rm21.90 during weekdays, Rm23.90 during weekends), Senior Citizens (Rm14.90 during weekdays, Rm16.90 during weekends), Children (Rm11.90), Children (5 Year Old or below will be FREE)

Business Hour: 6pm to 12am, Daily.

Pik Nik @ Nagore Road, Penang.

Finding a cool and fun place to chill out with friends can be pretty easy these days in Penang, especially with all these new shopping malls around, but if you wish to escape from a noisy and crowded environment, you will probably want to check this place out. Its a cafe with very good ambiance, comfortable couch with colorful pillows, rocking chair etc....Parking can be a problem during office hour/lunch hour. Price-wise, was okay since there are no service charge nor government tax adding to your bill. Seats are pretty limited based on my observation, hence, reservation is strongly recommended. No doubt, its a very good and suitable place for your to laze around during your break time. The only draw back was, they are operating their business in the late afternoon (i.e.3pm) and in return, they are opening until 12am midnight, so you can consider this a place for supper as well.

Sushi Zento @ Precinct 10, Tanjung Tokong, Penang.

Well, I guess this is my first attempt on one of the new eateries in this new hot spot - Precinct 10. Located strategically at Tanjung Bungah area (right beside Island Plaza), Precinct 10 has ample parking space and most importantly, the parking is free (currently). Sushi Zento serves Japanese cuisine at reasonable price, especially all the sushi on their Kaiser Belt, from my observations, some of them are even cheaper than Sushi King and Sakae Sushi. As for ala carte, they have quite a lot to offer but since I was there for lunch, I opted for their set meals instead. The restaurant was not fully opened yet, the front part of the restaurant was still under renovation, worry not, you can always check with the restaurant whether they are open for business. Service was fine for me, mainly due to the sufficient man power in the restaurant, and the best part was NO government tax will be added to your bill.

I Mum Mum Pan Mee (板面专卖店) @ Weld Quay, Penang.

I have a few favorites when it comes to Pan Mee namely Face To Face Noodle House at Penang Times Square and Hou Mei Yuan Pan Mee which situated at Bukit Jambul. However, I have found myself a new love, which is this " I Mum Mum Pan Mee" at Weld Quay. Its hidden in the PDC flat near Lebun Macalum. if you happened to pass by Jalan Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu, try to pay attention on that area. They have a big banner indicating and showing you the direction and it should not be too far away from the banner. "I Mum Mum" has quite a lot to offer, as in one can opt to choose their own desired type of noodles. Price-wise, is very economical and affordable. Finding parking might be a problem during lunch hour, but its definitely a place that worth your trip to come down and savor their famous Pan Mee. 

Tong Shui House @ Paya Terubong, Penang.

How about a bowl of warm Tong Shui (dessert) during your tea break ? Well, if you happen drive past Jalan Paya Terubong (opposite the Fire Station located at Jalan Paya Terubong), do try all the wonderful desserts out in this small cafe. Its situated right beside the main road of Jalan Paya Terubong. Tong Shui House has quite a lot of desserts offer, namely Bee Koh Moi (黑糯米，Black Glutinous Rice Served With Coconut Milk), Ginkgo Barley Dessert (白果腐竹薏米), Red Bean Soup (红豆汤), Water Chestnut Dessert (马蹄糖水) etc....Apart from all these mouth-watering desserts, you can find some snacks such as Fried Vermicelli Rice Noodles (Char Bee Hoon, 炒米粉) here too. One can opt to add on some additional ingredients like fried egg, sausages, luncheon meat etc....The best part is that this cafe does not actually operate their business in the afternoon, but in early morning instead ! So its quite convenient for those who wish to have their Char Bee Hoon as breakfast and they serve vegetarian food (not sure what its gonna be) during the first (初一) and fifteenth day (初十五) every month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar too. Price-wise, was very cheap indeed. The total damage for my visit was just Rm5.20 (2 bowls of dessert, 1 small plate of Char Bee Hoon and a cup of soy milk) only. Most of their desserts are less-sweetened, so it fits in the health-conscious society nowadays very well.

Hot Bowl White Curry Mee @ Abu Siti Lane, Penang.

If you are a hard core fan of curry mee, then Hot Bowl White Curry Mee should not something new to you. It has been featured on some TV shows and magazines. As the name suggested, their main signature food will be curry mee. The selling point of the curry mee is actually the soup, its white in color. Although their selling point seems interesting, but its actually normal curry mee without the chili paste. Located at Abu Siti Lane, parking can be quite hard especially during lunch hours, the place is air-conditioned, so its pretty comfortable even to enjoy a bowl of hot and spicy curry mee under the hot weather. You will need to order the curry mee at the counter, you can opt for some additional ingredients such as prawns, fish balls, crab sticks etc. Other than the white curry mee, their Deboned Boiled Chicken with Soy Sauce ( 白斩鸡 ) is a must try too. Its definitely one of the best in Penang. There will be some deep fried local delicacies, dumplings, yam cake, pork trotters available too....

Opening Of Black Ball Dessert @ Pulau Tikus, Penang.

In the recent two months, there were two Taiwanese dessert outlets opened in Penang, and the latest one being Black Ball Taiwanese Dessert. Black Ball Taiwanese Dessert is a one of the biggest chains dessert outlets with more than 20 outlets. In conjunction with their Grand Opening on 20th of December, they are having their Buy-2-Free-1 opening promotion. Similarly to Bing Bing Taiwanese Dessert House  at Straits Quay and ZenQ Desserts at Gurney Plaza, their signature dishes consist of Taro Balls. As for the exact location of Black Ball Taiwanese Dessert, its located at Burmah Road, Pulau Tikus; opposite to Tan Mark Book store and few shop lots away from Sukhothai Beef Noodles House. Finding parking could be a problem especially during peak hours, you can park your car right in front of Black Ball if there are empty spaces. Price-wise, Black Ball offers quality Taiwanese desserts with the fairly cheaper price compared to Bing Bing and ZenQ. 

Nostalgie Cafe @ Stewart Lane, Penang.

The name "Nostalgie" originated from a French word, similarly to Nostalgia, which refers to memories of yesteryear. Located at one of the Penang's heritage area - Stewart Lane, Nostalgie is not only an ordinary cafe, the interior of the restaurant was beautifully furnished with a lot of gorgeous and handsome antiques. The place has a very good ambiance and its definitely a place where antique lovers should not miss.  Nostalgie is operating as a boutique hotel too, but they are preparing the rooms currently which scheduled to be done next year. Nostalgie serves Italian food, their pizza is a must-try item. Although the prices are slightly higher but its worth of money considering the portion and the quality since most of the food are home-made and their service was very good indeed. Customers will be greeted immediately after entering into the cafe. One big problem will be the parking. Parking can be really hard especially during peak hours and there are a couple of schools around the area. 

Little Oasis, The Fusion Kitchen @ Prangin Mall, Penang.

Little Oasis found in Prangin Mall Penang.....sounds like a place where I can rest my feet after many hours of shopping at the area. Situated at third floor of Prangin Mall, it serves Fusion cuisine where they serve Western food, Local Delights, Japanese bento at the same time. The restaurant is quite small, hence, the spaces between tables and chairs are quite limited. Small crowd of patrons can be seen especially during lunch hours on weekends, probably due to the set meals offered here. With an additional Rm4 (to be added to the price of your chosen main course), you can get yourself a set lunch with a main course, a soup of the day, a cup of icy cold drink and ice cream as your dessert. Food choices-wise, was okay and as for drinks/dessert, they have more than enough to quench your thirst. It takes unusually long time for them to serve the food, even a precooked mushroom soup.

唰唰乐火锅 (Shua-shua Le Steamboat Restaurant) @ Prangin Mall, Penang.

Although I have a several places coming to my mind when it comes to having Tom Yum, however, the one in Shua-shua Le still prevails in my opinion. The Tom Yum soup has a very delectable and extreme sweet and sour flavor and it works perfectly with their specially made chili sauce which increase the flavor to other whole new stage. It is not advisable for those who cannot really take spicy food. The restaurant is very easy to locate, its in the middle of Atrium A and Atrium B of third floor at Prangin Mall, Penang. They have expanded their business, it should be easier to locate than previously. This steamboat outlet is very famous among the students/teenagers too, you will notice a lot of youngsters patronizing this restaurant. You will smell the piquant aroma of the Tom Yum when you are walking towards the restaurant. The set up for the tables in the restaurant was quite narrow. They do serve other noodles dishes too besides steamboat but they are rather pricey in my opinion, especially their steamboat set and their drinks cost a bomb too. Moreover, there will be a 10% service charge added to your bill. However, this place is definitely a "must-visit" for Tom Yam lovers.

Four Seasons Tea Restaurant @ Bukit Jambul, Penang.

Four Seasons Tea Restaurant is a restaurant serving Chinese and Local delights. It has three branches in Penang, namely Terrengganu Road, Sunway Tunas and this newly opened outlet at Bukit Jambul. Its situated at the shop houses right beside Vistana Hotel. I have been to the other two outlets and was pretty impressed with the quality and services provided.  Get to know their promotion from a brochure, with just Rm39, one can choose up to 4 dishes and 1 soup of the day, together with 5 plates of white rice and complementary drinks (chinese tea). It looks like a good deal at first, but was quite disappointed with the portion served. Although it says the meal can fit for 5 person, but I would recommend you to order one or two more dishes if there are more than four people. This was actually my first visit to this new outlet at Bukit Jambul but I was not happy with their services provided, nor the quality of the food (not as good as the other two outlets). The service was rather horrible, the waiters and waitresses seem so unmotivated, they were sitting and having some chit-chat sessions as if they have nothing better to do, which annoyed me, as a customer in the restaurant.

Barbecue Plaza (B.B.Q. Plaza) @ Gurney Plaza, Penang.

If you are a regular patron at Gurney Plaza, then you should not be too unfamiliar with this restaurant - Barbecue Plaza. There is a signature cartoon - a green color crocodile, standing right outside of the entrance of the restaurant. Its situated at Lower Ground floor of Gurney Plaza, and they specialized in serving steamboat. The ambiance was pretty good as the restaurant itself is air-conditioned and the temperature in the restaurant was well kept despite the heat generating from the sizzling hot pot. It was indeed, an enjoyable and memorable experience due to the chilly environment. Most of the steamboat ingredients come in sets. They do offer some side dishes like fried squid, pork belly skewers etc.....Drinks are pretty economical too. They have some special discounts for students too, simply present your student card and enjoy the 20% discount privilege on their special individual sets. One thing that caught my attention was the charging of wet towel(Rm0.80) added to my bill but there were no so called "wet towel" provided to us......

Since there were only two of us, we decided to try on their supreme beef set (Rm31.90) which consists of beef, chicken, squid, shrimp, udon (Japanese Noodles), and some cabbage/lettuce. You may opt for the pork set too (same price as beef). It comes together with two bowls of white rice too. Although the set looks quite big at first, but we found out that it was actually just nice for the two of us. I would not recommend this set if there are more than two person. The squid and shrimp were quite fresh but the beef was just okay in terms of the freshness. The beef was not marinated so one can actually taste the earthy natural sweetness in the beef.

Yes, you have probably guessed it right, there will be two pieces of pork lard given to you. Simply place them on top of the customized hot pot and wait for the lard to melt and blend with the soup. There will be some soup surrounding the hot pot too. However, the soup was rather tasteless to my liking. The soup will only be more flavorful when it comes to the end. The steamboat style was quite similar to Asian BBQ at Prangin Mall and Aroy Chang Moo Kata Thai Restaurant at Pulau Tikus. Personally, I would prefer Aroy Chang Moo Kata's due to the portion, taste and the sauce given.

Since the ingredients, particularly the beef, were not being marinated, so the key to success will be the sauce given to go with the meat. Sauce is always the soul of steamboat too. In Barbecue Plaza, you will be given a plate of home-made sauce which tasted salty and quite a heavy peanut-butter flavor chopped garlic, chopped chilies and a small piece of lime. I just mixed all of them up. No doubt, the sauce works perfectly with the beef, but it does not work as I thought it would be if using on some other ingredients like cabbage/lettuce.

As for the set, there will be two bowls of white rice given, one may "upgrade" the white rice to garlic fried rice by just topping Rm1.50 per bowl. As you can see, the fried rice was topped with some deep fried garlic and the rice has a very heavy buttery flavor. It might be not too suitable for those who does not really adore butter. The texture of the deep fried garlic was well maintained and was very crispy. The rice was a bit gluey too, but it was not cooked using the Japanese rice. Overall, it was very good.

Watermelon Squash (Rm4) for the red colored drink and Lime Squash (Rm3.50) for the white one. There were nothing much interesting about the drinks, they tasted like ice blended topped with sugar syrup.

Ratings:

Taste: 6.5/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Price: 5.5/10 (1-3 expensive, 4-7 average, 8-10 cheap)

Service: 8/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Parking: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Service Charge: Yes 10%

Government Tax: Yes 6%

Additional Information:

Address: B1-05 Basement, Old Wing, Gurney Plaza, Pesiaran Gurney, Penang. 

Business Hour: 10:30am to 10pm; Daily.

Contact Number: 604- 228 1487

Lok-Lok Rojak @ Air Itam, Penang.

Rojak (Malaysia and Singaporean traditional fruits and vegetables salad) is very common and easy to find in Penang. However, finding a unique Rojak will be quite tricky. I came across this stall few months ago and decided to check it out today. Its not hard to locate this stall, it is situated at Air Itam (Lintang Angsana), right in front of ToTo and Magnum 4D. What makes this stall of Rojak special is definitely their way of presenting the food-- using the concept of Lok-Lok (food skewered on sticks), where they skewered all the freshly cut fruits by using a bamboo stick. Other than the usual ingredients found in Rojak, the owner has added some special ingredients too, namely fried fish balls, fried bean curds, fried sausages etc; or rather, the stall sells both Lok-Lok and Rojak. There was a similar stall in Bukit Mertajam too. Price-wise, cheap and economical, each skewer is priced at Rm0.60. I would definitely re-visit this stall again if I am craving for Rojak.

Starview Restaurant @ New World Park, Penang.

When it comes to Chinese cuisine (Cantonese dishes mostly), I always have a few restaurants in my mind, Hei Yeong Seng Restaurant, CRC Restaurant (in CRC Club) and Starview Restaurant. These few restaurants have been branded as the good-quality Chinese restaurants in Penang. Starview was previously situated at Burmah Road (opposite Telecom), but it was years ago. They have moved to New World Park since then. The menu has not changed much from my previous visit (the old location), their fish head steamboat is definitely one of the "must-try" dishes. Reservation will be strongly recommended especially during weekends. They do host for wedding dinners too. Price-wise, was reasonable considering the portion and the quality served. However, there will be some service charge and government tax added to your bill. Overall, I find it impressive for Starview to maintain their quality and still remain strong to draw the crowd in.