CRIZ BON APPETITE

What could be better than having a stroll by the beach after eating hefty meals? One great place I would always like to be is along the beach stretch of Esplanade. That is the place where I always get my Vitamin C from the Cut Fruit stall in the food court there. The stall is located right at the recently renovated food court right at the end of Esplanade. One look at the fruits displayed, you would be amazed by how many types there are. You can even see the Vietnamese Purplish Pink fruit which is quite rare. Most of the time you will get only the whitish flesh ones. You can order by the slices or by the plate. A plate of reasonable combination of different fruits can roughly cost between RM10 – RM20.

One thing that I will not miss when I am feeling the feverish sensation or lack of vitamins, I will order the fruit punch there. For just a minimal sum of RM3, you will a cup of mixed juice. Just leave it to the owner there and he will mix and match for you. So far I have yet to taste one cup that has the same taste. As for the one I ordered, I did ask the boss what he put inside. To my surprise, it has 7 types of fruits in it, namely oranges, pineapple, pear, honey dew, carrot, apple and water chestnut. Amazing right? You will even have smoother bowel movement the next day to cleanse your intestine well.

There is only one food court down at Esplanade. You won’t miss it. There are ample of parking spaces available too.

Name: GOH SENG EWE CUT FRUITS (STALL 47)
Address: Esplanade Food Court
Opening Hours: 6.00pm -1.00am
GPS: 5.422822, 100.340688

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: unranked [?]

Ramen has been getting so many responses recently that my friend had even opened up a shop specializing in Ramen and Pasta in Taiwan. It would be absurd to fly all over to Taiwan just to have a taste of her wonderfully photographed meals, especially her XO Sauce Ramen and Fried Rice. I have been longing for that dish for so long until I found a shop right here in Penang along Jalan Burmah in Pulau Tikus itself.

The place could not be prominently seen along the main road as it was hidden behind a row of shophouses. I would not say that the restaurant is grand and heavily decorated but it has the quiet and relax ambience for some good food and internet browsing. They do provide wifi facilities but it is hotspot. It would not be as fast but still you can do some simple emailing and browsing.

Coming back to the menu, you will expect to see a thick menu book which has beautiful taken shots of ramen dishes ranging from Taiwanese, Western, Thai, and Japanese styles. All the dishes are pork free. Of course I opt for the XO Sauce Seafood Ramen. The taste is marvelous with big prawns, fish fillet, squids and green vegetables. Except that the squids are rather rubbery hard, everything was perfect.

Next in the list was the Western plus Oriental style of ramen. We ordered the Sesame Chicken Ramen. It looked like spaghetti with bolognaise sauce with deep fried chicken fillet but it has the taste of mild sesame flavor. Not a bad combination though. Something different compared to the norm.

We also ordered a set of 4 fried shui gao (dumpling) to try out. The skin is totally different compared to the Wan Than Mee ones as these are more springy. Not bad for a new taste but I would prefer the filling to be richer. It came with ginger strips pickle.

Presently for April and May, they are having promotion for every set meals ordered. You can get a drink and a shui gao soup free for lunch and a fried ice cream and a shui gao soup free for dinner. Overall, the food can be considered good but the portion served is not big enough for a hungry person. The pricing is slightly above average. Both ramen dishes plus the deep fried shui gao, excluding the two free chilled Jasmine Tea we ordered, we paid RM25.95.

It is not hard at all to find the restaurant. Just drive down Pulau Tikus area towards One-Stop Midlands Centre. As you reach the traffic lights at Jalan Cantonment / Jalan Burmah, keep a look out for Bee Chin Heang and Kassim Mustafa on your right. Turn into the road on the right. Move on and you see the shop on your left.

Name: RAMEN WANG
Address: 11-A Lintang Burmah, 10250 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-2277 298
Opening Hours: 11.00am -10.00pm (Closed on Monday)
GPS: 5.432659, 100.311420

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: unranked [?]

Do you still remember last year when the FM Radio channel kept on broadcasting where to go for lunch? Well, before they even came out with the idea of banana leaf rice, I have been going quite frequent to this Shusi Banana Leaf Restaurant along one of the famous lanes in Little India. The white hair boss is a friendly person to talk with (provided his wife is willing to cook her mouth watering curries right on time :P).

You can opt for her different styles of cooking which include vegetarian, fish, chicken and mutton curries. The banana leaf rice comes in sets for 3 different vegetarian appetizers and 2 pieces of papadam (wheat crackers) served with hot steaming rice with your choice of curry (vegetarian, fish, chicken and mutton). An average set will cost you between RM4.50 – RM6.00, provided you did not add additional meat dishes. Adding more rice and dhal (potato & bean curry) is free.

We order a set each of the chicken and mutton banana leaf rice and we ate until our hearts’ content. The restaurant will also serve you plain iced water on the house but you can always try out the Indian Yogurt Lassi drink. There are also many other options such as tosai, puri, etc to go with your curries.

Going there would not be a problem at all as the shop is situated between Market Street and Chulia Street. As you move along the one-way Penang Street, you can see the shop on your left. As for parking wise, you have to try your luck in finding one along the busy street of Little India.

Name: SHUSI BANANA LEAF RESTAURANT
Address: 71 Penang Street, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 6016-476 2944 (Mr. Jaya)
Opening Hours: 12.00noon – 4.00pm and 4.00pm – 9.00pm.
GPS: 5.416275, 100.339583

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: unranked [?]

Penang is really a nice place to be in with so many varieties of food from the different Chinese community, namely the Cantonese, Hokkien, TeoChew, Hakka, Hainanese and so on. Do try out this wonderful Teochew cum Siamese restaurant, Goh Teo Kee along the Sg. Ara main road. They even have branches along Gurney Drive and Sg. Nibong areas. This double storey restaurant has the ideal place for family dinners, weddings, birthdays and company functions.

Recently I had a small group gathering for 30 pax and the restaurant gave us an impressive array of buffet line. The spread of food and cost for a person can range between RM30 to RM50 depending on the dishes you order. We had a mix and match of Chinese plus Thai seafood and poultry combination and everyone had their stomach full with sweet smiles on their faces. Maybe you can judge for yourself the quality for the food served.

You might get lost if you are not from that area. The safest way to go is to turn right into the Sg Ara Road just opposite the PISA stadium. Move on ahead. (DO NOT TURN RIGHT at the traffic light as it will lead you to Paya Terubong/ Bukit Jambul). After passing through TWO traffic lights, keep slow as the restaurant is just along the service road next to Sek. Keb. Sg. Ara.

Name: GOH TEO KEE (TEOCHEW & SIAM) SUNGAI ARA
Address:
78, Jln Dato Ismail Hashim, Sungai Ara, Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-644 0073
Opening Hours:
11.30am – 2.30pm and 6.00pm – 10.00pm.
(Closed on 1st and 3rd Wednesday)
GPS: 5.328172, 100.273386

RATING:
Ambience: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 1% [?]

How would you like to have Japanese food without paying the price at a lavish Japanese restaurant? You can always try out this stall at the Macallum Street Ghaut hawker centre. There are many selections to choose from and all come with a touch of local flavors – sambal belacan (chili prawn paste) and lots of fresh vegetables garnishes. You would not believe that I have paid only RM6 for the two plates of Fried Japanese Udon and Teriyaki Fried Rice and it is tax free.

On top of the two orders I have made, you can also try out their Tori Teriyaki (chicken served with teriyaki sauce, salad and rice), Sakana Tei (breadcrumb fish with salad and rice), Salmon Teriyaki or Unagi Teriyaki (most ordered dish from the stall). As for price, nothing from the stall cost more than RM6 per plate.

To get there, just use Weld Quay and move towards the Jelutong Expressway. Turn into Macallum Street Ghaut and move towards Habour Trade Centre. The hawker centre is just your first turning on your right. There are many delicious food in the hawker centre too such as Thai Braised Pork Leg Rice, Salt Fish Fried Rice, Curry Mee, and Hokkien Mee. You should not miss the Fried Radish Cake, Fried Rice Cake and Fried Potato Groundnut Cake stall as the stall served one of the best fried local delicacies around town.

Name: KEDAI KOPI MING HOOI (Japanese Food Stall)
Address: 258 – 260 Macallum Street Ghaut, Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 5.00pm – 10.00pm (Closed on Thursday)
GPS: 5.406641, 100.332255

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 6/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 3/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you are into light supper, you can always opt for some hot steaming rice cakes or fried pan cakes along the night street of Georgetown. This famous pan cake stall has been selling there along Lebuh Cintra for the past 50 years. The present owners are the third generation of the pan cake master. The steam rice cakes are made from white sugar, flour and rice wine. Normally those sold in the market for prayers purposes are in pink and brown (brown sugar). The pan cakes (Ham Chin Peng aka Salty Fried Cake) are with 3 different flavors – plain with 5-spice powder, red bean filling and glutinous rice filling.

There is no address for this place as it is just a stall by the roadside. You would not miss it as you can see many cars and motorcyclists stopping by to buy by the dozens. You can also buy some herbal tea from the stall next to it. Their famous is the boiled cane water which is believed to be able to cool down the body heat due to too much of fried and oily food.

Name: PAN CAKE & STEAM RICE CAKE
Address: Lebuh Cintra, Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 7.00pm – 10.00pm
GPS: 5.417867, 100.333382

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 3/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 1% [?]