Penang food is the BEST!

Hey, you guys know that I am a typical Penangite. I blogged a lot about food in Penang in the past two years and I have moved to KL lately. 

Apparently, food is the only thing that I can't stand with living in the city. Have been taking lots of local food, i.e. hawker food but none of it to my liking. Worst still, majority are prepared by foreigners. Sigh. I doubt where are the good food.  

So I have been searching for local food in Foursquare when I visit to new places but I either left with disappointment or the food is just average. On top of that, I am feeling totally overhyped after trying Imbi Market food. *got so nice?*

Hence, sometimes I have no choice but to dine in restaurant because of the mediocre local food. Anyway, not all cafes and restaurant food are nice though and they are expensive. 

I eat to live now. ==" So I always anticipate my next Penang trip. Don't bother to try new food in fact crave for the food that I used to take everyday.

*****

I give you an example that happened recently. 

Few days before, I was searching for local food at KL town area. And I stumbled upon this place in Foursquare. I was not amazed by the rating because 7.1 is really low, in fact what draws my attention are the comments below. 

Everyone were saying the food here is so great so awesome! BEST Claypot fish head in town! BLOODY GOOD fish noodle! 

BEST fish head noodle! BEST in town! *so kua jiong* BEST! How can you skip this if there are so many BESTsss?! Lol. Therefore I had totally forgotten about the 7.1 rating then headed straight to this place. 

The food looks quite good right?

Wah sizzling hot! The colour makes me thought of Penang 王昭君 claypot noodle. *somehow Wang Zhao Jun is so much better* Yet I love milky flavour soup so I can't wait to try. *start eating*

However, I can't finish the noodle. *sorry for the dirty table :p*

The soup is so blend. I don't know what is so nice about this. I don't understand why people can relate this to awesome or best. So once again, disappointed. 

I don't even dare to try the fried fish head cz he said it has strong fishy flavour. 

There were actually more customers before this picture was taken. 

Okay, so what now?

Lesson learnt. 

1. Don't trust Foursquare rating and comments completely and visit with high expectation. 

2. KL people and Penangites food preferences are so different. Food that are always recommended and favourited by them, Penangite usually finds it different. 

3. No matter how nice is the food, you will still miss the food in your hometown! 

People from KL are always annoyed by us as we never stop complaining food here. *sorry guys* But please have some sympathy on us for working away from hometown, surely our local food are dearly missed. Is exactly like you miss nasi lemak, Indian food when you travel overseas.

So, 外坡＊吉隆坡＊的月亮比較圓，其實也沒有那麼圓而已啦！

Take A Step Back From Blogging

Saving pictures to my MacBook and it screens through so many pictures that I have taken in these two to three weeks, is like walking through a memory lane.

I will miss my holiday after I start my full time job. Is like finally..time to say goodbye to student life. When I knew the commencement date, it makes me appreciate my holiday even more.

Appreciate my cafe hopping days, appreciate time spend with family and friends especially in Penang, appreciate the carefree life I have with my dear, went to market and cook for him. Counting down the days.

Let's recall what I have done in the past two weeks in Penang and KL. Travel back the time machine. :-)

And yup, I have cut my hair. From long to short like secondary school back then. No harm cutting so short, hair grows anyway. If you browse through my hairstyle from Form 6 till now, it changes regularly. Lol..

Meeting up with Wai Yee and Jean Ray who came to Penang. 

My order at Chocolate Passion, Avocado with Chocolate smoothie something like that, don't quite remember the name. Lovely drink. 

I'm always so in love with Penang blue sky and beaches. 

Met Siew Ming, Jewel and Lee Yin at Secawan & Such.

They were so shocked seeing my short hair. Lol. 

Of course, I spent most of my time with family. Knowing the truth that I no longer have such a long holiday spending with them makes me appreciate my time more at home. 

Prepared lunch for my family. :-)

Parents brought us for dim sum at Butterworth. This deserves a shot because I never had dim sum in KL, it is so freaking expensive compared to Penang. 

Ong Cheng Huat Seafood. Is always in one of my top craving food list. 

Super huge and juicy clams. People who went before know what I meant. 

Dinner with family at Route 9. Typical Penang western food restaurant. Food and price is very similar to Harvest Inn. Nothing much special so won't go back again. 

Glad to have brought my parents to try Crepe Cottage. 

I believed many Penangites have forgotten how good is Crepe Cottage in fact patronise all the overhyped cafes namely The Safe Room, Secawan & Such, Coffee Smith so on and so forth. 

I think many youngsters who frequently visit to Penang cafes have never come across Crepe Cottage in Gurney Drive. If so, you will know all the new cafes are really mediocre. 

My mum loves Crepe Cottage a lot. She asked me how come you never bring me here. She said luckily just now that cafe *I brought them to Coffee Affairs* is fully occupied if not she won't be able to discover this hidden gem. 

Pros of Crepe Cottage, delectable crepes. Cons, you have to wait super long. Lol..therefore go there after dinner so you can afford to wait. 

One of my favourite, Jawi Chai Kuey! 

After dinner at Air Itam hawker, I brought them to All Season for coffee. 

We don't usually take dessert or coffee after dinner but I thought since I will only be in Penang for such a short period hence should bring them to explore cafes in Penang. 

They are always the special ones in my heart. Irreplaceable. 

Timer wefie! 

Not to forget to visit Ah Yi who is my babysitter when I am small. She sayang us very much and always cook for us when we visit to her house. Thanks Ah Yi! I always visit her when I come back to Penang. :-)

She prepared my favourite prawns and Tu Toh Teng. 

Her grand children are all grown up.

Cafe hopping in Penang too! My first visit to Huey&Wah at Belissa Row, Pulau Tikus. Quite favour their Lemon and Passion Fruit Smoothie but is quite pricey, RM13 or 14 with two flavoured marshmallows.

Anyway I root for the quiet and cozy ambience at Huey&Wah.

Full of Beans at Straits Quay. 

Cons: Very poor wifi connection. :-( Makes me pissed.
Pros: Comfortable couches and parking at Straits Quay sheltered car park is relatively cheap.

Beaches and sea are always my favourite.

Acupaday at Bishop Street. Same row as Coffee Affairs.

Highly recommend for their super comfy couches and is very quiet comparing to some of the Georgetown cafes which can be as noisy as market.

Hmm..whereas their recommended coffee is ain't promising. Not to my liking.

Then, parents came to KL with me. Dear and I brought them for some good food. They like this Japanese buffet restaurant so much. RM60 after tax and eat-all-you-can. Damn awesome!

Next day Sae Ma Eul at Mont Kiara for dinner. The price is quite reasonable. :-) Will come back again.

Caffe Bene for dessert cz there are tables available. Rare scene huh?! Lol..

I love their green tea ice cream but not the shaved ice. Coming to Gurney Paragon very soon. I can see another Caffe Bene-Instagram-wave coming soon! Lol..

Yesterday cooked for my dear. We can finish everything! Lol..and he likes it very much! :-)

My final cafe hopping day in KL. This final day spend at Coffee Olle at Desa Sri Hartamas. 

This cafe runs by Korean and airing Korean songs in the cafe. Very cozy and strong wifi.

Finished FanGirl already. Teen Romance Novel I would say. And this is so easy to read after My Sister's Keeper. Lol..Still prefer Eleanor & Park! 

Next up, Me Before You! 

Recently, I am switching focus from blogging to reading. Need to see what's your priority at that point of time. Blogging was my priority back to third year in university. 

I share and update very frequent in Dayre. I explained why is time to step back from blogging and chose to read instead. 

I understand is certainly a waste if I just left my blog aside that has almost constant traffic everyday even though I am not updating. That was my hard work that I have done in the past two years. Thanks to all of you for reading!! ♥

Give me some time to look for inspirations in blogging. 

I will surely miss here. A lot. A lot..I know I will be back one day. :-) 

50% Rebate Campaign from 23rd to 25th July in Gurney Paragon

Hey guys, I'm back to tell you about the latest promotion by Italiannies! 

They are one of my favourite Italian restaurant in the island, good news is currently they are running a three-day long 50% rebate campaign in Gurney Paragon from 23rd to 25th July! Be quick, mark your calender and make reservation! My previous post about Italiannies is here, I love it especially their seafood risotto! Details is in the post, feel free to click in. :-)

The three-day long "50% rebate campaign" is being run by Italiannies in celebration of Gurney Paragon's soft launch.

Throughout the campaign period, guests will receive 50% rebate of their total bill when they dine in Italiannies. The 50% rebate can be used to offset their bill using their next visit to Chaswood's many restaurants namely, Italiannies, T.G.I.Friday's, The Apartment, Watami, Bulgogi Brothers, Laundry, Baci, Bedroom and Malones Irish Restaurant & Bar.

Bulgogi Brothers which is under Chaswood are famous for their heart shape bulgogi but sadly it is available only in KL. Hopefully they will launch in Penang soon but I guess the opening of Italiannies would be a great start to "test the water" in Penang. Lol..

Chicken Milanese

Classic Carbonara

To eligible for the promotion, members of the public just need to sign up for Chaswood Resources' loyalty card program - Pinch of Salt card, which is available for free.

I have applied myself the Pinch of Salt card during my last visit dining in Italiannies. As it is free, so I see no harm to apply it as the member. :-)

Other than the 50% rebate campaign running during Gurney Paragon's soft launch, cardmembers will also be able to enjoy a series of exclusive dining privileges at Chaswood's restaurant such as a 10% rebate from subtotal bill, birthday voucher worth RM30, monthly special offers and more.

In addition, from 26th July till 30th September 2013, Italiannies will be having special offers for Pinch of Salt members in Penang, which include complimentary dessert, 20% rebate and more.

If you never try Italiannies and one of your concern is financial constraints then I think this is the right time to grab this 50% rebate opportunity to dine in there. I will recommend you the seafood risotto besides the ordinary pasta and pizza. Risotto is a traditional italian food, the details about it can view from my previous post then..:-)

Pizza Enorme

Stuffed Mushroom

For more information on the Pinch of Salt loyalty card benefits, you can visit www.pinchofsalt.com.my.

Don't forget to follow Italiannies Facebook Page for more Italiannies upcoming promotion and announcement for special offers exclusively to the Pinch of Salt cardmembers.

 

Tonkotsu Ramen 豚骨拉面 at Restaurant Xuan Feng, Krystal Point

A very quick post for this review. Never meant to review this restaurant but decided to do so to recommend you guys the yummy and not-so-expensive ramen. :-)

Went to Justart to buy some of the yummy little tart. The top will be different flavour whereas the filling mostly custard based. And the crusts is not crispy one..erm..don't know how to describe it..you may try it yourself. Gurney basement is selling it, if I'm not mistaken, student entitled 10% disc on weekdays..but please confirm before you buy ya.. 

I love the Green Tea tart..most of my friends love it after I recommended so try it out la..RM1.90 each..I bought it from Krystal Point..Gurney Justart also supply from their main branch which is Krystal Point!

Lunchie! Taiwanese Pop Corn Chicken. 台湾咸 酥鸡。

The tart and this pop corn chicken selling at different shop so don't mixed up. Their chicken also not bad..very tender and quite a big portion of it.

Taiwanese Pop Corn Chicken RM6.90

Ramen with Deep-Fried Pork Chop 猪扒拉面 RM12.90 (Big)

The pork chop doesn't taste very rough like how you see from the picture. It is crispy at the outside and moist in the inside but I think is a bit over salty. It would be perfect if you dip with the soup. This ramen will be clear soup based. 

Tonkotsu Ramen 豚骨拉面 RM15.90 (Big)

I wanted to try tonkotsu soup based long time ago but never get to try that. Knew Goku Raku Ramen Paragon selling it but theirs is very expensive..priced between RM20 to RM30. This one ok la can fix my crave. ^^ This is my first time trying Tonkotsu Ramen so can't really compared how well is it but overall I liked it. Hardly you can get this price for this kind of ramen in Penang so okay la..is a above average for me with the price and not-so-bad taste. :-)  We request to add some soup lo..cz initially it was so little..haha!

Btw, both of us ordered big one and we can't finish the pop corn chicken end up ta pao back. The portion is very big. Full la..so if you want to order side dishes then I would encourage you to go for small one..small one RM3 cheaper. Overall this place is 7/10..would recommend you to try and their food is quite cheap with air conditioned environment. I will visit again! :-)

Call for reservation

Restaurant Xuan Feng

No. 303-01-30 Krystal Point

1, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, 

11900 Bayan Lepas Penang.

Tel: 04-643 7220

Business Hour: 11am to 10pm

Open Daily!

*5% service charges, government tax not applicable

A'more di merrier At Italiannies Gurney Paragon

Was looking for some nice place to catch up with the girls, have no idea where to choose already, although people always say Penang has lots of good food but I really run out of ideas on any new places for gatherings or dinner at this moment. Anyone has any good recommendations? Lol..mind to share with me? 

I knew many cafes and restaurants in Penang but I don't really intend to try them all unless it is highly rated or recommendation by friends.  

So, last week as usual girl friends was asking me where to eat..lol..thinking of going to Sushi Zento or Italiannies Paragon. Heard that food in Italiannies KL was nice so we have made up our mind to go for Italiannies. Anyway it was a pleasant experience dining here. 

First you will be served with french toast dipped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Those Italian style starter..lol! Is my first time trying it, not bad actually. Mei Xun keep adding the vinegar cz she claimed that the vinegar tasted too mild. Lol..

Chicken Milanese *Signature*

RM24.90 Piccolo | Regular RM32.90 | Abbondanza RM48.90

Grilled chicken breast served over cream spinach, then topped with chilled tomato caper relish.

This is the Piccolo size for a person's serving, if you intend to share with others then is better for you to order regular for two person servings! Mei Xun loves her meal but to me it was an above average. :-)

Seafood Risotto *Signature*
Regular RM36.90
A medley of seafood sauteed in white wine, with Arborio rice simmered in mussels and clam broth.

Oh my god, I mad love this! I never try Risotto from other Italian restaurants but this is really my favourite so far. The risotto fully absorbed the white wine so every mouthful is heavenly flavoursome! Clam juice adds a rich seafood taste to the cooking broth and the seafood itself releases liquids when cooked that are absorbed into the rice finishing the dish with a deep flavour. Awesome la..I liked it! Will go back again for sure just for the Seafood Risotto! Lol..Superb!

See how huge difference is the portion comparing both of us! Lol..The Seafood Risotto is mine and the right one belongs to Mei Xun. That's the reason why you see different figure of us! Lol..I have no choice cz mine has only one type of serving!

Spaghetti and Meatballs *Signature*
Piccolo RM22.90 | Regular RM36.90 | Abbondanza RM59.90
Italiannies famous huge homemade beef meatballs, served with spaghetti in our signature marinara sauce. 

Cheng ordered chicken that is why you don't see meatballs here so I can't share with you how it taste. Anyway, this is a piccolo size but serving is huge. The perfectly cooked pasta is firm but not hard with a slight bite. Anyone who had tried their homemade meatballs before is most welcome to share your experience with us in the comment box! We would like to know how it taste! ^^ 

There goes our catch up session plus dinner in Italiannies Paragon! Full Menu is available at Italiannies website. 

Overall it was a pleasant experience and we don't manage to try their pizza as we can't finish them all! I will certainly go back again!

It was unexpected to see the restaurant is nearly full during Friday night cz usually I don't see people in there when I passed by. Lol..So, to secure a best spot, I would advise you to make a reservation for an enjoyable dining!

Another place that I would recommend for nice pasta would be from Bella Italia..most of the Penangites know that, if you crave for pasta, go for Bella Italia! Lol..*sounds like their tagline*

Camwhore outside the restaurant before we leave! Mei Xun and I!

Cheng and Mei Xun!

My long lost friend since Form 6! Sit next to each other for two years in secondary school! Nice to meet you again after 5 years! Keep in touch! 

Call for reservation 
Italiannies Gurney Paragon Mall
Lot 1-31, Ground Floor,
Gurney Paragon Mall,
Persiaran Gurney,
10250 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Contact: 04-228 9761
Business Hour: 11am to 11pm
Italiannies Facebook Page