Archive for August, 2009

Seng Thor Oyster Omelette & Guangzhou Bakery, Penang

August 28, 2009 at 6:26 pm · Filed under Around M’sia beyond KL, Food


I talked about visiting Seng Thor in such of its famed Oyster Omelette or “Or Chien” last year. Instead I found wonderful lor bak.

But this time I made sure to make my way there in the afternoon when the or chien stall and another wonton noodle stall is sure to operate. And true enough, Mr.Lim himself was handling the griddle, frying omelette after omelette frantically to cope with the many orders. We were seated quite near the stall so we could watch his every cooking step while waiting and as he continued ladling in more and more cooking oil, our alarm grew.

The oysters here are actually quite scrumptious if you can overlook the oily factor. But because it was really dripping in oil, I couldn’t bring myself to finish this plate of juicy oysters in the slightly starchy yet crunchy omelette. Pity.

Kedai Kopi Seng Thor
160, Lebuh Carnarvon,
Penang.

other reviews;
- thamchiak

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Yellow Heaven

After our oyster omelette snack, we went next door to this old school bakery which remains vividly in my mind due to the above shot taken last year. I can’t get past the temptation those rows and rows of wobbly egg custard out of my head!

Finally an egg tart in my hands!! Hehe. They actually sell out very quickly and one could try booking them by calling in. Well, my verdict is that it’s indeed old-school tasting (古早味). Instead of the usual flaky pastry we’re now used to due to influences from HK egg tarts, this crust is the shortcrust type, and can be a tad dry. I also felt that it was slightly too thick and would have preferred more of the richness that the egg custard gives.

But we stumbled upon a gem while buying the egg tarts, which are these pineapple tarts! Small but fragrant, these are truly delightful.

The bakery also has a lot of other old-school stuff such as pandan flavoured Ma Lai Kou (马来糕), char siew buns (餐包), various tarts and the like. And the elderly uncle is quite patient with explanations too!

Guangzhou Bakery (广洲饼家)
158, Lebuh Carnarvon,
10100 Penang.
Tel: 016 470 3392

other reviews;
- crizfood

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Hou Mei Yuen, Penang

August 18, 2009 at 1:00 pm · Filed under Around M’sia beyond KL, Eating Out, Food

Despite having to go for short work stints in Penang, the isle of good food, we’re usually based in Bayan Lepas. At a total loss of where to eat in Bayan Lepas, I decided to trust my good friend, google. :P Imagine my surprise when the results for “good eats in bayan lepas” prompted this place for “the best pan mee in penang” in Bukit Jambul,which is literally just down the road from where we work. Armed with only the knowledge that it was situated at the low cost flats near BJ Kompleks, we circled around a bit and found the place relatively easy. *Phew

One thing I really liked about the flats here were the abundance of trees. Parked under the shade, we made our way towards the restaurant only to be greeted by more alfresco seats under the trees. Cool and shady as it may be, one also has to be ready for additional “ingredients” such as falling leaves, twigs etc.

We were seated for a few minutes before realising that no one here takes your order. Instead, there’s a stack of order slips to fill in. There are essentially 2 types of noodles, the flat ones or the thinner, wiry ones. While waiting to be served, I watched as one of the chinese aunties (owner, I presume) shouted and shouted at the 2 Indonesian girls cooking the noodles. Yes, noodles here are prepared none other than by the foreign helpers.

We opted for the thinner noodles, which was topped with sliced wood fungus, minced meat and crunchy ikan bilis. Served with a bowl of clear soup, with 2 fishballs and some pucuk manis leaves. Tasted quite alright and chewy too!

The soup version. I think i prefer the dry one as the dark soy sauce does add more flavour to the otherwise bland noodles.

Apart from noodles, there were also some types of dim sum being sold. We chose a plate of siew mai and honestly, it was somewhat average tasting. I’ll stick to only the noodles next time.

Hou Mei Yuen 好味园
Flats of Taman Bukit Jambul,
Jalan Bukit Gambier,
Bukit Jambul, Penang.
Open Mon-Sats, 9am-3pm.

other reviews;
- penangtuapui
- lingzie’s tummy treats
- vkeong
- ah kok’s stomach

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Kedai Makanan Rasa Lain, Ipoh.

August 11, 2009 at 1:00 am · Filed under Around M’sia beyond KL, Eating Out, non-halal

Another place we managed to try on our stopovers in Ipoh while driving up north for work was this corner restaurant in Bercham. I wasn’t too sure how to get here save for the instruction to turn right after exiting the toll. So we were quite lucky to find the place after a few wrong turns.

The quirky name, which means “a different taste” drew quite a crowd even though it was weekday night. In fact, the cars parked along the road even caused quite a bit of congestion that needed some of the men in blue to clear. Hehe.

Their most recommended dish was the Crab Tanghoon (东粉蟹) at RM38 for a portion of 2. Very generous with the amount of glass noodles given, the broth it was soaked in was very peppery and sweet. And the bits of pork lard floating around sure added to the taste of the broth. Even the size of the crabs used seems to be larger than usual. I enjoyed the crabs immensely but not so much the overwhelming peppery touches to the soup.

The other claypot crab dish that I eyed many tables ordering was the claypot crab rice. It looked heavenly, a must try on a return visit. It was only upon searching for other reviews to this place that I realised Ah Xian of “Taste of Jason” featured the claypot rice in his programme recently.

I noticed another dish fancied by every table was the steamed “Saito” Fishballs at RM0.90 each as we had 6 at RM5.40. The size was as big as a ping pong ball but quite springy to bite. Simple dish, but good enough to warrant a re-order.

Due to the size of the “group”, we couldn’t afford ordering other dishes, which is a pity. But still, it was worth driving into Bercham to discover the “different taste” in claypot dishes.

Kedai Makanan Rasa Lain 味不同海鲜坊
69, Psn Medan Bercham 2,
Pusat Bandar Baru Bercham,
31400 Ipoh,
Perak.
Open: 5-10pm
Closed Weds

other reviews;
- food 4 thot
- motormouth from ipoh
- Ah Xian

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Bee Gaik Dining Place, Ipoh.

August 5, 2009 at 5:02 pm · Filed under Around M’sia beyond KL, Eating Out, Food, non-halal

We were passing by Ipoh on our drive up north for work and decided to eat around Jusco. Acting on a recommendation by a friend, we circled around the shops until we spotted Bee Gaik. The facade of the restaurant already states very clearly the type of cuisine they serve – chinese and some nyonya dishes.

The place was rather packed and we found ourselves seated at one of the smaller tables in the corner. It was only later that we found out that this restaurant spans over 2 floors. Flipping through the menu, we spotted a photo of Dato’ Michelle Yeoh with the owner which is somewhat reassuring. Heh. Anyhow, we ended up ordering some signature dishes and others that sounded inviting to us.

I must admit that the Assam Pork (RM10) was nothing I expected. Too used to fiery red gravy whenever the word “Assam” is used, I forgot that it also can mean the tangy, piquant flavours of tamarind juice. I liked this dish, thinly sliced pork belly, fragrantly sauteed with tamarind juices, soy sauce, onions etc .

The Ju Hu Char (RM7), or Stir fried turnip (sengkuang) with cuttlefish shreds was served with fresh lettuce and delightful to eat. However, I found this dish bordering on sweetness, probably due to liberal use of sugar during the cooking process.

We wanted Kapitan Chicken initially but as it was sold out, we took the Nyonya Lemak Chicken (RM9) which was recommended by the waitress. The deep fried chicken pieces were evenly coated in the rich gravy.

We also had their signature Perut ikan (RM7) which is a curry-like dish using herbs, leafy vegetables and most importantly, fermented fish stomach. Despite sounding quite offputting, I believe it’s actually quite a good accompaniment for white rice as it’s a rich combination of savoury, spicy, sweet and sour flavours. The ratio of vegetables and herbs is much more than the fish, so no worries about a strong fishy taste. I’m not entirely sure how authentic this tastes as I haven’t tried much of Perut Ikan but the colour does give one the impression that this is one dish that’s kept and reheated before being served. But I understand making this dish is quite laborious in nature and the taste can be compromised if one of the many ingredients is missing. So probably, when they have everything, they whip up a bigger batch?

Anyway, I like the homecooked food feel that this place exudes. The prices are also quite reasonable and considering the number of dishes they have, won’t mind returning for more.

Bee Gaik Dining Place
10, Tingkat Taman Ipoh 11,
Taman Ipoh Selatan
Ipoh, 31400 Perak.
Closed Tuesdays.

other reviews;
- motormouth from ipoh
- my yummy cruise
- klgirlnowinipoh

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