Showing posts with label Non Halal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Non Halal. Show all posts

Saturday 17 September 2016

Sin Hong Keng - deep fried fish steamboat with yam


I'm very particular about the fish I eat .
It should not reek of a fishy pong but should smell like the ocean .
Though I'm not expecting sashimi grade flesh , if it arrives on my table with an odour straight out of a market drain , no matter how many people are enjoying it , I will not touch it .

And it's pretty telling of the sad state of affairs when one can find fresher fish in Kedah than in Penang , even though by virtue of Penang being just next to the sea , fish meat supplies ought to be super fresh , right ? Wrong a lot of times before I finally learnt my lesson and stopped ordering steamed fish at any chu cha place on the island .

Anyway , we're having the rare fish meal today . 
Deep fried red snapper ( it's all farmed off shore today ) boiled with round cabbage and yam .
Not only is it succulent and naturally sweet , he cannot remember when was the last time he actually had snapper this fresh . We'd probably have to pay a bomb for it on the island but even though what we had here is not THAT cheap , it still cost less than that airconditioned giant garoupa place near Chew jetty .  

Tastewise : oily , plain , with a slight hint of Chinese wine , full of aromatic yam flavour ( the root is the very fibrous type )


Tuesday 13 September 2016

Kum Loong - a very old gem


Never seen anyone order Kaya Kok by the bags full before . Actually , I've seen people buying a lot , in that Raub kopitiam but that Raub cha pou  , cannot even compare nor come close to this outlet .
One lady before me , wanted 40 pieces of this and that , which made me wonder if she was going to eat this by herself or resell them elsewhere . 

And that's how I needed no persuasion to get 2 of each for our table which turned out to be quite scrumptious with surprising underlayers of crust enveloping the thick kaya and so much minced meat encased in the siew pau , it felt like I was dining in a more generous and extravagant miners era , rather the year 2016 .
See the glossy texture and flakes . You tell me if this is going to be keng or not .

Saturday 20 August 2016

Curry mee , Jalan Air Itam - an old world recipe


We went for curry mee in Air Itam earlier .

First time we're trying out this popular place . The crowd at the assam laksa stall has thinned down tremendously  to cater to just tourists nowadays , but this curry mee stall which opens for business during the hottest time of the day , is fervently supported by local kapcai riding folks .

Update : new picture of the stall . Can't find this via foursquare . Women who regularly eat Penang curry mee acquire a snow white skin tone . Think it is the combo of spices and pig blood cubes that does the trick . I don't eat this so often but it's my favourite so far . Anyway , I prefer to look more tanned .



I swear the broth tastes almost like the instant noodle soup which Chef Ismail concocted for Mamee Chef .
The exception is that , the former is cook-it-yourself and completely halal , while this dish served here is absolutely non halal , as they throw in fresh ingredients such as coagulated pig's blood , brown squid soaked in alkaline water , taufu pok , mint leaves , very thin coconut milk and a spice mix that is burns you so bad , your lips will still throb after your feeble attempt at nursing them via a bowl of ice kacang .




Sunday 7 August 2016

Din Tai Fung - Gurney Plaza



Have put off coming here for months already . 
Well , we finally took the plunge today but alas I have no extra pics to prove that we tucked in at this outlet , because my phone was er ...overtaxed and undercharged .

Thus you will have to make do with just one photo ( updated with photos as we went back a 2nd time ) of this house speciality , the starter ....a kelp, tofu , beansprout and glass noodle pickle which tasted so Taiwanese , I wore a puzzled look on my face till I checked out their facebook page . Which is laughable because I assumed from the set up that Din Tai Fung was Hongkie in origin .

No , Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant with fine dining Chinese cuisine that will knock you off your feet , you Alishan bumpkin you ( I'm talking about me ) !




Monday 1 August 2016

Hong Kee Wan Thun Mee - bamboo kungfu for ultra springy wantan mee


Update : the problem with this operator is , it can be quite unhygienic . There , I've said it . If you go please make sure you either keep your eyes wide open or half shut .

-------

Was very direct with the noodle man , when I saw him .
" I've been waiting for you for a really long time to resurface already "
( they were the original hawkers at the formerly famous corner kopitiam called Yi Garden Cafe on Macalister Road , you see )




Sunday 24 July 2016

Kim Poh Roasted Chicken & Duck Rice - Golden Triangle


In Penang , it is common knowledge that there is a coded number for ordering a combo of roasted meats at the local roaster .
You let the order taker know you want a 3 or a 4 in Hokkien , and then something like this will arrive at your table . Without costing you an arm and a leg at a swankier joint , this platter of roasted pork , chicken and duck comes with a price tag of less than 20 ringgit . 


Tuesday 26 April 2016

Best Porridge - new chu cha place in town



From the shop name , we thought we'd come across a new Teochew Moi place where a big variety of dishes to go with plain boiled rice porridge , are the order of the day .

So there we are looking at the food on display in the glass case when 2 ladies coax us into entering by showing us the chu cha menu .


Tuesday 22 March 2016

Steamed delights are getting harder to find


There are so many coffee and cake outlets in Georgetown these days that I really wonder if the operators want us to switch our diet completely .

Steamed dim sum delights such as this dumpling stuffed with pounded peanut and sugar , encased in a pandanus leaf , are rare sights indeed . 


Tuesday 15 December 2015

Wantan mee al dente - Boon Seng , Jalan Dedap



Most lady chefs do not make the cut when it comes to whipping up this dish . They just do not have the skill required to coax the noodle into the right consistency nor tweak the sweet treacle into one with an aftertaste which customers will come back for.





Monday 23 November 2015

Restoran Mints - Taman Bagan



Half the fun is in finding the place .....or not at all . Instead ,when you stumble upon another place while searching for the first and it turns out better , as opposed to what happened at Taman Saga , it comes as a little reward , as a payback for all your effort .

This restaurant and its local workforce , they work in complete unison . There are no foreign workers here but they're managing extremely well because men are in charge of the most stressful part of the show . Being waiters and cooks , they're fast and make sure all dishes are delivered simultaneously. Watching the Chinese kitchen in action is nothing short of amazing.

On the other hand, the women , were left to handle more miniscule tasks , but we ( I say we since I'm Chinese and although I can cook well , I can understand how they feel being thrust into such an environment ) we wither under such hot and uncomfortable conditions. Except for the lady in the kitchen in charge of retrieving ingredients , the drink lady screwed up our order and the lady in charge of scooping rice , dropped the scoop onto the floor and I don't even want to know if she washed the scoop after that or not at all. 

French beans with minced meat.
Crunchy and bursting with natural sweetness . Delicious !

Darned bloodsuckers of Taman Saga



Some time back , one local half Thai lady bragged to me about how great the salted egg crabs were over in Taman Saga . She smacked her lips and gave it the thumbs up . But I was not so familiar to want to venture further than the centre of town ...yet. Still , I made a mental note to go check it out one fine day. 

Then when I last queued for the McD nanoblock house , the nice chatty guy in front of me , had a twinkle in his eyes when he mentioned that he had sacrificed supping at Taman Saga just to get in line for his tiny girlfriend . 
Damnit , now I really had to go find out for myself what the fuss was all about .

 Not knowing the area , it did not help that the roads were pitch black , with pockets of potholes . Confoundedly confusing
After feeling around blindly , found the crab place tucked away in a corner but there were no diners. Ditched that and went to Chong Wahh instead because Wahh ,will you look at the full house yo ! 



Wednesday 18 November 2015

Another way Penangites enjoy giant garoupa fish



There's a famous breakfast place near Sunway Hotel which serves this noodle. Very expensive for such a stuffy establishment , I tried it once and never went back again .
However, I do enjoy fish , every now and then . Sometimes when a giant garoupa is caught and successfully bidded for , the masses head to places recommended by the local newspapers. No mad, mad crowd for me thank you . 

Prefer to eat at this place near the Queensbay roundabout . They're open for dinner and prices are more down to earth .




Giant Garoupa - Burma Food Paradise


Some people will take the next flight in just for this fish.
Considered a delicacy , it seems whichever shop owner successfully bids for the Big Ones most times sees enthusiasts clamouring for a portion.



Monday 16 November 2015

Sum Sook Restaurant - Bukit Tengah


 Based on how unappetizing this dish looked ,we really never expected the unlikely combo of sweet sharp lime sauce and tofu that's been deep fried till so dry, it looks all wrong , could turn out to be  winner .
This plate of Kerabu Tauhu just proved that. So addictive that after the first careful nibble , we began fighting over it





Saturday 31 October 2015

Chicken Claypot House - Phoenix Reincarnation , an Imperial soup you can now afford


Chicken Claypot House has managed to draw in quite a crowd. Located in the former Joo Seong restaurant on Macalister Road , it is Singaporean in origin with 3 outlets on the republic and Penang is so blessed to be chosen as the venue of their very first foray on Malaysian soil .



Thursday 29 October 2015

White Sugar Seafood - Sungai Petani




There are pockets full of Penangites who have set up businesses in Kedah and this place is one of
 them .



Photo from Foursquare

Monday 19 October 2015

Hokkien Mee 1173 - Permatang Tinggi


Some people call this Ah San or Ah Shan hokkien mee but I would rather refer to it's address 1173, because you'll need it. 

Locating the shop, is no easy feat .Wedged inside a Chinese New Village enclave , where roads are narrow and challenging to navigate and decipher , we actually got some help from local folks at the local town hall to show us the way .

Coming all the way , having gone through all that trouble to finally arrive at the right place , was worth it. 

Requested for additional ingredients such as a whole egg and one chicken feet and the hearty , filling portion just blew me away  .

However , if you are from the island , you need to know that you will probably find this salty . But if you are say, from KL or Ipoh , you might agree that the very tasty prawn and pork broth brewed together with a lethal dose of pounded dried chillies , is what one would refer to as ....Mee Yoke. 

Small portion with additional ingredients .
Delicious .


Monday 10 August 2015

Saturday 25 July 2015

Kampar Fish Jelly Restaurant - Jalan Aziz Ibrahim



There are many people from Perak working and living in Penang. Hope that explains the popularity and proliferation of joints selling staple Perak favourites such as pakcham kai and Kampar fishballs.

Having patronised this shop from the first time they set up shop near Bayan Bay , I can tell you the changes they have undergone. 

First up is the workforce. Today , there are lots of foreigners who can communicate in English here. In the beginning there were more Chinese staff. 
This batch is very efficient and so hardworking to boot , I am sure some girls will be eyeing the more capable ones already.