Ampang Yong Taufu in Penang

 Many years ago ( not so good with recalling exact numbers so I'll put it around 10 years ago ) , I found this stall at a foodcourt just behind the Shell station at the Tun Dr Awang roundabout in Bayan Lepas .

Beside them was the Sabah Pan Mee operator which became so successful that today they have taken up an entire shoplot a few doors down from the Kampar fishball outlet near the Queensbay roundabout .

Eyah ....kindly read that again . That is Penang today for you . People come from everywhere and they offer all that familiar hometown comfort foods to outstationers who now call Penang , home .

Nee wayyy , after a long goose chase I have finally , finally , fiiiiinally located them tucked away in Taman Sri Nibong at the second kopitiam just opposite Goh Teo Kee .

Waterfall under a flyover

 So glad I went for my spa session yesterday and really so thankful that the weather was just so beautiful for me to snap pics of 

because whaddaya know , it's been pouring the entire day today .

Anyway , we went ahead and carried on as usual despite the strong winds and all that .

As we were making our way towards the airport , past the Tun Dr Awang Roundabout , this " waterfall " appeared right under the flyover .

The water didn't go through the downpipe but instead it flowed out from the expansion joint .

CHI The Spa - Rasa Sayang

It was blazing hot one minute with scattered showers the next but that did not matter as whatever the weather is like outside , this spot provides the perfect refuge for you to leave it all behind .

Little Dragon Puffs in a bamboo steamer - Din Tai Fung

I love the set up of this restaurant . Clean lines , with guzheng and erhu music lilting softly in the background .Slightly spiffy but not too stiffling  , the staff approach is one that maintains a distance , is professionally non judgemental , yet remains attentive and quick to attend to every one of our needs and wants .

Makes you feel as if you fit right in , with thoughtful , polite diners that take care not to raise their voice to too many decibels .....my kinda place alright  .

Nepalese cooks ....what next ?

Would you believe it if I told you that this entire Malaysian Chinese meal , was cooked by Nepalese chefs in Penang ?

It was good , tasty and wholesome yet I still cannot get over the fact that a good number of them can cook better than today's local hotel chefs and many of us women .

Geez.

Whatever laws the Penang state government has put in motion , it's useless as these foreign chefs seem to be an increasing fixture in the chu cha and dimsum kitchens . 

First it began with the Thais , then Banglas , followed by a regretful period of terrible cooks who should NOT be given any licence to cook from ( 2 countries which I don't want to name because one of those are known to be super siew hei ) and now omg , now we have the Nepalese entering the fray  . Fast learners who can deliver the desired results !

Ah Soon Kor Har Mee - Carnavon Street

Never have I come across old Japanese men patronising any local Hokkien Mee stall until just now .

The soup though teeming with rich prawn flavour is so much more oilier than other versions of Hokkien Mee on the island , that it looks so wrong  but of course it tastes so darned good lah otherwise why you think the Japanese would eat it , no ? 

Even then , notwithstanding the fact that I am one of his fans , I was still very surprised to see with my own four eyes that Ah Soon Kor has managed to snare at least one foreigner in his apron .

BreadKing - M Mall

Had my first taste of Bread King's sausage bun and yummy donuts at their E-Gate branch .

At the time , we were hungry yet in such a rush , so we ate one of each on the spot and raved over how divinely soft and scrumptious they were . Following day , we decided to takeaway more items , but by the time we got back , the flavour had sort of changed a little bit . Which was not only disappointing but also caused me to

 think of their products as grossly overpriced unless one managed to get them hot from the oven .

As I can't be staking out their premise all the time , the dining option at M Mall is exactly up my alley .

Nope , I'm not talking about the bakery , rather , it's the existence of an open kitchen that's got me all excited .

Prepared fresh and served piping hot with quality ingredients one would expect to come out of a 5 star hotel instead of a mall bakery , this certainly isn't our first visit .

We're back for the Mushroom Soup Set served with a whole loaf of garlic bread that is still warm by the time it gets to our table , I swear that this is as good as French pumpkin soup .

Maneki-neko murals at Mall ' s Cafe - Prangin tomyam paradise on level 3

Somehow , Southern Thai tomyam seems to smell and taste better when served within air conditioned premises .

There's no way you are not going to get your appetite worked up when you pass by the shop . The aroma is enough to floor you .

That's how , even though Prangin Mall seems to be on the decline after the exit of their anchor tenant , the 4 main tomyam players on the 3rd floor , still manage to draw in all of us sadistic makan freaks .

I'll show you the first outlet . My personal favourite.

1. Mall's Cafe .

The ahbeng ahlian chop shop where I once scoffed at a Korean guy who popped in but was so shocked when he drank up every last bit of the soup without breaking a sweat .

Respect !

Was surprised to see that they now serve their tomyam maggi in nicer ceramic Maneki - neko bowls . Not only that , the entire shop is filled with Lucky Cat murals too .

Dinner at Bella Italia

Long , long time ago , there was this Italian who asked me if I had any favourite Italian dishes .

Naive as I was , I mentioned Pizza Hut . He roared so loud with laughter and then proceeded to admonish and correct me very gently that Pizza Hut was Americano then in the next breath , insisted that I when I had the means , I had to go visit Italy one day ( which I did eventually ) , as they had the best food in the world . 

Sardinia was mentioned but I never got round to doing that as I am and always will prefer the megacity loop. 

One day maybe I will get round to doing just that .

Anyway , it took the last trip for me to finally "get it" .

That real Italian cooking is indeed delicious , not plain or odd .

After learning how to appreciate their cuisine , that in itself presents another problem . I am no gazillionaire so thank gawd there are expats who can whip up something close to that, near my tramping ground .

In that retrospect , I find myself growing more and more fond of what is dished out at Bella Italia down in Bellisa Row , the reason for this post .

Tonight is the first time we're enjoying dinner here and I notice that there is at least one diner who took pains to dress up .

We ask for the customary pizza . Not the usual Quatro but a Pepperoni pizza this time . The base is so scrumptious I find myself slowly turning my nose up at American pizzas nowadays .

Because he was more in the mood for something different , we did exactly that and ordered an Antipasto .

Buttery button mushrooms , lightly smoked generous slices of salmon wrapped around lettuce with a wedge of lemon dangling on top , two very fresh and juicy mussels baked in cheese and mouthwatering tomato paste , ham , baked eggplant layers , more vegies and chicken ....I tell you what , if you love their Quatro Pizza as much as I do , this is like having part of it on a plate . 

Delightful sample pieces yet won't burn a big hole in your pocket .

CRC Penang - small table in a big restaurant

It's a big restaurant and we're such a small party of people that I'm really worried if we're gonna be ignored . 

So we decided to arrive early .....like really , really , really early and yes , since we were so obviously visible , the kepala ( head ) of the ladies squad personally attended to us . Phew !

Still possible to get a 3 to 4 course meal under RM 39 in Penang

Over the course of 5 days , we visited 2 popular chu cha outlets .... Thiam Seng near Juru and Kiam Hooi just outside  Georgetown .

 Tastewise , Thiam Seng and Kiam Hooi may be world's apart. However price wise , these two can put a smile on anybody's wallet .

In these 2 places , we did not spend more than RM 39 ( drinks not included ) 

From a hygiene point of view , don't look over at the kitchen area of Kiam Hooi and don't say I didn't warn you that the crowd is a little rough over at Thiam Seng .

Have no pictures for our delicious 4 course meal at Kiam Hooi , but just so you know , we had Belacan Chicken , miniature lala fried in taucheo beans and cili padi , a portion of plain fried green bayam as well as one double boiled soup . Yummy yum yum !

Below is the 3 course meal we had at Thiam Seng .

Soft pork ribs , in house tofu , a large portion of salted fish vermicelli .

Antics of the middle eastern female tourist in Penang

Arab tourist season is supposed to be long over already , yet today , I witnessed one of the most amazing sights in my life .

This girl was given the liberty to drive around the island in their rental car with her loved ones and her exuberant excitement was so apparent and infectious I just have to tell you about it .

She smiled so wide , grinning from ear to ear , completely enthralled by this precious moment we all take for granted .

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 ) !

Bella Italia

Now aren't we glad we have a clutch of all time favourite expat restaurateurs on the island , especially when travel nowadays means more risk than pleasure .

 To rekindle the cosy little Italian diner experience , I can think of no place better than Bella Italia on Bellisa Row .

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 .

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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 )

Yoshinoya Hanamaru - Gurney Plaza

If you didn't know that they've been open for a month already , well , you'd better get a move on down because , I don't know about you , but even though I think it is probably halal , the meals are quite satisfying to me !

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 . 

Hong La Jiao Steamboat - deadly , very deadly

Though we arrived close to midnite , the restaurant was running full  .

Open till 4.30 am , I consider this a necessary service that caters to the many hungry night owls in Georgetown who otherwise would have to make do with the same ole boring mamak or fastfood .

New ckt sifu in town

Found a new evening ckt place in town and to me, it is nothing short of amazing .

The saltier , spicier type of ckt that makes your saliva thicken and curdle ....regular ckt fans will get my drift .

Only one flaw , the intriguing looking chef with light eyebrows, is a one man operating show, who doesn't seem to be able to cope if more people turn up . 

Nasi Kandar Imigresen

 Is there ever a bad plate of nasi kandar to be found in Penang ?

Yes and no .

Depends on your preference really . Some places serve dishes that are oiler and greasier than the rest , some can make you instantly fat in one plate ( I'm not kidding , I avoid those places like the plague ) and then there's the old school type ....reminiscent of those who migrated down to KL and set up shop around the old Batu Road area ....

Nasi Kandar Imigresen .

( these days , they use commercial curry powders so purists....walk the other way )