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 !

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 .

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 .

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 ! 

Sweet Potato Leaves

What started as a dish borne out of neccessity, during the Japanese occupation in the 40s, is today offered in most small chu cha restaurants around Malaysia.

The plant grows abundantly on a raised bed of soil, providing a cheap but very rich source full of antioxidants (beta carotene) as well as nutrients like xanthin and lutein ( all of which are good for the eyes )

Not to mention a really tasty and very healthy dish. 

Kapah served in bamboo - Sunshine Bay (NH )

While Kapah is a shellfish that is available in abundance all year round,
in the old days however, December used to be the bonanza time ( so I was told ) that locals took a sieve to the beaches and hauled home enough bounty , to even have it pickled.

We're at Sunshine Bay tonight and it's packed to the brim .

Lots of returnees back home for Christmas, Gurney Drive is jammed to the brim, as if it were CNY.

Having eaten here numerous times, I was game for something new this time.

Ang Hoay Loh ( NH )

If it gets too late for lunch or it's still too early for dinner, you can rely on this place to tend to your hunger pangs.

In the mood for fish today, the standard offering here is Kerapu or Garoupa.

Nicely deep fried, crispy on the outside, juicy inside,doused with sauce that is not too salty.

The fish tasted even better when we started on the underside as the fish had absorbed all the flavour from the sauce by then.

Gee Seng Seafood - 1.3 kilo crab ( NH )

You have to come early if you want to be able to select the choiciest picks 

Besides if you come at night, you won't be able to enjoy the swampy river view when its dark

Khoon Hiang Cafe ( NH )

Khoon Hiang is more famous during the day because of Ah Leng Char Koay Teow. At night, the chu cha stall takes over.

As you can see in this picture it draws a mainly local crowd of ageing regulars who come from as far as the Rifle Range flats for their quick fix .

I usually go for the Gulai seafood which is extremely hot and spicy. On most days you get a nice mix of squid, prawns and fish meat with ladies fingers. Crabmeat is a bonus on others.

Kafe Tuck Sai , Jalan Bukom ( NH )

Kafe Tuck Sai is located off Jalan Datuk Keramat, on the ground floor of a block of medium cost flats .

Fairly easy to have a grand meal on a tight budget here because the food not only tastes good, it's considered cheap too for the portion they mete out.

Mini Mini Seafood Restaurant ( NH )

It's not easy finding this restaurant with no signboard (again ) especially in the dark but when you do locate it, it is certainly worth the effort.

The star dish, a must have on every visit, is their Pineapple prawn . A truly spicy and sour mouthwatering spectacle that you will never forget.

This is how it will look like when it first comes to your table. There'll be a lot of mint leaves and sliced onions on top.

Prawns are inside. Small bowl contains extra sauce to provide you with extra dragon fire breath.

Sunshine Bay Seafood Restaurant ( NH ) - New Location

Sunshine Bay Seafood Restaurant, built it's reputation by serving up generous and delicious portions of super fresh seafoods at very reasonable prices.

This is their new location with bigger,better ventilated seating space than when they were operating from Kedai Kopi Sin Eng Huat .

Their signature dish, prawn tomyam is a feast for the eyes .

Served in a real coconut husk bowl,it contains 8 medium sized succulently sweet prawns, cooked in a tangy, fiery thai influenced soup,of lemongrass rolls,topped off with pretty sprigs of mint to complete the picture.

4 course meal at Song River Cafe - Gurney Drive ( NH )

If you are looking for a place where you can enjoy a fairly cheap chinese dinner in Gurney Drive, this is it.

All of the dishes you see below, from 2 different operators, cost less than $50..drinks,rice and roasted chicken wings included. Extremely filling, I tell you.

Song River Seafood is located at the back, on the right hand side of this bungalow.

Soon Lai Seafood - Jelutong ( NH )

Cold nights call for hearty gulais to warm the tummy,and where better to start than at Soon Lai Seafood ?

Usually the place is so packed,the pace so frantic,there's hardly any time to think, when you place your order.

Tonight, was a departure from the norm.The rain had seen to that.

They're reknowned for their crabs and thai pork leg,yet somehow we've never found those dishes to our liking.

This delightful stingray gulai ($13) is the freshest I've ever had.

So smooth and silky,was the fish meat,it practically slid from spoon into my eagerly awaiting lips.

Heavenly....just heavenly.

Thing with 2 eyes at Liva Seafood Restaurant ( NH ) - Weld Quay

There's a first time for everything,even in familiar places.

Today I was inducted into the art of eating a whole miniature squid .

Eyes,insides,tentacles,head,skin,everything in one brave,squishy gulp !

It started off innocently enough. An order for seafood curry was sent out to the kitchen.
What they cook up here displays a distinct Indian influence tempered with hints of tamarind.
The ladies fingers are crunchy and perfect.

A fiery casserole of fish meat,squid,brown soaked sotong,peeled prawns and tomatoes topped off with a sprig of mint to knock you off your soles.

All was going so well,until this 'thing' crept up my spoon.

Aargh !!! OMG.....how to eat ?

"Bite,chew then swallow" he said.

Loke Sok Seafood,Public Cafe - Gurney Drive ( NH )

This restaurant is located along the famous Gurney Drive .

I have to mention that they are rather inconsistent and it can be quite frustrating as your favourites dishes today may be completely different next week or even non existent at all.

Yet,I always harbour a glimmer of hope, that perhaps on that day,the one dish that I want, WILL finally be on the menu.

As an example,I've never been able to try their stir fried siew yoke with chives flowers till today and only managed to enjoy their pak cham keh once.

We arrived with the intention to have white oyster mee.

No stock.Sigh. 

Yee Heong - Campbell Street ( NH )

I find myself coming here quite often, for simple yet delicious chu char fare, even though the famous Teik Senn lies just round the corner.
The price difference between the two restaurants,is the deciding factor.