Restoran Sup Hameed ( U )

 Although this is the best place for sup kambing in Penang, I usually resort to takeaway because the whole restaurant from outside to inside is infested with smokers .

Thus today is the first time after many, many, many years, that I am eating in .

But it doesn't take long for me to regret that decision especially when I'm drinking mutton soup, under a choking haze of Marlboro and keretek.

Nameless Nasi Kandar at Chowrasta again ( U )

Earlier post : http://gostansikit.blogspot.com/2012/03/6km-for-nasi-kandar-at-lebuh-tamil.html

It's been sometime already since my last visit and I'm thinking that this blog of mine is beginning to resemble some kind of food diary. Up to date Penang food reference this.

Rest assured the food here is always good. Acar is a must !

Sotong, beef, fried slice of bawal hitam

Omg...just looking at the picture is working up my appetite again.

Lok Yuen Beef Ball King (NH)

We came here because it was still open past midnight. Packed to the brim even. Barely any place to sit.

By right should be good right ? I mean they even have the balls to say they are king of exploding beef balls. Take a look at the extensive menu. Impressive.

Tsui Wah Restaurant , Lai Yip Street

Tsui Wah and Shui Wah are 2 different restaurants although they may sound the same.

This is another famous restaurant which I tried for the first time . I loved the food here so much I ended up patronising it every day that I was here on holiday.

As with almost every good, average priced makan place here, again, we had to line up to get in.

Nobody seems to mind the scaffolding.

See ? Packed to the brim.  Full house. Amazing how the staff fits everyone in .

Look at the amount of outlets they have scattered all over Hong Kong, Macau and China.

At first I was a bit miffed that they recommended the Malaysian curry to us.

Feeling rather haughty we went ahead and ordered the beef with rice just to see why it was a bestseller here.

The beef comprised of tender meat,brisket and tendon, while the curry was different but in a good mouthwatering way.

He tried to recall and said that it reminds him of Ayam brand chicken curry.

Frankly, it's mildly hot, builds up slowly and is worth a try at least once.

The instant I sunk my teeth into this chicken, I made up my mind to come here for a daily fix. The skin is so smooth and melt in your mouth silky, it's yellow and I could taste a hint of rock salt on top.

The dips were tasty even the thick soya sauce. The sliced vegies were sweet pickles ( I have eaten something similar in Balakong before) , the rice is fluffy while they change the soup serving everyday.

Delicious !

Bowl of sui kau dumplings. Although quite gigantic and packed with ingredients this was ok only . Didn't feel inspired enough to repeat this on the other times that we came.

He fell head over heels in love with their fishball noodle soup.

And ended up eating this each time I returned for the chicken rice.

Their rich milk tea too is the best.

A lip smacking, satisfying experience just like in the cute picture.

Bill.

Worth every cent.

Mc Cafe, Good Hope Building

There are Mc Cafes all over the world. From Paris down to Argentina, they exist side by side with Mc Donalds. Just that we don't have it in Malaysia even after so long.

Mc Cafes in my opinion probably serves as an alternative answer to the Starbucks going crowd.

But here in Hong Kong especially in this super busy outlet, it is near impossible to find yourself a seat during the day but we were in luck. Wow got to sit here for once !

One of the reasons is because a lot of old folks make their way here and sort of consider it like their kopitiam where they hang out the whole day without being forced to "tap toi" share tables or move off. The younger ones come in groups.

This is past midnight and these two old men are still hanging around nonchalant about the din the youngsters all around are making. I think price also pays a factor in the seniors making this their hangout because Mc Donalds today offers one of the cheapest dining and drink options in the world, especially in cities like London and even Hong Kong.

It's good if you have kids dragging you into Mc Donalds. Gives you other choices apart from the regular burgers and fries.

There you have it. What 2 adults came here for.
Half eaten full sized juicy double cheeseburger with expensive tomato flavoured shaker fries.
The burger seems to be larger and more filling than the ones we get back home. The beef pattie is thick and juicy. Not dry, miserable and thin.

What he ordered for himself from the cafe counter.

Together with a slice of cake which I promptly helped myself to.

Nice touch eh the M word ?

M stands for Mmmm.

My basic coffee from the fast food cashier.

Unlike in Malaysia, they have no packets of creamer and sugar here. You get a tub of syrup and a tub of milk.

If you must, you can go over to the cafe section for white granulated sugar or brown sugar.

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Sampan Porridge

This is my first attempt at this dish and probably after today it will be my last.

It's supper, past 11.40 pm and we find ourselves at Fa Yuen Street inside this little shop.

Keep your eyes on the road outside, don't look at the floor.

Prices are extremely reasonable but the crowd consists of a motley of tough characters too.

I decided on this shop against a dim sum palace as I wanted a more authentic version as opposed to a more refined recipe of this humble dish.

But nothing prepared me for the things I found inside the congee.

Floured minced pieces of what tasted like some kind of meat which I have no intention of finding out, together with brown squid tentacles and gasp ! is that urchin ? complete with spikes ? then more sea cucumber like strings together with fried peanuts.

Lost my appetite because I find some of these ingredients a little hard to stomach. I think it was the shock of seeing the little spikes on the urchin that made it revolting .

The dumpling on the other hand was much better. There was a thick layer of mashed black eyed beans at the bottom layer, much better than our version.

However when we got to the centre, it was only a small piece of fat from the pork belly minus any meat.

Served on top of a saucer of light soya sauce. Quite nice. If only the plate didn't look so greasy .

Lastly we had the red bean dessert. Pretty much home made and ordinary tasting. Just like what we would cook back home.

Bee Hooi, supper time

It's 10pm and business is still going full swing 

The assam laksa is my favourite.

I think they use a certain amount of sardines here, but I don't mind because they're extremely generous with the vegies such as mint, cucumber,lettuce, bunga kantan and onions.

Yum !

Popiah sold by the same seller has a fantabulously thin membrane for the skin .

Filled to the brim with sweet turnips, chopped omelette, carrots and very tasty filletted small prawns.

Never dunk mine in sauce. The operator obliges.

A bowl of Loh Mee.

Doesn't really need introduction as this stall is already famous.

Hardly draws a huge crowd because the opening hours are reliable, supplies never run out and fans pour in slow and steady from evening till night.

In case you don't fancy such sticky noodles, you can try out the tender Chicken feet that are also sold by the same person.

Something different for a change.

Location : Pulau Tikus

Directions : from Berjaya Midlands hotel, go towards the direction of town. Pass by a church on your left. Look out for a Hong Leong bank on your right. The coffeeshop is on your right

Chowtime : 6pm to 11pm

( U ) Satay Ah' Basri - Bayan Lepas

I have to say I was a bit apprehensive before stepping into this satay outlet.

From the outside it looked like a cafe but once inside it resembled a fast food outlet .

Oh oh.

On top of that, it was also clean, brightly lit,with sweet, well mannered staff....hmmm.... I was truly prepared for the worst.

( U ) Nameless Tomyam shack, Tanjung Tokong

Update : Closed down due to the development in Tg Tokong
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This is another tomyam shop operated by a Thai-Malay husband and wife team.

Always friendly and obliging, they even help cook fish, that local villagers bring to their shop, for a small fee.

Tanjung Tokong Rempits often hang outside this pathway for a drink and a smoke.

( U ) Tomyam at Mutiara Ombak, Tanjung Tokong

Update : the outlet has changed hands . This review is no more relevant . As the other operators across from Tesco are Indons and Cambodians , if you want Southern Malay Thai cuisine , Nurmee Seafood just outside Fettes Park is the closest to this 


The people that run this Tomyam outlet are Thai-Malays .

This restaurant attracts a sizeable number of chinese customers because the chef whips out seafood dishes as if he had been under the tutelage of a chinese sifu.

As it is located along the main road

frontal, fringing the 100 year old or more, kampung Tanjung Tokong,

I don't know how much longer they can hold fort before UDA Holdings takes back the land.

( NH )_Look Yuen Restaurant, Bukit Mertajam

This is the famous Look Yuen.

It's located just next to a busy highway

( U ) Hammer Bay Ikan Bakar, Jalan Bayan Bay

Lots of people like to come here because of cheap seafood dining by the sea with stunning views of the Penang Bridge.

There are 3 operators here. Two of them use gimmicks to attract customers.
One features a sampan ,the other a water feature. The last one nothing . 
If you order from anyone of them, you need to know where their designated seating area is.

All this time I have been I patronising the more run down, no frills, no gimmicks place, run by this guy with an army haircut.

( U ) Nasi Lemak 3+1, Jalan Lunas

Better known as the Edgecumbe Road Mamak, this is another all time favourite supper spot on Penang island.

 Most people head here for the mee goreng which I will introduce you to later,but what exactly is Nasi Lemak 3 + 1 ?

168, Sin Kim San - Jalan Macalister ( NH )

Good variety, good food, great supper hangout ....that's Sin Kim San for you. Even at 10.30pm it is still teeming with supper hunters and tourists from the nearby budget hotels.

While the Char koay teow is nice, satay addictive , western is good, wood fired pizza a horribly long wait and fish head curry one of a kind, today we are having the bland Pork Mee Sua,hot as hell Hokkien Mee and nutritious Oyster Omelette .

Oh Chien ($6) from the Grill Ikan Bakar stall always tastes fantastic. Varied in size, they are very fresh unlike a lot of other places today.

Chee Cheong Fun ,Tien Lai - Jalan Macalister ( PF )

Tien Lai is located next door to the famous Sin Kim San on Jalan Macalister.

I really regret not trying the Chee cheong fun from this stall earlier.

We were in Sin Kim San,  for the usual stuff,  when a stroke of inspiration made me pop next door .

What he brought to our table, was a masterpiece.

Frog Porridge, Goodall Cafe ( NH )

Some people believe that frogmeat is supposed to be beneficial for cleansing our blood and perking up our constitution.

It is considered good for treating exhaustion, great for strengthening the immune systems in small children. Even better for women who seek a radiant complexion.

Almost wiped out and hunted to extinction, most of it that makes it to our table today is farm produced.
The method of slaughter however is starkly cruel on the same level as dog and whale meat.
Thus if you find this delicacy shockingly unagreeable, I would advise you not read on.

To make it sound more palatable, it is sometimes called 'tin kai' or padi chicken.
Whether it is farmed American bullfrog or river frog,whatever they label it,it is still frogmeat.

Yi Garden Cafe, Jalan Macalister ( NH )

December 2014 : hawkers and owners do have tiffs and due to incessant raids by the authorities for health offences, some of the hawkers have moved out. The wantan mee can now be found in Kampung Malabar.

Update 22nd March 2013 :

 Wantan mee fail (too much boric acid, soup lousy, portion less ), Tokyo seafood fail ( no taste, don't know how to cook) Oyster mee fail ( greenish tinged oysters)

Only edible items to me now is the wantan dumpling and chicken feet from the pan mee seller (very blady expensive now)

Earlier post

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Yi Garden Cafe, has a good selection of stalls to please the palates of locals and foreigners alike.

From Seafood Chu Cha, Oyster Omelette and Pan Mee to Lobak, Char Horfun and Offal Porridge, every stall here, has managed to garner a loyal following of their own.

  

Though crowded it's quite easy to find a seat because the atmosphere inside is stuffy .

In fact it is so warm and humid, everyone eagerly finishes up their meal so they can escape into the cool air outside.

Restoran Jaya 24 Jam , Penang Road ( U )

*am giving this a U rating ( umum ) based on the fact that it has a lot of Malay customers who are staff from the nearby hotels

It's wonderful, how this non halal restaurant manages to attract a multiracial mix of clientele.

Not only that, it draws a constant stream of white foreigners, who seem to break no sweat over Jaya's hot as hell,spice laden offerings.

What acts as a magnet, is the large array of vegan and non vegan dishes,

that are constantly replenished round the clock, to keep up with demand.

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.

Sri Ananda Bahwan- Tanjung Bungah ( PF )

Nobody else is as successful on this row.

Many restaurants have come and gone but Sri Ananda remains the one, that draws a wonderful mix of local and international customers,both day and night,to enjoy a cheap Indian meal in a tropical beach hut garden like atmosphere.

I really like their ghee tosai.

No doubt it's a little oily,but it's kueh kapek crispy,fragrant, comes with 4 different dips and is large enough to be shared by two.