Funky Monkey@127

My Ratings: 3 Stars

Cuisine: Western

Location: 127 Hawker Center, 127 Burmah Road, Penang

Non Halal

RM4-15 per person

I first read the review for this place from CK Lam. I was on the hunt for new places to try. What a name! "Funky Monkey - it's all about food by Jon Foo". Hey, with that name, it's sure to be a hit coz it branded itself to be different from other streetfood sellers in that center or even in Penang island

I ordered a chicken dish not in the menu. The chef said he is in the process of revamping his menu and this this is one of the new item. So what the heck, I would give this a try anytime. It's not often I get a chance to preview a soon to be on the menu item! But wait.....isn't the place is new and he is revamping his menu already? hmmm......either there were some misses items and he is dedicated and smart to replace them to suit the customer's taste. Anyway, great for him!

The chicken dish I ordered was a chicken meat that was rolled up with sauteed mushrooms and wrapped with bacon strips and then oven baked. The dish is then served with vegetables, french fries and dollop of mashed potatoes but wait the colour is pink. That's because the mash potatoes is mashed with a bit of beet root to give that funky colour. The final touch was to serve with a rosemary and black balsamic vineger reduction sauce. The price of the dish is RM12.80. Slightly more expensive rthat the usual western food but you can see the chef has put in some effort in creating his dishes which not the average western food but more like a restaurant menu. The chef also serves salmon fillet wrapped in bacon too as another one of his new items

The taste is good. I finished it in no time. That's because I was hungry. I also ordered soup of the day and it was mushroom soup served with croutons at RM4.00 per bowl. The soup was just OK. I found it not as thick as I like it considering the serving portion is small. The serving soup bowl is already small and the soup is only fill to half the bowl. So with that I think the soup is a little pricey.

I was still hungry so I scouted around for light bites. I found a Kerabu Beehoon dish. a litle pricey at RM4.00. The taste is just OK. Not as fragrant as I would have liked it. Again portion is small for the price paid. My wife had the Arab Fried Rice which I stole a taste from her. Not bad, new flavour experience. It is like curried seafood fried rice with lots of curry leaves. I guess there is some tumeric spice in there to give its yellowish colour. I forgot how much I paid for the fried rice but I think it is around RM4.00 - 4.50

Ample parking in the center and at the back of the center. I had not tried the other stalls yet. There's Japanese, satay, and all the noodle dishes. Lots of variety.