Taipei 101

My Ratings: 3 Stars
Cuisine: Taiwanese and Japanese

Location: 35G Pesiaran Bayan Indah, 11600 Bayan Lepas, Penang (opp. HSBC/Queensbay Mall)
Non Halal
RM10-19 per person
Contact: +604 4641339

Taipei 101 Penang has been around for more than a year but now it is back in 2011 with a new menu that will suit everyone's taste of Taiwanese food and snacks found in famous Taiwan night markets. For those who crave for Japanese cuisine, Taipei 101 also has a variety of bento items and gyozas for the whole family.

We tasted 11 food items and 2 drinks from the menu and pictured below. They were:-

Pop-corn Chicken (RM5.00)
Roasted Lemon Chicken with Noddle (RM9.90)
Roasted Lemon Chicken with Mee Suah (RM9.90)
Braised Pork Trotter cooked in claypot (RM12.90 per set)
Spicy Pork Ribs cooked in claypot (RM11:50 per set)
Ginger Duck Claypot Rice (RM11.50)
Honey Sauced topped Fried Cod Bento (RM17.50)
Fried Mushroom (RM4.50)
Fried Dumpling (RM5.00)
Sweet Potato with Plum Powder (RM4.80)
Seaweed Potato Chips (RM5.00)
Winter Melon Lemon Tea (RM3.90)
Ice Blended Green Bean (RM4'90)

Overall, the food has strong, full bodied flavours and my pick of the day would be Spicy Pork Ribs, Ginger Duck, Braised Pork Trotter and the Honey Sauced Fried Cod Bento. Taiwan's favourite snack dish would be the sweet potatoes in plum powder. I find the Ice Blended Green Bean most refreshing on a hot day and of course healthy too! The prices are reasonable and value for money, especially for the set meals. The portions are sufficient to satisfy any hungry man or woman too. For example, the spicy pork ribs claypot set meal is served complete with spicy tofu, omelette and rice for only RM11.50 plus 5% discount if you hold a Taipei 101 member card. This definitely make Taipei 101 a good alternative food haunt to the surrounding restaurants and food court foods of the nearby mall that will not bust your wallet.

Menu choice is extensive which allows diners to try new dishes with every visit or to take away or have your meals delivered to your doorsteps. Yes, Taipei 101 has free delivery service (until 7:00pm) which covers from e-Gate to Bayan Lepas, Sungai Dua, Bukit Jambul to Inti College for orders > RM25. Move over McD, Pizza Hut, Dominos delivery, here comes Taipei 101 delivery service.

There are ample parking in the area or you can park inside the nearby mall multi-storey parking and just walk across. Opens Mon - Thurs: 11:00am - 3:00pm and then 5:30pm - 10:00pm. But on weekends starting on Friday, the operating hours are from 11:00am - 10:0pm. Cash term only.

Nonya Delights@Terrace Bay

My Ratngs: 3 Stars
Cuisine: Nonya

Location: Terrace Bay Restaurant, Copthone Orchid Hotel, Penang
Halal
RM30 nett
Contact: +604-8923333

Nonya cuisine has seen a revival recently which many restaurants around Penang offering Peranakan food reminiscent of the good old days, just like mums cooked it. Now the F&B team at the Copthone Orchid Hotel is offering diners to experience the Peranakan heritage at their Terrace Bay Restaurant with more than 25 authentic and scrumptious Nonya dishes on the table.

The restaurant located on Level 7, a level below the reception or lobby area. It offers seatings both inside the restaurant and pool side which is able to cater up to 230 people. And at just the right moment. you can even catch the stunning sunset rays at the cornet of your eye. Simply rustic and beautiful.

The dishes changes weekly so that diners gets to experience something new every time the dine there but the old exotic favourites like Jiu Hu Char (Wood ear fungus salad), Kelabu Hai Tay (Jelly fish salad), Acar Awak (Mixed vegetable pickles salad), Pai Tee (Stuffed shredded chicken meat with vegetables) and Acar Huan Cheo Bokwa (pickled chilly with shredded papaya).

For mains, they have the Kapitan Chicken Curry, Assam Prawns (Tamarind Prawns), Assam Pedas Ikan Pari (Hot & Spicy Stinray), Kari Kiam Hu (Salted Fish Curry), Belacan Fried Chicken, Otak Otak, Kiam Chye Ark Th'ng (Duck with Salted Mustard soup), Chicken Lor Bak (Chicken Wrapped in clear tofu skin) and Assam Laksa noodles.

And finishing off the meal with desserts like Pulut Tai Tai (Blue glutinous rice cake), Ang Koo Kuih (steamed red glutinous rice cake), Onde Onde (Coconut coated glutinous rice ball with gula Melaka fillings), Bee Koh Moi, Bubur Cha Cha and Kuih Talam.

The restaurant specially hired a Peranakan trained chef to train their chefs to re-create the authentic taste to Nonya cooking. It is served buffet styled for just RM35nett for adults and RM21 nett for children. But the best is that Malaysian senior citizens gets to enjoy the food at a discounted rate of only RM25nett. It is truly value for money family gastronomic adventure.

The buffet available every Saturday from 7pm - 10pm and do call to reserve as the themed buffet is very popular.

Maakoa's Koopuwa Health Drink is packed with super anti-oxidants!

Penang Famous Cintra Street Dumplings

My Ratings: 5 Stars

Location: 40, Cintra Street, 10100 Penang
(shop in between Campbell and Chulia Street)
Non Halal
RM10 - 30 per person
Contact: +6012-4803308 or +6016-4579590
Open daily: 9:00am - 6:00pm except Sunday.

GPS: N 05 25.108 E 100 20.032

This little specialty shop along the famed Cintra Street serves one of the best traditional rice dumplings I have ever tasted in Penang. Established more than 70 years ago by a Chinese immigrant from Guandong, a Mr Lor Hong Yen and now run by a 3rd generation Mr Lor Kah Fai. This family has been serving thousands of Hokkien and Quandong styled rice dumplings to Penangites and its visitors, soon became known to be the most popular dumpling stall in Penang and earned the title "Cintra Street Dumplings".

The Lor family started to sell Quandong styled rice dumplings, a unique combination of white glutinous rice, green beans, egg yolk and streaky pork. Steamed to perfection, a bite on its soft dumpling leaves the diner filled with joy. Hokkien dumplings were later introduced to cater the local Hokkien community's demand. Hokkien dumpling on the other hand is filled with dried mushroom, salted egg yolk, fatty pork belly and seasoned with dark soy sauce. Hokkien rice dumplings is firmer in texture and the taste is heavenly as the pork fat meats in heat of your mouth.

To top the rice dumpling experience, we saved the best for last. We ordered the giant Guangdong (Cantonese) rice dumpling (Guo Zheng Zong). Weighing in at least 2kg and cost RM40 each, it is big enough for up to 5 person's portion. It is worth every sen and it is filled with a combination of chicken, duck, pork meat, roasted pork, char siew, dried oysters, salted egg yolk, chestnuts and dried mushroom. This dumpling is available only during the dumpling festival and it will sell out fast as it is considered as a symbol of prosperity and is often given as gifts.

There were some side dishes like the yam cake, red bean soup which is also a must try. The atmosphere is no frills but it serves the best rice dumplings (best accompanied by homemade chilli and special dark sweet aromatic sauce). A must try recommendation from me