Korean BBQ Chicken

My Ratings: 2 Stars

Cuisine: Korean
Location: Gurney Plaza & New World cafe, Penang
Halal
RM15-25 per person

OK. Finally I decided to try on this new restaurant in the mall (Gurney Plaza) after being undecided where to eat. What caught my attention was its sign. Just what I need at that time......some BBQ treat.

So I decided to take a peek and hey! ... half the restaurant is packed with people and for me that is a good indication that it must be OK to attract the crowd into there. Nice modern decor and good atmosphere.

OK. the menu is mainly chicken..... Fried chicken, all kinds of BBQ chicken....charboiled....jerked (don't ask me what is "Jerk" chicken coz I dun know and I dare not ask the waiter coz they might think I am being stupid).

Other dishes on the menu are sandwiches, salad and udons and their special dessert that is something like a Korean styled ice kacang at about RM6.80 for a small bowl and RM11.40 for a big bowl....anything I think that's a bit pricey.

Since it is a Korean themed restaurant, I expected Korean flavour chicken like Kim Chi or Ginseng. Unfortunately, they only had Ginseng chic. Guess I have to give the Kim Chi a miss.

Anyway, I did not feel like having Ginseng and wanted some new flavour, so I ordered a 1 piece "Jerk" chicken set (incl mashed potato or rice and coleslaw) while Amanda ordered a Kim Chi Udon. I tot the 1 piece would be enouf for me coz I peeked at the next table, their 3 piece set is large enuf and since my 1 piece is more expensive than regular 2 piece. I tot 1 piece is good enuf for me.

Boy, when i came out from the kitchen, my portion looks like just the size of half pigeon.....hmmm...shud have ordered the regular 2 pieces.

The Jerk chicken was OK in taste. BBQed in dark sauce with a hint of honey I think coz it is sweet and savoury. I paid RM16.70 for mine and RM11.83 for the udon.

The Udon was OK. Nothing great about it.......I gave this restaurant a lowly 2 star for its atmosphere, price, food and service. New BBQ chicken concept but other than that, not much more excitement....no much choice in menu and not much creativity in assortment. Just chicken, sandwich, salad, noodles and dessert...... Although marketize as Korean but looks more like fuzion........

I would go there again nor recommend anyone.

Call 04-2100222 for reservation or enquiries

Ang Hoay Lor Restaurant

My Rating: 4 Stars

Cuisine: Chinese
Location: 260, Jalan Gurdwara (Brick Kiln Road)
Non Halal
About RM10-30 per person

Serves typical Chinese dishes but what this place is famous for is its Oyster Noodles. It is also famous for its Bak Kean Soup and Fried Tofu. Bak Kean Soup is original but I really like its Oyster Noodles. Lots of fresh Oysters cooked with mee in a thick gravy. I have only been there for lunch. I supposed there is dinner business too. Most probably serving the famous Charcoal fired steamboat as the restaurant is named after

I give the noodle a four star. Atmosphere is 2 star coz he place is run down with soot (from the decades of charcoal smoke)

Sakae Sushi

My Rating: 3 Stars

Cuisine: Japanese
Location: Almost all major shopping mall across Malaysia
Non Halal
About RM20-40 per person

Another alternative to Sushi King. Have all the typical Japanese fast food varieties like the sushi conveyor dishes, udon, bento boxes, tepanyaki, syabu syabu. but what this restaurant is different from Sushi King is that is has a tepanyaki grill seating and tetami seating (in-floor).

What I like is that it has some basic priced items from RM1.90++ per plate which make this place quite value for money. For example a plate of two fresh salmon sushi is RM1.90++ which when compared to Sushi King's RM3.90++ per plate. Other great value RM1.90++ plates are fried tofu, friend temaki and hand rolls.

Sad thing is the green tea cost RM1.00++ per person where you get it free at Sushi King. Bento boxes are RM25.00++ upwards where SK's RM13.90 upwards.

Restauran Kolam Ikan (Fish Pond Restaurant)

My Ratings: 3 Stars

Cuisine: Chinese
Location: Sungai Kob, Taman Mutiara, Kedah
Halal
About RM30 per person

This is one of the most unique restaurant I have ever been. Smack right in the palm plantation along the Kob River in Kedah. Practically you have to drive off road for a good 15 minutes to get to the restaurant. The restaurant is simple right to the very basic. It is like a big hut erected in the middle of the jungle. So why made me go to such extend to try out there? Coz Jason (Taste with Jason - Astro AEC) been there and he recommended it.

This restaurant serves only fish dish plus one vege dish. Yup, that's all. But what make this restaurant a popular place for food gourmet is that the fish is caught fresh in the pond when you order it (or a few hours earlier).

We ordered a combination of steam and deep fried dish. Ask the waitress on her recommnedation of the fish and how that fish is suppposed to be cooked. Coz some fish species is good on when cooked a certain way. We ordered the species which I never heard of.

The dishes are fresh and delicious. But be warned. There is a hell lot of flies. If you are not comfortable with flies around your food like more than 10 of them at the same time, then you probably want to miss this experience.

For reservation, call Ah Yew 013-4379606. Restaurant is open from 11:30am - 6:00pm. Closed on Mondays

Oreintal Seafood

My Ratings: 3 Stars

Cuisine: Chinese

Location: Near Gurney Drive Roundabout, Penang

Non Halal

About RM30 per person

We ordered a variety of typical chinese dishes. Tasty and to our surprise quite value for money. We ordered teow chew fish, chilli sweet and sour crab with man tou to go with the gravy, prawns, vege and the bill came about RM300. We thought it would be a little bit more expensive considering it is quite exclusive location and there is a lot of tourist.

View is great. Sea breeze and mud stench is abundant and if you go just before sunset, you can see the sun just dips behind the horizon. Just ignore the swamp of mudskippers (looks like an pre-historic creature from the swamp - a half fish, half reptile) dancing across the mud plains

However, there is a caution, there is a car jockey service which is great if you can't find nearby parking. There is a sign that says it's free. but be warned, the jockey man will ask for RM3 for parking fee. According to him, the jockey service is free but you have to pay for the parking fee......... Felt cheated here.

Tel: 04-8904500, Fax 04-8904094

Hot Wok

My Ratings: 3 Stars

Cuisine: Peranakan
Location: Burmah Road (Next to Nagore Row/Penang Plaza/Giant), Penang
Non Halal
RM30-40 per person (ala-carte)
Hokkien Mee from RM3.50 for small bowl; RM4.50 for larger bowls. Add Ons are extra. Drinks from RM1.50

I am sure everyone knows about the Hot Wok Restaurant but I am writing about the Hokkien Mee which they serve daily from 11am - 3am from a hawker style stand within the outside of the restaurant.

Just moved to Burmah in mid 2008. Previous serving at Gurney Plaza and then moved to Tanjung Bungah area (Opp. Subaidah). Serves typical peranakan food like Joo Hu Char, Perut Ikan, Sour Gulai Fish, Tu Thor Th'ng and Kapitan Chicken. Famous customers were Andy Tenant and Jodie Foster when they were in Penang filming "Anna and The King"

The Hokkien mee is OK. Not the best but just OK. but it served the purpose of filling your stomach which decent mee past midnight nearby especially after clubbing. Be careful of the add ons which will add to your final bill. There is a steady stream of customer, so I guess the palate suit most people but I heard some not so good feedback from friends from too salty to blant

Add ons are like roasted pork and yam kuih.

Hand Noodle Restuarant

My Rating: 2 Stars

Cuisine: Chinese Taiwanese
Location: OXA, Pulau Tikus (behind Poly coffee shop)
Non Halal
About RM20 per person

This restaurant serves fresh hand made noodles with wide different varieties like green tea, black sesame, Buckwheat, etc. I had the set lunch which is about RM17++ which include one noodle dish, Haw drink, herbal jelly, pickles. I think it is not value for money considering that the herbal jelly and pickles is hardly a mouthful. Nothing spectacular about the food. Ambience is just OK. Typical taiwanese themed

Parking RM2 but can be reimbused RM1 at the cashier

QE2

My Ratings: 3 Stars

Cuisine: International
Location: Church Street Pier, Jetty Pengkalan Weld, Penang
Halal
RM60-70 per person

It got that Metroplitan Chic English Theme. (Same owner as SOHO in town/Autocity). Nice atmosphere for a drink al fresco downstairs while the the restaurant is upstairs. It provided a golf cart to ferry people to the restaurant/pub which i think was a goood gimmick and essential for thosewho can't or lazy for walk.

I had grilled chicken skewers at RM32+++. Tasty but the portion is small. My wife had the Baked Juicy Chicken wrap in baking paper and burried in sea salt at RM32+++ too. Taste OK but nothing special in taste. Taste like the chinese version of herbal beggars chicken. Again the portion is small.

We ordered Pizza to share for starters. The pizza is good. Lots of variety on the menu from the classic tomato and cheese to supreme. They are baked in a wood oven thin crusted. Whenever a pizza is wood oven baked, it has to be good. It's RM40+++ for the pizza.

Service is OK from the Filipino waiters. Atmosphere is great. Lights from the Butterworth Container port provided a good view/ambience with private yachts parked near it.

We adjourn downstairs for drinks. Beers at RM34++ per jug. Great beers. Guiness on draught, Kilkenny on draught.....yummy. Good place for drinks and socialising. Got all the yuppies and wanna-bes partonizing there.

One thing curiuos me is the name is QE2 but there is a model tanker ship displayed there named QE2. Isn't QE2 is a luxury liner??

Overall, good dining& pub experience/atmosphere. Good pizza but an expensive.pricy menu

Hot Bowl

My Ratings: 5 Stars

Cuisine: Asian
Location: Aboo Sittee Lane, Penang (beside Lim Huat Bee Skin Clinic)
From RM3.50

Forget Fatty Loh......forget Sa Chew. This place sells the best Steamed Chicken Rice. A little pricey at RM4.90 per plate but I think worth to taste the succulent, juicy steamed chicken. You have it with rice or just the chicken as a side to a bowl of their also famous white curry mee (chilly added seperately). Try it! Try both! Everybody who comes to this mom and pop (Mr Ho) restaurant orders its white curry mee or steamed chicken rice/hor fun soup or both

Black Vinegar Pig's Trotter, Otak Otak, Beansprouts (taugeh), Fish Head curry (pre-order needed) is also available for your eating pleasure.

I rate its steamed chicken a 5-star

Swee Kong Coffee Shop

My Ratings: 5 Stars

Cuisine: Asian Hawker
Location: Solok Moulmein, Pulau Tikus (oppsite P.Tikus Poice Station)
RM2.50 - 3.50 per plate

I decided to add reviews of local Penang hawker fares. The Hokkien mee at this coffee shops is the best I ever had. The soup is really savoury and has the right balance of spiciness and chilli oil. Really frangrant. The stalls open quie early. I think it open for business around 8am and it finish selling (sold out) by around 9:30am. They serve a bowl evey 7 seconds and have 3 helpers. So this really tells you how good the dish is. .....So if you are really keen to have the best Hokien Mee (Prawn Mee), you better get up early. It is selling for around RM2.50 per bowlI give it a 5-star coz I think it is the best Hokkien mee in Penang.

The other food at the coffee shop is also worth mentioning. The Indian Mee Goreng and the Wan Than Mee is good there.

There are customers who specifically come to eat mee goreng there. No mee goreng no eat policy. So what you will get is a good plate of mee goreng after a long wait if there is a crowd of customer coz poor boss is the chef, waiter cashier and dish washer. This man is a all rounder doing everything and it is a joy to see him cook with his own expressive style. The mee goreng is RM3.50 per plate

The Wan Than mee is favourful with chunky wan than. What sets this stall different from others is the gavy. Others have kinda thin soy-sause gravy but this guy's gravy is thick....thicken by egg and starch concoction with strips of black chinese mushoom. RM2.80 per plate. Soup based or dry based or just wan thans plus soup

Sunset Bistro

My Rating: 3 Stars

Cuisine: International

Loation: Batu Ferringhi, Penang

(near The Grand Plaza Parkroyal)

RM20-30 per person

How to decribe the location of place....... Well for those who knows The Beach Corner Restaurant next to the back of Park Royal, Sunset Bistro is at the other end where all the guest houses are. Parking space is limited and can be tricky, so car pool is the best or park outside and walk all the way in.Nice place to chill out. Right by the beach. serve all kind of food from spaghetti to pizza, to fried rice to fish & chips. Food price is a little bit expensive. Like my fish & chip cost a whopping RM25. Nothing spectacular. But guess you paid for the right to sit on a table on the beach and watch the sun set behind the horizon. Great place to have a beer with Skol at RM6 per bottle. Cool crowd. nice reggae music. Mood seemed to change as the sun sets. Food is OK, Atmosphere is Great but service is very relax. And if you know what I mean relax....kinda slow. Maybe we are not the touristy type

Korea Palace

My Rating: 4 Stars

Cuisine: Korean

RM30 - 5o per person

Location: Tanjung Bungah, Penang (opposite Island Plaza)

What an ideal location for a restaurant. Driving past Tanjung Tokong Road, you can see diners enjoying a meal there through its large windows. Seems like a lot of people is eating there, so I thought I would go there myselfWell, coz it is situated in an new building, its kind of creepy getting there. The lift is still board up and dirty. So I would recommend to take the stairs instead.

Anyway, it is on Level 1, so it is OK to take the stairsThe decor is nice especially the tatami seating and a large private room that can seat 6-30 people. It's a large room which can be divided accordingly. Each seating has a BBQ pit which gets filled with hot charcoal if you order a BBQ set. Of coarse, ordering a BBQ dish is a must coz the efforts in preparing the hot charcoal is worth it.

I ordered a red pepper chicken marinade (Maekon Dak Gui - RM27) and pork with soy sauce marinade (Doaezi Yangnyeom Galbi RM35) and a bowl of hot Kim Chi stew with Korean rice (Kim Chi Jjigae RM18). The steam boat set looks nice to but I will reserve that for my next trip there.As with all Korea hospitality, the order comes with an assortment of titbits (10 types) and Korean green tea. I really enjoyed the variety. Be careful to leave some stomach space for you that you ordered.The soy sauce marinaded pork is very good. The chicken is OK and the Kim Chi stew is delicious. A balance of sourness, chilli heat and the aroma of garlic.The BBQ is served with an assortment of salad leave to wrap your BBQ meat together with chilli and garlic and eaten like a poh piah or a small pau. There is an interesting wrap which is the sesame leaf. What a beautiful leave....too beautiful to be eaten. It has a nice and unusual taste and aroma when eaten.The pork and chicken portion is huge. Actually it is large enough for two persons. So the food is value for money and at the same time tastyAfter dinner, you are serve with complimentary fruit and dessert tea which is a sweet flower infused tea.

Overall, my dinner experience is good. The restaurant is run by a Korean family.The atmosphere is very pleaseant. Place is clean. Food is great and good value for money. And all food is beautifully presented. Best of all, no service charge but there is a 5% govt tax. There is also a seperate lunch menu. I will definitely return for another meal. Next time I will get a group of 6 person to seat at the tatami area for a different kind of experience. For reservation, call 04-8997900

Ryoma

My Rating: 3 Stars

Cuisine: Japanese

Location: Tanjung Tokong

RM30-60 per person

The first thing that impressed you is the beautiful decoration. Even the waitress are dressed in Kimonos. You walked towards the entrance with the waterfall feature beside you. Then you will be even more impressed by the service. How often do you get the owner come greet you in traditional Japanese greeting with the head bow and all. We were given a table in a small private room called En. Cozy room for three person. Then the food variety is a lot. Sushi, Sashimi, Syabu Syabu, Ramen, Bento - all got. Although at first glance, the food is very pricey, like RM190 for a Sashimi or Sushi set but I think the cost is a reflection of the freshness of the food. There are however a few value items like the Child Bento set (RM25++) and the Couple's Bento (RM43++). We had those two. Yummy.....The down side is the speed of the food come out but I think this is forgivable considering that the cook is from Japan and probably takes great pride and time in preparing your dishes. The photo shows the child bento set

The Tamarind Brasserie

My Rating: 4 Stars

Cuisine: International

Location: The Grand Plaza Parkroyal Hotel, Penang

RM110 - 130++ per person

Great international themed buffet everday of the week but my favourites is Saturday's seafood galore and Sunday's steamboat lunch. Although it is a little pricey at about 98++ on Saturday, the variety is wide and the food quality is great. I love the free flow lobster thermidor and both fresh and Kilpatrick oysters. Wide selecion of entry, salads, mains, dessert. Yum Yum! I tried the breakfast and lunch buffet too. Great selections and quality food

Food Loft

My Rating: 2 Stars

Cuisine: International

Location: Gurney Plaza, Penang

Approx RM30 per person

Only restaurant on the island that uses a barcode card system to capture your order. The food is standard hawker fare. Be prepare to pay more than RM8++ per food item. The gimmick is the barcode system. other than that is it just an expensive hawker center. Service is OK but the cashier is slow. First need to sort out all those barcode cards before you can start the pay. It boast Korean, Japanese, Cantonese, Hainanise, Vietnamese Local fare, Italian, meat grill but Food is not authentic enufSomewhere I would not go often unless someone pays for my food or I want to show off the barcode gimmick

Tiffins @ The Grand Plaza Parkroyal

My Rating: 5 Stars

Cuisine: International
Location: The Grand Plaza Parkroyal, Penang
RM150-200 per person without wine

I like the food, ambience and service. I give it a 5-star rating for each category but I only give value for money only a 3-star rating coz the prices are slightly high for my standard. Entry starts at RM35++. Be prepare to pay more if you add wine to your order. Wine cost from RM170++But to up the value I ordered the food item which had "extra performance". What I mean the waiter cooks/prepares the food in front of you. And I share the entry and dessert with my wife.

Also i have the Plaza Privilege membership which discounts your food bill. I ordered the Ceaser Salad for entry, Crepe Suzzette for dessert and the duck breast while YC had the seafood bisque.I also like the little extras like pallete washers like sorbets presented in a martini glasses and selection of bread to accompany your entry which defines what a real fine dining is supposed to be.

The down side is the food variety of selection and the annoying wooden flooring section which makes a hell a lot of noise as people walk on it. I would have prefer they carpeted the whole restaurant. Great service from the floor crew. Always at your service but still allow moments of privacy

Chilli's

My Rating: 4 Stars

Cuisine: Tex-mex
Location: G-Hotel, Penang
RM40-50 per person

I like the ambience. I can not really tell the difference between the Chilli's in the States and here except the waiters here are all local. The entry prices are quite high. Be prepared to pay around RM20+ for an entry dish but be warned. Even the entry size protion is huge. So be cautious of how much you can really stuff down your throat before you order My suggestion is to start your order with entry and then order your mains after entry to help you gauge if you have enuf food or not.

I had the cheessy nacho chicken quesada entry with a side ceasar and guava juice. Overall I think my bill alone is around RM40++I gave the value of 4-stars coz it has some items that is bottomless like the crisps and drinks. Pay a little more but I had a few rounds which I think justify the value. By the way, kids below 12 eat FREE when their parents one a main meal from Chilli's. For the kid's free meal consists of a hot dog with fries and bottomless soda drinks

I like the ambience atthe bar. Bright neon lights with the Magarita theme. The down side I think is the size of the table. A bit too narrow for me if I chose to have my entry and mains plus drink on the table. And I also think that there is not much room in the restaurant for big parties. I remembered having the giant onion as a entry dish in the US and I like it very much but I guess they took it off from the local menu. Service is good. The manager comes to each table to ask for and hear any complaints

Dragon-i

My Rating: 4 Stars

Cuisine: Shanghainese Chinese
Location: Queensbay Mall, Penang
RM40-50 per person

This successful new chain of restaurant serving Shanghainese Chinese cuisine is owned by businessman and restauranteur Henry Yip.

I tried their signature dishes which are the the steamed "Xiao Long Bao" dumpling with soup (sweat frm the pork) inside it and the hand pulled Dan Dan "La Mien" Noodles. Pretty expensive. Per dumpling cost like RM2++ . Generally, the food is good. I recommend their hand tossed "La Mien" noodles, especially the Schecuan Noodles. Also try the pork Kau-Yuk (Pork Belly) with salted preserved Boey Chai or cabbage.

For dessert, I recommend their famous Mango Pudding. Can really taste the fresh and meaty mango flesh with a balance of sweetness. Definitely 4 stars for taste of food, service and ambience but it really hurts your wallet. It is expensive and therefore not really good if you are thinking of stretching your bucks. Therefore I give 2-stars for value for money.

The ambience of the restaurant has a nostalgic feel of Chinese Dynasty with life-sizes terra cotta warriors guards placed throughout the restaurant. It has an acquarium kitchen to showcase their bao making techniques and hand pulling of their specially made noodles. Supervised by master chefs from mainland China, this restaurant serves authentic Shanghainese cuisine with some ingredients specially air flown to the restaurants to make the dining experience even more exhilarating.

I think because the outlet is newly opened, their is a consistent crowd for both lunch and dinner, particularly during weekends. Be prepared to wait in queue.

Check out their website

Call +604 6466888 for reservations at Queensbay Mall

Palace D'India

My Rating: 3 Stars

Cuisine: Indian
RM30-40 per person.

Authentic Indian. I tried the buffet which cost us about RM18 per person inclusive free flow lemonade drinks. They served mostly vegetarian food to cut cost I think. They had also Tandoori Chicken served which I think is the best value. The service is OK. I like the ambience but I think it is a little tad too bright because of the large windows. For the deco, it is typical Indian/north Indian style. I specially like the Kamasutra paintings around the restaurant. Located above Maybank QB.

I also been to the Tanjung Bungah branch a couple of times. I like the ambience more. Its cozy with red Indian bricks. The food is OK. Again Tandoori Chicken is still my top favourite. I had other dishes as well like fried fish in curry, Cheese and spinach curry. Parking is convenient at the Tg Bungah branch

Kim Chi

My Rating: 2 Stars

Cuisine: Korean
Location: Hillside, Tanjung Bungah, Penang

Authentic Korean. Owners are Koreans. Built in BBQ. RM30-RM40 per person. Non-Halal. Service/Food/Value 3-starI tried the Kim Chi hot pot. It was good. Had some sticky balls in it which we did not like. I had the Ginseng tea drink which cost RM5 a glass. I think that was not worth the value coz it was kinda diluted. Overall, I did not really the dinning experience. The service is good but lack of great food and atmosphere.