1st Year Birthday Bash with Mad Sally

Head down to Weissbrau, Straits Quay, Penang next weekend on the 25th & 26th November 2011 for the Bistro and Bar's 1st year anniversary bash....and what a bash it will be. Along with the who's who, you will be partying the night away with one of Malaysia's premier resident band from KL......Mad Sally, specially brought in to make what will be a great anniversary party.......truly awesome!

If you are not familiar with the KL party scene, Mad Sally has made an impressive debut recently as one of the top local Malaysian band to perform in some of the top Bistros & Bars in the capital city including Weissbrau in KL Pavilion. As a matter of fact, Mad Sally is as local as anyone could have guessed. they (the group members) as a bunch of "Mat Sallehs" who have made Malaysia their scene. They are Charlie Matrix (lead vocalist), Sam Flynn (Bass), Dick Bradley (Keyboard), Dangerous Darman (Guitar) and Malek Village (Drums). When you hear them sing, I am sure you will be pokered faced and leaving you wanting to get the party started.

Mad Sally is in the midst of recording their debut album of their own original materials but until then, you can sample their hi-energy cover renditions of great tunes by great bands and pop singers from the 1960s till present hits at Weissbrau, Straits Quay, Penang next weekend. You won't be disappointed.

To celebrate the 1st anniversary, Weissbrau will be serving free snack buffet and offering beer promotion of 1-litre of Calsberg and imported draught beer at only RM45++ and RM60++ respectively. Weissbrau customers are even allowed to keep the limited edition 1-litre beer glass (while stock last). And best of all, Weissbrau will be offering prizes for lucky customers but you have go there to find out what the lucky prizes will be.

So make a date to be at Weissbrau, Straits Quay on the 25th & 26th November 2011. Make it a dinner date, get the best seat in the house (err...Bistro or Bar) and continue to party away the night young with Mad Sally and make it your very own Novemberfest!

Invited Review: De Tittle Dining Cabin

My Ratings: 3 Stars
Cuisine: International

Location: 97, Lorong Selamat, Georgetown ,Penang
Pork Free
RM18 - 25 per person
Contact: +604-2297961, email: detittle@hotmail.co.uk

GPS: N05 25.033 E100 19.511

Once a while, comes a restaurant that is conceptualized and built from a partnership and this is true in the case of the De Tittle Dining Cabin. However, this partnership is from a life long friendship who had the same schooling, dreams, hobbies and interest.

De Tittle Dining Cabin is owned and operated by life long friends, Ean Lau and Janice Ooi who practically did things together literally, loves to travel around the world and enjoys cooking. As soon as you walked inside the restaurant, you can see the personal and in a sense touches Ean and Janice had put into their restaurant. They painted their restaurant themselves with with the help of friends and the decor reflects their personality, young, contemporary and chic.

Their inspiration comes from the love of travel and they wanted to bring back a small part of the country they visited and what better way is through food. De Tittle serves an international cuisine from Japanese, Italian, Swiss, oriental and western flavours. their menu alternates every two weeks. It is a family orientated restaurant with good kids menu and discounts for senior citizens above 60 years.

The specialties are their deep fried chicken or fish with an assortment of home-made sauces for under RM15. Add RM1.50 and you will get to enjoy addition of desserts, soup, dinner rolls and free flow ice-cream. If you have kids under 3 or parents over 60 years, They don't have to pay the extra RM1.50. Other favourites are their Cheese Fondue, Grilled steak and lamb and their special dessert called the Miracles of Devils and Angels which is a chocolate cake with molten chocolate lava center served with vanilla ice-cream. Simply irresistible! For full menu descriptions and pricing, go to http://www.cariso.net/2011/06/de-title-dining-cabin-invited-review/

The restaurant is a good alternative to the hustle and bustle of coffee shops, the heat, and angry hawkers nearby. Extensive menu choice. Good value for money. Parking is limited, so you have to walk a little. The restaurant offers causal dining with a private room/space upstairs for private parties or larger gatherings.

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Spasso Milano

My Ratings: 5 Stars
Cuisine: Italian

Location: 3C-G-2, Block C, Ground Floor, Straits Quay, Penang
Pork Free
Contact: +604-8912888

Penangites! Be prepared to experience an Italian gastronomic sensation of a lifetime.... Spasso Milano, Penang's newest contemporary Italian restaurant opened its doors a couple of weeks ago at the prestigious Straits Quay (adjacent to Weissbrau). I was left speechless and honoured when I was invited by Spasso Milano to review its spanking new restaurant, extensive menu and had some personal time with its main star attraction, Chef Felice Martinelli who is a native Italian from Milan who had left me a lasting impression of his impeccable dedication and talent to true Italian traditional cuisine.

Only after speaking to Chef Felice and experiencing the food, I really appreciates what Spasso Milano is offering to food lovers in Penang - true authentic Italian cuisine made with the freshest and quality ingredients. I have since raised my understanding and appreciation of what traditional Italian cuisine is. Previously, all I know about Italian food is pizza and pasta but now I know that there is more to Italian cuisines beyond the common stereotypes.

Spasso Milano spares no expense in selecting the best ingredients in its dishes, even if it means importing them from Italy. For example, the mushroom soup is the best I ever had. Made from Porcini mushrooms and drizzled with white truffle oil which gave the soup a distinct aroma. Another dish I tried was the mushroom and truffle risotto and is one of our favourite picks as the risotto is less creamy & rich, leaving us to experience the real sweetness of the mushroom risotto and stock.

We also had pasta but Spasso pasta is a cut better than other pastas in other restaurant. Cooked al-dente as it should be and with pasta made from top quality Durum wheat which simply make the dish a very healthy choice and more delicious as the texture is able to hold more sauces. Spasso imported many other types of pasta that is not available in local market. That's what I call a top class restaurant.

We ordered the "Trutti Di Mare" pizza with assorted seafood. The pizza is baked in a natural wood fired oven. Domed in shape with a terracotta base, the wood fire reaches the temperature up to 400c degree evenly which only takes a few minutes for the pizza to cook. Wood fired pizza taste much better than any other conventional oven and the wood fire oven is the main showcase of the restaurant.

For antipasti, we had the home-smoked duck breast with avocados, pan-fried goose liver on a bed of rocket salad and drizzled with a balsamic reduction and the tuna tartar. My favourite is the duck breast and goose liver, simply delicious and tender.

For mains, we tried the lamb shank with polenta, grilled (medium rare) Wagyu rib eye, one served with crusted herbs and the other with gravy. My points goes to the Wagyu rib eye.

For desserts, we had Tiramisu, Chocolate Lava Cake and Panna Cotta which is fresh cream pudding with mixed fresh berry coulis. We also tried their chili jam which fills your palate with a pleasant spiciness. The fresh cream pudding is silky smooth but without doubt the Tiramisu is our favourite with its irresistibly creamy and biscuit fillings with a hint of liqueur. But to our pleasant surprise, no alcohol is used. The aroma comes from the Espresso coffee.

I recommend Spasso Milan for authentic Italian food. The establishment offers alfresco dining overlooking the marina and also offers a private dining area fronting the wine cellar and wood fire oven for those who requires a more discreet dining experience. At the time of the review, the restaurant is only serving dinner and by reservations only. I would definitely be returning to try the panini, garden fresh salads and their special white pizza (without tomato base) which we did not manage to order and also to create the chance to meet Chef Felice (again) who has more than 15 years of international experience. Do call Spasso Milano for reservation as the place was very popular. Spasso Milano also retails the best of Italy's olive oils, tea, pasta and balsamic vinegar. More dishes and wine will be added to the menu. You won't be disappointed!

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