BY CK Lam

There is a rare place serving piping hot bowls of Cantonese style dessert or tong-sui in Penang. The desserts not only satisfy your sweet cravings, its charming surroundings will also amaze you.

This nameless stall is located right in the heart of George Town. The business which started many years ago is now run by the second generation owner from the yard of his house on Victoria Street.

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Tags: Cantonese Style, Cantonese Style Dessert, Cantonese style tong-sui, Charcoal Fire, Charming Surroundings, Chicken Porridge, Coconut Milk, Cooking Stoves, Creamy Texture, Entrance C, Front Yard, Generation Owner, George Town, Google, Google Map, Green Mung Bean, Makansutra, Monda, Mung Beans, Old Ginger, Orange Peel, Palm Sugar, Pandan, Pandan Leaves, Penang, Penang Dessert, Plastic Chairs, Rare Place, Red Bean Soup, Right In The Heart, Sago, Savory Dish, Savory Dishes, Slow Fire, Street Entrance, Sweet Cravings, Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato with Ginger, Sweet Tooth, Tong-sui, Victoria Street, Wood Fire, Wooden Chairs, Wooden Tables

BY CK Lam

September 23, 2012 marked the soft opening of Tao Authentic Asian Cuisine in Penang Times Square. This is the third outlet to serve customers in Penang besides its popular outlets in E-gate and Auto City.

A press conference was held on the day of its opening with a short speech from Mr Alex Oung, sharing the insight of the restaurant which specializes in all-u-can-eat buffet, with Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Taiwan and Thai cuisine.

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Tags: Asian Cuisine, Auto City, Buffet Style, Charcoal Fire, Chinese Taiwan, Chuka, Ck Lam, Cold Beverage, Cold Beverages, Cream Puff, Daikon, Dashi Soup, Dessert Station, E-gate, Fish Cakes, Fresh Oyster, Jalan Dato Keramat, Japanese Cuisine, Keramat, Korean Food, Lotus Root, Meat Balls, Meat Lovers, Mini Fruit Tarts, Mr Alex, Nabemono, New Straits Times (Life & Times), Penang Times Square, Pork-free Restaurant, Salmon Dish, Salmon Salad, Sunway Giza, Sushi Bar, Taiwanese Cuisine, Tao Authentic Asian Cuisine, Thai Cuisine

By CK Lam

Khunthai Authentic Thai Restaurant is a place in Penang that locals and foreigners alike flock to for tasty Thai cuisine. Having made a name for itself in Raja Uda Butterworth, it recently opened another outlet at Teluk Kumbar on Penang Island.

This restaurant offers Thai delicacies specialising on seafood dishes. We started with the kerabu mango, which has plenty of vegetables, mango strips, cashew nuts and anchovies. The sour, spicy and sweet dish is a great starter as it whetted everyone’s appetite.

‘Kerabu’ mango RM9

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Tags: Abundant Seafood, Appetising, Authentic Thai Restaurant, Belacan Fried Rice, Chap Oong Ommelet, Charcoal Fire, Chicken Pieces, Cili Padi, Deep Fried Fish, Deep Fried Tofu, Gaeang Som Deep-Fried Fish, Khunthai Authentic Thai Restaurant, Khunthai Superstar, Lemon Juice, New Straits Times (Life & Times), Pandan Leaves, Pasir Belanda, Penang Island, Penang Restaurant, Poultry Dishes, Rsquo, Seafood Dishes, Sotong, Spicy Sauce, Sweet Dish, Teluk Kumbar, Thai Cuisine, Thai Steam Fish, Thai Style

* This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 15th June 2011.

Chulia Street in Penang is not only known for its many budget hotels but also for inexpensive meals. It’s a popular dining destination with locals and tourists alike. At night, a section of the road is lined with stalls selling a good mix of street food. Do not make your choice immediately. Take your time and have a closer look at what’s on offer.

Worthy of mention are curry mee and wantan noodles. Springy wantan noodles are served with slices of char xiu (barbecued pork) and wantan (dumplings). For the curry mee, medium-sized fish ball is added to the standard ingredients of coconut milk, cockles, blood jelly, cuttlefish and tau pok (fried tofu). The slightly sweet coconut milk is flavoured with a blend of aromatic spices. Expect a queue as the curry mee is popular.

Chulia Street curry mee

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Tags: Aromatic Spices, Barbecue Pork, Barbecued Pork, Charcoal Fire, Chulia Street, Chulia Street Curry Mee, Chulia Street Hawker Food, Chulia Street Penang, Coconut Milk, Creamy Sauce, Curry Mee, Deep-Fried Snacks, Fish Ball, Fish Balls, Fried Noodles, Fried Snacks, Fried Tofu, Generous Portion, Hainanese Satay, Hawker Food, Inexpensive Meals, Meat Rolls, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Red Bean Paste, Sized Fish, Sour Plum, Street Hawker, Sweet Coconut, Wantan Mee

* This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 24th May 2011.

If you’re at Chowrasta Market in George Town, Penang, stop by Tamil Street, located on one side of the market building. This street is worth exploring for its variety of street food. Look out for a stall selling Ais Tingkap (translated as window sherbet). This classic chilled drink is named such because it used to be sold through an open window.

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Tags: Ais Tingkap, Anggur, Bakso, Bakso Nasi, Basil Seed, Charcoal Fire, Chopped Peanuts, Chowrasta Market, Coconut Flesh, Cucur Udang, Curry Itik, Fragrant Herbs, Fried Tofu, Ground Peanut, Gum Resin, Hand Held Fan, Hawker Food, Itik, Lime Juice, Lontong, Mutton Satay, Nasi Pandang, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Olibanum Gum Resin, Palm Sugar, Pecel, Penang Hawker Food, Pesto Bandeng, Rawon, Samosa, Satay, Selasih, Spicy Sauce, Street Food, Tamil Street, Tingkap, Tiny Shrimp, Vadai, Window Sherbet, Wooden Mortar

* This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 18th February 2011.

Teluk Tempoyak is a quaint fishing village, at the southeastern tip of the Penang. Positioned slightly south of Batu Maung, this Malay village has remained a secluded and unpolluted. It has a stretch of beach that seems to run endlessly. The makeshift and uneven wooden jetties that extend from the shore into the sea, adding charm to this village.

Many Penangites are heading to Kampung Teluk Tempoyak in search of fresh and cheap seafood. Quality and freshness of the seafood here is at the upmost as they serve the catch that comes in every evening. One of the biggest attractions is grilled fish, or more affectionately known as ikan bakar.

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Tags: Batu Maung, Bayan Lepas, Charcoal Fire, Charcoal Fires, Chili Padi, Chili Paste, Coconut Milk, Creamy Coconut, Fishing Village, Fragrant Rice, Grilled Delights, Grilled Fish, Grilled Seafood, Homemade Chili, Ikan Bakar, Ikan Bilis, Kampong Telok, Kampong Teluk Tempoyak, Malay Food, Malay Village, Nasi Lemak, New Straits Times (Life & Times), Penang Island, Seafood Cuisine, Seafood Meal, Seafood Quality, Southeast Tip, Southeastern Tip, Teluk Tempoyak, Upmost, Wooden Jetties

Dining with a twist would be more appropriate! Imagine holding a piping hot bowl of Hokkien Mee with your bare hands, while eating the steaming hot noodles! It is indeed an interesting experience, all taking place with the bustling traffic of the busy intersection of Jalan Air Itam and Jalan Kampung Melayu just mere steps away!

Air Itam’s famous Hokkien Mee

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Tags: Air Itam, Basic Ingredients, Business Hour, Charcoal, Charcoal Fire, Chili Paste, Flavorful Soup, Hand Towel, Hawker, Hawker Stall, Heat Proof, Hokkien, Hokkien Mee, Hot Chili, Hot Pot, Hot Soup, Kampung, Lean Meat, Mee, Neoh, Noodles, Penang, Penang Food, Penang Hawker Food, Piping, Shallots, Thirty Years

I’ve learned several interesting foodie facts about Singapore during my recent trip there, and I’ve found out that Fried Hokkien Mee is the popular hit with many Singaporeans. I had the chance to try out two stalls selling this popular hawker food and the one that stands out for me is the Geylang Lor 29 Fried Hokkien Mee.

Singapore’s Fried Hokkien Mee… simply unique and delicious!

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Tags: Banana Plant, Business Hour, Charcoal Fire, Chives, Different Style, East Coast Road, Facts About Singapore, Flavors, Food Outlets, Fried Hokkien Mee, Fried Noodle, Geylang, Geylang Lor 29, Hot Fire, Leslie Tay, Lime Juice, Mr Alex, Mr Alex See, Opeh Leaf, Oyster Omelette, Penang, Pinang Leaf, Popular Hawker Food, Pork Lard, Prawns, Red Chili, Road Singapore, Sambal, Shophouse, Singapore Dish, Singapore Hawker Food, Singaporeans, Staple Food, Thick Gravy

I was invited by Ken for dinner together with his friends from Tour2U at Restoran City Star in Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya during my Kuala Lumpur trip. This double shop lot restaurant owned by Mr CM Wong has a nice and clean environment with one section of the restaurant air-conditioned.

Our meal consists of several recommended dishes by the owner. The first was the Charboiled Pure White Assam Fish. The fresh Fei Chow Yue at RM35 per kg was cooked in a slightly sourish and spicy soup which was kept warm under the charcoal fire.

Great appetizing fish to kick start our dinner!

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Tags: Array, Charcoal Fire, Chili Padi, Chinese Cuisines, Chinese Restaurant, Creamy Sauce, Fried Hor Fun, Hor Fun, Kuala Lumpur Trip, Lotus Petal, Lotus Roots, Macadamia Nuts, Mantis Prawn, Mayang, Pumpkin Taste, Recommended Dishes, Restoran City Star, Rm 50, Rm4, Salted Egg, Smooth Texture, Spare Ribs, Spicy Soup, Spring Onions, Tour2U