By CK Lam

Da Ban Chinese Restaurant is renowned for serving Szechuan cuisine as well as steamboat. Its location in Jalan Zainal Abidin, stuck between Jalan Macalister and Burma Road, has a huge gold and black signboard on its facade.

A man-made bridge after the main entrance leads us into several dining areas. This fairly large air-conditioned restaurant has its interior decorated with Chinese furniture and bamboo plants.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Bamboo Plants, Burma Road, Chili Padi, Chinese Cabbage, Chinese Furniture, Chinese Herbs, Da Ban, Da Ban Chinese Restaurant, Delicious Dish, Duck Tongue, Fish Broth, Fried Fish, Garlic Sauce, Jalan Macalister, Lotus Root, New Straits Times (Life & Times), Pork Belly, Pork Roll, Red Chili, Red Snapper Fish, Spring Onion, Spring Onions, Szechuan Cuisine, Szechuan Peppercorn, Wolfberries

By CK Lam

Ping Hooi coffee shop is the place where visitors get to enjoy a plethora of noodles and snacks for breakfast and lunch. This old-style coffee shop with several food stalls has its frontage facing the bustling Carnarvon Street and its side facing Malay Street.

Hawker stalls lined up the side of this corner coffee shop while the other side of the wall is lined with wooden cubicles. This coffee shop is one of the places to sample duck drumstick noodle, also known as Arp Tui Mee.

  Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Aromatic Spices, Arp Tui Mee, Battered Fish, Carnarvon Street, Carnavon Street, Char Koay Teow, Chicken Drumstick, Chili Padi, Chili Sauce, Chinese Herbs, Chinese Sausages, Chopped Chives, Coffee Shop, Corner Coffee Shop, Distinctive Fragrance, Duck Drumstick Noodle Soup, Freshly Cut, Fried Meat, Hawker Food, Juicy Meat, Malay Street, New Straits Times (Life & Times), Noodle Soup, Nutritious Soup, Penang Hawker Food, Pickled Ginger, Ping Hooi Coffee Shop, Pork Ribs, Pork Roll, Prawn Fritters, Red Dates, Street Hawker, Three Generations

It’s about Nyonya food in a casual environment for Chinese New Year!

Ivy’s Kitchen is offering two Happy Chinese New Year menus to usher in the Chinese New Year festive season. Priced at either RM488++ and RM688++, the menus come with a wide range of comfort Nyonya dishes, free flow of rice and ‘Tee Kun Yeam’ Chinese tea.

We had the pleasure of enjoying the RM488 menu consisting of nine dishes – kerabu pomelo, fish assam pedas, kari kapitan chicken, prosperity salty duck soup, chicken roll, assam prawns, assorted mushroom in mix vegetable, joo hoo char and soya bean jelly with longan. The kerabu pomelo has pomelo, chili padi, coriander, Chinese chives and plenty of ginger flower. The taste was appetizing with offerings of sour and sweet notes and heat from the cut chilies.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Assam Pedas, Assam Prawns, Assorted Mushroom, Casual Environment, Chicken Meat, Chicken Roll, Chili Padi, Chili Sauce, Chinese Chives, Chinese New Year, Chinese Tea, Duck Meat, Duck Soup, Fish Assam Pedas, Happy Chinese New Year, Herb And Spices, Ivy'S Kitchen, Joo Hoo Char, Kari Kapitan Chicken, Kerabu Pomelo, Kiam Chai Ark Thng, Lettuce Leaf, Moist Chicken, Prosperity Salty Duck Soup, Red Snapper, Soya Bean, Style Dish, Sweet Notes, Tangy Flavor, Thng

* This article was published in the New Straits Times (Northern Streets) on 4th April 2011.

DeHappy Seafood Restaurant is a convenient dining place located right on busy Macalister Road. This restaurant which is just a stone’s throw away from the hawker stalls at New Lane, specializes in seafood.

DeHappy offers an abundance of choices, with Geoduck, Alaska Spider Crab, Lobster, Tiger Grouper, Mantis Prawns, Tiger Prawns, clams and mussels. Diners may select the fresh seafood from the displayed trays and tanks, and DeHappy will prepare them in a wide variety of taste.

A wide range of seafood at DeHappy

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 4th April, Alaska Spider Crab, Beancurd, Black Pepper, Capsicum, Chicken Slices, Chili Padi, Chinese Wine, Crab Meat, DeHappy Seafood Restaurant, Delectable Seafood, Fish Soup, Fragrant Aroma, Fri, Geoduck, Green Vegetables, Grouper Fish, Hawker Stalls, Kangkung, Lobster, Macadamia Nuts, Macalister Road, Mantis Prawns, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Northern Streets), Noodle Dish, Noodle Dishes, Seafood Dinner, Seafood Restaurant, Seaso, Seasonal Vegetable, Seasonal Vegetables, Signature Dishes, Spider Crab, Spring Onions, Steamed Mantis Prawns, Tiger Grouper, Tiger Prawns, White Rice

* 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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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

There are only a couple of places in Penang where you can find tasty handmade Pan Mee (mee hoon kuih). I managed to scour affordable and tasty pan mee at I Mum Mum Restaurant which is located in the midst of the PDC flats in Pengkalan Weld, near the starting point of the Jelutong Expressway.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Anchovy, Bean Paste, Boiling Water, Chili Flakes, Chili Padi, Chili Paste, Ear Fungus, Fried Shallots, Garlic, Gat Lebuh Cecil, Gat Lebuh Macallum, I Mum Mum Restaurant, Jelutong Expressway, Lunchtime, Meat Balls, Noodles, Omelet, Pan Mee, Penang Food, Pengkalan Weld, Pork Chop, Serving Size, Sesame Seeds, Soy Sauce, Spaghetti, Sweet And Sour Sauce, Tasty Pan, Wood Ear

Teik Seng, one of the popular Chu Char stall in Penang has made its way to a new outlet to cater for its increasing number of customers. Opened its door for business on the 8th April 2010, the new outlet is just a few doors away and very close to its previous site in Carnavon street.

*Update 25/04/2010: This restaurant recently has a new signboard, with the name of the restaurant changed to TekSen Restaurant. No worries, it is the same owner and shop!

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 8th April, Asam, Assam Curry Fish, Barbeque Pork, Beancurd, Carnarvon Street, Carnavon, Char Siew Bak, Chewy, Chili Padi, Chili Sauce, Chinese Herbal Tea, Chu Char Stall, Cili Padi, Cold Beverages, Jin Beng Coffee Shop, Kankung Sambal Belacan, Penang, Penang Chu Char, Red Chili, Sambal, Sambal Belacan, Shrimp Paste, Side Windows, Signature Dishes, Signboard, Smoky Flavor, Soy Sauce, Spring Onions, Stingray Fish, Tamarind, Teik Seng, Wide Choice

Imagine yourself sitting on the front of a house built on stilts overlooking the sea; indulging in the wonderful flavors of home cooked Thai Food. A group of us food bloggers had such an experience at Lang Sae Lee, located in the Tan Jetty along Weld Quay recently.

Super-appetizing & lip-smacking kerabu awaited us!

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Array, Authentic Ingredients, Belacan, Chili Dip, Chili Padi, Cold Drinks, Deep Fried Fish, Dish Meal, Fish Cake, Fish Paste, Flavorful Dish, Holy Basil, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Penang Food, Penang Thai Food, Peppery Taste, Red Chili, Rice Dish, Rm4, Soup Noodles, Sweet Soy Sauce, Tan Jetty, Thai Dishes, Tom Yam, Unesco World Heritage, Unesco World Heritage Site, Weld Quay, World Heritage Site

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!

Read the rest of this entry »

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