BY CK Lam

Premiering on May 7, 2012, 10.30pm every Monday on TLC (Astro Channel 707), The Food Surprise sees food guru KF Seetoh armed with a camera crew goes into an eatery without permission, chows down and pays for the food.

His journey in this 13-part series with Makansutra, takes him to hawker stalls, restaurants and street food carts in several locations in Malaysia – from Penang, through Ipoh, her capital Kuala Lumpur, a tiny seaside town Sekinchan, Johor Baru and Singapore.

The Food Surprise shows the moments when he gets thrown out, wakes up a restaurant manager from her late noon siesta, and gets in line, like everyone else, for a 20 minute wait for his food.

I had the opportunity to be his dining guide during the filming in Penang. It was a great time, seeing the happenings behind-the-scene.

The Food Surprise will also makes its debut on TLC (Starhub Channel 427) every Monday in Singapore at 10.30pm.

* Many thanks to Makansutra for laying on this invitation.

Tags: Astro, Astro Channel 707, Camera Crew, Capital Kuala Lumpur, Chows, Ck Lam, Debut, Dining Guide, Food Carts, Food Guru, Great Time, Hawker Stalls, Invitation, Johor Baru, Journey, KF Seetoh, Lam, Makansutra, Many Thanks, Nbsp, Opportunity, Penang, Penang Food, Penang Hawker Food Stalls, Penang Restaurant, Penang Street Food Carts, Restaurants, Seaside Town, Siesta, Singapore, Singapore Food, Starhub, Starhub Channel 427, States Of Malaysia, Street Food, Surprise, The Food Surprise, Tlc, Tlc Channel

* This article was published in the New Straits Times (Northern Streets) on 3rd May 2011.

One will find numerous hawker stalls serving a wide array of local delights at Gurney Drive Hawker Center in Penang. Nasi lemak lovers should try the all-time favourite at Nasi Lemak Cili Bilis. The stall specialises in nasi lemak kukus (steamed rice in coconut milk). (The owner, Hashim Haji Ismail who is the champion in the Battle of Penang Hawker Masters 2012’s nasi lemak category has switched to using palm milk  instead of coconut milk).

The rice, cooked with ginger, coconut milk and pandan leaves that give it an amazing aroma, is steamed on the spot on large metal trays in a giant steamer.

Rice and egg steamed in the premises itself

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Tags: Anchovies, Anjung Gurney, Ayam Goreng, Battle of Penang Hawker Masters 2012 Nasi Lemak Champion, Coconut Milk, Coconut Rice, Crunchy Peanuts, Cucumber Slices, Deep Fried Chicken, Fragrant Coconut Rice, Fried Egg, Glutinous Rice, Gurney Drive Hawker Center, Haji Ismail, Hard Boiled Egg, Hashim Haji Ismail, Hawker Center, Hawker Centre, Hawker Fare, Hawker Food, Hawker Stalls, Idyllic Place, Ikan Bilis, Local Delights, Metal Trays, Nasi Lemak Cili Bilis, Nasi Lemak Cilibilis, Nasi Lemak Kukus, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Northern Streets), Pandan Leaves, Pulut Durian, Rm2, Santan Pulut, Sticky Rice, Sunrise Mc Donald, Tasty Meal

* 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

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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 (Northern Streets) on 2nd February 2011.

It’s been sometime since I last visited Kompleks Makanan Persiaran Gurney (KMPG). It is located along the Gurney Drive seafront promenade. It is small by any standard, and is occupied by a few Mamak hawker stalls. However, despite its size, this place has built a reputation for offering delicious mee goreng and pasembor, known also as the Indian rojak.

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Tags: Bean Curd, Bean Sprouts, Boiled Potatoes, Chili Sauce, Chopped Spring Onions, Coconut Drink, Court Houses, Crispy Bits, Cucur Udang, Edgecumbe Road Mee Goreng, Edgecumbe Road Pasembor, Flavors, Fried Prawn, Gurney Drive, Hard Boiled Egg, Hard Boiled Eggs, Hawker Stalls, Indian Rojak, Kmpg, Kompleks Makanan Persiaran Gurney, Lime Juice, Mamak, Mee Goreng, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Northern Streets), Palm Sugar, Pasembor, Popul, Prawn Fritters, Shallot, Spicy Chili, Sweet Peanut Sauce, Thick Sauce

The celebration of the holy Ramadan festival brings along a unique experience that can be enjoy by all Malaysian, the food bazaar. During this festive season one can get to sample a variety of authentic and delicious Malay cuisine which is freshly prepare for the Muslim to break their fast.

One popular food bazaar in Penang is at Jalan Makloom, parallel road to Jalan Sungai Pinang. The place is jam packed with 50 over hawker stalls and stretches all the way to Jalan Perak.

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Tags: Ban Chang, Barbecued Chicken, Chicken Rice, Chopped Tomatoes, Cross Culture, Delicious Aroma, Flat Pan, Food Bazaar, Food Haven, Hawker Stalls, Hawkers, Holy Ramadan, Jalan Musantara, Jalan Perak, Laksa, Malay Cuisine, Malay Kuih, Mediterranean Cuisine, Murtabak, Palm Sugar, Parallel Road, Pasar Malam, Penang, Pita, Popiah, Ramadan Food Bazaar, Sungai Pinang, Tomato Sauce, Udang

Chinese dumplings widely known in many countries as jiaozi, guoti and gyoza are also found in many restaurants and hawker stalls around Penang. One of the places that we do visit for the small bites is Pleasure Odyssey, a hawker stall in Northern Beach Cafe which is located in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah. This stall focuses on homemade pan-fried dumplings, with little parcels of minced meat and diced vegetable.

We had different plates of dumplings. These meat pies stuffed with meat and vegetables were flavorsome. Fried in oil with a crispy skin, they were delicious eaten with the spicy ginger chili sauce, a concoction mixed just right, not overpowering. A plate of four pieces of piping hot meat pies cost RM5.

Piping hot meat pie, simply delicious!

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Tags: Chili Sauce, Chinese Dumplings, Crescent Moon, Flavorful Sauce, Fried Dumplings, Generous Portion, Guoti, Gyoza, Hawker Food, Hawker Stall, Hawker Stalls, Hot Meat, Jalan Sultan, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Jiaozi, Lotus Root, Meat Pie, Meat Pies, Moist Skin, Northern Beach Cafe, Penang Hawker Food, Pig Ear, Pleasure Odyssey, Side Dishes, Soybean Paste, Spicy Ginger, Sultan Ahmad Shah

We were in Air Itam area on a lazy Sunday afternoon and since we were nearby Kafe Pantai Timur, we decided to stop over there for lunch. Located in the residential area of Paya Terubong, this coffee shop is home to many hawker stalls which mostly operate in the night. Among the sea of stalls includes the Pei Pa Duck stall.

It was relatively quiet, with only one stall selling Yong Tau Foo – an assortment of ‘ yeong liu’ which has fish paste stuffed in a variety of vegetables.

Crispy-crunchy right from the wok!

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Tags: Air Itam, Bitter Gourd, Black Vinegar, Brinjals, Chili Sauce, Chilies, Coffee Shop, Corner Coffee Shop, Dumplings, Endless Variety, Fish Balls, Fish Paste, Fishcakes, Generous Portion, Gourds, Hawker Stalls, Kafe, Kah, Kow, Lady Fingers, Lazy Sunday Afternoon, Pantai Timur, Paya, Personal Preference, Pok, Prawns, Spot Fish, Stuffings, Sweet Bean Sauce, Yong Tau Foo

Gurney Drive is the food heaven for food lovers. It houses many seafood restaurants, cafes, fine dining restaurants and hawker stalls with some opening for business in the day and also in the night. One of the famous shops along the strip which was established decades ago is Song River Cafe, home to some of the tasty cuisines Penang has to offer!

With a group of visiting friends from Singapore, we dropped in Song River for the famous and unique Bah Kut Teh. Regular customers will know that this restaurant is managed by the same owner of Home Style Restaurant in Tanjung Bungah.

Chinese Tea for starters, anybody?

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Tags: Array, Bah Kut Teh, Bak Kut Teh, Bbq Chicken Wings, Bkt, Botanical Garden, Breakfast, Chicken Wings, Chinese Tea, Chives, Claypot, Coffee Shop, Dim Sum, Dishes, Fine Dining Restaurants, Fish One, Food Heaven, Food Lover, Food Lovers, Fried Prawn Noodles, Fried Seafood, Grill Chicken, Grill Fish, Gurney Drive, Hawker Center, Hawker Stalls, Home Style, Houses, Kuk, Kut, Lunch, Lunch Hour, Main Ingredient, Morning Exercise, Nice Restaurants, Noodles, Noon Song, Otak Otak, Oyster, Oysters, Penang, Penang Hawker Food, Pubic Cafe, Restaurants Cafes, Roasted Chicken, Seafood Restaurants, Side Dishes, Signature Dishes, Smoothness, Song River, Spring Onions, Style Restaurant, Wings Grill

Chicken rice can be found in most hawker stalls and food courts in Penang as the chicken rice is a popular and favorite food for many of us. There is one exceptional stall that sells Hainan Chicken Rice – Thai style located in a corner coffee shop along Penang Road. It is directly opposite KOMTAR Tower and a few shops away from Kek Seng which is famous for its durian ice cream and ice kacang.

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Tags: Aroma, Array, Assam Laksa, Bus To Penang, Chicken Dish, Chicken Meat, Chicken Rice, Chicken Soup, Chili Sauce, Chilies, Chinese Chicken, Chinese Wine, Chopped Ginger, Chopped Spring Onions, Coffee Shop, Coriander, Corner Coffee Shop, Dipping Sauce, Drizzle, Fish Sauce, Flat Rice Noodles, Food Courts, Garlic, Garlic Sauce, Ginger Garlic, Hainan Chicken Rice, Hawker Stalls, Herbs And Spices, Hong Thai, Kek, Komtar, Lor, Outsiders, Penang Food, Penang Road, Pots, Public Bus, Red Chili, Roast Meat, Roasted Meat, Sauce Mixture, Sausage, Side Dish, Siu, Soy Sauce, Spicy Sauce, Style Chicken, Thai Chicken, Thai Style, Thai Version