BY CK Lam

Opened in January last year, The Leaf Healthy House on Penang Street serves vegetarian dishes that have been prepared using organic seasonings and natural ingredients. It has a short menu that includes a la carte dishes and rice sets.

A rice set comes with three main dishes, a soup and rice. The dishes are changed daily. Patrons can choose from a variety of rice, including brown rice, butterfly pea flower rice and mustard seed rice.

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Tags: Bee Hoon, Bike Rentals, Burger Combo, Butterfly Pea, Cantonese Sweet Soup, Chinese Chestnut, Ck Lam, Classic Burger, Fried Tomyam, Healthy Vegetarian Dishes, Homemade Pasta, Kerabu Bihun, Kew Ong Yeah, Mustard Seed, Nasi Lemak, New Straits Times (Life & Times), Nine Emperor Gods, Nine Emperor Gods Festival, Pea Flower, Penang Street, Penang Vegetarian Restaurant, Pine Nut, Pumpkin Rice, Rice Dumpling, Rice Lovers, Rm7, Seed Rice, Sesame Seeds, Side Dishes, Spicy Burger, The Leaf Healthy House, Three Main Dishes, Types Of Beans, Variety Of Rice, Vegetarian Dishes, Vegetarian Meat, Vietnamese Style

BY CK Lam

Secret Alley Cafe is a cozy outdoor cafe located at the ground floor of Bayview Hotel Georgetown Penang. This pork free cafe is gaining popularity from the surrounding office workers, with an interesting menu of nasi campur (economy rice). There are more than 30 dishes of fresh home-style healthy dishes at reasonable prices, with varieties of Chinese, Malay and Indian dishes.

Cost of the meal depends on your choice of dishes. In general, the concept is more akin to an affordable place for economy rice, yet it is housed in a comfortable environment. With its wide variety of ingredients comprising of fish, chicken, seafood and vegetables, the prices of the items are reasonable, staring from RM1 to RM5.

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Tags: Alley Cafe, Ayam Goreng Fried Chicken, Bayview Hotel Georgetown, Bayview Hotel Georgetown Penang, Coffee Tea, Curry Chicken, Economy Rice, Exce, Fresh Juices, Fried Noodles, Healthy Dishes, Indian Dishes, Kari Ayam, Lemon Fish, Nasi Campur, Nasi Lemak, Office Workers, Porridge, Rm1, Sambal Belacan, Savory Soup, Secret Alley Cafe, Side Entrance, Takeout Box, Tempting Dishes

* 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

Just wanted to share with everyone the fun filled weekend I spent at the Region 1 Leos Club “Wok for Love” cooking competition. The event took place in Komtar Walk, being sponsored by Digi and Pacific Departmental Store. This competition was open to Leo Club members aged from twelve to thirty from school based and open based Leo Club members.

A panel of guest judges was invited to judge the competition including yours truly, who also happens to be the guest of honor too. It was truly a privilege to be invited to this event.

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Tags: 8tv, Celebrity Chat, Chefs, Chicken Vegetable, Culinary Skills, Departmental Store, Different Kinds, Digi, Food On The Table, Guest Judges, Guest Of Honor, Judging Competition, Laughter, Leo Club Members, Leo Club of Chung Ling High School, Leo Club of Han Chiang High School, Leo Club of Penang Chinese Girls' High School, Leo Club of Tunku Puan Habsah, Leos "Wok For Love" Cooking Competition, Local Food, Nasi Lemak, Organizing Committee, Pacific Departmental Store, Preparing The Meal, Region 1 Leos Club, Rice Chicken, Smjk Union, Wok Cooking

* This article was also published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 20th March 2010.

Located in Chow Thye Road away from the buzzing Burma Road is a new European style wine bar, aptly named That Little Wine Bar! I came to know of this quaint cozy wine bar when it opens in December 2009.

It was a pleasant surprise when my family was invited by the owner, Chef Tommes and his wife, Louise over for dinner. We were welcomed into the restaurant which expresses a sense of coziness with its decoration and low ambient lighting.

The beautiful exterior of That Little Wine Bar!

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Tags: 20th March, Ambient Lighting, Appetizers, Aromas, Array, Austrian Wine, Avocado, Baguette, Blossoms, Burma Road, Chef Tommes, Chicken Liver, Chicken PâTé, Chillies, Chocolate Cake, Chow, Chow Thye Road, Cozy Wine Bar, Crispy Crust, Crunch, Delicious Food, Dinner Date, European Style, Fine Wines, Finesse, Goe, Grauburgunder, Grauburgunder 2008, Herb Broth, Intense Taste, Last Christmas, Launch, Marinade, Mushroom Quiche, Mushrooms, Nasi Lemak, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Wine, Nutshell, Orange Zest, Parmesan, Pate, Patrons, Penang, Personal Welcome, Pinot Gris, Recom, Rotisserie Chicken, Sesame Seared Tuna, Soups, Subtle Flavor, Tast, That Little Wine Bar, Traditional Chicken, Wife Louise, Wild Mushroom Soup, Wine Bar, Wine Cellar, World Labels

Kim Tavern is a newly opened cafe in the vicinity of Sunway Carnival Mall, Butterworth which serves meals and light snack throughout the day. A small group of Penang Food Bloggers with Taufuloh from Kuala Lumpur paid a visit to the place recently. It’s the first visit for all of us as it has opened its door less than two weeks ago. This cafe with casual settings is the second branch for proprietor Andy with the first one in Megamall. The upcoming branch in Kulim Industrial Park is expected to be open in this month.

After settling down comfortably in the cafe with orange, black and white color scheme Andy introduces to us the many varieties of food in the menu.

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Tags: Anchovies, Array, Asian Style, Cafe, Casual Settings, Chicken Dish, Chicken Meat, Chicken Rice, Chili Paste, Coconut Milk, Cold Drinks, Curry Chicken, D29, D32, D44, Fresh Fruit Juice, Fruit Smoothies, Hard Boiled Egg, Kim Tavern, Kulim Industrial Park, Lemon Ice, Light Snack, Megamall, Nasi Lemak, Nearby Vicinity, Onion Slices, Penang Bloggers, Penang Food, Plain Rice, Refreshing Beverages, Rm3, Rm5, Rm6, Rm8, Roast Chicken, Roasted Peanuts, Sambal, Smoothies, Spring Onions, Sunway Carnival, Sunway Carnival Mall, Wheatgrass, White Rice

If you are looking for varieties of Nasi Lemak, Nyonya cuisines and home cooked food, you might want to drop by Ivy’s Kitchen located on Chow Thye Road, Penang.  This pork free restaurant with very basic deco is just beside Isaribi Japanese Restaurant and Jemputree.

A group of Penang Food Bloggers gathered there recently for a food tasting session.

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Tags: 1914, 6pm, Amp, Array, Assam Laksa, Beef Rendang, Business Hours 9am, Chow, Coconut Milk, Colorful Fruit, Combo Meals, Creamy Richness, Criz, Curry Rendang, Deep Fried Chicken, Dory Fish, Fish Curry, Fish Fillet, Flavorful Taste, Fragrant Coconut Rice, Fresh Fruit Juice, Fresh Juice, Fried Chicken Wing, Fruit Juices, Gps, Gps Coordinates, Gravy, Groundnuts, Grouper Fish, Hard Boiled Egg, Hardboiled Egg, Home Cooked Food, Husband And Wife, Ikan Bilis, Jelly Dessert, Juices, Kaffir, Kaffir Leaves, Lemak, Lily Bud, Lobak, Longan, Lorbak, Many Thanks, Minangkabau, Nasi Lemak, Penang Food, Pineapple Juice, Poh Piah, Prawn, Prawn Curry, Red Bean Soup, Rice Porridge, Rm3, Rm7, Rm8, Road Houses, Sago, Sambal, Sardine Fish, Side Dish, Side Dishes, Spicy Beef, Spicy Dish, Spicy Dishes, Spring Roll, Tasty Combo, Tender Pieces, Tong, Watermelon Juice, White Fungus, White Rice, Wife Team

New World Park located in the heart of Georgetown has been billed as a everything-under-one-roof project. It currently houses a number of restaurants, a couple of franchise eateries, a performance pavilion, boutiques and last but not least, the Hawker Center! Food crawling is a good idea as there are plenty of dining options and you can move from one outlet to the other sampling the food Penang has to offer. With the Chinese New Year around the corner, this entertainment outlet, decorated in red has a number of exciting events all lined-up.

The events to usher in the Year of the Ox :

1) Lion Dance – 17th, 31st January & 3rd February (2pm, 8.30pm & 2pm)
2) China Acrobatic Troupe Show – 23rd, 24th, 29th January & 6th February (9pm)
3) Traditional Chinese Orchestra Performances – 21st & 23rd January (8.30pm)

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Tags: Acrobatic Troupe, Arcades, Array, Buffet Style, Burma Road, Burmah Road, Chinese Dishes, Chinese New Year, Chinese Orchestra, Claypot, Cup Of Coffee, Cusine, Cyber Cafe, Cyber Shopping, Dim Sum, Diners, Dry Meat, Entertainment Outlet, Favourite Place, First Food, Food Court, Food Drop, Food Outlet, Franchise Eateries, Free Flow, Fried Pork, Good Cup Of Coffee, Gordon Bleu, Hangout Place, Hawker Center, Hawker Food, Hawkers, Hygenic, Ice Cream, Ice Kacang, Kueh, Kut, Lion Dance, Memory Lane, Nasi Lemak, Nasi Ulam, New World Park, Nwp, Oomph, Orchestra Performances, Oriental Cuisines, Outing Place, Pearl Of The Orient, Penang, Penang Food, Performance Pavilion, Pork Liver, Restaurants, Reunion Dinner, Road Houses, Rou Gu Cha, Sandwiches, Set Lunch, Shopping, Snacks, Spacious Area, Spices And Herbs, Street Food, Swatow, Teriyaki Chicken, Tokong, Tourist Attraction, Wembley Park, White Coffee, Year Of The Ox, Yyy

Fried oyster is only RM 5.00 with fresh oyster

This curry mee is RM 3.70 (extra chicken) – very flavorful

Fried “tai loke meen” at RM 3.50, still not as good as those sold in KL

Tags: Car Wash, Cheong Fun, Chicken Fried, Chicken Porridge, Claypot Rice, Coat Of Paint, Coffeeshop, Extra Chicken, Food Drop, Fresh Oyster, Fried Oyster, Itam, Keat, Lemak, Loh, Loke, Meen, Nasi Lemak, New Coat Of Paint, Open Space, Penang Hawker Food, Tong