By CK Lam

Let’s go enjoy Penang and Thai-style tapas, also known as Pinang Thaipas, at the alfresco poolside Pinang Restaurant and Bar in Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa. With a spectacular view of the sea, this place is the perfect spot to indulge in appetisers and finger food coupled with a glass of wine, cold beer or fresh juices.

Executive chef Kam Kok Wai offers customers authentic tapas with wonderful flavours and impressive presentations. The menu boasts a mix of nine local and Thai favourites.

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Tags: Amp Spa, Appetisers, Authentic Tapas, Cashew Nuts, Chef Kam Kok Wai, Chicken Pie, Chicken Pie Tee, Chili Sauce, Delicious Salad, Fish Broth, Fish Cakes, Fresh Juices, Fried Prawn, Herbs And Spices, Impressive Presentations, Julienned Vegetables, King Prawn, Miang, Miang Kham, Mint Jelly, Mint Leaf, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Northern Streets), Nyonya Cuisine, Penang Laksa, Pinang Restaurant and Bar, Pinang Thaipas, Rasa Sayang Resort, Red Chili, Rice Noodle, Somtam, Sour Fish, Spring Rolls, Tangy Lime, Taste Buds, Thai Fish, Tod Man Pla, Tom Yam Goong

 * This outlet has since closed down in 2012.

If you are looking for simple, wholesome meals in Pulau Tikus, a good choice would be The Cape. The restaurant which was once located in Gurney Plaza has since shifted to a two storey shoplot, at the junction of Burma Road and Cantonment Road.

The menu offers healthy dishes cooked with chicken, fish, and pork. For starters, we had the aromatic garlic meat dumpling and the Mansion ham rolls (RM6.90). The pan-fried dumpling was good dipped in the soy sauce vinegar mixture with ginger strips. The Mansion ham rolls had the ham wrapped up in a meat parcel. One serving comes with four large pieces and a dipping sauce.

Mansion ham rolls

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Tags: Afternoon Snacks, Barbeque Sauce, Burma Road, Calamari Rings, Cantonment Road, Chinese Cabbage, Chinese Wine, French Beans, Golden Screen Cinema, Gurney Plaza, Gurney Plaza Penang, Healthy Dishes, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Northern Streets), Pork Rib Soup, Pork Ribs, Pulau Tikus, Reddish Tint, Rice Dishes, Spice Mixture, The Cape, Thick Sauce, Tiny Fish, Traffic Light Junction, Vegetable Dishes, Vinegar Mixture, White Bait, Wholesome Meals

* This article was published in the New Straits Times (Northern Streets) on 9th May 2011.

Penang is dotted with many restaurants, with some hidden unnoticed even though we often pass by it. One such place is Chin Bee Tea Restaurant. Located on Noordin Street, or commonly known as ‘Ji Tiau Lor’ among the Hokkiens here, this tea house is unique in its own way. This place is not all only about serving Chinese tea, but also serves appealing Chinese dishes.

One of their best dishes offered here is the Hainan Kampung Chicken. Dosed in the chef’s concoction of light soy sauce and oil, the chicken is tender and juicy. The condiment of fresh and fragrant chilli sauce blend with garlic and ginger is a must-have. I highly enjoyed the chicken with its natural sweetness flavor.

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Tags: Chilli Sauce, Chin Bee Tea Restaurant, Chinese Dishes, Chinese Tea, Classic Steam, Egg Yolk, Fish Sauce, Freshwater Fish, Fried Tofu, Garlic Oil, Hainan Kampung Chicken, Hearty Dish, Hot Wok, Light Soy Sauce, Light Tug, Natural Sweetness, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Northern Streets), Non-Halal, Noordin Street, Pang Pang, Patin Fish, Red Pepper, Spare Ribs, Spicy Sauce, Sweet And Sour Pork, Tea House Penang, Tender Meat

* 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