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

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 (Northern Streets) on 5th September 2011.

Over the last few months, several Chinese restaurants marked their opening on Penang island, and the latest to go full swing is Ming Garden. Located in Penang Times Square, the restaurant is decorated in a modern Chinese style.

The efficient supervisor comes over to introduce what the menu had to offer as soon as we were seated. As with most Chinese restaurants, the supervisor verbally listed out the popular and signature dishes. We chose several dishes to go along with their signature Peking duck and braised goose web.

The crispy Peking duck is a house specialty

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Tags: Accolade, Bean Curd, Bean Sprouts, Braised, Chinese Mushroom, Chinese Restaurant, Chinese Restaurants, Chinese Style, Duck Meat, Freshly Cut, Full Swing, Goose Web, Ming Garden, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Peking Duck, Penang Island, Penang Restaurant, Penang Times Square, Roast Duck, Shredded Meat, Signature Dishes, Smooth Texture, Sweet Sauce, Thin Layer

***The place has since closed down and shifted to Macalister Mansion

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

Along the folds of Jalan Bagan Jermal lies Bagan Bar & Restaurant, a wonderful venue for indulgence. Located within the proximity of Gurney Drive, this place offers a one of a kind dining and social experience that is sure to satisfy everyone.

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Tags: Australian Accent, Bagan Bar & Restaurant, Bagan Jermal, Broccoli Soup, Chef Jason Choy, Cigar Room, Concoctions, Dining Rooms, Drink Menu, Duck Confit, Flooring Tiles, French Onion Soup, Fruity Flavor, Fruity Flavour, Grenadine Syrup, Grilled Slipper Lobster Salad, Gruyere Cheese, Gurney Drive, Jalan Bagan Jermal, Lobster Salad, Mayonnaise Sauce, Mocktail, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Pan Seared Seabass, Penang Restaurant, Pool Room, Salmon Carpaccio, Slipper Lobster, Smoked Salmon, Social Experience, Toast Bread, Wooden Doors, World Charm

Christmas and the festive season is upon us, and the beautiful year of 2010 is coming to a close. I hope everyone had a great year, and here’s wishing to an even better 2011!

Events and entertainment are definitely in order this delightful time of the year. With this I present to you the  compilation of hotels, eateries and restaurants with their respective selections of buffets and food promotions for you to indulge with your family and loved ones.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Tags: Agua, Batu Feringghi, Batu Ferringhi Beach, Batu Ferringhi Penang, Bayan Lepas Penang, Bayview Beach Resort, Bayview Hotel Georgetown, Bella Marino, Blue Reef, Burma Road, Cassis Restaurant, Cheeky Duck, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve Dinner, Christmas Music, Cititel Penang, Delightful Compilation, Delightful Time, Dinner Buffet, EASTERN & ORIENTAL HOTEL PENANG, Eastin Hotel, English Afternoon Tea, Farquhar Street, Ferringhi Beach, Festive Season, Food Promotions, Georgetown Penang, Golden Sands, Golden Sands Resort, Grand Ballroom, Happy New Year, Hard Rock Cafe, Hard Rock Hotel, Hotel Penang, Hydro Hotel, Larut, Lone Pine Hotel Penang, Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year, New Year Celebration, Oriental Hotel Penang, Parkroyal Penang, Penang Malaysia, Penang Parkroyal, Penang Philharmonic Chorus ad Orchestra, Penang Restaurant, Philharmonic Chorus, Sharkies, Skype, Solok, Straits Quay, That Little Wine Bar, THE GURNEY RESORT HOTEL & RESIDENCES, THE NORTHAM ALL SUITES PENANG, Weissbrau

*This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 5th September 2010.

The Tree Monkey Restaurant is perched on the hill of Tropical Spice Garden in Penang’s Teluk Bahang. Surrounded by serene greens overlooking the Andaman Sea, this tranquil and romantic restaurant opened for business in July this year.

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Tags: Andaman Sea, Asian Tapas, Concoction, Dining Area, Free Menu, Fruit Mocktail, Herbs And Spices, Khor, Mussels, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Penang, Penang Restaurant, Pineapple Juice, Platters, Romantic Restaurant, Spice Garden, Spring Roll, Sunset Paradise, Sweet Chili Sauce, Teluk Bahang, Thai Dishes, Thai Tapas, Thai Toast, Thatched Roof, Tree Monkey Restaurant, Tropical Fruit, Tropical Spice, Tropical Spice Garden, Wooden Deck

* This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 23rd June 2010.

Sakae Teppanyaki & Izakaya outlet in Autocity Penang has a unique 2-in-1 dining concept under one roof. Its menu has a wide selection of sushi, teppanyaki and fusion specialties; not many Japanese restaurants has the variety of fusion specialties as found in Sakae!

During this visit, I opted to try out the latest items in the menu rather than having the usual Japanese fare of sushi and sashimi.

The Sakae Izakaya Special

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Tags: Appetizer, Assorted Vegetables, Auto City, Autocity, Codfish, Condiments, Cuisines, Fillings, Flavorful Broth, Fleshly, Izakaya, Japanese Fare, Japanese Restaurant, Japanese Restaurants, Lobster, Love Fondue, Mayonnaise, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Penang Japanese Restaurant, Penang Restaurant, Pita Bread, Sakae Teppanyaki & Izakaya, Salmon Oil, Seafood Dish, Seafood Lovers, Taste Buds, Teppanyaki, Teriyaki, Teriyaki Salmon, Teriyaki Sauce, Trio Ice Cream

Yee Heong Restaurant is a great place to enjoy a Chinese meal. It is one of the Chinese restaurants in Campbell Street, Georgetown that not only serves dim sum for breakfast but also Chu Char for lunch and dinner.

Over a period of time, we have been having our lunch and dinner at this Chinese restaurant which is located right opposite the morning wet market. The menu is expansive, with plenty of Chinese dishes!

One of their signature dishes, Braised Lamb!

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Tags: Aik Hoe Restaurant, Bean Curd, Bitter Aftertaste, Bitter Gourd, Braised Fish Head, Braised Lamb, Campbell Street, Chinese Dishes, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Chinese Ingredients, Chinese Meal, Chu Char, Clay Pot, Claypot, Fish Dish, Fish Dishes, Fish Head, Flavorful Sauce, Herbal Aroma, Herbal Chicken, Penang Restaurant, Sambal, Signature Dish, Signature Dishes, Sour Plum, Spinach Soup, Steam Fish Teochew Style, TekSen, Vegetable Dish, Vegetable Dishes, Wet Market, Yee Heong Restaurant

A visit to Sunshine Bay for dinner had the few of us indulging in several types of seafood dishes. This eatery, located in Kedai Kopi Sin Eng Huat at Tanjung Bungah is just right beside the traffic light junction, directly opposite  the famous Penang Tanjung Bunga Goreng Pisang stall. The place looks quite old with the fluorescent lightnings going on and off during our visit on a rainy day. Anyway, the food was awesome!

I am sharing the absolutely scrumptious noodle dishes first. The Kappa Mee Suah and the Stir Fried Noodles with Crab are two lovely choices that we started with. Meesuah was smooth on the tongue and extremely flavorful with the egg and fresh kappa.

On the other hand, the yellow noodles are stir fried with crab, robust with the crustacean juices. The noodles are best left absorbing the gravy as it tends to get slightly moist and more flavorful. I could not resist a second helping of the noodles! The crab flesh was juicy, and with the gravy coating it, the dish was heavenly!

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Tags: Appetite, Bay Seafood, Business Hours, Chicken Pieces, Chili, Chu Char, Delicious Feast, Delicious Noodles, Dish, Eng Huat, Fish Lovers, Fishy Smell, Flesh, Flouresent, Fried Noodles, Garlic, Ginger, Gravy, Guiness, Jalan Tanjung Bungah, Juices, Kappa, Lightnings, Noodle Dishes, Pee, Penang, Penang Restaurant, Prawn, Rainy Day, Seafood Dishes, Seafood Restaurant, Stingray, Sunshine Bay, Sunshine Bay Seafood, Tanjung Bunga, Tanjung Bungah, Tanjung Bungah Penang, Traffic Light Junction, White Rice