BY CK Lam

Poon choi or Big Bowl Feast is an indulgent affair with layers of ingredients in fragrant gravy. It is believed that this traditional dish originated in China, and the name of the dish came from the distinctive basin-like pot in which it was cooked and served.

There are only a handful of places serving this dish in Penang and one of them is Zi Zai Restaurant. Our group of 13 made our way to the restaurant  in Paya Terubong to try its traditional poon choi.

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Tags: Big Bowl Feast, Braising, Broccoli, Chinese Cabbage, Chopsticks, Feast, Fish Balls, Fish Maw, Flavours, Frag, Goodness, Hock, Lam, Mushrooms, New Straits Times (Life & Times), Oyster Sauce, Paya Terubong, Penang, Poon Choi, Pork Belly, Radish, Rich Gravy, Roast Duck, Sea Cucumber, Sesame Oil, Snapper, Soy Sauce, Traditional Dish, Treasure Pot, Yue, Zai, Zi, Zi Zai Restaurant

* This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 17th November 2010.

Taiwan Foods is located in Double 33 Kopitiam, a corner shop lot along Jalan Aziz Ibrahim, with the Queensbay Mall just a stone’s throw away. This place is perfect for a simple quick lunch. The menu is pretty straight forward, serving mostly rice dishes and noodle dishes with several types of braised meat.

Whenever we are near the area, we would drop by for a meal in this stall, which is on the same row with the Kampar Fish Jelly Restaurant.

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Tags: 3 Cups Phoenix Noodle, Aziz Ibrahim, Bowl Of Rice, Braised Pork Noodle, Chicken Meat, Chicken Rice, Chili Sauce, Deep Fried Chicken, Double 33 Kopitiam, Flavors, Hearty Dish, JokBal Yam Rice, Kampar Fish Jelly Restaurant, Kopitiam, Magic Ingredient, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Noodle Dishes, Pepper Chili, Popcorn Chicken, Queensbay Mall, Queensbay Mall Penang, Quick Lunch, Rice Dishes, Rich Gravy, Rm3, Rm5, Side Dishes, Taiwan Foods, Thick Pieces

Peace & Joy Coffee Shop located in the corner of China Street and Queen Street Penang has a stall selling delicious curry mee! Generally, the curry mee soup itself is very flavorful, while the ingredients top it off beautifully. I noticed this coffee shop on my first chu char visit in the nearby Kedai Makanan Heng Kee.

The basic bowl of Curry Mee comes with ingredients of cockles, cuttle fish, pig jelly and taupok in rich gravy. You can have it with add-on ingredients as well! I love it either way.

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Tags: Business Hour, Chicken Wing, Chili Paste, China Street, Coconut, Coffee Shop, Curry Chicken, Curry Mee, Cuttle Fish, E100, Gizzard, Hawker Food, Noodles, Peace Joy, Penang, Penang Curry Mee, Penang Food, Penang Hawker Food, Pig Blood, Pig Innard, Prawns, Queen Street, Rich Gravy, Rm1, Rm2, Rm3, Rm4, Santan, Stall Owner, Taupok

*** Update:  Kozue has closed

Since Kozue’s opening in Penang Gurney Plaza in December last year, business in this modern and chic restaurant has been good; and has since developed a solid group of regular customers. My family have been to Kozue’s several times and have tasted many of its innovative fusion dishes which can be seen in my previous post.

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Tags: Agedashi Tofu, Appetizer, Aromatic Sauce, Array, Black Sesame, Boneless Chicken Wings, Bonito Flakes, Chewy, Chic Decor, Chic Restaurant, Chicken Wings, Chinese Way, Chopped Spring Onions, Cod Roe, Creative Dishes, Crumbs, Daikon, Eel, Egg Roll, Favorite Dish, Feature Writer, Fried Rice, Friend Sarah, Garnish, Good Combination, Great Desserts, Green Tea, Gurn, Gurney Plaza, Gyoza, Halfs, Harumaki, High Chairs, Home Cooking, Home Style, Hot Dessert, Japane, Japanese Dishes, Japanese Food, Japanese Method, Japanese Restaurant, Kuro, Kwong Hwa, Kwong Hwa Daily, Kwong Wah, Lettuce, Lotus Root, Lunch Prices, Manageress, Mayonnaise Sauce, Mui, Newspaper Article, Ooi, Paneling, Penang Gurney Plaza, Pig Stomach, Plaza Gurney, Prefered Choice, Private Room, Red Beans, Rice Paper, Rich Gravy, Rm5, Rm6, Rm7, Salmon Roe, Sarah Lim, Sauce Mayonnaise, Sauce Mixture, Savoury, Seaweed, Sesame Seed, Set Lunch, Shitake Mushrooms, Side Dishes, Sittings, Solid Group, Specia, Style Dish, Style Dishes, Sweet Sauce, Tea Lovers, Teriyaki, Thin Layer, Time Sampling, Tofu Dish, Types Of Fish, White Radish, Yit

If you are looking for the definite taste of Chettinad and South Indian cuisine along with Northern Indian delights, then Karaikudi Restaurant is the place to be. Located in Market Street which is in the heart of George Town’s Little India, this restaurant is well known for its flavorful cuisines.

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Tags: Array, Banana Leaf, Basmathi Rice, Bitter Flavor, Bitter Flavour, Bitter Gourd, Black Pepper, Bread Crumbs, Briyani Rice, Business Hours, Business Lunch, Button Mushroom, Cashew Nuts, Chettinad, Chewy Texture, Chicken Briyani, Chicken Chettinad, Chicken Curry, Chicken Cutlet, Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Sauce, Chunks, Coriander Leaves, Creamy Vegetable Soup, Crispy Pancake, Cuisines Restaurant, Definite Taste, Delicious Gravy, Dessert Coffee, Dhum, Dish Chicken, Dosai, Favorite Dish, Gps, Gps Coordinates, Ground Chicken, Hard Boiled Egg, Heart, Heart Shapes, Indian Bread, K Naan, Karaikudi, Lady Fingers, Lime Juice, Little India, Lunch 11am, Lunch Meal, Mango Lassi, Mutton, Mutton Bone, Onion Salt, Payasam, Penang, Pepper Chicken, Potato Masala, Rice Meals, Rich Gravy, Rm7, Scrambled Egg, Set Lunch, Side Dish, Sizzling Plate, Snack, South Indian Cuisine, South Indian Food, Spices, Tender Piece, Tender Pieces, Thin Rings, Types Of Vegetables, Vanilla Ice, Vanilla Ice Cream, Vegetarian Soup, Zing