BY CK Lam

Happy Duan Wu Festival to everyone!

The Duan Wu festival is celebrated on every 5th day of the 5th month, and it falls on June 23 this year. During this festival, many will be busy preparing the chang (glutinous rice dumpling), and with many people buying them.

In Penang the chang is sold commercially all year round in a number of places, and one such place is Cintra Food Corner. For generations, the Lor’s family has been dishing out the chang for customers to dine-in and take-away. Once located at the road side of the bustling Cintra Street, owner Lor Onn Kee has since shifted the business to a nearby shop house in 2006.

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Tags: Bak Chang, Bamboo Leaves, Cantonese Bean Dumpling, Chewy Texture, Chili Sauce, Chinese Chestnuts, Cintra Food Corner, Cintra Street, Dark Soya Sauce, Duan Wu Festival, Dumpling Festival, Egg Yolk, Fillings, Food Corner, Glutinous Rice, Glutinous Rice Dumpling, Guangzhou China, Lor, Mung Beans, Nearby Shop, Onn, Penang, Penang Glutinous Rice Dumpling Shop, Pork Belly, Rice Dumpling, Roast Duck, Roast Pork, Salted Egg, Shophouse, Tau Chang, Zong Zi

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 (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

* This article was published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 21st January 2011.

It’s that time of the year again! To usher in the Year of the Rabbit, many hotels and restaurants around town are having attractive promotions for the upcoming Chinese New Year Festivity!

I was delighted to indulge in the delightful Chinese New Year buffet spread on a recent visit to the Tamarind Brasserie in Parkroyal Penang Resort. Tamarind Brasserie presents an alternative dining experience during the Eve of the Chinese New Year; by launching their Prosperity Reunion Oriental Hot Wok and Steamboat Buffet Dinner.

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Tags: Attractive Addition, Baskin Robbins Ice-Cream, Beef Lovers, Black Pepper Sauce, Buffet Dinner, Chinese New Year, Chinese New Year Celebration, Congee, Hot Wok, Lotus Leaf, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Year Celebration, Parkroyal Penang, Parkroyal Penang Resort, Plum Sauce, Reunion Dinner, Rich Flavor, Roast Duck, Salmon Fish, Salmon Yee Sang, Slipper Lobster, Spring Onion, Steamboat Buffet, Tamarind Brasserie, Tender Slices, Thick Sauce, Tiger Prawn, Tom Yam, Year of the Rabbit

It was an unforgettable food experience when I was invited for a Mexican Buffet in Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur. The event ‘Mexico: A Festival of Flavours’ which featured renowned Chef-Owner Daniel Ovadia from Paxia Restaurants was organized by Hotel Nikko and the Embassy of Mexico.

Mexican specialties

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Tags: Array, Avocado, Beef Pepperoni, Bell Pepper, Bentley’S Pub, Canapes, Cappuccino, Coffee Tea, Complimentary Breakfast, Daniel Ovadia, Embassy Of Mexico, Enchiladas, English Afternoon Tea, Executive Nikko Club Room, Eye Opener, Food Experience, Fresh Fruits, Goat Cheese, Golden Triangle, Guacamole, Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur, Keegan, Lettuces, Lime Margarita, Long Island Tea, Mexican Buffet, Mexican Food, Mexico: A Festival Of Flavours, Nikko Hotel, Nikko Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Nikko Kuala Lumpur, Ovada, Ovadia, Paxia Restaurants, Pepperoni, Personalized Check, Pipian, Professional Team, Reception Area, Red Onion, Renowned Chef, Roast Duck, Soft Drinks, Tortilla

Heavenly Chinese Roast Meat can be found at Sky and Star in Penang.

One of my favorite stall would be the one located on the ground floor of Sky Hotel on Chulia Street which is known for its high number of budget hotels and small cafes. You could easily spot  this blue-ish building with the stall ‘WAI KEE’ right in the front entrance which is a few doors down from Ecco Cafe.

Here you will find delicious assorted roast meat. Ordering comes in individual servings or in individual plate with an assortment of your favourite choice of meat. The good stuff that I usually order is the Siew Yoke, Siew Cheong and Char Siew. The Siew Yoke has a very crispy skin and also the right amount of salty flavor.

Who can resist the succulent Siew Yoke!

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Tags: Array, Assortment, Bakery, Beef Patty, Budget, Budget Hotels, Business Hour, Cafes, Carnavon, Char Siew, Chili Sauce, Choy Sum, Chulia Street Penang, Coffee Shop, Crisp Skin, Crowd, Cucumber Soup, Duck Meat, Ecco, Fatty Layer, Food Outlets, Forty Minutes, Free Soup, Front Entrance, Gps Coordinates, Greens, Hawker, Hotel Penang, Hotels, Jalan Masjid, Kapitan, Korn, Lunch Hour, Lunch Meal, Peak Hours, Peak Period, Penang Food, Pun, Rainforest, Rainforest Restaurant, Roast Duck, Roast Meat, Roast Pork, Salty Flavor, Signature, Signature Dish, Sky Cafe, Sky Hotel, Sky Star, Slab, Star Cafe, Succulent, Sumptuous Lunch, Sweet Sauce, Thick Gravy, Thick Piece, Vegetable Soup, Vegetables, Watercress Soup, Yoke

I’ve always made it a point to visit Kuala Lumpur several times a year, as the cuisines there are a nice change from what we get in Penang. Their style is slightly different, the taste and ways of cooking are unique as well. We made our way down to Sek Yuen Chinese Restaurant just down Jalan Pudu, for one of our Chinese New Year meals. We started off our meal with the traditional Yee Sang mixing, and indeed it was different from Penang.

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Tags: Amp, Arp, Array, Chinese New Year, Chinese Restaurant, Cucumber, Cuisines, Delicious Cuisines, Different Style, Ginger, Ginger Slices, Gravy, Hubby, Kuala Lumpur, Naked Sun Bathing, New Year, Parking Spaces, Penang, Perfect Appetizers, Pineapple Slices, Prawns, Pudu, Raw Fish, Right Moment, Roast Duck, Secret Blend, Several Times, Signature Dish, Sour Plum, Sour Pork, Steamer, Style Text, Vegetables