By CK Lam

Ristorante Bella Italia is  the place to go when it comes to Italian food in Penang. It has two outlets, with the first one at Bellisa Row in Pulau Tikus, and  the other in Batu Ferringhi, which has a casual and friendly atmosphere. Both the outlets serve a slightly different menu.

The Batu Ferringhi outlet welcomes visitors with its delightful selection of food and its relaxing dining hall looking out into a small garden.

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Tags: Alla Salmone, Batu Feringghi, Beef Bacon, Bella Italia, Brushetta, Button Mushroom, Chewiness, Ck Lam, Delightful Food, Delightful Selection, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Food In Penang, Fried Mushroom, Fruit Juices, Funghi Fritto, Gamberoni, Garlic Mayonnaise, Handmade Pastas, Homemade Pizza Dough, Linguine Aragosta, Lobster Meat, Mayonnaise Sauce, New Straits Times (Life & Times), Pasta Lovers, Ristorante Bella Italia, Ristorante Bella Italia Batu Feringghi, Ristorante Bella Italia Bellisa Row, Rm7, Sicliana, Sweet Tomato, Tikus, Tiramisu, Toast Bread, Tomato Basil Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Tonno, Virgin Olive Oil, Wood Fired Oven

*This article was also published in the New Straits Times (Life & Times) on 6th August 2010.

Nestled within Bellisa Row in Penang’s bustling Pulau Tikus is Cassis, a fine dining restaurant. The cozy restaurant with a dining hall upstairs is decorated with a huge chandelier. Despite being only opened several months, Cassis is already drawing in the crowds and had garnered a following of diners.

Hubby and I recently enjoyed a six course set dinner in this restaurant which is helmed by the relatively young Chef Weng. His last stint was at Wino’s, Margaret River in Perth before coming back to Penang.

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Tags: 6th August, Albacore Tuna, AQUA San Francisco, Bellisa Row, California Wine, Cassis, Chervil, Cozy Restaurant, Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta, Duck Breast, Fine Dining Restaurant, Foie Gras, Fujiya Japanische Restaurant, Glass Of Wine, Grain Fed Beef Tenderloin, Gravels, Hawkes Bay, Hokkaido, Maitake Mushroom, Margaret River, New Straits Times (Life & Times), New Straits Times (Life & Times), Pacific Halibut, Pear Puree, Penang, Perth, Pulau Tikus, Scallops, Set Dinner, Shiso, Spicy Aromas, Syrah Gimblett Gravels, Tannis, Tanuki Japanese Restaurant, Tikus, Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, Vinaigrette, Wino's, Yuzu Vinaigrette, Zesty Sauce

Update:  Young Heart Restaurant has closed

Recently I was invited by a friend to do a food review of Young Heart Restaurant located in Pulau Tikus. In fact this is my second food review of them. Quite a number of Penang food bloggers have wrote about this restaurant lately promoting their Mid Autumn Special meal packages too.

At Young Heart, there are many types of beverages, tea, fruit juices, ice blended and flower tea. We were served with a hot tea drink followed by three refreshing cold drinks. The tea drink with Rosehip hibiscus and green apple – RM9 is a little sourish and is a good detoxifying drink, according to the owner.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Ice blended of mix berry vanilla – RM6 , Honey lemon with added Aloe Vera Jelly – RM6 and the Mix Fresh fruit juice consisting of dragon fruit, beetroot and milk – RM8.

Pure sweetness from the fruit of these cold drinks

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Tags: Aloe Vera, Bean Curd, Chili Sauce, Cold Drinks, Dragon Fruit, Flower Tea, Fresh Fruit Juice, Fried Prawn, Fruit Juices, Green Apple, Hot Tea, Lotus Root, Mid Autumn, Penang Food, Rice Dish, Rosehip, Seafood Dish, Tikus, Types Of Beverages, Water Chestnuts, Young Heart

Canon Singapore recently organized a Photography & Food Hunting Trip to Penang early this month. The group headed by Canon’s  Jino Lee, comprises of seasoned photographers and bloggers including Singapore leading food blogger, Dr Leslie Tay of ieatishootipost.

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Tags: Armenian Street, Array, Bbq Chicken Wings, Bloggers, Blur, Brown Sugar, Buddha, Burmese, Canon, Canon Singapore, Chinese New Year, Ckt, Coconut Milk, Crips Pictures, Crushed Ice, Curvatures, Delicious Fish, Enclave, Fish Ball, Fishball, Flora And Fauna, Food Trail, Fried Oysters, Funicular Railway, Google, Hawker Food, Heavy Equipments, Heavy Guns, Heritage Celebration, Hwa, Itam, Jetty, Jino, Joss Sticks, Kek, Kek Lok Si, Kek Lok Si Temple, Khoo Kongsi, Kidney Beans, Kueh, Kwee, Laksa, Leslie Tay, Lion Dance, Lok, Lorong, Lorong Selamat, Lunch Time, Macro Lens, Majestic Temple, Makan Makan, New Year Dinner, Night Photography, Night Rest, Penang, Penang Hill, Penang Road, Photographers, Phtos, Picturesque View, Pitt Street, Police Station, Pulau Tikus, Reclining Buddha, Sametime, Singapore Famous Food, Singapore Food, Singaporeans, Tikus, Tumbs, Yummy Food

*** Update:  Young Heart has closed

Recently, I was invited by Ann Kee of Young Heart Restaurant at Pulau Tikus to a food testing session as they are launching their Chinese New Year Special Dishes. Together with a group of food bloggers, we visited this restaurant located on Cantonment Road. I truly enjoyed the food of my last visit to this restaurant with my family.

This restaurant with its motto; The Fragrance of the Refreshment comes from the Heart has been around since 2005, emphasizes on simple dishes that do not reliant much on extra artificial flavoring.

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Tags: Allie, Aloe Vera, Amp Lee, Apple Cider Vinegar, Apple Vinegar, Array, Artificial Flavoring, Attendance List, Bloggers, Business Hour, Cantonment, Cantonment Road, Chili Oil, Chinese Dishes, Chinese New Year, Chinese Style, Chrysant, Criz, Deep Fried Chicken, Deep Fried Chicken Wings, Dipping Sauce, Dipping Sauces, Dishes, Food Testing, Fried Bean Curd, Fried Chicken Wings, Fried Noodle, Fried Prawn, Georgetown Penang, Goh, Golde, Ground Pork, Healthier Choice, Healthy Dishes, Invitation, Japanese Style, Lai, Lam, Leeks, Lotus Root, Lotus Roots, New Year, Ooi, Pan Fried, Penang, Pork Noodle, Prosperous Year, Pui, Rice Flour, Rice Paper, Rm10, Rm3, Rm5, Rm6, Rm7, Rm8, Scallop, Shredded Pork, Simpl, Sour Soup, Spicy Bean, Spicy Pork, Spicy Sauce, Sponge Gourd, Style Sauce, Surprise Winner, Surprise Winners, Tikus, Vege, Young Heart, Young Hearts

Young Heart Restaurant is tucked in a strategic location near Pulau Tikus market in Penang island. Found nearby the junction of Cantonment Road and Market Street, this restaurant serves up some delicious food while keeping the prices reasonable. Remarkably, it has been around since 2005 and show no signs of slowing down.

The theme of the restaurant revolves around the Heart, as stated in its motto; The Fragrance of the Refreshment comes from the Heart. Most entries in the menu are kept plain and simple, with main usage of healthy ingredients and less reliant on extra artificial flavoring. Indeed a delightful change from all those other food we get these days.

Innovative and practical sauce plate

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Tags: Artificial Flavoring, Cantonment Road, Chili Oil, Delicious Food, Delightful Change, Dragon Fruit, Fish Balls, Fish Paste, Fried Chicken Wings, Fried Rice, Fried Tofu, Fruit Mix, Healthy Ingredients, Kiwi Fruit, Mango Sago, Penang Island, Penang Restaurant, Rm4, Strategic Location, Tea Time, Tikus, Young Heart