Restaurant Hing Kee – China Street, Penang

December 4th, 2009 • 22 comments General
Tags: penang, Penang food, Restaurant, tai chow

A firm favourite of mine, this unassuming (& thank god, still a non-commercialised & pretty well kept secret in Penang) restaurant is as ole school as one can get.

Located next to the Magnum 4D shop along China Street, just off Pitt Street/Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, one does have to be familiar in Penang to know of its existence.
(China Street is just opposite the famous Goddess of Mercy Temple (Kuan Yin Teng)).

The cooks & wait staff are the aunties, who’s been around for probably since the time the shop started. I don’t know about you, but it is always reassuring to see my meals prepared by the old & experienced.

Our typical lunch here would rarely, if ever, vary from the dishes below. Taste-wise, most of the dishes are ‘lighter’ on the palate, and I would forewarn those with a heavier tastebuds to visit at their own risk, since they might find it bland.

The Braised Fish with Bean Curd is a firm favourite of mine.
To be honest, it is more bean curd than fish but that is the standard here. Do let them know if you would like more fish fillets, and prices will be adjusted accordingly of course.

A close contender is this Pak Poh Chicken Drumstick. The gravy is the best, infused with all the herbs and good even if you were to drink it on its own.
I normally doused my rice liberally with it and pick at the meat since it is quite bland (not surprisingly, since its probably braised for hours). It is however, great eaten paired with chilli padi (birds eye chillies) .

I was accustomed to these cuts of siew yuk before I was introduced to KL’s prime cuts of crackly skin & soft gelatinous fatty – layered pork.
This was good enough for me then, and still is now. Look at the silver plate it is served in, there’s such a nostalgic feel to it no?

Even the boiled chinese herbs drinks here (barley, chrysanthemum, etc) is strong in taste & fresh.

Another customary order is this blanched kangkung topped with some sort of paste with salted fish and deep fried garlic .
It is oily yes, but acceptable once it coats each stalk of veg, for the topping is the one that lends the flavour to the dish.

Tummy space permitting, we would add an order of scrambled eggs with big onions, carrots & spring onions; again, another simple good old dish of yesteryears..

The old lamps, the ceiling mounted fan, chinese painting/pictures, the cane chairs, round tables & the mosaic flooring.. such charm don’t you think?

I can’t remember the exact amount but it was approximately RM50+- for all the above.
Very reasonable & I have always left feeling satisfied and happy.

Sometimes, simplicity is best.

Restaurant Hing Kee
Lebuh China
Business Hour: 10am-3pm & 6-10pm

Note: They do sell smooth tasty congee, but only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Satay at Bangkok Lane, Penang

December 3rd, 2009 • 14 comments General
Tags: hainanese, penang, Penang food, satay

Alternating layers of tender marinated lean pork & fat, grilled over charcoal, and eaten dipped in a special mix of potato and some secret spices sauce, this was worth the thrice weekly stalking I had to do back then when I was in Pg.

While grilling, these skewers of meat were constantly brushed with oil to enhance the flavor. The same ‘oil’ were dabbed on the bread as well.

Both meat & bread goes really well with the special creamy sauce concocted out from potato, chili and sour plum.
Starchy from the blended potatoes, and sweetish sour with a very very slight chilli kick, I normally mop my plate clean with the bread.

For RM0.50 a stick, just do yourself a favour & get 10.
The corner coffeeshop, Seng Lee Cafe (where the famous Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng is), is opposite his stall & allows the satay to be served inside. Just order a drink & enjoy your satay there. Or do what other foodies would, add an order of Mee Goreng or Hokkien mee, both of which is famous here.

Address:
Seng Lee Cafe,
Bangkok Lane, Jalan Burma,
Penang.

So far I have only found 2 stalls selling this type of satay in Penang, the other one is at Chulia Street, & operates daily except Sunday.
Address:
Sai Lam Coffee Shop
Junction of Chulia & Carnavon Street, Penang
Business Hour : 12pm – 9pm
GPS Coordinates : N 05′ 2506.2 E 100′ 2011.5

I’m heading to Penang & I want…Almond dessert – "Heng Jin", at New Lane/Kimberly Street

December 2nd, 2009 • 16 comments General
Tags: chinese, desserts, hawker food, penang, Penang food

I will be heading to Penang this coming weekend, and I thought instead of blogging about my trip after I’m back, I might as well get ahead & share with you my planned & favourite haunts each time I’m back on the island.

It is almost a ritual, and the stall owners would most likely greet me with “Ahh…you back di ahh..what are you doing in KL worr? Why soooo thin?? Come back Penang laa..”. *roll eyes*

One of the things I miss most in Penang is “heng jin thng”(almonds in hokkien), Chinese Almond Soup, a type of “tong shui” – aka sweet dessert soup.
The 2 famous stalls that sells this are at New Lane & another at Kimberly Street.

This almond dessert is pretty much an acquired taste, for it has been described by its non-fans as foul smelling (mostly described as medicinal smelling or like cockroaches!) & unappetizing.

In KL, most dessert house does the Almond CREAM versions, which is really different from this .
I thought I hit jackpot when I saw it sold by a mobile stall in SS2 Monday night market but
each visits has been futile, for it was always sold out by the time I got there!

Anyhow, it was absolutely satisfying (for me at least) to dunk some “you tiao / you cha kway/ yew char kuay” (chinese fried crullers) into my steaming fresh almond soup & slowly savour the slight saltiness & chewy texture from the chinese crullers soaked with the bitter yet sweet almond soup.
This was a light dinner by itself for me.

The almonds for making this Heng Jin Thng is the chinese almonds which differs from the ones used to make almond biscuits.
The owner once told me that he grinds the almonds mixture with rice using traditional granite/stone grinder. That probably explains the fresh & slightly grainy taste of the soup.
Recently, I’ve heard rumours that it is now powder mixed, diluted & wasn’t as good as before & I sincerely hope that I will still find it as enjoyable this coming trip.

In Chinese coffee shops, I will order it for breakfast, and this is typically the powder form.

Not that I mind, cos with a bit of condensed milk stirred in, it was a healthy breakfast drink for me. Again, it doesn’t seem to be served in KL coffee shops.
Still, nothing beats the freshly grinded and cooked almond soup.

I love my red bean soup and Lian Chee Kang too.

And only these 2 stalls does my red beans the way I like it.
Not broken up & starchy soup-wise but still in whole kernels yet soft to the core when eaten.
The skin is not “rough” & the skin wouldn’t scratch your throat as you swallow it.
The gingko nuts are commendable too, soft, sweet and cooked through thoroughly.

Ahhhh…Penang may not hold the fondest memories, but at least I got fond memories of the food!

Vintage Bulgaria, Penang

August 19th, 2009 • 45 comments General
Tags: floggers gathering, food outing, makan-makan, penang

I marveled at the decor and ambiance as I stepped in.

Such quaint interior and cosy cottage charm! Traditional artsy craft work and memorabilias dotted the walls, giving one a flitting glimpse into the cultural facade of Bulgaria, a country not much known by the world.

The mural on the wall by our table took my breath away. So beautiful and in such vivid gay colours too!

Bulgaria is a country of 110,993 sq km, which is apprx 1/3 of Malaysia & boasted of the population number of 7.5mil.
Located in the Balkan Peninsular, it borders Romania which is at its north, Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia to the west and Greece and Turkey at the south.

Here, in our little Penang island, the owner’s efforts to recreate and revive the bucolic feel of a cosy Bulgarian home back in her home country is deeply reflected in the outlet.

The woodwork, the bricks, the layout and the setting is painstakingly designed and leaves one in no doubt of the authenticity of the place. You do feel as if you have been teleported into a cosy Bulgarian home back in time and in Bulgaria itself.

Rustic style interior rekindling the feel and vibes of an old Bulgarian home.

Bulgarians, alike its European counterparts, customarily indulge in wine with their meals. Here in Vintage Bulgaria, a wide selection of wine is stocked in their wine cellar for your drinking pleasure.
Have your wine with your meal, or opt for a relaxing time sitting at the bar either upstairs or downstairs (they got two!) if you are here just for a drink. Your choice.

Geographically, Bulgaria has large mountainous areas, fertile valleys, plains and a coastline of the Black Sea.
However, in a short conversation with the owner, my initial self-formed opinion that seafood would feature dominantly in Bulgarian cuisine was corrected. The sea, Silviya Georgieva explained, is too cold to provide much produce.
Their climate includes mild summers and cold, snowy winters. Its temperate climate provides the right growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits.

Its cuisine, is eastern European with Mediterrenean influence, and salads are predominant. Every meal customarily starts with greens. As it is a cuisine influenced with the Greek & Mediterranean, their salads consists of typical key ingredients of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese and light dressings.

Meats are mostly roasted, grilled or oven baked. Their starch is provided for by the sides of potatoes & bread.

So one fine evening, we lucky group of Penang foodies congregate here for a night of gluttony, fun and comradeship.

Our 4th Penang Food Bloggers Gathering spurred into momentum with the first course of the most decadent seafood soup. (Not that the mushroom version were any less stellar, mind you)

An interesting mix of flaky fish meat and creamy based stock, it was very fresh and tasted of the sea. A must order, as it’s totally different from the common seafood bisque dished out at literally all western joints here!
If there’s a better seafood soup in our vicinity, I haven’t heard about it.

Their cream of mushroom is no wilt flower either.
Robust & wholesome, the chunky bits of mixed funghi with its smooth blend of well ratio-ed cream and stock was marvelous with the signature crusty ‘Vintage’ bread.

Almost 70% of us gluttons zeroed in on the Pork Knuckle (Bulgarian Pork Djolan) as our choice of main.
Rightfully so too, for the roasted arm was huge, with the mandatory gelatinous layer of fat, tender meat and crispy skin. What’s not to like??
One small vibe though, I personally felt that the flavour of the marination lacked full permeation into the inner parts of the meat & the accompanying gravy too sweet.
Nevertheless, I’m hard to please, so do ignore me ;)

This is how we foodies eat. Watch and learn.

BEFORE.

The meat ball was huge. Grinded not too finely, it packs the satisfaction of sinking one’s teeth into real meat, & promptly be rewarded with rich meat juices oozing into your mouth.
The 2 sausages was just as good, both different in taste, low in sodium and hearty with spices & herbs.
The boiled potatoes that came with the platter was deceivingly spicy (it sure didnt look it right?) and a fellow blogger claims his tongue felt numb after a bite! Hehe..

For the hell of me, I can’t fathom the reason I ordered chicken that night.
Anyhow, my Chicken Stroganov wasn’t as bad as it looks (hey, after the knuckle and the ribs, you would have second thoughts too ok!).

Boneless chicken drumstick cut into strips, cooked with mushrooms, wine, cream, herb and spices, this is a good choice for light dining. Not too creamy, the smooth and tasty sauce, fused very well with the chicken.
And from the picture above, you can see that I have given the side of mash potato utmost attention. That’s simply cos it was divine!
Smoky roasted potato, mashed with its jacket and blended with gravy.
So delicious!

Plovdiv Ribs.
Not unlike our local tai chow BBQ ribs, these marvellous ladders of sweet, caramelized outers and tender inners was nicely done.

Each of the sides for the mains deserves mention too. The ubiquitous steam broccoli, carrot and cauliflower was done right, soft (not overcooked) and buttery.

I noticed there were 2 different mash of potato, one which is moist, but minus any gravy, with rich buttery aroma and another (which I preferred) mashed with onions and gravy, with its jacket on, providing me the satisfaction of nibbling on roast-y potato skin.

The piquant side of chutney-like mix of cucumber, carrot and onions plus a small serving of sourish coleslaw with corn provides the palate a refreshing diversion from the savoury meats.

Of course, a break in between course are a must and I couldn’t help taking a picture of the doors to the wash area ;p

Fancy adding some Bulgarian words to your vocab??

We bloggers are a lucky lot.

Courtesy of Dennie Yeap, of Winter Butterfly Homemade Cakes, we polished off a Strawberry Mousse Cheesecake, which was sublime with its moist cheesy sponge and fresh cream,

an Oreo cheesecake which was REALLY rich and a Chocolate Brownie which I find to be a bit dry in texture but made up for its shortcoming with its decadent top layer of dark chocolate fudge.

And yes, I repeat, we bloggers are a lucky lot.

Courtesy of Gelatissimo, we licked clean 5 tubs of gelato even before our desserts were served.
Thank you Mr Hong! The matcha gelato was fabulous!

Bottom right pic above: Clockwise: Rum and Raisin, Matcha, Chocolate, Strawberry Cheesecake and Mango Sorbet.

After all that, our desserts were finally served.

Chocolate Soup.
This, to me was alike gourmet chocolate drink with ice cream. Think premier “milo” , as in richer, creamier and full bodied chocolate. Deliciously chilled & smooth.
My my my..even as a non-choc lover, I could have slurped up every drop of this!

I ordered the Chocolate Creme Brulee, since I was curious .. “eggs and chocolate??”

The crackly caramelized surface hides the smooth and sublime eggy custard underneath.
I’m glad to report that this surpassed my expectations. It’s got the ideal ratio of eggs to chocolate where the taste of eggs and cream remains prominent to ascertain that it is indeed a creme brulee and yet with the flavour of chocolate still intact.
Scrumptious stuff!

And then there were camwhoring sessions..

The guy bloggers.

Whose pics were taken by the girls photographers.

We girls bloggers, had our pic then taken by the guys of course. But sorry no pic for now. (Ok, could any of you guys forward me a pic of us gals please??? )

The cool and quiet Silviya Georgieva and her friendly outlet Manager of Vintage Bulgaria.

Hats off to the kitchen that night for the preparation of the food. More often than not, during such events, I get my food served lukewarm or cold, mainly due to the meals being mass produced and re-heated just before serving.
That night, service was a tad slow yes, but I do appreciate that the food served didn’t taste like it was prepared hours ago!

What we had above was a set dinner created especially for that night. At RM40/pax, it was a steal for such superb food.
But of course, this is NOT all that they have!
Vintage Bulgaria does an expansive menu, with some interesting dishes that includes “parts” eg, livers and onion, gizzards in butter and veal tripe with mushrooms.
Barbitarians rejoice!!

As with most European influenced meals, cheese, cream, wine, mushrooms, herbs are prominent in the preparation of the dishes here.

Location:
Vintage Bulgaria Restaurant & Bar
(next to Ingolf’s Kneipe German Restaurant)
1-E, Jalan Sg Kelian
Tanjung Bungah
Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +60-4-8981890

Business Hour : 12 pm to 12 midnight (last order at 10pm)

GPS Coordinates : N05 2753.9 E100 1732.8

Definitely worth a visit if you are in Penang..once you are done gorging yourself silly on Char Kuey Teow, Laksa and Chendol (& for some, Chee Cheong Fun) of course! ;p
I love the concept and the place is gorgeous!

Haven Delights at Penang Times Square

May 5th, 2009 • 15 comments General
Tags: floggers gathering, fusion, invited review, penang

This was held last month and yes, my post is way overdue.

That being said, it didn’t diminish my memories of that day though; good food, loud laughter, friendly banter and great company. Definitely worth the trip back to Penang ;)

So thanks Criz, for inviting me. It’s nice to be kept in the loop though I was 240km away.

My appreciation also to Mr. Ng Boon Tong the chairman and MD of the restaurant, the main chef Edwin Teo and their friendly staff who gave really impeccable service.

Those who attended:

Funny Allen
Food Critic Jason & Gill
Amiable CK Lam
Fellow Penang- lang Cariso (She and I shares almost the same thoughts on food (saltiness -meter, expensive/worthiness-meter and oiliness -meter). She can really complain too! Haaahha)
Sweet Bee
Glutton Steven Goh
Serious Mary
Smiley Allie
Lingzie
Nicholas Chan from http://nickchan.net/
Ken Chan
BBO
PTP

And of course, Mr Criz Lai himself.

Food-wise, their main forte is combination of cuisines from Japan, Korea, Shanghai and Hong Kong with a fusion twist.
Creative use of ingredients and adventurously matched items makes up dishes un-heard of and flavours un- savored before.

Ambience, Decor, Class – all check.

The curtain raiser for the night was The Hotzz Abalone and Unagi Tofu Combo.

The unagi was great, sweet with a smoky flavour; as the resultant of being grilled.
Eaten together with the creamy cold tofu, it was a combination that works well.

As for the abalone, indeed it was very out-of -the ordinary, to have plain abalone, eaten with strong chilli paste (akin to our local sambal).
I have always been of opinion that delicate flavoured items like scallop, fishes and abalone should be cooked with care, preserving its unique mild sweetness and freshness; hence should not be covered in heavy sauces.
So personally, I enjoyed the abalone more with the simple pairing of the fragrant garlic bits and oil rather than with the spicy sambal.

Chicken Ban Ban (RM10)

There are two elements to this dish; one being the egg omelette fried to crisp which is underneath the chickens cuts and another the chicken pieces itself. While the chicken was unappealing being rather oily, the combination of the 3 different sauces was good.
One gets a sting from the wasabi mayo -based one, and a nice sweetness from the Jap sweet sauce and lastly, plain old mayo which is good with any fried item.

Red Dragon Prawn with Jammy Sauce (RM20)
Innovative is the word for this creation.
Mid sized deep fried prawns drenched in citrusy- fruity sauce thicken with starch (think SunQuick and you’ll get the idea), this is a dish with a myriad of very ‘playful’ flavours, good to try at least once.
My tongue detected a hint of spice too, which turns out to be turmeric and that probably explained the yellow hue of the dish.

Motoyaki Scallop (RM14 for 5pcs).
Simply put, the thick sauce overwhelmed the delicate scallops. The sauce which was a mix of creamy Thousand Island-like concoction & cheese with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds, chilli flakes and black pepper has such strong tones!
In the end, I resorted to scrapping off the sauce to enjoy my scallop. Nevertheless, I’m sure there are diners who knows how to appreciate this dish for what it is.
Korean Beef Kimchi (RM16).
This deserves a thumbs-up. There was a very well balance of heat and pungency. The meat tears apart easily and even a non- kimchi eater like myself was a converted fan for while there!

The Lamb Teriyaki (RM18 for 2 cuts) had a sweet glaze and was slightly grill-singed at some parts.
The cuts served was lean, which might explain why the meat wasn’t as tender as expected. Taste-wise; it can best be described as very minimalistic, for it was just blasted with some marinate before it was cooked, so what you will get is pretty much the natural flavour of the lamb.

The remarkable Homemade Spicy Chicken (RM15).
My vote for the BEST dish of the night.
The fried chicken pieces tossed with chopped fermented black beans, bird eyes chilies, garlic, spring onions, curry leaves and sesame seeds were cooked in thick, sweet and fiery gravy and each ingredients complimented one another wonderfully.
We have spice, we have fragrance and we have heat. This dish really packs a punch!

Nicely done no? Not the stringy dry texture that denotes “chewy” and “overcooked“.Shanghai Honey Spare Ribs (RM18) . I took a bite and couldn’t swallow even that one bite as the full force of SALTINESS hit me in the face. Enough said.

Japanese Yaki Udon (RM12).
Most of us found the dish to be a tad too wet and the “wok hei” (charred taste as the result of high heat frying) overpowering. The revised version served later was drier and tasted better.

Tempura Cheese Maki
The mid bit you see here in the roll is an ebi (prawn); which was rolled with a layer of grilled eel, with the next layer being the sushi rice. Most outer layer is a batter layer which was pan-fried, hence the mildly burnt taste. Topping of cheesy mayo sauce made this a delightful one mouth-morsel.
Me dissecting the piece trying to figure out what’s inside.
Next is one of the Chef’s Specials served that night was impressive in presentation but not in taste.
Creatively named Chicken Bom, it was actually fillet of chicken encasing generous filling of shredded salmon (of which many of us mistaken for tuna) with thyme (which was overwhelming), onions and pepper.

At this point, I started to wonder if the chef is trying too hard in his attempt to create new fusionized dishes. He seems to favour the idea of throwing a lot of ingredients together and most doesn’t seem to have paired off well. ..
HK Style Wan Than Mee (RM22).
1st snag was the price, which most of us opined that it was a bit on the high side. After all this Penang, not KL.

Next was the supposedly piece de resistance – 4 gargantuan dumplings filled with prawns. While it was not inedible, the use of blended squid paste to bind the fillings resulted in the dumplings to be mushy, which contradicts the freshness one expects from dumplings, after being accustomed to crunchy waterchestnuts as one of the ingredients.

Anyhow, the saving grace comes in the form of the soup broth; which was thick and suited the noodles well.
At the point of bursting at the seams from sampling so many varieties of dishes with such generous portions, we were finally served desserts. Of course, all of us somewhat managed to make room for that!

Macha Ice Cream (RM8)
The green tea ice cream was definitely authentic. Very strong green tea flavour present and it tasted more bitter than sweet. Improvement is still required for the red bean paste though, for it was rough in texture due to the presence of the skin which wasn’t blended enough. The mochi was lumpy and hard in the mid-section.

Kuru Goma Ice Cream (RM8) which had a ratio of 3:7 of grinded black sesame seeds to peanut; naturally tasted more like peanut ice cream than sesame ice cream.
Most of us enjoyed this; myself included ;)

NOTE: The above items were the food specially arranged for us to review.

Apart from the A la Carte dishes, Haven Delights also serves buffet lunch and dinner. Cost is RM49.90++ per person with 50% off for children.
You can order as many items as you like in their buffet menu list which has over 90 dishes within the allocated two hours duration from as early as 10.30am until 11.00pm daily.
Do take note that wastage above 100gms would be charged accordingly.

You think so syiok eat free?
Got homework one you know! ;)
For me the session was alike embarking on a windwhirl culinary rendezvous; for each dish that was served incorporated vast differences in aromas, flavours and textures.
My criticism aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the session and was impressed with the Chef’s creativity and boldness in the creation of the dishes.
Haven Delights would undoubtedly be an interesting addition to the Penang food scene with its innovative fusioned dishes, challenging the norm of where street hawker food predominates.

Location: Penang Times Square, 77-L1-34, Jalan Dato Keramat, 10150 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 604-210 8855, 604-210 8856
Business Hours: 10.30am -11.00pm