Archive for the ‘Community's Blurb’ Category

Padang Brown Popiah

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Padang Brown Popiah

The popiah in Padang Brown is perhaps one of the best popiahs in Penang. I watched as the hoisin sweet sauce and chilli sauce were placed on the popiah skin followed by a piece of lettuce. Then the vege filling was placed on top followed by the crab meat, fried beancurd (minced finely), fried egg, and fried shallots. It was then wrapped. You may request for the sauce from the vegetable filling to be poured on top of the finished popiah, but if you like it dry, you may want to request for the uncle to skip this step. Padang Brown is located at the junction of Perak Road and Anson Road, opposite Convent Dato Kramat School. Besides popiah, this place is also popular for lok-lok, pasembur and sup kambing (available at night). Other hawker stalls are also available such as char koay teow and fried oysters, and they open in the afternoons until late evening at about 6-7pm.

VINTRY @ Damansara Heights

Monday, August 24th, 2009

vintry

My favourite dish of all time is Caramelised Roast Pork. It allows me to indulge in my two most sinful sins, sweet stuff and pork. In our attempt to be healthy, we ordered salad; Roast Pork Salad. There was succulent “siew yoke” in it and the dressing was quite nice. Everyone went for the pork, and by the end, there was not much pork left, just vegetables. We also ordered plain roast pork (“siew yoke”). The roast pork, which I cannot stress enough, was so tasty. We did order a non-pork dish; garlic prawns. The prawns were fresh and nice.

EL CERDO @ WERNER’S – Changkat Bukit Bintang

Monday, August 24th, 2009

El Cerdo

El Cerdo means “the pig” in Spanish, and the restaurant specialises in porcine delights. As an appetiser, we had a goulash and a bread basket. The goulash was spicy without being too overpowering and there was loads of meat at the bottom of the cup. We ordered the Crispy Knuckle, which serves two but I reckon it could feed three easily. The superb wait staff recommended we sprinkle chilli flakes on the meat before eating, and the flakes heightened the taste of the knuckle by many notches! Trying it with the mustard too lent a different flavour to the pork.

EL CERDO @ WERNER’S – Changkat Bukit Bintang

Monday, August 24th, 2009
We all started with an Amuse Bouche of warm pea soup. The warm sweet mushy soup had an extra depth of flavour because of the bacon fat. This was a very rich surprise because slices of bacon lay hidden beneath the thick pea soup. The appetizer was an outstanding surprise. It was a plate of Spanish Jamón with steamed White Asparagus, melon balls and sautéed Artichoke Hearts (I could be wrong here). Spanish Jamon, especially Jamón ibérico is one of the finest and most sought-after hams in the world. For those in the know, the Jamón ibérico is actually a healthy meat to eat because most of its fat is Oleic Acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid which has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. Anyway, the Jamon we had was silky smooth with a deep smoky taste that coats the mouth with flavour long after it’s gone. The vegetables and fruit were well-paired to provide a little spark of acidity in all that richness. Moving into a smooth cruise, a trio of Pork Schnitzel, Oyster wrapped with bacon and a pork shoulder arrived. This was a competently executed trio and the pork shoulder was tender and juicy. Topped with herb mustard, it took a while for us to realize what the crunchy tidbit was. The pig tongue was tasty. And speaking of recommendations, the Braised Pig Tail was also very tasty. It went very well with the Paella, one of El Cerdo’s signature dishes. While I avoided the seafood, the rice was still infused with the flavours of the seafood. Moving along, the other signature dish of El Cerdo is the roast baby pig. This is done with a baby pig just a few weeks old and marinated in El Cerdo

Tho Yuen Dim Sum Restaurant

Saturday, August 15th, 2009

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The last time I went to Tho Yuen Restaurant for Dim Sum, it was nearly lunch time and all the dim sum were sold out. The Pineapple bun (polo bun) on the left and lou pho peng (wintermelon biscuit) were very nice. The pineapple buns had purple yam paste as filling. All the dim sum were pretty good except the one with mixed vegetables. With all the dim sum we had, and a pot of tea, the total was RM16.20. Tho Yuen Restaurant is located along Campbell Street beside a big Rolex corner shop, you won’t miss it.

Luk Yu Teahouse @ Starhill Gallery

Saturday, August 15th, 2009

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Luk Yu Teahouse pays tribute to China’s tea culture which has flourished for thousands of years, recreating the relaxed surroundings of traditional teahouses found in the villages of ancient China. Surrounded by the unique lattice walls, based on different Chinese ethnic groups, patrons can relive the past while enjoying the dim sum that is very well made and delicate in texture and taste.

Li Yen @ Ritz Carlton

Saturday, August 15th, 2009

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Dim sum, which means touch the heart, was named quite rightly. They are little bite-sized delicacies usually enjoyed as breakfast with a pot of Chinese tea. Li Yen, the award winning Chinese restaurant located on the second floor of the Ritz Carlton, features the Master Chef’s daily Cantonese specialty for lunch and dinner. At Li Yen, guests enjoy their dim sum in a rich oriental setting with the accompaniment of live Yangqing music in the evenings.

My grill chart toppers would be the chicken kebab with capsicum and dried pork (yok kon/long yok)

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

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Taiwan sausages would come in at number 3. A flash dip into a cauldron of bubbling oil starts off the process to seal flavors from the outside. They are then burnt slowly over embers of coal and intermittently basked with sweet soy sauce. The moment the corners turn crisp brown, the sticks are quickly coated with chilli powder before it’s handed to you hot, piping, and oh so amazingly aromatic.

Dr Yap likes: The oyster omelette at Seng Thor Cafe which is located at the corner of Carnavaron and Kimberley Street, Penang.

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

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He says: This is reputedly THE BEST Oh Chien (Oyster Omelette) in Penang. It really is fantastic – crispy at the corners, soft and squishy oysters in the center, and spicy. A real delight if you can ignore the oil spill after you finish!

Dr Yap also likes: Lok-lok.

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

I’m crazy about LOK-LOK, the fondue of Malaysia. The thing I like about KL lok-lok is that it has evolved from the good ‘ol ‘dip-em’ and ‘eat-em’ to a full range of batter-fry delicacies and charred-to-perfection barbeque meat-on-sticks.

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If ambience is important to you: tungsten light bulbs give a touch of old-town charm, a constant roar of gurgling soup pots and the whirring of a generator near by can be quite hypnotic as well.