Penang Food, Penang Travel and Penang Lifestyle

Fook Yen Curry Mee, Kulim – The Classical Creamy Curry Mee

May 15, 2012 – 10:38 am

If I told you that the curry mee we are having at this moment is not the authentic one, will you believe me? The authentic curry mee from the earlier days was creamy and milky type. Unfortunately, it is sad to say that this traditional and authentic delicacy has lost its traits in Penang.

One of the few places that serves this type of classical delicacy is Kulim Town. For those who know Kulim Town well, you can drive to Jalan Tunku Putra, just after Jalan Tunku Asaad, turn into Jalan Jalan Aman. After 3 streets on your right turn into Jalan Tunku Ibrahim and you will see Fook Yen coffeeshop is nestled in the middle of the shops. For those who are not familiar of Kulim town you can ask the locals where is Sri Ananda Bahwan Restaurant, and Fook Yen is just a 2 doors beside it.

In this coffee shop there are only few stalls. You won’t miss out the curry mee stall named as 明光 “Ming Guang”. They serve Bihun Kari, Mee Kring and Koey Teow Sup.

Although this stall is selling a variety of food, the only food that attracted me is the classical creamy curry mee. The price for both soup or dried style is as below:

Small – RM2.50
Medium – RM3.00
Big – RM3.50

This particular stall is run by a middle-aged couple. They have been selling the curry mee here for decades. No matter it’s rain or shine, they will run their business as usual. Unless it’s Chinese New Year, they will close for more than a week.

The ingredients and the noodle were placed into each bowl.

For both dried and soup style, the base ingredients are the same. The ingredients include yellow noodle, bihun, chinese string beans, barbecue pork and chicken meats.

The outcome of the curry mee (soup style) is very similar to the one that we had in Penang. It included tau pok, clam meats and sambal chili paste. The difference was on the soup itself.

You can see a thick layer of coconut milk on top of the curry mee. The taste of the soup was rich of coconut milk taste and aromatic. It was very seductive.

As for dried type of curry mee, the top was also covered with a layer of creamy coconut milk.

The difference between the soup and the dried one is that the dried curry mee is mixed with some dark soy sauce as one of the bases.

Overall, the classical curry mee is very nice and delicious. The temptation to eat versus healthy diet is very contrast when comes to this dish. If you want to make sure you get your share of a bowl of curry mee, please be at this shop before 10am. If not by then the curry mee will be almost sold out.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room
WIFI Available

Operation hours: 6:300am – 11:00am (7 days a week)
Contact: -
Address: Jalan Tunku Ibrahim, 41050, Kulim Kedah.
GPS: 5° 37′ 10.39″ N, 100° 55′ 39.34″ E

stevengoh |

Breakfast, Chinese, Food Asian, Hawker, Lunch, Meal, Penang Food, Serving Style, State Kedah |

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BBQ Plaza, Gurney Plaza – The BBQ Steamboat for Family Treat

May 3, 2012 – 1:55 pm

It has been a while seen BBQ plaza opened its doors in Penang. BBQ plaza is one of the places in town that you can have nice self-cooking Thai BBQ Buffet. The raw ingredients selected for this restaurant are of high quality meats and vegetables to meet the satisfaction of its customers.

BBQ Plaza in Penang is located at the strategic place inside Gurney Plaza. It is not hard to locate this restaurant. If you enter via the main entrance of Gurney Plaza (overlooking the sea), take the escalator to the LG floor. Just a few shop lots away you will see the BBQ Plaza on your right. It is impossible to miss the iconic crocodile at the front of the restaurant.

The ambiance of this place is very cozy despite the barbecue and grilling smoke from each table. This restaurant can cater up to 32 tables. It is a non-halal restaurant as they serve beer and pork. There are no private rooms available. However, you are able to utilize their free WIFI facility.

Each BBQ set consists of a plate of uncooked meat and a plate of fresh vegetables and seafood. You may request to replace the some of the selection if they do not suit your taste bud.

The segregation of lean meat and lard are clearly defined as you can see from the pic below. The overall texture of the pork slices was soft and juicy.

The fresh vegetables include pumpkin, tomato slices, cabbage slices, broccoli, mushroom and romaine lettuce.

The meal is also accompanied by a special homemade sauce, which tasted just right for grilled food. The ingredients of the sauce are keep secret and is said to be fully imported from Thailand. However, one of the ingredients that I had managed to discover is peanut butter.

To prepare a good and tasty bbq, there are certain guidelines for you to follow. First, place the pork lard on the tip of the hot pot and let it melt to the side of the pot into the soup base.

Add in cabbage and spices to the soup and cover them with other vegetables like tomato, mushroom and broccoli.

After a few minutes, place some meat on the hot grill pan and let it grill.

You could smell the strong aroma from the grilling session after a while. At the same time the meats had been grilled to perfection.

To accompany with the barbeque, there are also some side dishes available.

Garlic Fried Rice – RM2.50, the fried rice was cooked fried with chopped garlic, carrot cubes and garnished with a touch of spring onion. It was strong with garlic aroma. The carrot cubes made the fried rice texture crunchy. For garlic lovers, this is a must-try dish.

Som Tam with Soft Shell Crab – RM8.90, the marinated deep fried softshell crab was prepared together with mango slices and topped with dried shrimps and some tomato slices. The soft shell crab tasted slightly salty and peppery. Overall, the taste blended in well with the dried shrimps.

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab with Oats – RM9.90, the marinated softshell crabs were covered with a layer oats, then deep fried with curry leaves. They were served together with some slices of cabbage and carrots. The aroma of oats was very nice after being deep fried, this made the dish crunchy and crispy. This dish was slightly sweet and the taste was delicious.

Fried Bacon Roll – RM7.50, the bacon was rolled with enoki mushroom and asparagus. The fried bacon made the outer layer soft and tender while the inner stuffing of asparagus and mushroom made the dish crispy and juicy. The vege and bacon combination was simply great and it was even more perfect when served together with mayo sauce which had been mixed with some veggie and carrot.

Grilled Marinated Pork Belly Satay – RM6.90, the pork belly was well marinated with homemade sauce and pepper. The taste of the satay was sweet with a very strong sense of rempah (curry spices). This is one of my favourites.

Shioyaki Squid – RM8.90, the squids were battered and deep fried then covered with red and green chili and sprinkled with a touch of spring onion. It is indeed a hot and spicy dish and the texture of the squid was quite chewy. This is not my cup of tea.

Fried Chicken Wing with Lemon Grass – RM7.90, this dish had a strong aroma of lemon grass. You could smell it from far before the dish was being served to your table. The fried chicken wings with lemon grass smell was very appetizing. The texture was smooth with a crispy skin.

Besides those hot and spicy food, there are also some nice cooling and chilling drinks that will quench your thirst.

Mango Squash – RM3.50
Lime Squash – RM4.00
Watermelon Squash – RM3.50

Overall, the place is very family-friendly and food taste is acceptable. If you are looking for Thai BBQ restaurant, this is the right place for you. Parking lots are always available as it is located inside the Gurney Plaza shopping mall. FREE WIFI is also available in this restaurant.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room
WIFI Available

Operation hours: 11:00am – 10:30pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 04-2281487
Address: Lower Ground Floor, Gurney Plaza, Penang.
GPS: 5° 43′ 78.50″ N, 100° 30′ 97.89″ E

stevengoh |

Ala-Carte, Dinner, Food Asian, Gurney, Lunch, Meal, Penang Food, Serving Style, Set Meal, State Penang, Teatime, Thai |

Comments (1)

Free Recipe @ Creamy Lemon Seafood Fusilli Pasta

April 18, 2012 – 10:31 am

Cooking can be very fun and easy. Especially cooking with fusion Italiano food. One of my favorites will be Creamy Lemon Seafood Fusilli. The recipe that I am using will be more simplified and easier to get than the usual authentic one. The recipe can serve 3 pax. The ingredients for this Creamy Lemon Seafood Fussili Pasta will be as below:

1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
250ml cooking cream
3 tablespoon of white wine
1 pack of abalone mushroom
some tiger prawns
some fresh scallops
3 – 5 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese (subsitube with cheddar cheese if don’t like saltiness)
1 pound of dried fusilli pasta
pinch of rosemary herbs
pinch of basil leaves herbs
1 whole lemon (squeeze out the juice and grate the skin of lemon)
2 pinch of sugar, 1 pinch of salt and 1 pinch of chopped garlic

Keep Reading »

stevengoh |

Dinner, Food Asian, Indian, Lunch, Meal, Penang Food, The Recipe |

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I Love Yoo, Gurney Plaza – Simple and Light Classical Delight

April 13, 2012 – 1:31 pm

You Tiao or Yoo Tiao is also known as Chinese Donut or Chinese Cruller. Yoo Tiao is a very traditional Penang Food. Although Yoo Tiao is not originated from Penang, this food is so commonly available in any corner of Penang.

Yoo Tiao is made of a pair of long fried bread stick which is golden-brown in color. It is a deep fried strip of dough and is commonly found in Chinese cuisine and other East and Southeast Asian cuisines. Yoo Tiau is usually eaten for breakfast. Conventionally, Yoo Tiao is slightly salted and so that they can be torn lengthwise in two. Yoo tiao is normally eaten together with rice porridge or soy milk.

One of the convenient places that you can find the great taste of yesteryears is inside of Gurney Plaza itself. The name of the stall is called I Love Yoo, or 老油鬼鬼 in Chinese. It is not hard to locate this stall. If you are going to lower ground from the main entrance of Gurney Plaza, you will surely see this stall at the right hand side.

The main attraction here is the Yoo Tiao’s are served fresh every time. They only start to prepare them once they are about to run out of stock in the counter. This is to ensure the quality and the taste of the food.

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stevengoh |

Ala-Carte, Breakfast, Chinese, Dinner, Food Asian, Gurney, Halal or Pork Free, Lunch, Meal, Penang Food, Serving Style, Set Meal, State Penang, Teatime |

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China House, Georgetown – The Place Where East Meets West

April 3, 2012 – 12:08 am

Ever since Penang won the title of “World Heritage City” in the UNESCO’s World Heritage Cities Program, there are many heritage houses that had been restored back to its own glory. This recognition by UNESCO has created awareness to everyone to help Penang regain its lustre as the Pearl of the Orient.

One of the examples of a successful restoration project which presented some of fine arts of the heritage building and at the same time offered delicious western cuisine is the China House.

China House is located at Beach street. If you are driving from Jelutong Express way to Weld Quay, turn left to Magazine Road then turn right again at the first junction which is Beach Street. Keep driving for another 400 metres, just a few doors before reaching Bomba (Fire House) you will see China House on your right.

China House consists of 2 units of heritage houses, both units are located next to each other.

Upon entering the first section of China house, it welcomed you with a common dining area and a drinks bar.

Just beside the common dinning area is a separate room catering for fine dining patrons. The menu offered in this area is different than the menu in the common dining area.

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stevengoh |

Ala-Carte, Breakfast, Chinese, Dinner, Food Asian, Food Western, Georgetown, Halal or Pork Free, Lunch, Meal, Penang Food, Serving Style, Set Meal, State Penang, Teatime |

Comments (3)

FREE Recipe @ Korean Kimchi Fried Rice

March 29, 2012 – 1:04 am

For those that love to cook yet looking for easier recipe, below will be the ingredients and steps on how to prepare Korean Kimchi fried rice.

Ingredients:

2 – 4 cups of rice
1 x bottle Kimchi paste
1 x box of pre-mixed Kimchi
1 x egg
1 x table spoon of soy sauce
1 x tea spoon of sugar
1 x table spoon of planta
2 x table spoon of Chinese (Shao Xing) wine
1 x piece of chicken breast meat
Some prawns
Some dried scallops
Some chopped garlic
Some spring onions
Pinch of pepper

Keep Reading »

stevengoh |

The Recipe |

Comments (0)

Shanghai Ding House Of Dumplings, Bayan Lepas – Delectable Chinese Cuisine

March 19, 2012 – 2:03 pm

Talking about Penang Food, of course there are plentiful and all around every corner in island and also mainland of Penang. However if you are talking about getting good food during night time or weekend at Bayan Baru or Bayan Lepas, there are just only few handful.

Anyway, one of the excellent place for Chinese cuisine at Bayan Lepas is at Shanghai Ding House of Dumpling. This is one of the place that is affordable to dine in and the food here is delicious as well. This restaurant can be cater for 80 to 100 pax or 17 tables. There are no private room available at this place but there is private corner that segregated from the public instead. As for some people that wanted to work or having entertainment, there is free wifi provided as well.