Auction Rooms – for those who had never been to Melbourne might probably think this is the room for auction and bidding. However, Auction Rooms that we are talking here is a dining place with “east meets west” decoration. It has a classic layout with a mixture of modern furnishings. Even the food served here is of Eastern and Western cuisine where the dishes are classic with a modern touch.
Auction Rooms Cafe is located just next to Kimberley Hotel. This place is suitable for all occasions. Other than going there for your regular meals, it is also an ideal place for business people to have meetings or discussions. To get to this place, if you are driving via Penang Road and Komtar is on your right, you will arrive at a junction where the left turn is to Burma Road and right turn is to Dr. Lim Chwee Leong Road. Keep left and turn to the junction of Jalan Sungai Ujong. About 10 meters away you will see Kimberley Hotel is on your left and beside the hotel is Auction Rooms Cafe.
At the entrance of Auction Rooms, you will see the original Chinese signage of the building which tells the story of the building. Upon entering the dining area, we are welcomed by all the warm light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and the wall lights which are making this place cosy and warm.
The pictures on the wall and the collections are very retro.
The sofas and cushions make you feel comfortable and homely.
CREAM OF WILD MUSHROOM – RM10. Accompanied by a slice of garlic toast.
The soup was very thick and tasty. Cubes of mushroom could be felt in every spoon of the soup and giving it a very good bite feel. The soup was also packed with a good mix of herbs and pepper. This was a very appetizing starter.
NACHOS AND CHEESE – RM12. Baked tortilla chips dipped in hearty Italian Bolognese sauce and topped with melted mozzarella.
The dish itself is not new but the taste of the Bolognese sauce was slightly sweet which is very suitable for the younger generation. The rich taste of the cheese combined with the sauce and the crispy nachos chips is an excellent snack.
SEAFOOD BRUSCHETTA – RM14. Succulent fish chunks, squid and prawns in a house cream sauce, topped with melted mozzarella, served on toasted baguette slices.
The combination of the fish, squid and prawns chunks made this dish an all-rounder as it had chewy, soft and hard textures. Serving together with it were some house cream sauce and a touch of pepper and cheese.
STUFFED CHICKEN – RM28. An infusion of smoked chicken stuffed with duck breast, cream cheese and spinach, along with wild mushroom sauce and accompanied by golden potato fries and sautéed vegetables.
The chicken breast meat was stuffed with some duck breast, cream cheese and spinach which made this a balanced diet dish. People who enjoy healthy and well-balanced food like myself should consider this dish.
GRILLED BBQ CHICKEN – RM22. A hearty crispy chicken fillet grilled to golden perfection, served with in house BBQ sauce, accompanied by sides of sautéed vegetables and steamed white rice.
Serving with in house barbecue sauce, this succulent grilled chicken really tasted good. If would be good if they could add more greens to this dish. While serving with white rice could fill up the stomach, it was a bit too dry to go along with the grilled chicken.
CHICKEN ROULETTE – RM25. An orient-inspired roulette with tender chicken breast slices rolled with Japanese pickles, carrot, chicken frank and cheddar, served with house gravy, mash, and sautéed vegetables.
The combination of all the ingredients inclusive of chicken breast, Japanese pickles, carrot, chicken franks and cheddar was very unique. However, the combination of cheddar and house gravy made the sauce slightly too rich. It would be great to add a touch of lemon zest to make it more flavourful and appetizing.
LAMB SHOULDER – RM38. Succulent grilled lamb shoulder braised in mint sauce, served with sides of mash and Sautéed vegetables.
The marination and taste of the lamb shoulder was just nice although it was slightly on the salty side. However, the tenderness of the lamb shoulder still needs to be improved as it was still too hard.
AUSTRALIAN RIB-EYE – RM52. Fine Australian rib-eye steak served in a black pepper corn sauce and sides of fried mesh and sautéed vegetables.
The tenderness of the rib eye was just nice and juicy. However, due to the marination with pepper and salt and also the additional saltiness in the black pepper corn sauce, the saltiness level of this dish became overwhelming.
PAN-SEARED MACKEREL – RM30. Mackerel fillet served in leek pesto sauce, served with sides of mash and sautéed vegetables.
The mackerel was cut and pan-seared in a unique shape where the tail will remain standing when served. The texture and the taste of the fish were just nice. If this dish was topped with some almond flakes it will give an additional bite texture for this dish.
GRILLED WHITE TUNA – RM28. Wild ocean tuna served with creamy wild mushroom sauce, accompanied by sides of mash and sautéed vegetables.
The taste of this dish is healthy and well-balanced. The only thing is the serving was rather small.
SMOKED DUCK CARBONARA – RM22. A classic carbonara dish with a modern twist of smoky, tender duck pieces and wild shiitake mushrooms.
This is the dish that depicts well the concept of Auction Rooms. This dish has the combination of both classic taste with modern twist. For non spicy lovers, please beware of the bird eye chili that was laid beneath the pasta.
The menu of Auction Rooms Cafe is shown below:
The series of cold drinks which are available at Auction Rooms Cafe.
The hot drinks with caffeine and chocolate also available here.
This is the menu of the drinks.
Overall, this place was cozy with its modern and classic setting. It is the place for youngsters to hang out and also for business people to have discussions. This place is also family-friendly, but need to be extra mindful of the decorative items which are very nice to look at but are breakable. The food here was acceptable. It would be more attractive if they served set lunch or dinners. If you come during off-peak hours, you may still find parking just beside the cafe.
Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):
| Taste |  |
| Price (more stars, more reasonable) |  |
| Food Presentation |  |
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Quick Facts:
| Family Friendly |  |
| Parking | |
| Pork Free | |
| Alcohol | |
| Credit Card | |
| Smoking |  |
| Reservation | |
| Private Room (Private Area) | |
| WIFI Available | |
Operation hours: 10:00am – 10:30pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 04-263 6688
Address: No., G-02 Jalan Sungai Ujong, 10100 Georgetown Penang.
GPS: 5.4158122,100.3314608