El Casa Wine & Dine Restaurant, Georgetown – Impressive Mediterranean Cuisine

Mediterranean Cuisine? What kind of food is that? I was in the blue when someone told me there is a Mediterranean Cuisine Restaurant in town. I believe not only myself, there are many people out there who are not sure what kind of cuisine is that. After googling for an answer, the most suitable explanation is that Mediterranean food is not Spanish, French, or Italian food. Because of the complexity of its history, cultures, religions, and geography and they are composed of many different cultures, and there seems to be no single image that represents a “magical” unity.

One of the places in town that serves good Mediterranean food is El Casa Restaurant.

It is not hard to locate El Casa. If you are driving through Burma Road and pass by Union Primary School, keep driving for another 150 meters and you will see Service Road on your right. Turn into that road and drive for another 50 meters and you will see El Casa on your right.

The interior of the restaurant is very cozy and very romantic.

The variety of flower teas in this restaurant as below:

• Organic Green – RM6.90
• Jasmine – RM5.90
• Pink Rose – RM6.90
• Red Tea – RM5.90
• Chrysanthemum – RM5.90

For those that prefer healthy and good diet, these teas would be a good option.

Daily Chef’s Homemade Special Western Cream Soup – RM6.90. This soup was cooked with tomatoes and sprinkled with black pepper.

The soup had a very sour and peppery taste and it was very appetizing.

Homemade Puree of Forest Mushroom Soup – RM6.90. The mushrooms were chopped into small cubes and some of the mushroom kinds are from the forest. The soup was topped with sautéed potato and drizzled with thyme herb olive oil.

The soup was very thick and creamy. The taste of the soup neither not too salty nor too rich. The taste was just right.

El Casa Salad – RM11.90. One of the signature dishes here. Besides the mesclun lettuce, it came together with sun-dried tomato, green apples and crouton with a touch of special homemade honey mustard dressing which complemented the whole dish.

The main attraction for this dish was the sun-dried tomato. However, for this round the tomatoes were not in the good condition, therefore we didn’t have the chance to try out taste of the actual dish. Anyway, so far the taste of this dish was still very nice even without the sun-dried tomato.

Homemade Chicken Au Gratin – RM17.90.  The dish was covered with a layer of cheese and a layer of mushrooms then another layer of cheese covering the boneless chicken drumstick then baked to perfection. It was served together with mixed herb wedges and sautéed garden vegetables.

The dish was very rich and creamy. Although the portion was not big it will make you filling.

Pan-Roasted Fillet of Norwegian Salmon – RM27.90. Pan-roast salmon fillet allows better doneness and richer in omega-3. It was topped with mixed herb lemon butter sauce, served with mixed herb mashed potato and sautéed garden vegetable.

One of my favorite dishes. The fish was marinated with salt and pepper and it was grill to perfection. The mixed herb lemon butter sauce was a complement to the dish. It made the fish fillet more appetizing.

Sirloin Steak 180 gm – RM28.90. The steak was marinated with salt and pepper and it was grilled according to the need of customers. It was served with Sautéed garden vegetable and potato wedges in black pepper sauce.

The grill level of the steak was up to standard. However, the meat was a little too salty and the pepper taste was too strong. If there are other options of the sauce it will be much better. For this steak, I personally feel that there is still room for improvement.

Spaghetti Seafood Cabonara – RM18.90. Cabonara sauce comes from the northern part of Italy. It is a white silky creamy sauce cooked with squid, fish and prawns. The name of this sauce by El Casa is the heavenly dance of the sea. It blended so well with spaghetti and garnished with parmesan cheese and French baguette toasts.

For the cabonara lover, this is a must try dish. It was very creamy and it blended very well with the seafood as well as the spaghetti.

Pan-Roasted Seabass Fillet with Arrabiata Sauce – RM19.90. Serving the fish on pan-roasted spicy Italian tomato sauce with mixed herb wedges and sautéed garden vegetable.

Crunchy and delicious seabass fillet, it blended well with the arrabiata sauce.

Charcoal Grilled Hawaii Chicken – RM13.90. What would make a barbeque complete is grilled boneless chicken drumstick with the Chef’s finest homemade tropical barbeque sauce. The mix from the riches of tropical region accompanied by French fries, sautéed garden vegetable and pineapple.

The crunchy boneless chicken drumstick tasted very well with the preserved pineapple. For non-spicy lover or kids, this dish is specially for you.

Home Desserts – RM5.90. Lemonade cream, topped with chocolate coating. It was garnished with preserved red cherry.

This dessert is not my cup of tea. Partially is because both the texture of the lemonade cream and chocolate coating were soft and the mixture of the lemonade cream tasted a bit like cough mixture.

Overall, the environment here is very cozy and romantic. The service here is also very friendly. The price here is considered reasonable considering the portion served and the ambiance. There are car parks available just beside the building. As for the taste of the food, most of them are up to par while some small portion of the food still have rooms for improvement.

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 – 3:00pm; 6:00pm – 10:00pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 04-229 9223, 012 – 979 3318 (James)
Address:No. 2, Jalan Irrawady, 10500 Penang.
GPS: 5° 42′ 55.89″ N, 100° 32′ 15.37″ E