Dining Blues

Last night we helped a good friend, Nick, commiser ... sorry I mean celebrate his birthday, and together with his wife and two other couples, set off for No.32 for a good time.

One thing you can't fault about the place is its ambiance. Apart from the fact that it is in a really gorgeous, beautifully-restored old house set right next to the sea in town, the rooms are generously proportioned with high ceilings and impressive windows. The floor-length curtains just add to the overall image of elegant, slightly ostentatious sophistication.

Another thing I like about this restaurant, one of the foremost so-called "fine dining" places in Penang, is the waiting staff. One can't find much to fault in it; they are generally well-trained, offering discreet yet unsycophantic service.

Then there's the menu. It offers a good yet not uber-large choice (I tend to get a bit suspicious of places with too many items on the menu), and even then if you can't decide, opt for their Set Dinner of salad, soup of the day, mains, dessert and coffee. The price depends on what mains you go for but they are all really quite excellent value, and it was something that half the group went for.

I wish I had too, because in my bid to show some self-restraint, I decided to be good. After all, one can't always be sensible (especially when I am doing an "official" food review), so now was the time to cut down a bit.

So I just went for a soup and a pasta. Ha! I hear you snort - restraint?! It should have been a clear consomme and a salad. Ya well - a gal's gotta eat, right?!!

Although the oxtail soup was quite respectable, a tasty local version of it with more spices than the western version, the Linguini with Slipper Lobster wasn't. In fact, it was quite disappointing, and not something I'd come to expect from the establishment. The sauce was watery (pasta sauces should always coat the strands well - in fact that's a prerequisite) and tasteless, even if it did come with what was probably a whole slipper lobster cut into chunks. It was poor value for money, and not something I shall be recommending; definitely not to be reordered ever again - unless they change their recipe of course.

I still enjoyed the evening nevertheless; the 4-pc band did a more than average job of some favourite jazz numbers, and it was good being with friends. Look on it positively: at least it helped to keep me on the straight and narrow and not over-indulge!