POP! The sound of the champagne cork being released was music to our ears. We were at one of Penang's newest, "That Little Wine Bar" in Chow Thye Road, invited to try out the place by genteel English lady Louise and her German chef husband Tommes. What better way to start a review than with a glass of one of their champagne cocktails - mine was delish, slightly sweetened with Elderflower Syrup, with just a hint of its gorgeous bouquet. The other was a Tommes Sparkle.

The cosy place is proving popular with locals and expats: it's somewhere to pop into after work, as it's conveniently situated between Burmah Road and the busy Northam offices, for a drink ... or two ... whilst the traffic outside dies down. Sit at the bar on one of their oversized high stools tucking into one or two of the tapas dishes that they have become known for, drinking one of the large selection of wines that they import direct from boutique vineyards in Europe. A big blackboard covers one wall, announcing the day's specials, or the wine of the week, with some witty remarks.

Alternatively, sit at the comfortable tables which dot the rest of the small dining area and tuck into some unique dishes.

"We do traditional, clean, European food," said Chef Tommes. "Everything is made fresh from scratch, even our stocks and mayonnaise." Even his breads are baked on the premises. As he spent the last five years prior working in Shanghai, including Stefan Stiller's 1-Michelin starred restaurant, I'd say he knows what he's talking about.

We started with Mushroom Soup which is very different from the usual creamy type; it's made with five different types of the popular fungus, in a clear hot broth, after which we had gorgeous red Beef Carpaccio, sliced so thinly you could see the plate through it. "Only the very best quality tenderloin can be eaten raw," Louise confirmed. Dribbled with extra virgin olive oil and rocket, topped with a couple of slivers of parmesan, it was delicious.

The Mushroom Quiche is apparently the one that everyone comes back for, although for me it was the Warm Apple Pie in Filo Pastry - it was really excellent, light as air. Mmmm ... I'd definitely go back for that!

As it was rather busy that night Tommes was stuck in the kitchen for much of the time, but he managed to get out for a few minutes at the end. "I've learnt a lot since we opened here," he told me. "People told me that Penangites are cheap and you can never sell good food here. We may charge more," he said, "but you get the atmosphere. The ingredients are the best I can get."

Unfortunately we had to rush off as I had to see someone to finish off my Sunday Metro column, so had just 5 mins to spend with him, but he's certainly an interesting person, whom I'd like to talk to longer, so Louise if you're reading this I look forward to getting together again soon!