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A MOMENT OF FAME ...

2011-11-14T14:03:00.001+08:00

SINCE I CAME BACK FROM SINGAPORE it's been busy as usual but with a difference: NBC, who had asked me to show them around Pulau Tikus Market before I left, flew me down to KL to show them round what was at first the night eateries in Jalan Alor.

I went down a day early and checked into a budget hotel located smack bang in the middle of the place which was a bit of a come down from the Conrad Centennial the week before, I can tell you!

The Apple Hotel is REALLY budget, and although clean and the double bed quite comfortable, didn't have a lot of room as the ensuite was squeezed into one side. It sufficed, but do beware if you book two nights and pay in advance online like I did, you will not get a refund if you change your mind - like I did! So I stayed there which wasn't really a problem as they have free wifi.

However, my time there was not really much use because Amy Robach their link person who flew in from the US the night before was quite jetlagged, and as the weather was very wet too, it got changed to Chow Kit Market the next morning. Which was a shame because I wanted to show them what KL is really good at: HOKKIEN CHAR with tai lok meen. They do it well there: thick, wormy noodles with black, black sauce and lots of chee yiau char (having said that I still prefer it with the fine bee hoon - absolutely delish with some sambal or chilli padi).

Now I hadn't been to Chow Kit Road for years - probably decades - and the last time I went was with my dear old Dad who, to my great sorrow, passed away earlier this year. So when I went there earlier to reccy the place out, it was with sadness in my heart when I recollected that the game old man preferred to bus it all the way from his house in Bangsar to Chow Kit, then lug his purchases all the way home by bus again, because it was a couple of ringgit cheaper. Oh my papa ... how I miss him.

Anyway, it was quite interesting to see the place again, as it reminded me rather of the wet markets in Thailand - and smelt like them too, truth be told. It's ENORMOUS, and when the film crew arrived, we had quite a trek up and down the place to find things they wanted to feature. And of all things they featured the cows' heads!!

Their feature on Malaysia came out on Thursday 9th evening when there was a big party at KLCC but unfortunately I couldn't make it as I was down with flu, and am still croaking away even now. That'll teach me to talk so much. I have to tell you I looked TERRIBLE because I was already feeling unwell, and it showed!

LION CITY

2011-10-31T22:21:00.001+08:00

I'VE JUST GOT BACK FROM SINGAPORE, where Mac and I went to attend a "Wine Extravaganza", part of the annual "Wines for Asia" event held at Suntec.

The city state is just awesome. It's clean, well-run and very efficient, but VERY expensive. Hotels cost about SGD300 per night, which really makes me appreciate our wonderful hotels here which provide so much at half the cost.

Our first night there we stayed at the RASA SENTOSA, and it was amazing to see what's happened there since we were last on the island - which was probably about 8 years ago. The hotel itself is very similar to Golden Sands Resort here, and was apparently designed by the same architect.

The view from our room was absolutely stunning; we could see the large liners anchored along the South China Sea ... imagine what it must have been like a century or two ago, with all the Chinese junks and European ships docked there.

Sentosa itself has grown tremendously, and it's real resort-world, with many hotels and things to do. I really take my hat off to the Singaporean Government for achieving so much.

It was much too short a stay, but we managed to make it to Underwater World, which was quite interesting - having said that, as I've been to the one in Miami (Seaworld) and Sydney, this wasn't so impressive.

And the Dolphin Show was rather a disappointment, as it took longer to wait for the show than the show itself.

Peacocks who are "inhabitants" of the island roam freely there, quite tame and used to human contact by now, so you can be having a drink at one of the bars and they will actually wander right up to you! And the gorgeous colours of the male are really quite stunning.

The next day we checked into the Conrad Centennial in town, right opposite Suntec itself, but stupidly left some stuff behind in the closet. A quick phone call to the Rasa before we left for dinner (more about that later) and would you believe it, it was in our room on our return later that evening. What service. I'm impressed.

I also liked the fact that Singaporean taxis are CHEAPER than Penang ones, which is a shame, because I would like to travel more by taxi here but the costs are so astronomical that it just isn't feasible to do so. They are fast and efficient, and even better: no one dares cheat. The taxi from the airport to Sentosa cost just SGD25, which is pretty reasonable.

BEIJING COURTYARD DINING

2011-10-22T11:16:00.000+08:00

COURTYARD DINING

(this article appeared in www.themalaysianinsider today)

Beijing can truly be described as cosmopolitan: parts of the sprawling city of over 17 million people are very modern, teeming with visitors from all over the world. A wealth of eateries, both local and international, has sprung up in recent years to cater for its many inhabitants, some of them offering excellent food.

When we were there recently, some kind friends took us to a rather unique restaurant that started in the hutongs over a decade ago. “Hua’s Courtyard Restaurant” is in Guijie, Dongzhimen Inner Street in Dongcheng District, aka Ghost Street, presumably because the place is very busy at night. In the evening, the entire street is lit up with hundreds of glowing red lamps strung from tree to tree, and lined with restaurants on either side, and reminded me a bit of the busy Bukit Bintang night scene.

Established by the enterprising and philanthropic Mr Hua, the restaurant serves popular ethnic Chinese food to locals and tourists. Walking in through the unassuming façade, you won’t believe just how big this restaurant is: it has become so well known that there are now six branches and two clubs which employ over 2000 staff which can serve up to 4000 guests at any one time. Even by Beijing standards, it’s huge.

The large, partitioned courtyard is laid out in attractive but serviceable black furniture, with private rooms leading off it. When we arrived, it was buzzing with hungry and satiated customers, the waiters, waitresses and chefs serving up platter after platter of steaming, delicious-looking food. We were lucky to get a table near the front … and I’ll tell you why a bit later.

Friendly Guest Relations Manager Rola Heng who, incidentally, is from Indonesia, was happy to take us through the menu, discoursing on the history of the place and advising us on which dishes to order.

Of course we had to try their most famous dish – after all, we are in Peking! Here, it is called Yongzheng Dynasty Duck, skilfully carved up into thin, delicate slices by one of the chefs a table then served with no less than three types of thin, different-coloured pancakes to wrap it in, and 6 types of julienned vegetables as well as three sauces: sour plum with tips of wasabi, sweet red fruit and a unique, yellow floral osmanthus. “We’ve improved on the traditional Peking Duck because people have different tastes,” according to Rola.

Eaten the traditional way ie the meat and skin rolled up in a pancake with the vegetables and one of the sauces, it was tasty, as was the Braised Eggplant with Abalone Sauce and Spinach with Chicken Soup. However, I thought their “Yi Yuan” Famous Noodles was excellent: cold noodles tossed in their own-recipe spicy peanut butter and sesame sauce, one of their signature dishes.

“It was a favorite of Anita Mui’s,” who called it “Bawang ji” after she tasted it the first time”, Rola added. It’s a bit like gado gado with noodles, but with much more delicate flavours; crunchy, nutty and quite delicious. Everything is beautifully presented, and the dishes are adorned with carved vegetables and

However, what was really interesting about this place was what happened after our meal – that is why I said we were lucky to be seated near the front. The canny proprietor lays on a floor show nightly, when their trained waiters and waitresses perform for the diners. For amateurs, they are surprisingly good, and the half hour show of various feats including Kung Fu Tea Pouring with a two-foot long spout, plate spinning and noodle-slicing (dao xiao mian) whilst balancing on a monocycle was very enjoyable.

The final act though was the piece de resistance: bian lian, the ancient art of face changing. It was fascinating, and much too short – apparently only 200 people in the whole of China are privy to this amazing act, and one of them is based here! It’s worth going just to see it.

After the evening’s entertainment, we were privileged to be given a quick tour of the entire premises, when Rola showed us round the other parts of the massive place, going past their clean show kitchens where teams of chefs are busily and skilfully preparing yet more food; down dimly-lit alleyways and side streets, weaving in and out of the six yards and 3 court yards which are spread over more than 30,000 sq metres and includes alfresco and fine dining areas.

Hua's Courtyard Restaurant

235 Dongzhimen Inner Street

Dongcheng District, Beijing 100007

Tel: 512 83315

Opening hours: daily from 10.30am to 04.00am

FAIRY GODMOTHER?

2011-10-16T12:27:00.000+08:00

THE OTHER NIGHT we had nothing on, so a group of us decided to get together and have something to makan locally. That's one of the problems I find about Penang - once we're ensconced up this part of town, nothing short of a free taxi ride (there and back!) will make me move out of here in the evenings. It's partly because of the traffic going in, particularly around the Tg Tokong stretch near the McDonald's traffic light, which can be so bad it comes to a standstill at weekends. It's also partly once we make it into George Town, there's nowhere to park!

So we were trawling around for ideas as to where to eat (and me a food writer, shame shame!) when we suddenly hit upon the new KAI MA, the old Yyu Yuan which went bust after less than a year in business. (Which to be frank wasn't surprising because although they were actually quite popular and busy, it got to the stage where service was just awful; we went there once and Mac ordered a mixed grill and I had a Hor Fun; mine arrived after about half an hour and Mac was still waiting 15 minutes after that. He finally stormed off in a huff and vowed never to go back again.) It's the same row as the Ambank/Maybank in Tg Bungah, so we thought we'd give it a go.

The GOOD thing is that it was VERY quiet; there were barely 2 or 3 tables taken in the double-fronted restaurant, which meant for a change there WAS parking out front. And because there was no business, the food came quite quickly, and the service was attentive. After all, you do want them to come back, don't you.

The not-so-good news was that the food was rather pricey, I thought. It now just does Chinese food, because, as is obvious from above, the kitchen just can't cope with two types of cuisines. There's quite a large menu, offering dishes in 3 different sizes: S, M, L. But the smalls start at about RM10 for vegetables, and RM15 for meats.

As there were 5 of us we decided to order everything in S so we could have a bigger choice: Fried Beans with Minced Pork, Taufu with Salted Fish, Pork in a hotpot, fried mixed veg, and steamed fish teowchew style.

The taufu with salted fish didn't taste of salted fish and was too gooey. The pork was tasty but too dry - a bit of "chiap" would have been good, and came in a tiny little pot. The fish was also tasty, tart and soupy, but the fish had been frozen before I think; it had that taste which fresh fish doesn't have.

The Fried Beans was OK, but we didn't have quite enough to eat so ordered a final Hor Fun which was not bad.

Together with a large Tiger, the bill came to RM125 which I thought was a bit excessive, as it wasn't really that brilliant. All in all, not A1 experience and although I would go back if only just because it's not very busy, it certainly wouldn'tbe my top choice. Having said that, I do believe Penang is getting quite expensive and most places are starting to charge more now.

FOAMING AT THE HARD ROCK HOTEL

2011-10-09T12:34:00.000+08:00

LAST NIGHT I WAS PRIVILEGED TO BE INVITED to witness one of the Hard Rock Hotel's many fund raising sessions: their "Pink Foam Party", held on the beach by the pool, is part of their worldwide "Pinktober" campaign in support of breast cancer awareness and research.

At reception, a bed had been done up, resplendent in pink and complete with gleaming gorgeous chandelier and guitar, for the "Celebs Bed-in" session.

Actually, we were a bit early but it wasn't a bad thing - we were taken to Starz Diner and given a meal at the buffet counter, which included free-flow drinks.

The food is OK; some of the dishes are good, and there's salmon sashimi and big prawns as well as a good choice of salads at the counter. Can't expect TOO much for just RM70 or 80++.

Usually at such places the wine is pretty mediocre at best, to be frank, but I was really quite pleased that they give a fairly palatable white, which is my usual poison. Mac, as usual, is happy with his beer.

After that we headed for the beach which at that hour (still quite early - about 830pm by then) was still a bit quiet although some brave souls were in the "foam" "Cotton Candy Tub", and hula girls in skirts and others in pyjamas, trying to dance to the music.

A whole host of local celebrities had been invited to grace the event - although I have to say MOI wasn't included as part of the pack as a mere food writer you see - including Ash Nair, Yuri Wong, Jojo Struys and my old mate Dennis Lau, who when he saw me gave me a big hug, which stoked my rapidly decreasing ego a teeny bit ... !!! (Us writers have very frail and brittle egos...)

There were various performances after that, with top Malaysian rock band SEARCH at the Hard Rock Cafe although to be frank, it had started to rain a bit so oldies like me (non-celebrities ... !!! sob sob) had melted away by then ... !

Throughout October, Hard Rock Hotel will have a Seaview Deluxe Room decked out in pink at just RM580++ per night inclusive of breakfast for 2, Pink-A-Luscious cocktails for 2, and - this is the piece de resistance as far as I am concerned - a limited edition 2011 Pinktober Breast Cancer Awareness pin!

I even donated RM20 to adopt two special "pink ducks" to help!

2011-10-08T15:20:00.000+08:00

TODAY I REALLY FANCIED SOMETHING SIMPLE so together with a couple of girlfriends, headed for the Copthorne Hotel in Tanjung Bungah, where their weekend Taiwanese Porridge is on at the Hu Ji Chinese Restaurant.

I like the place cos it's casual yet air-conditioned, and there's plenty of parking in the underground car park which is FREE.

And although the prices have gradually crept up and up (but dishes have got fewer), it's still relatively cheap even for a small eater like me. The thing is although I don't eat that much, I like choice as it allows me to try a bit of everything.

Today, Chef Hung was telling me about something new they just introduced a couple of weeks ago: it's their "Fried Porridge"; a bit of an oxymoron but his version is just thick porridge which is then 'fried' in a frying pan with a few extra things added like oil, hey bee, soya sauce etc.

You can then add condiments to your bowl: cooked chicken, chicken char siew (they went pork-free a few years ago), spring onions, fried ikan bilis etc. I told them a good sprinkling of white pepper, together with a dribble of minced garlic oil, would really perk it up.

The Hu Ji used to do this buffet every lunch time but unfortunately because of poor response they have now cut down to weekends and public holidays only which is a shame, cos I like to have it there whenever I feel like going. There's not that much choice now, especially not enough meat items but there's plenty of vegetables, and a bit of fish and chicken, taufu and steamed egg custard. Hey, what do you expect for RM19.90 I think it is.

However, buffets can be a real waste of money so wisely they have decided to cut back. Do please go along, cos they really do need the support.

SOUP GEARBOX BEEHOON IN SG PETANI

2011-10-07T21:00:00.001+08:00

OK SO THERE WE WERE, STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF SUNGAI PETANI ... when we suddenly decided we were hungry, so a friend who knows the place well directed us to a local Malay eatery which was open at lunchtime.

Off we trotted then to the TAMAN RIA Medan Selera, behind a Petronas petrol station on the outskirts of town, and found Kak Bibah's popular eatery - it seemed to be popular, because there was even a queue forming to order their food. Luckily we got there just before!

I had some Ikan Goreng stuffed with rempah which was quite tasty.

, but also decided to try their Soup Gearbox with Bee Hoon ... although there wasn't any gearbox because they were all gone I think - at least, I could just see the large femurs put to one side.

The soup is cooked with a lot of cow innards, including the heart and other unmentionables so although our bowl (we were sharing one) came with just beef and was quite tasty, I have to admit to being quite a CHICKEN and being put off by it slightly. It is topped with spring onions and diced taufu, and accompanied by a large dollop of sweet chilli sauce.

It was served by this gorgeous young lady who was so sweet and explained to me that the bee hoon is dyed with kunyit.

MR 'T' AT THE E&O

2011-10-05T10:28:00.001+08:00

The other day, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr “T” himself, Stephen Twining, scion of one of the oldest English tea companies in the world. As part of his recent South East Asian tour to share his passion for this popular beverage, Stephen, 48, visited Malaysia, and included a whistle-stop trip to Penang where he demonstrated how to make that perfect cup of cha at the E&O Heritage Hotel.

The presentation took us through the origins of tea, so long associated with the Brits, but actually, it was the Portuguese and Dutch who were the first Europeans to drink it.

Twinings was started in London in 1706 by one of his forefathers, Thomas Twining, a bold step in the days when it was more usual to drink coffee and beer than water. Brewers, fearing that they would lose business, persuaded the Government to put a huge tax on it, so it became a drink only of the rich and the aristocracy, spawning an entire new industry producing tea caddies and delicate English porcelain.

Incidentally, it was these tiny, dainty cups which gave ladies the opportunity to show how refined they were by sticking their little pinkies out when they held it to their lips.

In 1717, the tiny shop in the Strand in Central London was opened, where it stands to this very day. Queen Victoria made them a Royal Warrant Holder in 1837, and the company has supplied every English monarch since then.

300 years later, Twinings has just opened its second store: in the newly-opened Westfield Shopping Centre, Shepherd’s Bush, and today, the company produces some 250 varieties which are exported to 115 countries around the world, although Stephen was at pains to stress that the company have never been tea growers. “We have never owned tea gardens.”

Instead, their skill is in the buying and blending of teas from all over the world: China, India, Sri Lanka and other major producing regions, to create a consistent range of flavours because, rather like wines, the flavours of the teas change with the weather and terroir.

Their tea tasters train for five years before they are allowed to put together teas to very specific “recipes” which make up particular blends. Their most popular? It is still the bergamot-scented Earl Grey, specially blended for the second Earl Grey, the then British Prime Minister.

“Tea,” Stephen claimed, “is the most sociable drink in the world.”

He believes we spend too much time Facebooking and doing other internet things, and forgetting about good old-fashioned conversation, but, as soon as people have a cup in their hands, everyone around starts talking. This was certainly true of the morning; although the specially-invited audience sat to attention throughout the interesting, hour-long presentation, once the tea was poured, people started chatting to their neighbours.

Tea is also healthy, full of antioxidants which mop up free radicals, and calorie-free if drunk without milk. It is a pick-me-up with only half the caffeine of coffee.

We were given the opportunity to try three varieties: rather like a wine tasting session, they were paired with different foods: it started with The aforementioned delicately-scented Earl Grey to go with beef and smoked salmon sandwiches; then we had a mild and refreshing Jasmine Green Tea to accompany some scones with jam and cream, and finally, an unusual caffeine-free Strawberry & Mango Tea infusion, coloured red with hibiscus flower, served ice-cold with strawberry tarts.

So how does one produce that perfect cuppa? Firstly, you require a clean, preferably ceramic, teapot. Not, he insists, one which is lined with old tannin stains which will give the tea a stale, bitter taste. The next pre-requisite is good quality water which has not been previously boiled, as it will have lost some of its dissolved oxygen, important for bringing out the flavour.

The teapot should also be warmed with a smidgen of hot water which is then tipped out, after which the tea leaves are added: a good guide is one teaspoon (or teabag) per person although the intensity of the flavour, according to Stephen, is entirely down to personal taste, and depends on how much water is added to the leaves. Bring the water to the boil, and pour it over the leaves immediately; let stand for 2-3 minutes before pouring out. And if using teabags, avoid dunking. “If you want exercise,” he quipped, “go to the gym!”

As for that age-old question, “Which goes in first – the milk or the tea?” his diplomatic answer was, “Whatever brings you pleasure. “

Historically, when tea was made in a pot,” he went on to explain, “it was poured out into very delicate porcelain cups which could crack with the heat.” This meant that milk was added first to dilute the temperature.

“It’s your cuppa – so it’s down to you!”

Twinings

216 Strand

London, WC2R 1AP

Tel: 0207 353 3511

DELIcious at Straits Quay

2011-09-26T22:10:00.003+08:00

AT LAST ... I did it. In honour of No.2 Son who has been with us all summer but leaves to start his second year at uni tomorrow, we finally made it to Delicious in Straits Quay, Penang, tonight. Although I've been to the one in KL Bangsar Village II, this was the first time I'd tried it up here.

It's kitted out in smart, contemporary fashion, very bright and trendy with funny bird-cage lamp shades hanging from the ceiling. The dining tables are in the middle, and all along the outer walls are sofas you can lounge on if you just want to have a drink and chill. As with all new places in Penang, once somewhere is open everyone flocks there but after a while it tends to taper off, so when we were there, although busier than the other places, it was still possible to get a table as soon as we walked in. The weather could have something to do with it; it was quite wet and in fact has just started to rain even as I write.

And to give credit where it's due, it was good, and deserved its reputation for giving quite a few outlets there a run for their money. The food is well presented in simple but smart white crockery, and not over-elaborate.

My Nyonya Laksa (had to try that lor) was quite good, the colour bright orange and inviting, quite lemak and served with a choice of beehoon or kuey teow (although I would have preferred lye fun, just to be difficult). It came with a few pieces of taufu pok, and no less than THREE large prawns which were crunchy and quite fresh; the julienned cucumber garnish was pretty but just a bit over-the-top; more taugeh would have been better as it doesn't have the crunch once it's added to hot gravy.

Mac thought his Carbonara was good too, although I find it difficult to eat with beef bacon personally, so it's something I would never order myself, and No.2 Son had a Steak Sandwich which he polished off in no time. Ahh, these youngsters! We also ordered a 3-dip starter which was quite good, although the aubergine one was too sweet, and the pitta bread was over-microwaved so some of it was almost like cardboard.

The dinner was finished off with one of the things they are most well known for: dessert. We ordered a very chocolatey Chocolate Cake served with ice cream; texture was good and the frosting was sweet and thick but I didn't think it was anything special as the taste was quite mediocre. I would have preferred it with a bit more oomph - orange flavour goes very well with chocolate; a fudge base would also have been acceptable. I also thought the wines were quite reasonably priced; our Merlot was RM65.

HOWEVER service left a bit to be desired; although Sarah served us our wine properly, opening it with quiet efficiency like a silver service sommelier, we had to ask several times for things like dessert menus (my son finally had to go and stand by the sweet counter and order there) and water. We also kept being offered things we HADN'T ordered beer, chips, dessert etc - at least four times I counted!! That may have been something to do with the table numbers going wrong but hey, I'm being picky.

All in all, it was a positive experience, and I can see that once they settle down, they will be just as successful as they are in the Klang Valley. One thing though: please give the other outlets a chance too lah!!!

CULINAIRE 2011 - KL CONVENTION CENTRE

2011-09-20T23:26:00.000+08:00

WELL, I'M BACK AGAIN. TWO YEARS OLDER BUT, I think, not too much wiser!

Yes, once again, I've been invited back as one of the (many) judges at Malaysia's biggest cooking competition, Culinaire Malaysia 2011, being held at the KL Convention Centre. I am mostly doing (what else) Nyonya Food with our very own celebrity chef AMY BEH and two other honourable judges.

It's interesting to see so many more teams taking part this year; the first four of the 12 took part today; the others over the next two days. More news about that at a later stage.

It's a huge event, and the six convention halls - which are quite big already - are full to the brim with all kinds of equipment specifically for the catering industry, although some of them will do for domestic use as well.

It's nice being back in KL again, although one thing I will say for it: it is NOISY, especially where I am in town where the judges are being put up. There seems to always be something being built so there is continuous piling going on, not to mention the traffic which is bumper to bumper most times. And people who visit Penang have the cheek to complain about OUR traffic there! I always try and tell them it's because they only come up when it is a festive season when everyone else from Malaysia seem to be there!!

Last night the judges met up at Pacific Regency for a briefing, after which we adjourned to the 33rd floor where cocktails were held at the poolside. It was a real bunfight, with lots of drinks flowing and the band trying to make themselves heard across the water. It was nice to see the Twin Towers in the background. Dr M really brought Malaysia to the world stage when he commissioned it. It's really quite impressive.

Another thing is some can be quite unfriendly. I went to 1-Utama today to do some shopping and have dinner with a friend, and she wanted to stop by the Lavender bread shop which, to be fair, was quite impressive. So I stood there waiting for her, and decided to take some photos. They told me I was not allowed to. So I stopped. But in the mean time, here's one that I took earlier ... The arrogance of it. Is it because they think someone is going to steal some of their ideas? They're good, but not that good!

THERMOMIX - THE WONDER MACHINE

2011-09-14T17:19:00.000+08:00

I AM ABSOLUTELY SO PROUD ... and truly honoured.

TrueMix, the truly wonderful WONDER machine, has chosen MOI of all people to endorse their machine here in Malaysia. And of course, it goes without saying I would only do so if I really believed in it.

As a fan of machines all my life (the number of blenders and mixers I have gone through in that time has probably filled an entire blender-and-mixer-graveyard), I have been through them all. From cheap ones which I get attracted to in the market - how come these demonstrators are so good and can talk you into buying a cheapo crappo piece of equipment that no sooner have you got home either just falls apart as soon as you put in your load of chillies and onions to make, say, Assam Tumis, or just doesn't do what I am absolutely certain I saw them do so easily when they were doing it!!! - to some fairly expensive ones which, to give credit where it's due, have been very good. My old Kenwood Food Processor, for example, was excellent, and served me for a good ten years.

HOWEVER the Thermomix is in a different class altogether, as it not only processes, but also weighs, blends, mixes, and ... this is the piece de resistance: it also COOKS! This means I save sooooo much time as there is much less washing up to do, and I don't actually need so much kitchen space either!

I've been experimenting with it, and trying all different recipes - even made my own bread from scratch which, even if I say so myself, turned out BEAUTIFULLY and very professional looking. It even cooks pasta for me whilst I write. Even my son was impressed - and 20-year old sons, I can tell you, are not easily impressed by their moms!

Do have a read at the piece I've written (see left hand options on THERMOMIX) and I've even included a couple of simple nyonya recipes which I tried and they worked very well. I'm quite excited by it, as you can probably tell, and am dying to try more. Only problem is I eat out so much there is not much time to do so.

Still, at least I look forward to cooking now, and my family are happy too, cos they get to try all my dishes!

WALK AWAY FROM JONKER'S

2011-09-09T12:13:00.001+08:00

I'VE JUST HAD A RATHER TIRING DAY - was up at 430am yesterday to catch the 710 MAS flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur; had to see to a few personal things, then it was back to the airport at about 4 to get back here.

As I had a bit of time to kill at KLIA, and I was very thirsty so needed some water, I decided to stop by Jonkers Walk, the Melaka-style cafe near the A Gates.

It was a bit of a disaster really. Firstly, the only water they had available in bottles (not something I approve of frankly EXCEPT when I travel because no choice then). However, they weren't any old bottles - they were TWO LITRE BOTTLES. Now who needs that much water eh? Not only are you having to lug it around the entire airport, but also if you do end up consuming it all you will be on the prowl for the nearest loo constantly. WHY should they run out of small 1/2 litre bottles - surely it is sensible to stock up on them?

Anyway I digress. The girl at the counter, to give credit where it's due, therefore kindly suggested that she could give me some "air swam" (warm water), so I felt obliged to sit down and order something - the Curry Mee in this case.

The water came in a mug, not in itself a problem although I would have preferred something like a clean glass. However, this one had black coffee grounds floating in it. SO I beckoned to the waiter who came, took it away,and came back with the same cup - this time with ice in it. The grounds were still swirling about at the bottom. I called for a serving staff again, who took it away and brought it back ... BOILING HOT this time.

Then my Curry Mee arrived ... and I have to say it was probably one of the most unappetising bowls of noodles I have seen, if not THE most. It was dark therefore no santan probably, and salty, and the noodles (more like spaghetti) were "pong" (swollen) like they had been sitting in water all day. A few specks of pulled chicken meat floated at the top, with a few slices of fish cake and some sawi (veg), together with half a hard-boiled egg. The only thing going for it was it was hot (temperature) - it looked and tasted like something hastily knocked up upon order using hot water, half a chicken stock cube and a bit of chilli powder. A packet of Maggi Mee would have been more tasty than this - it was bland except for some spiciness and saltiness.

After a couple of mouthfuls I pushed it aside; it was not something I wanted to spoil my appetite with, so I left it. The serving staff must have been used to it, cos they walked past me many times and didn't even bother to ask if anything was wrong with it - which is telling. Neither did they offer to clear too - which is just poor service really.

So I ended up paying RM8.80 for a cup of dirty water which I couldn't drink anyway cos it was too hot. Must have been the most expensive water I've ever had!

It's a shame that this is what greets people when they arrive (or this is the last thing from KL when they leave) because I'm sure it's not representative of the kind of food one can get in KL - or in Melaka for that matter. (We will see, cos I am heading there for a food session soon.)

Also, the smell of dried prawns around that part of the airport is rather overwhelming. Something a bit more upmarket and classy would be nice really.

HOWEVER I have to thank them in a way cos I ended up having a really good Char Kuey Teow at Or Leng (Black Dragon)'s outlet when I got back to good old Penang. More of this, is what I say!!

US JOURNALISTS VISIT PENANG

2011-09-01T10:49:00.001+08:00

(This article was posted on www.themalaysianinsider.com recently)

US RESTAURATEURS IN PENANG

The Thais have done it well, as have the Singaporeans, who have laid claim to “Chilli Crab” as part of their culinary heritage. So what are the Malaysians doing about telling the rest of the world about our wonderful food? A fair bit, it turns out. As part of the on-going promotion of Malaysian flavours and cuisines, the Malaysian Trade Commission (MATRADE) in New York recently flew in a group of US foodies for a gastronomic tour of the country which started in, I’m proud to say, Penang.

Sean Hergatt is a Michelin-starred chef in New York

I met up with them on their last morning here, after they had had two full days of gorging on all manner of Penang delights, not just of the hawker variety but also our other famous makan like nyonya food, but of course, steamboat, Nasi Kandar and traditional desserts.

What did they think of Penang? Everyone agreed it had been a unique experience, and it was wonderful to see how closely the mixed cultures interact with each other. “We didn’t know anything about Penang before,” Shaun explained. “It was an eye-opening experience. What we do know now is that the representation of Penang food overseas is poor.”

Of course a key question was, “Of all the food that they had sampled so far, which was their favourite?” Interestingly enough, most of their answers were also quite similar. “Roti Canai,” was restaurateur Shaun Hergatt’s prompt response. He runs the Michelin-starred “SHO” in Broad Street. “The technique is amazing,” he continued, of course referring to the fascinating way this bread is tossed till it is paper-thin before being cooked on the hot griddle. “I’d like to bring someone with that skill to the US – he’d make a killing!”

Chris Rendell, Executive Chef of Highlands Hospitality which owns two outlets in New York City serving Scottish food, said, “I loved this dish I tried, although I’m not sure how to pronounce it so I keyed in the name.” The two words proudly displayed on his i-Phone were “Hokkien Mee”. That, together with Curry Mee, Char Kuey Teow, belacan, sambal etc – it was fascinating to hear these names just trip off their tongues. How wonderful that these Matt Sallehs have taken to our local flavours with such enthusiasm.

“I love the ambiance of the whole experience,” Chris added, quoting as an example partaking of their al fresco breakfast down a little alley somewhere in Pulau Tikus.

Shaun also loved our Char Kuey Teow, although he felt the “quality of the cuisine superseded his first sight of the stalls”. I think it was a tactful way of saying that although at initial glance the surroundings didn’t look particularly salubrious, the food served there was actually quite tasty. He has, of course, hit the nail on the head: Malaysians will eat anywhere, providing the food tastes good.

Getting hold of the more exotic Ingredients, they were adamant, would not be a problem, as they believed that 99% would be available in the US, particularly New York, although admittedly it would not be as fresh as what we get here.

An example was bananas, which when shipped to distant shores require treating with ethylene gas to force them to turn them yellow, as they would have been harvested very green. “Here they are so much tastier.” They also loved the fresh mangoes and mangosteens we get here. As for our much-loved durians, sadly, although they had tried it, the experience was not “very positive”.

It’s all very well tasting and liking our food, but are they going to do something with it which, after all, was the main reason they had been brought here in the first place.

Matt Lambert of Public, a gastropub in Elizabeth Street, said, “I loved the Crab Croquette we had at the Goh Huat Seng Teowchew Restaurant in Kimberley Street, “and I would like to try to replicate it.” This, he went on to say, would come under the “Hawker Food” part of his menu. Dale Talde, who is about to open his own Asian-American restaurant in Brooklyn, wants to offer Curry Mee and Hokkien Mee as soups on his menu.

Interestingly enough, despite the recent listing of “Assam Laksa” as one of CNNGo’s Top 50 Foods, which was one of the three dishes they were taught to cook by a local cook, none of them felt inspired to add this to their menus. They did, however, find the Chicken Kari Kapitan and Sambal Prawns quite flavoursome.

Will we see them back here? “In a heart beat!” We look forward to welcoming you back, guys, but in the meantime, please go forth and spread the news; tell America about our wonderful food.

TOO LATE FOR '8'

2011-08-23T11:51:00.000+08:00

I AM HEARTBROKEN ... well, at least a bit upset. Because no sooner have I been invited to try '8' in town, than I'm told it's about to close down at the end of this month due to various reasons.

It's tucked away in Lintang Burmah, right next to Alpha Reflexology, and run by my old mate Sunny Yeoh.

The inside is very plain and simple, rather like someone's living room, but that's good as far as I'm concerned, because that means they concentrate on serving GOOD FOOD. Along one wall there are specialist pastas and oils for sale.

The menu is so simple there isn't even a menu; the dishes of the day - and they are the same every day! - are written up on a board placed in the middle.

There's Nasi Lemak, but not really, because the rice is not made with coconut milk, which is of course where the 'lemak' element is supposed to be; but it's served with a piece of fried Yellow Tail, a piece of chicken curry, sambal belacan and other condiments.

Very tasty, and the rice, although not made with coconut milk, is great - it's cooked with olive oil, giving it rather a heavy aroma but delicious nevertheless, and healthy to boot. I've always said that food should look so good you just want to tuck in; they've definitely succeeded in this case.

The Spaghetti Bolognaise is good too, made with minced pork and anchovies, just like it is done in Italy; the pasta very slightly al dente. Only criticism here is the portion is overly generous; probably 3/4 of it would have more than sufficed.

They also do a Tau Eu Bak served again with the olive rice and sambal; not bad too, and although I didn't get a chance to try the Chicken Rice, it looked rather good.

All this was followed by home-made tiramisu and brewed coffee - both excellent, and you can see why the place is kept busy from the time they open (round about 11 I think) right through to about 4 or 5pm. It's not overly packed, which is how it should be otherwise service goes down the drain like in some places, but keeps them ticking over. Another of my wise sayings (eh hem) is that the menu needn't be too big (in fact, too big and I get suspicious) but what's there must be good - again, this is the case here.

It's not often I say this, but I am truly sad to say that due to the fact they don't really make too much, and Sunny is planning to move on to do other things, they are going to discontinue. Ai yo guys, I do hope you reconsider.

A-HANGZHOU WE WILL GO ...

2011-08-16T23:51:00.002+08:00

OH DEAR ... I have so much to write nowadays, for my column in Star2 and The Malaysian Insider; I also write for the latest Penang magazine Where2, Essenze and of course the Visit Penang newsletter, that I have so little time to do this blog. However, there are things I like to put in it that don't fit in elsewhere, and it's all my personal experiences of course.

One of the is our recent trip to China, when we flew into Shanghai then took the high-speed rail link to Hangzhou.

Shanghai is so big we had to take a one-hour taxi ride from one airport to another to catch the train, and cost RMB300 or thereabouts - the first-class train tickets for both of us were cheaper than that! It's all very well run, and the train left on time.

It was so fast and smooth the 110km trip too just 45 mins. Luckily, of course, we didn't have a problem like another line did.

Hangzhou is a beautiful city which is situated on the famous West Lake, and it has just been awarded World Heritage Status by UNESCO. We stayed as guests of the gorgeous Shangri-La which is perched on the edge of the lake, and overlooks some gorgeous scenery, and our room was really quite superb.

It was raining cats and dogs when we arrived, and it rained the day we left ... luckily in the two days in between it was dry, and we were able to see how gorgeous it is.

It's famous for its silks of course, and also the Longjin (dragon well) tea, which is picked very young and green then pan-fried over a low heat by hand. The tea which results is light and refreshing. Hangzhou scissors and knives are also very famous, and of excellent quality, and I carted home a boxed set of Zhang Xiao Qian chopper, sharpener, scissors and 3 different types of knives which cost just RMB350 (RM175). They are brilliant, very sharp and well made.

We also went to a few famous and very old temples, including the 1500-year old Ling Yin which is one of the most famous in China, and took a trip around the lake itself - both by boat and also by the little 3-carriage vehicles which go around the banks; we even managed to get a light tan. At night, we watched Impressions West Lake - a spectacular show with hundreds of actors using amazing lights, on the lake itself. Absolutely wonderful.

Food being my forte of course, I was interested to see some amazing street foods in the pedestrianised shopping area of Zing hefang, which is a bit like our Pasar Malam - and some parts smelt like it too, so I didn't really want to chance trying the food there - there is some skewered meat which is like an uber-long satay, but some of it didn't really look too appetising, so we tended to only eat at the hotel and restaurants.

They are famous for their Beggars Chicken, whole chicken braised in lotus leaves with herbs, and West Lake Vinegar Fish, not something I really thought too much of as lake fish I feel isn't as tasty as sea fish, and the flesh is too smooth. The sauce isn't too much to shout about either; it's basically vinegar cooked with soya sauce thickened with a bit of cornstarch then poured over the fish.

However, overall we had a great time, and I can see why Hangzhou is on of the most visited cities in China. It is also one of the richest. China is by no means a cheap place; it seems to me that the east is getting more expensive, and the west is gettng cheaper - in the UK you can buy stuff for one pound at the pound shop, which is about RM5 - in China, everything costs at least RMB20! Maybe the saying is true: one day Europe will become the world's playground.

CLASSICAL DINNER at the 1926 Heritage Hotel

2011-08-01T15:25:00.000+08:00

REGULAR READERS WILL KNOW THAT although I am not exactly a culture vulture, I do like a bit of entertainment with my food (or is it the other way round) and last night was a typical example of the sort of thing that I love.

It was the finale to the month-long George Town Festival, during which there were many things happening in town. We opted for the small-scale High Winds Ensemble performance at the 1926 Heritage Hotel in Burmah Road, where the orchestra from KL performed movements from fairly well known pieces, including a rather cheeky one from Beethoven's 5th Symphony (or rather 4 1/2, as Mac puts it).

We were also served with a 6-course dinner whilst the music was going on, starting with Oyster Rockefeller, which was nothing to shout about, but the Cream of Broccoli Soup was good if a tad underheated.

After that e had Roast Prim Rib of Beef which again although it tasted quite good, was lukewarm again. As there were nearly 70 pax that evening, I think the kitchen struggled a bit to cope with the numbers, as they also had a function going on in the garden at the back. For dessert there was Trifle, although not a hint of sherry really, coffee and Petit Fours (we didn't get that either!).

HOWEVER for RM80 pp, it was really quite reasonable, and as it was their first time, they are still learning. However, the orchestra more than made up for it - they were really excellent although seating was not good as where we were we couldn't really see a thing nor hear the Conductor speak as he introduced each session. Usually with "youth" orchestras they tend to be slightly "pitchy" (this is of course Randy-Yo-Dawg's way of saying "out of tune") but this wasn't at all.

They were extremely professional, and very very smooth. And no wonder, as High Winds is the first classical ensemble in Malaysia whose 11 members are all Malaysians, founded in 2004 by Mr Joost C Flach, Co-Principal Oboist of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Makes you proud, doesn't it. Most of the soloists are professional or wannabe professional musicians. When you think I just about made it to Grade 5 on the piano (albeit with a DISTINCTION ahem ... ) I can tell you these people are seriously GOOD.

J P WONG of the 1926 Hotel assures me he intends to do this on a regular basis, and I will be more than happy to support him. A bit of koolcha combined with good food in Penang is only to be supported, and I hope to see you there. Watch this space for more news.

ROMANTIC SIGI'S

2011-07-23T13:41:00.002+08:00

OOOOH ... what a romantic evening we had last night. There we were on the sand, with just a stretch of beach between us and the sea, seranaded by the peaceful, relaxing sounds it made as the waves splashed gently on the shore.

Yes, we were at Sigi's, Golden Sands Resort's beach side outlet, where Chef John Brock has just introduced yet another of his innovative ideas: a cabana built specially for two so couples can dine a deux, complete with wispy white curtains which sway gently to the sea breeze, and a bottle of champagne (well, bubbly wine but that will do!) to get you into the mood. Can't get more romantic than that really. It's a bit of a shame he picked yours truly to test it out, because when you've been married for more years than you care to remember, it is that much more difficult to whisper sweet nothings into each other's ear cos apart from the sea and the moon (although there wasn't much of that last night either) there's not much else to see! HOWEVER if you are a young couple who want to cozy up to each other just listening to nature,it really is a wonderful place to go.

To be honest I'm delighted because even for oldies like us it was fantastic cos it gave us some "me" time, something we haven't had much of lately because No.2 Son is back for his summer hols, and of course we want to spend as much time with him as possible. So it was a real treat to be able to sit back and be thoroughly spoilt, because you have almost a full-time serving staff who attends to your every need, replenishing the wine as soon as it evaporates from the glass - honest, I really don't know where it disappeared to ... - and topping up your water.

The package is done as a "Romantic Set Dinner" for two people, with a choice of starters and mains, followed by dessert and tea or coffee. Together with the bubbly wine, it comes to RM450++ which considering we left much too replete to even tackle the last two courses, was quite good value for money. My Cioppino, a spiced fish stew, one of John's specialities, was delightful, piping hot and tasty, and Mac had a Caesar Salad with a lightly poached egg on top.

After that we were presented with a Tasting Plate of Sigi items: Seared Scllops, Moroccan Grilled Prawns, Calamari, Aranchini Balls and all-time favourite Kataifi-Wrapped Prawns, which must be one of the most popular starters on his menu.

As if that's not enough - John believes in giving value for money, methinks - the mains were served then. Salmon in my case and Chicken Breast for Mac, which just about finished us off, because there was a Granite Balloon with fresh fruit sorbet in it to cleanse our palate before our dessert which I have to admit I just didn't have room for. Looking back now I can't believe I gave the Chocolate Tarte a miss, let alone the coffee .. but any more and they would have had to step aside cos I would have exploded!

All in all, a wonderful evening, and something you should seriously consider if you want to go somewhere with just the two of you. A word of warning though - do NOT go in high heels!

CULTURAL PENANG

2011-07-22T14:48:00.000+08:00

NOW I DON'T PRETEND TO BE A CLASSICAL BUFF, but I do appreciate good music when I hear it, and I have to tell you last Sunday's Pro Musica Gala Concert, organised as part of the month-long George Town Festival, was fantastic. It made a pleasant change to see such koolcha (culture) in Penang.

We went along as guests of Festival Director Joe Sidek, and although it wasn't exactly overbooked, there were enough people there to fill the big hall at the Dewan Sri. As always with Penang events, it started late, but once it did it was well worth the wait. What a wonderful evening.

There were actually three parts to the whole programme, which culiminated in the Gala Concert: firstly a 10-day International Workshop and Master Class by local lady Loh Siew Tuan who was the Principal Voice Coach. The workshop was held at the Bellevue Hotel in Penang Hill. After that the specially selected students performed at a concert.

The piece de resistance was the Gala Concert in which the 18-odd students were given the opportunity to sing with an international cast:

Soprano JULIE MOSSAY from Belgium, Mezzo-Soprano INES MAEIRA from Portugal, Tenor Enrico Casari from Italy and Bass-Baritone KITTINANT CHINSAMRAN who is Thai. They were ALL bloody brilliant, as they say in England, and it was delightful to see such talent in Penang. How I envy the women the ability to control their vocal chords, and I particularly delighted in the duets. They performed a fair few pieces from famous composers like Bellini, Handel and Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutti.

However the piece which made me almost want to cry, it was so beautifully sung, was 'l'Elisir d'amore" (Elixir of Love) by Donizetti, a funny melodrama, and Enrico was absolutely stunning. I really wish I could have recorded it; he injected so much love and longing into it. Bravo, I say, bravo.

The finale was Bizet's famous "Carmen", and here Kittinant was given the chance to show his beautiful baritone to the fullest, including an encore in which the audience joined in. Wunderbar!

Although there was a LOT of hard work from everyone, not least of all the students who provided background vocals, special mention must be made of pianist HEIN BOTERBERG who accompanied all the singers. Probably worked the hardest.

Oh, it makes me so proud to see all this wonderful talent is around ... and also sad that I will never be able to achieve anything like that in my lifetime!! Well done chaps. And to Joe Sidek, please bring them back again next year. I never want to miss another evening like that!

UNLIMITED CURRIES ...

2011-07-17T08:47:00.006+08:00

ON FRIDAY NIGHT Batu Ferringhi was THE place to be. To be precise, the Bayview Beach Resort was the place to be, as it was the official launch of SAGAR, one of the newest restaurants on the island, by YB Danny Law, Exco for Tourism Development and Culture.

Anyone who was anyone was there, including, of course, yours truly, although I hasten to add that I was invited merely as one of many food writers.

It started a bit slowly - because of Friday night traffic, YB was delayed getting to that end of Batu Ferringhi - but upon his arrival things soon started to pick up with very loud drums from the colourfully-clad Bangra dancers who accompanied him all the way from Reception to the ground floor where the restaurant is situated.

Proprietors Hermet Singh and his brother Gurdashan went up to give a speech welcoming everyone, then it was YB's turn to tell everyone how welcome Sagar is as it gives Penangites yet another place to go and eat (as if we didn't have enough already!). However he is correct, and now we have another Northern Indian restaurant in Batu Ferringhi, but this is quite authentic, as his chefs are all from India, including Head Chef Lakhan who is from Mhadaya Pradesh (near Bombay).

YB was followed by more dancing and merry-making, as everyone queued for their food (rather long, unfortunately, as there were over 300 pax I think) which included starters of their signature Chicken Mallai Tikka and Pakoras, and then queued again for the mains which was a combination of various curries and masalas. Unfortunately I'm still getting used to the small (temporary)new camera I have so not many pics came out well so apologies for that (I'm waiting eagerly for the Olympus EP3 which is supposed to be fantastic).

However, knowing that I wouldn't be able to have much opportunity to talk to Hermet, I went along there for dinner on Wed night and was able to try the Chicken Briyani amongst a few other dishes. It's quite unique cos it is baked with a Nan lid to keep the flavours in!

Sagar is the 8th of the well-known KL chain although it's not their first in the north - there is one in Pantai Tengah in Langkawi. Well done guys, and welcome to Penang!

Sagar (which stands for 'ocean' in Sanskrit - it has no limits hence can grow) is open every day from noon to 3pm and from 6-10.30pm. Check out their website www.sagarrestaurant.com or call +604-881 2039.

2011-07-14T19:49:00.005+08:00

In the words of the famous, sadly now deceased John Lennon, I'm starting over ... blogging again, after a very very long break. There were many reasons for this, mostly of a personal nature, and it has taken all this time for me to get going again. So to all the people who have been checking in on and off, my sincere apologies for not updating this site, and please forgive me but do tell your friends that Helen is "starting over"!

BTW humble apologies too for the photos - the other night, whilst waiting for my cousin at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel in town, I inadvertently and rather stupidly left my trusty old camera behind somewhere and walked off without it. Obviously someone saw me do so and pounced on it as soon as I was out of sight because once I noticed a lighter handbag and went back to enquire about it, there was no trace of it and no one had handed it in to Security. Boo sucks to you. It's an old camera and not worth much, but it was a good camera and I am sad to have lost it so unceremoniously after so many years of service. I am now waiting to see which one to buy but in the meantime, am making do with a very cheap Agfa which I bought for RM299!

I'd like to kick off with my visit to one of the newest eateries in town: HAKKA TREE in Tesco Sri Tanjung Pinang. It was started by DIANA and PEGGY, two Hakka lasses (what else!) who, between them, have managed to achieve something remarkable: a pretty, charming oasis in the centre of the noisy, blaring Tesco.

Their place is situated on the first floor and they've been hard at work scouring Penang for old items of furniture including chairs and even doors, but they've done a great job.

Of course the most important thing, particularly in Penang, is the food, and although I am not Hakka myself, being purely and proudly nyonya, and therefore don't know very much about it, I think that here they've also managed to get it right. This is because Diana's mom does most of the cooking.

The menu is not extensive, but then it doesn't have to be as long as the food is good, and right at the top of the list is the the most famous Hakka dish of all: LOI CHA (or however else you want to spell it) aka "Thunder Tea", that famous green "soup" that is used to "bind" all the other ingredients with the rice. Here it is made with mint and basil, and isn't as "medicinal" as some I've had before. It's rather an acquired taste and I have to confess it's not my first choice BUT apparently many Hakka people have gone there (probably because there are very few places in town which do it ... in fact, come to think of it, there are NONE now that Peter Lim, the son of the first Chief Minister of Penang, has closed down Hakka Connexion in Jalan Bawasah) have said it is very good.

I thought the Hakka Noodles with minced pork and Minced Pork and Salted Fish Patties were pretty delectable though, particularly with the chilli sauce made by Diana's own fair hands. They've also got Yong Tau Fu made with pork or fish.

Prices are very reasonable, and the place is clean, bright and pleasant. What more can one ask for? My very best wishes for a successful venture, girls.

CHEEKY LITTLE THING ..

2010-11-30T12:35:00.005+08:00

APOLOGIES TO ALL AND SUNDRY ... I've been back nearly 3 weeks and have acclimatised, but apart from lying low because I caught a bad cold and the inevitable jetlag, even with melatonin, was just too lazy to blog.

HOWEVER last night I was invited to one of Penang's latest, and I just HAD to write about it because the food at the Cheeky Duck at the newly-opened Straits Quay in E&O Property's Sri Tanjung Pinang was excellent. Started by Hongky Paul Liu, who also runs an establishment of the same name in, of all places Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK, it is typical Hong Kong restaurant with exactly the same type of food and menu; from the front you can see the ducks, chicken and pork hanging in the window, just like in UK Chinatown restaurants. Even the same ambient smell of "ngor yong hoon" and cinnamon.

The place cost a lot to set up, and at 4000 sq ft is relatively big (and brave). It's fresh and bright, and I really hope they do well, although it was their first night it was packed and everything was a bit frantic but the words "controlled chaos" sprang to mind, especially as it was also raining outside. I'm amazed how busy they were; word sure spreads quick in Penang.

The roast pork is truly scrumptious, with just the right amount of fat, cooked to perfection which is soft and not stringy like it can often be here, and crunchy delicious crackling on top, served upright in squares and not the stingy little fingers that we get. It was awesome, and seriously, that is NOT a word I often use.

They've got things like an Asian Tapas list to go with the beers and wines, as the bar will be open till 2am after the restaurant shuts at 11pm. It's an interesting list of Cantonese delicacies: Marinated Duck's Tongue, Fried Cuttlefish, Garlic and Duck Kidney, Chicken Feet with White Wine ... hmmm ... my favourite is the Prawn Toast though.

As it was their first night it was a bit frantic but the words "controlled chaos" sprang to mind, especially as it was also raining outside. I'm amazed how busy they were; word sure spreads quick in Penang.

I can't wait to go back and try more dishes because I was TOO FULL of roast pork and other delish offerings to eat any more, but there's the wantan noodles, roast duck and plenty of other stuff to eat. Mmmmm ... However, they need to get a better grade of rice, and also their chilli oil, which is a very important part of Hong Kong food in UK and will be indispensable for locals, was tasteless and needs work on.

Overall though, they did well, considering most of their staff, with the exception of their chefs who were brought in specially from Hong Kong, are still very new and many are untrained.

I'll be writing about the many other new outlets in this place for a while yet I think.

BACK TO PP

2010-11-12T17:56:00.005+08:00

WHEW ... we're BACK!

How wonderful to sleep on my own bed again ... bliss! Apart from jetlag and perpetual travel and many time changes, including one when the clocks went back in the States, sleeping in different beds of varying degrees of softness, using different pillows (I LURVE my shaped foam one, it's great for my neck) and being in different rooms really disorientates one - well, me, anyway, so sleep has not been great the past few weeks. So despite the fact that it was really one of the best vacations (busman's holiday really) I've ever had, it's really fantastic to be back home in good ole Penang again.

It's the first time I've ever literally gone round the world: we started from Penang to Spore, then BA to London, and after a month New York, Raleigh and Los Angeles, and back to Msia. The last stage was a killer: 14.5 hours to Taiwan with a 1.5 hr stopover in Taipei during which time we saw the AIRPORT and nothing else, then another 4.5 hour flight to KLIA, after which we caught the 2pm flight back to Penang.

During the time we travelled 5 different airlines, although the first can be discounted because it was Silkair to Spore, on a very short flight. However, British Airways could at best be described as basic and adequate, because to give them their due they did hand out little sleep packs with socks and toothbrush and toothpaste. The inflight entertainment was OK but no video games, and they did give free drinks all the way - but how much can one drink. There are just two meals now.

The US airlines were the worst, and this is recognised even by American themselves. There is no more free baggage allowance for travel within the US; each bag is charged at USD25. On board, you get a free soft drink if you're lucky; meals are only provided for flights over 5 hours long. Earphones are charged at USD2 each, and blankets USD8. Disgraceful, and don't even think of having an alcoholic drink! They cost the earth!

We flew American Eagle to Raleigh from New York; they are a branch of American Airlines, on a plane so tiny that there was only one seat on one side and two on the other, and no space for hand luggage overhead so they had to take it away and return it to you on arrival. Service, as has already been mentioned, was minimal, and no attempt was made to make the passenger feel "warm", which surprises me because considering what a good reputation American restaurants have for their service ("Hi! My name is Randy, and I'll be your host/hostess for tonight. Let me run you through the specials yada yada yada" - so much so they are quite comical in a way) this is NOT emulated in their in-flight service, believe me!

As for the Raleigh-LA leg, American Airlines was just as poor. MAS is, by comparison, pretty good, but then they should be as they are one of the most expensive airlines by comparison. You also get free booze and meals, although even these have been cut down - they no longer offer a drink at the start of the flight now, only with the meal (count your lucky stars), and then only two meals despite the 14-hour journey.

HOWEVER I was very disappointed by the service given at the MAS LA check-in desk. Despite there being two empty rows in front of us we were given the worst possible seats on the plane, where the arm rests couldn't move. On a 14-hour flight it is a killer. They don't offer online check-in for this sector either. And beware people with hand luggage bigger than the stipulated maximum - you will be charged USD100 for it!

On top of that despite double-checking with the girl that the luggage WOULD be sent on to Penang, it was NOT, so we ended up returning to the house sans baggage. Thankfully it wasn't lost, just stuck in KLIA, and they did get it back to us before the end of the day.

Sir Walter?

2010-11-03T06:17:00.010+08:00

Well we are almost on the last leg of this epic journey, and tomorrow we head off for the City of the Angels: Los Angeles, California, after which we will be boarding the flight which takes us straight back to KL and Penang. We've done SOOOooooo much, and there is SOOOOOoooo much to write about, and it's only been the tip of the iceberg!

It’s been a really fantastic trip, and sitting here in Raleigh, North Carolina (named after Queen Caroline) and looking back on it, even our time in UK seems a long time ago. London, Loughborough … even New York City. It has been wonderful to catch up with our old friends whom we worked out we had not seen for FIFTEEN years.

Old friend Steve H. drove us down to his gorgeous beach house (pix) in Emerald Isle which is off the southern coast of North Carolina, 2.5 hours from town, and it really should be classified a beach mansion it is so huge: on 3 floors, 5 bedrooms and two kitchens which are better kitted than mine. Everything is still enormous as they have so many resources still, including this guy we met in town who was 6’ 9” – I couldn’t resist asking to have a pix taken with him.

Raleigh has not changed that much since I first came here on a 3-month residency when I worked for IBM UK in 1987; it is still a sprawling city where space is no issue – there are just many more shopping malls which are HUGE – just to drive around the perimeter of the one in North Hills for example takes at least 10 minutes!!

I’ve of course had a BALL doing some retail therapy, but luggage space, let alone finance, ensures I keep well within budget. Like the UK, certain things are still very cheap here, especially now the pre-Christmas sales are on, with some items 80% off, but services are expensive. Janice has a cleaning service come in for about 6 hours a week for which she pays USD 120.00 which is about the average. Most of their labour is Mexican, and goods are made in China.

One day our friends took us to Wilson, NC, and we came across some cotton fields - never seen that in my life, city slicker that ah ahm. It was fascinating to see this stuff, and you can imagine how the black slaves used to labour in them ole cott'n fields which stretch for miles and miles. It's also fall harvest time and Halloween night was on Sunday, so plenty of pumpkins and creepy ghouls around.

Some BEAUTIFUL old houses around complete with suthern rocking chairs on the porch - straight out of Tom Sawyer.

However, the economy is bad, everyone here in the South hates Obama (Mid-term elections are on today which should show what a bad job they think he is doing) and property prices have tumbled. Of course compared to the east it is still expensive!

Mac’s enjoying his time playing golf with my friend's hubby Paul who is a very keen golfer with 10 handicap. And don’t even talk about the food – no wonder the average American is oversized there is such an abundance of everything here, and Southern food is fried and greasy - we even saw Krispy Kreme (donut) burgers at the State Fair here!

Heart attack stuff man, as they say. However I have to say after a month and a half of western food, I am DYING for some chinky food.

Tomorrow we head off to my cuz in Los Angeles, and on Monday 8^th we will be flying off in the evening to arrive in KL via Taipei at about 11 or 12pm Wed 10^th. Back home again.

It’s been a great trip, but I think by then we will be quite quite ready to get back. Phew!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

2010-10-30T22:18:00.010+08:00

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, so good they named it twice! OH IT's been a busy and exciting time!

WELL HOWDY! How're yall dwin today?

Yes, I'm here in the good old US of A, otherwise known as Amurka, as they say here in the Southern YOUnited States. To be precise, in Raleigh, North Carolina, famous for where the Wright Brothers did their inaugural flight and the history of aviation was born.

We've done so much, and eaten even more, as is evidenced by the ever-increasing waistline and tight jeans. The weather has been kind most times, unseasonably so, I am told, because the famous fall leaves have NOT turned to their usual glorious colours as they should have by now. BUT the past couple of nights have been quite chilly, and last night it was expected to be frosty and 40s (F).

However, the days are sunny and relatively warm at about low 70s, and we are having so much fun here. The US is still cheap to live in - sometime cheaper than Penang! - and here in Raleigh there is so much space that the city really sprawls. Shopping malls are HUMONGOUS, so large you have to drive around from one store to another. That, really, has been my only saving grace - the fact that I have been walking around browsing through all the GOODIES. And goodies there are indeed, wonderful things and knick knacks and CLOTHES ... phew. The only thing holding me back is not so much the money (although there's that to consider of course) but the fact that we are limited luggage allowance-wise. And of course Customs as well!

But let's start with when we arrived in The Big Apple aka New York a week ago - the queue to get through Immigration took over an hour, but we got there in the end, and took a cab in to Manhattan for a flat rate of USD45. By the time you add a tip (mandatory 10-20% here really, which is a bit of a shock for us out-of-towners who just aren't used to it) it's USD50. But the bus or subway in would have cost USD20 each anyway, so it was worth it for the extra USD20 to get us door to door.

We stayed at the Seton Hotel which is on E43rd and Lexington, an old fairly knackered place but at least it was ensuite and very near the theatre district, because we were going to see a show the next night. At USD240 a night, it was one of the cheapest we could get - and no consolation of course but NYC has the most expensive hotels in the world.

Early the next morning we took a walk to Times Square, to have a look around. It was busy, packed and full of bleeding tourists ... !!

The weather was COLD, so we rode the subway to Ground Zero, now a huge site undergoing massive reconstruction. There is a Memorial Centre which sells souvenirs and stuff to raise money for the project, which had photos and films about the terrible incident. It was all very sad and poignant. I bought a small fridge magnet just to add my little contribution!

As for the food, it was actually quite good (why else do you think the old weight is creeping up!!)

We found a small diner on the way to Times Square the next morning and ordered pancakes and bacon for breakfast - and would you believe it came with THREE thick (and fluffy) pancakes, and loads of maple syrup and cream cheese. Umm hmmm it was GOOD ... but filling and fattening. No wonder the average American is overweight, and quite a number of them are massively so. In Malaysia I have to wear L or XL - here I am classified petite, XS or size 4! Everything is disposable of course, from the crockery to the cutlery, cups and plates.

DINNER was at Sam's Place, on 132 E 39th St, a small friendly Italian restaurant just round the corner from the hotel, early as we had to get to the show.

It's run by Sam The Caesar Salad was probably one of the best I'd ever tasted, crunchy, sharp and sweet, and for mains they made me a gorgeous Prawns and Spag, my favourite, and Mac's Tortellini was excellent. They were SO good we gorged ourselves as you can see from the empty plate but hey at USD25 a plate, we had to!

PLOUGH PUB GRUB

2010-10-20T17:34:00.008+08:00

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN A MONTH since we arrived in UK, and tomorrow we are heading off again - and in all that time I've barely posted anything, shame on me. It was partly due to sloth and partly lack of time as we've done so much during our time here. It has been wonderful, and I look forward to our next trip here although when that will be is another question.

As far as food is concerned, I've eaten for Penang and the world it seems like, and have put on countless kilos ... sigh ... so it's back to the Wii again for hours a day I think. Just can't eat anything without putting on weight nowadays, and worse with this chilly winter weather; one just wants to eat more. Of course all the reviews I've done whilst here haven't helped, and on top of that I've wanted to try various favourite places I used to love when I lived here.

And of course all the DRINK, especially English beer, which although a bit dull and watery - they will KILL me if they read this - is such a favourite here you just have to have it when you're down at the local.

Like the pubs and their good old pub grub, for example, although most of them have gone "upmarket" and it's no longer the old "Sausages and Chips" or "Fish 'n Chips" or "Chicken and Chips", everything eaten with a great big blob of tomato sauce. No, most are much more sophisticated now, and even the ones which protest that they are still traditional offer much more exciting meals like The Plough in Effingham, Surrey.

It's a lovely old place, popular with the "wrinklies" (I think I was the youngest person there - that's an indication of how old the general population is!) because they serve good food in quiet, serene surroundings.

The Beef Pie was excellent as you can see from the empty plate, and all served in more attractive ways now rather than just plonked on a plate with CHIPS.

I also love the way they just write up what's on offer on the board - no need to print up expensive menus, and they can change it at the drop of a hat or in this case a swipe of the duster. And that also means the clients get to sample different food, especially regulars who eat there all the time.

However the Sticky Toffee Pudding, one of the most traditional English desserts you can find, was disappointing, dry with an overpowering taste of toffee. I suspect it was brought in although they denied it.

LEICESTER CITY - MUCHO POINTS!

2010-10-09T15:19:00.007+08:00

We've been here just over two weeks now and although we have still another 12 days or so to go I feel, sadly, like I'm coming to the end of our stay here in Old Blighty. It's been a wonderful trip so far, and unlike other trips here the past few years, I've really enjoyed it.

We travelled a lot before ensconcing ourselves here at a good friend's in Chiswick, London W4: arrived in Surrey, travelled to Loughborough, then we stayed in Leicester for two nights, as it was somewhere I've never been to before - the Midlands have always been passed through and never somewhere I really wanted to stay at! But Leicester was interesting, historical and old, although it peed down at times and was quite chilly (wimp, remember?) We even managed a quick visit to one of its many museums.

This famous football city has another claim to fame: their market is one of the oldest in the country, dating back as far as 1200s, and it is also supposed to be the largest covered one in Europe.

It IS pretty big, and what's even more wonderful is there is so much life, despite the cold. The vendors consist of all races: Indians - it apparently has one of the highest concentrations of Asians in the UK and won the Curry Competition in 2007 - English, Chinese and all kinds of other Europeans. Everyone's selling different types of interesting foodstuff including of course their famous Red Leicester cheese.

They all shout out their wares, "Just a POUND! All these bananas for just a POUND!" ... just like in the film Oliver! or My Fair Lady, and the produce is REALLY cheap - honestly, I bought TEN huge peaches which I thought might not be good but turned out to be gorgeous, ripe and juicy, for just ONE POUND. That's less than FIVE RINGGIT mate and worth every sen - or penny, as the case might be.

People complain the UK is expensive and yes, services and utilities are - gas, for example, has gone up 200% from ten years ago when I lived here, and accommodation of course is tres expensive - I certainly couldn't afford a flat here now, let alone a house. But other things are really quite cheap especially if you shop right like in markets and not Harrods for example! They have something called a "Pound Shop" where you can get things for 1 pound - and it's stuff which sells even next door for two, three, four or even five times that amount. I love browsing in places like that, cheapskate that I am.

I love it all, but that's probably cos I know I'll be going back soon and escaping the cold ... !!!

Of course whilst we were there I had to have a curry so we visited one near the hotel before the theatre - I'd managed to get 2 tickets to the dress rehearsal for "Hot Stuff", a musical which is similar to Mama Mia with songs from the 80s for just TWO QUID each. It was the Haveli, recommended by hotel, which was OK but not as good as one we had in Loughborough.

We also had the new Kingfisher beer which had been specially invented to go with Indian food, and I could see why - it was thirst-quenching and refreshing without being too bitter, with a slightly fruity aftertaste which suited the spices.

After that we walked to The Curve Theatre where we had the best-value show in town - it was excellent.

Although I'd not go back there again probably, I had a fantastic time in Leicester.

DELICIOUS PRAWN PASTA

2010-10-01T00:43:00.006+08:00

SO HERE WE ARE OOP NORTH now, having driven up a couple of days ago to the university town of Loughborough, which is just outside Leicester in the Midlands.

England lived up to its reputation and it P'ed down practically all day yesterday. It was cold, wet and miserable. However, today was quite sunny and crisp. We checked into the unassuming and unpretentious little Cedars Hotel on the A6, at the edge of Loughborough University Town.

And would you believe it, I had one of the best meals ever.

MANY MOONS AGO, I had a prawn and pasta dish which I consider the best I've ever eaten. It was in San Francisco, and I just HAD to finish the whole plate it was THAT good. Since then, that has been the benchmark against which I judge pasta dishes, particularly prawn and pasta dishes, and, sad to say, not one has come up to scratch. This one though came pretty close to it.

To be fair I had warned the manager that I would be blogging about it, so the chef was rather prepared for it. However, as I have had pretty abysmal meals despite the proprietors knowing about my visit, this was not really a criteria.

I ordered their Prawn, Garlic and Chilli Pasta - and it was really truly magnificent. Spicy but tasty, and full of large prawns. It was an alio olio so no tomatoes were involved, and the spiciness was introduced in the form of finely-chopped Scotch Bonnet chillies, one of the hottest in the world, even hotter than Thai chilli padi I think.

For just 9.95 pounds, it was excellent value, and I would honestly go back there just to eat that! Well done chef, and a 9/10 for it; as you can see, I devoured the lot ... with a bit of help from the rest of course!

UNFORTUNATELY the rest of the meal was not so brilliant; Mac's steak was tough and overcooked despite having asked for it medium done - 4/10 for that - and and No2 Son's lamb was mediocre, probably a 6.

I was also slightly disappointed to find out that the Sticky Toffee Pudding was bought in and not made in house, although it was quite tasty. Bang goes the diet - how on earth I ever thought I could try and be a bit abstemious during this trip the food has just been too much and too good, no wonder there are so many fat Brits! - and it's back to the treadmill when we get back for sure!!

BLIMEY, IT'S BACK TO BLIGHTY

2010-09-26T15:40:00.006+08:00

HERE WE ARE BACK IN OLD BLIGHTY once again ... we flew here by British Airways and the word I can use to summarise the experience was ADEQUATE. Service and amenities were basic, food was just OK. They were not the cheapest airline nor were they the most expensive either, and they got us here safely and on time which was some 5am on Friday morning so not much to complain about there BUT I have to say have flown better airlines before.

The first thing about the UK is it's BLUDDY freezing! Ai yo, despite the fact they did have a good summer (yea thanks for constantly telling me that friends!), and that the sun does occasionally peep out from behind the massive grey clouds, during which time it does warm up slightly, overall it is cold, damp and dismal. It rained practically all afternoon the day we arrived, and in the evening it gets even worse, as temperatures plunge to 5 or 8C. I tell you, going to the loo is like sitting on a block of ice doing your business. Now I understand why people wear those jumpsuits with a panel at the back that you "undo" to go to the toilet ... LOL.

HOWEVER there are nice things about being back here. Like wot, you ask. Well as it was so early when we landed, we got to Surrey in record time as the M25, although fairly busy, was moving - it's not known as the "World's Biggest Car Park" for no reason! So we decided to drive by old favourite Tesco to check out if it was open and at 730am - it was, yay, hooray!

In we popped to get a few things ... hah! Ended up with 90 quids' worth of shopping including biscuits, wine and beer, bits and bobs and SIM cards for our Malaysian phones. They cost just 99p (RM4.80) with just 20p worth of time on it but there is a special offer on at the moment and if you top up (online, via sms or call them) you get 3x the value so if you top up 20 quid then you get 60 pounds in value. Worth it of course to a canny Penangite like MOI ...

After due formalities were over like greetings and "How ARE you?" and "How NICE to see you again" that kind of stuff, settling into bro-and-sis-in-law's place and giving out prezzies - the jumper, although a tad large, was admired with suitable oohing and aahing, as was my due ... ahem ... (joking lah), we set off again - this time to London itself, and the first ever Malaysia Night to be held in Trafalgar Square. But that's another story.

Suffice it to say that the trip up by British Rail was uneventful if expensive - something like 12 pounds for a return to Waterloo, and another fiver to get me to Charing Cross by Underground on the Bakerloo Line, which used to be the oldest and most knackered line with really dark and seedy old trains but is now modern and bright. I've always loved the way they advertise on the platforms.

Ahhh ... despite the cold and expense, it's GOOD to be back!

WE'RE OFF!

2010-09-23T13:40:00.003+08:00

WEELLLLLL .... we're off - well, nearly. The taxi is coming in approximately 1 hour! The whole morning, as indeed the last few days, has been spent running around doing all kinds of chores and errands related to going away: buying gifts and souvenirs for friends and relatives (Tau Sar Peah galore together with belacan etc - if I could take it they'd ask for Char Kuey Teow too, probably).

I've been sorting out the dry cleaning and foreign currency, and also eating ... eating and eating, as kind friends wish us a "Bon Voyage".

HOWEVER this will not be the last post that you see, as I intend to blog a LOT about the trip, seeing as last time we were abroad I had only just about started to do so - there will be a lot to report from London, where I shall be (hopefully) attending the very first Malaysian Pasar Malam at Trafalgar Square tomorrow night - talk about hitting the ground running. That's assuming I'm not too jetlagged of course. I've tried to stave off "Ai yo can't be bothered lah" by arranging to meet No1 Son at Waterloo Station on Friday afternoon. Gulp. It will however be nice to see him again after almost a year, probably the longest we've ever been apart.

After a few days in Surrey we will be heading north to take No2 Son to uni, then back down to London - thinking of a couple of days in Rome as I have never been there and watching "Rome" and "Spartacus" has whetted my appetite for a bit of the Coliseum.

At the end of November, we will be heading across to US so lots to write about then too. What an epic trip. I dread the airport security checks and queues at Immigration and the cold (urgghhh!!!) and the jetlag but, as my father always says, these are rich men's problems. Quite right too.

Until the next post, Arrivederci!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARD ROCK HOTEL

2010-09-19T16:50:00.009+08:00

WOW, WHAT A NIGHT! Yes, it was Hard Rock Hotel Penang's first birthday party - difficult to believe they have been there just a year, seems like forever, they have been such a part of Penang's scene now. Anyone was anyone had been invited - there were over 650 on the guest list, including even humble food writers.

The whole beach side of their long pool had been converted into a party area, with a stage at one side to house the two bands who were performing that night: Bongga Bongga and Albert Chua, national champion of Malaysia Air Guitar Championship hosted by the hotel. After the beautiful sunset, more people arrived, the place started to live up to its name: ie ROCK!

Guests of Honour included TYT Governor of Penang and CM YAB Lim Guan Eng, who arrived a bit later in the evening, giving all the freeloaders like moi a chance to stuff their faces.

And what an array of Hard Rock goodies there were on offer, masses and masses of it, wraps, satays, foot-long Chicken Sausage including, of course, their world-famous Burger.

Chef Kenny and his team had their work cut out, but apart from the satay which unfortunately kept running out (people were grabbing many sticks at a time!), there was plenty on offer, and chocolate sauce aplenty for the marshmallows.

Highlight of the evening was French guitarist, singer songwriter Louis Bertignac, founding member of rock band Telephone.It really was a free-flow evening with Mojitos (yum ...), wines, beers and other drinks on offer, ending with dancing and fireworks at midnight. Happy Birthday Hard Rock, and here's to your second birthday!

A PARADISE FAREWELL ...

2010-09-15T12:21:00.005+08:00

IT'S ALL GO GO GO AS USUAL, with preparations for impending European/American trip going gung-ho. SOOoo much to do and so little time to do it, which is about par for the course. There's the making (you've seen my show-off Aran jumper) or buying of gifts and presents for friends and relatives over there, including some curry powder and belacan.

I also have a good (English) friend who LOVES Asian food, and every time we visit with them, I bring along some of my home-made chilli sauce which he adores, and polishes off the whole jar within a matter of days. He eats it with absolutely EVERYTHING: roast beef, pizza, fried rice and even cheese on toast. His (English) wife always jokes that he should have married ME instead! LOL. So there's that to cook still.

Mealwise, we have had lots of invitations to eat out, therefore lots of dinners to repay, and last night we went to a mate's farewell party as they leave Penang for a few months' assignment to Beijing.

Interestingly enough, she had it somewhere I wouldn't have thought of doing myself, but that's the thing. Everyone thinks as a food writer I should know everywhere but I don't - I have to learn from friends and other people as well!

Anyway I digress ... it was held at the Paradise Sandy Beach Hotel, a cosy friendly resort in Tg Bungah. At first I was a bit wary, thinking it might be quite hot but it turned out to be in their coffee house which was air conditioned. We had an impressive long table, beautifully laid out, set up for the 15 of us, tucked away in the corner, which was quite nice and fairly private - anyway the place was empty!

The food was what their chefs do best - typical Malay food served "Hidang" style. There was Beef Rendang (which was, if truth be told, more like a Beef Curry); Chicken Curry, Mutton Korma, and a few other dishes served with some flavoured rice which was probably Nasi Tomato but I couldn't really tell.

It was all quite delicious though, and a very convivial evening which started off with some bubbly wine so you can imagine how the rest of the evening went! Really not a bad place to hold a private dinner, with good service and food.

What a wonderful send off. See you in China, guys!

2010-09-08T10:26:00.004+08:00

OK I DON'T WANNA BRAG ... or maybe I do, but I just HAD to show off my latest handiwork: an Aran jumper that MOI personally knitted.

Yes, I created it with my own fair hands, although I'd be embarrassed to tell you exactly how long it took from start to finish: almost six months! In all fairness, I only manage a few rows late at night when we're relaxing in front of the TV, and that's not often. All these dinners you see ... sigh ...

It's so thick (weighs at least one or two kilos I think!) and heavy that it's obviously not the sort of thing for our weather, and, lest you think I'm going bonkers it's not. It's a present for my sister-in-law who lives in freezing UK.

However, I love knitting; there's something very relaxing about the mechanical process, and seeing it grow from nothing but a ball of wool and two needles. Having said that, I get bored with just plain old knit all the way or purl (stocking stitch) all the way, so I tend to opt for something with a bit of a challenging pattern hence Aran.

And they make great gifts for friends or relatives in Europe, as they certainly can't be for myself! This is about my 40th, I think, and as you can see I've even gone so far as to have labels made!

Hope she likes it ...

SOUNDS YUMMY ... Rasa Sayang here I go ...

2010-09-06T20:29:00.001+08:00

All You Can Eat

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream

Choice of flavours include rainbow sherbet, rum & raisin, mango tango, chocolate chip, very berry strawberry and vanilla.

1:00pm to 5:00pm daily

RM38.00++ per person

Served at Garden Wing Terrace outside Lobby Lounge

COME TO MONTE'S

2010-09-06T10:27:00.005+08:00

AS WE WILL BE IN UK FOR A FEW WEEKS, came down to KL to see ma fa and bro (father and brother) yesterday, so last night we went to one of their favourite places to dine which is Monte's on the first floor of the infamous Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC for those who know).

The family restaurant recently underwent, together with the entire complex, a complete refurbishment - possibly to get rid of its previous image - and although not very different from what it was before ie big and spacious, is now a bit smarter, with lots of plant separators.

It's a traditional steakhouse with salads, fish and whatnots, fairly reasonably priced for KL, and what is there is quite excellent, like the ribeye (RM56) I had last night - it was tasty, succulent and perfectly "medium well" done. Mac's Filet Mignon was "like butter" he reckoned; smooth and silky.

Their Oxtail is always good, thick and delicious with lots of meaty bits, however the Potato Skin starter was, like No2 son said, like eating a curry puff, because although it had a bit of melted cheese and minced beef on top, there was lots of potato underneath and for some reason a dash of curry powder. Edible, but like I said, it was an expensive curry puff.

The service is fairly quick and efficient considering the size of the place and the fact that it was packed as usual for a Sunday night. What I miss though is their Set Dinner Menu which was excellent value: starter, mains, coffee and dessert for just about RM35 or so if I remember correctly. Shame they had to give it up cos of the higher rental I guess.

Whatever, I wish we had more places like this in Penang: good plain food which doesn't cost the earth, great service and which I can rave about.

LA LA LA LA BAMBA ... or something Latino sounding like that

2010-09-04T15:32:00.007+08:00

IF I'VE SAID THIS ONCE, I've said it a hundred times ... well at least twice anyway. Sigi's does a grand special evening, going all out to lay on a really great do, and last night was no different.

Billed as "Latino Evening", it didn't start off too well, because as we know it had been threatening to rain all day, and finally the heavens opened precisely an hour before it was due to start. However, luckily for them, after about an hour of fairly steady drizzle during which time we were all ensconced under shelter having our pre-dinner cocktails, it dried up, so by the time we were ushered to the tents under where all the tables were set up, we were ok. At least the rains had cooled the weather down a bit. It was very well timed, really, cos after it all ended, I think it proceeded to pour all night again.

The wines and beers were flowing freely, and I'll say this for them: they didn't stint on those, nor on the Ginger Beer and Rum cocktail which wasn't exactly a "Dark and Fiery" or anything I'd heard of, although to be honest I would have definitely preferred a crisp, ice-cold Mojito with lots of mint and lime juice. Yummy.

Anyway, Executive Sous Chef John Brock, good MAN that he is, took it all in his usual pragmatic stride, and produced a solid menu of Latin dishes which proved quite popular. There were Secco de Polo, chicken braised in cilantro; Moqueca de Peixe (Brazilian Fish Stew), Chaquican - Chilean Beef Stew, Chicken Enchiladas and many more with impressive-sounding names, but my favourite, which oink oink me had TWO helpings of was the Swiss Chard with Chorizo Tart, which was really a pie because it was covered with puff pastry, as it was very good, cheesy and tasty. In fact my even piggier dining neighbour who was sat next to me had even MORE.

The stage was divided from the dining area by an open air dance floor, and a Filipino band was there to jazz things up. They were good, and the singer was fantastic with a great voice, but somehow the music didn't quite hit the spot I felt, because not many got up to dance when they played live except a few brave souls like moi cos I do like a good bop every so often, although having said that, I had to rest after each bout of activity 'cos not young any more lah.

The local "magician" they laid on was impressive, although like the MC said what he had to do with "latin" was a mystery, but he was entertaining, and so were the colourfully-clad dancers.

After the lucky draw people started to drift off as the staff started to clear up so it was diehards who stayed on to the bitter end. The next one is a Halloween Night which I don't think will be a big one like this but should be worth a shot - look out for it, although I'm sorry to say I won't be able to make it.

Well done Golden Sands and John, ma MAN!

LET'S GO!

2010-09-02T11:06:00.006+08:00

I LOVE ITALIAN FOOD as it's such a cross between our local noodles and the deep, fruity textures of gorgeous red tomato purees and greens combined with rich cheeses. However, there aren't that many places in town which do it justice, as most of our western-style restaurants tend to just go for that ie western and not specifically Italian as such. Especially since Peppino's in Golden Sands Resort closed down, which was a great loss to Penang I feel, as the food there was good if a tad pricey, but then they have to be as the raw ingredients are too.

So it was with great alacrity that I accepted Chris and Denise's invitation to try out their Italian restaurant in Batu Ferringhi, which I had eaten at once or twice before but not for a while. As I always protest, I am but a poor writer (sob sob, bring out the violins), so off we trotted last night.

The restaurant, which started down a side street a bit further up 14 years ago, is now based on the main road going into Batu Ferringhi, opposite the far car park of Rasa Sayang Resort. It was quite busy, full of Matt Sallehs tourists and their families and a smattering of locals too.

Their new menu, updated some time last year, has some lip-smacking items ... ah, when I come back in the next life I want to have the ability to eat all I want but not gain weight ... ! so we had to stick to the favourites. Starters included various breads and a tasty Spinach and Ricotta Cheese pastie; I opted for the Mr Stroney (Ministrone of course), but wish I'd gone for the Clam Chowder they recommended, which comes in a home-made sourdough "loaf", which was excellent, creamy but not too fishy.

Their wood-fired Hawaiian was so good that despite being full to bursting point Mac polished off. However, as far as I was concerned, and I'd go back ANYTIME they care to invite me (hint hint) was the Linguini Alio Olio with Tiger Prawns - it was DELISH, which is not a word I often use because I don't get the opportunity to do so! It was tasty, the huge prawns were fresh and crunchy, and had a kick to it with the addition of some chopped chilli padi. Not cheap, obviously, but worth every penny.

By then we really didn't have much room left for dessert but of course in the name of duty I had to so we opted for some Tiramisu and Lemon Cheesecake which was again excellent, tart but not so much that it makes you screw up your mouth and melts your teeth.

Overall a wonderful review, which allows me the ability to wax lyrical about the place, which I like cos that doesn't happen very often so I heartily recommend it.

THE DRAGON IS HERE

2010-08-21T20:33:00.009+08:00

WOW What a day it's been. I was privileged to have been one of the people invited to the official launch of Dragon-i in Gurney Plaza this morning, so it was all very red and busy and lots of tall models with legs coming out of their armpits.

On top of that I got to meet violin virtuoso Dennis Lau, who is one of Malaysia's foremost up and coming musicians. There's him signing his CD for me.

It started at 11am when YB Danny Law, who was standing in for the CM who unfortunately had to be in KL, arrived to the sound of Chinese drums which greeted him, together with Henry Yip. A stage and seating area had been set up just outside the restaurant, with permission from the management.

It all looked very swish. MC Kevin was easked CEO Henry Yip to go up on stage to give his speech, which was informative but relatively short.

After than YB did his bit, followed by Dragon-i's CSR bit: they donated RM30,000 to three Penang charities: SMK Moh Ghee Pusat in Lorong Perak, the Chinese school which needs complete refurbishment as it was built in the 1950s (which if you think about it is over half a century old ... gulp); Shan Children's Home in Mount Erskine which helps to keep abandoned or needy children and give them guidance and training for a better life in the future, and the WCC (Women's Centre for Change) in Jalan Jones which helps battered and abused wives and their children. It was very good of them to donate what was effectively their first day's takings to these good causes.

Then Dennis Lau stepped up to electrify the crowd with his performance and WOW, was he incredible. He's only 25, but is the first instrumentalist to be signed under Sony Music Entertainment Msia and Singapore, fantastic musician and stage presence. His electrical violin was an amazing instrument too, specially made for him. What I liked most about him was the guy has no airs and graces, despite the fact that he hit the big time in 2006 and now performs all over Asia. Just imagine how young he was then. And good looking too.

He kindly gave me a copy of his CD "DiversiFy", and signed it as well. Look out for this guy, he's going places. One of his performances was with Jimmy Sax, Malaysia's top saxophonist, who looked uber cool with his hat and jacket. They were both fantastic, and performed very well together.

After that there was the requisite Lion Dance, very loud but of course the evil spirits had all to be scared away, and very cute too - one of the lions was sprawled out on the floor (of course the guy was busy peeling the oranges underneath) but his tail kept wagging. They pay attention to such detail. I received two oranges - consider myself lucky!

Henry, YB and Dato Douglas Cheng, one of the Board of Directors, then lined up and cup the ribbon simultaneously, after which YB signed the commemorative plaque.

Then of course we all trooped in to lunch of Dragon-i signature dishes including the Xiao Long Bao, one of my favourites. The prawns in spicy sauce were crunchy and excellent, but I was a bit disappointed we didn't get a chance to try their lamian this time. Never mind lah putting on weight!

After that Dennis kindly gave me a few minutes of his time and I was able to interview him about his favourite foods. As he's from Teluk Intan I found it quite interesting cos everyone always talks about Penang food so this made a change.

All in all, a most satisfying day!

NO MONKEYING ABOUT ...

2010-08-17T19:26:00.009+08:00

This is a copy of the article I wrote for online newspaper The Malaysian Insider (www.themalaysianinsider.com) recently

Since the closure of the Mutiara Beach Resort in Teluk Bahang a few years ago, there hasn’t really been much to entice me to drive all the way there in the evenings, unless someone fancied some seafood. However, on Friday evening, there was cause to venture out: it was the launch of one of Penang’s latest outlets, “Tree Monkey”, so called because of the cute little grey Dusky Leaf Monkeys with their white circles round their eyes – apparently called lutong –which roam freely jumping from tree to tree.

This “back to nature” restaurant is set on a solid wooden platform amidst the green and lush plant-filled Tropical Spice Gardens, from which there is a gorgeous view of the Andaman Sea, so close that the waves seem almost at your feet. It looks like it will become a must-visit place for both locals and visitors alike.

It’s all delightfully cosy and rustic; the hardwood tables and chairs which dot the place come from Thailand, and the bar is positioned under a gazebo which has an impressive thatched roof made of alang alang grass from Bali. The place was constructed using as natural and traditional methods as possible – no trees were cut down, and there are very few nails and wires visible.

The menu consists of mainly Thai food, Pad Thais, Green Curries and in particular north-eastern Issan dishes with barbequed meats and spicy salads: unless you’re a masochist, don’t try their mind-blowing Nam Prik Mak Wang eaten with raw ulam (vegetables) – it’s a green mango kerabu with minute pieces of green dynamite (chilli padi) in it; sour and delicious but phew,

packs a real punch!

Tree Monkey opens with breakfast from 9am, after which there are set lunches and simple a la carte dishes like Fish ‘n Chips and pastas available throughout the day. Eventually, the pork-free menu will feature food which will make use of herbs which are actually grown in the gardens.

Whether you stop by for a snack and drink during the day, perhaps after a relaxing amble round the gardens, or go there just to enjoy the good food and ambiance, it’s a wonderful place to chill. Me, I’d go for the gorgeous sunset whilst tucking into their special Thai Tapas appetisers like Pandan Chicken and Spring Rolls which will go beautifully with any one of the large range of drinks, preferably alcoholic, although non-alcoholic, is available. It certainly brings back memories of warm summer nights in Phuket … However, there are a couple of things to be prepared for: the possibility of mosquitoes although quite honestly, I didn’t get a single bite all evening, and on a still, balmy night, you might want to have a fan to hand!

They also cater for private functions on site and can seat up to a maximum of 70 pax.

Tree Monkey

Tropical Spice Garden

Teluk Bahang

Tel: 04 881 3494

Opening Hours: 9am to 10pm.

WRITING AND ALL THAT ...

2010-08-09T15:49:00.004+08:00

OOPS ... so sorry for the long silence. Things have been, as usual, busy, but I've also been rather lazy and just not in the mood to blog. On top of that I write for so many publications that if I blog on all the places I go then it will be old hat by the time it comes out in the papers.

So things are going rather well. I've finally hung up my hat with The Expat magazine, after 4 1/2 years as their Northern Region Representative. It was getting a bit same old, same old, and I felt it was time to move on to something new. And so something HAS turned up - Expatriate Lifestyle, their rival publication, has approached me asking if I'm interested in writing for them. And I will seriously consider it, because their magazine is quite upmarket.

Of course I am still doing my fortnightly column for The Star's Sunday Metro, and I've started writing regularly for online newspaper The Malaysian Insider (www.themalaysianinsider.com) which will all keep me quite busy, esp the latter because they have given me a bit of leeway to write about any outlet I like so if you have something interesting, anywhere at all, not just Penang, please let me know.

With No.2 Son back it's been quite nice too having him for company during the day. His stint in Perth and Darwin have done him good; he's learnt self sufficiency and independence, although he will soon be leaving for his first year at uni. Ahhhhh, I hear you say. Yes, it'll be quite sad with just the two old fogeys back home alone again. Luckily Mummy is quite independent too (he must get it some SOMEWHERE) and I can keep myself quite busy, thank you very much.

Apart from that I've been busy judging, eating and writing. And not necessarily in that order. Many new places are continuing to open up, and more will be doing so especially when the E&O development opens up which I'm told will be some time late autumn. Penang is definitely going places, with national players coming in. The downside will be it will be even more difficult to get staff.

CHT Awards @ NIKKO Hotel

2010-07-20T17:02:00.006+08:00

WHAT A GLITTERING EVENT the CHT Awards 2010 Dinner was on Saturday night. For the first time, it was held in KL, although it seemed like practically half of Penang was there ... actually half the people there were from Penang is more the way to describe it. We were there because we happened to be going down to pick up No2 Son who was arriving from Oz on Monday - he's been there nearly six months, so Mummy Dearest, who has missed him a fair bit, decided to kill two birds with one stone ... metaphorically speaking only, of course!I was invited because I am one of Essenze's writers, contributing but a humble short article once every quarter. Still, it was an honour to be there.

Anyway it was held at the Nikko Hotel's Grand Ballroom, with nearly 200 people attending, I think, although it seemed like a fair few didn't show up; many tables had a couple of seats empty, including our own which was the "Penang" table.

The theme was supposed to be "be wild and creative" but it's rather difficult to do that in a tuxedo which was the dress code! However a few, to give them their due, did get into the spirit of things (not moi of course, spoilsport that I am) and came almost in fancy dress. The evening started with a fashion parade from Just's Wardrobe although I wonder how many women really will wear such OTT stuff in their every day life, particularly in Penang!

Founder Ch'ng Huck Theng, he of the Ghee Hiang fame, was there of course, and Mark from Penang did the emceeing with HT's daughter. It's good exposure for her but I think she's still a bit young for it yet. There were several performances by violinist Joanne Yeoh, a blonde Chinese guy and a rather plump singer called Candy - a bit pitchy at times, dog (I sound like Randy).

Huck Theng himself conducted the auction which raised RM20 - RM30K for charity, which included some rather snazzy wine fridges and a sculpture donated by himself! The awards took most of the evening, going to an army of different personalities I'd never heard of.

The meal was a 5-course western with starter, soup, mains, dessert and coffee which was OK but not outstanding; difficult to be when this number of people are involved, but quite beautifully presented.

I think they tried really hard, and thought of everything - including a fantastic door gift of famed Ghee Hiang products: their sesame oil, almond biscuits (quite good) and white coffee - but on the whole I'd say it was slightly lacklustre but that may be because half the people there (the non-Penang half of course) weren't really sure what was happening! We of course are familiar with the procedure, as this is the 4th one of its kind and personally I've attended 3, and each of them has been really quite spectacular.

I'll say one thing for Huck Theng - a lot of people moan about Penang and its shortcomings etc etc etc but he DOES something for the state, and puts is all in doing it properly. And is prepared to bring it to KL even - must have cost him a fortune. I say well done to him.

SMAAK!!

2010-07-16T09:19:00.007+08:00

THI STH EFRIKAANERS ARIN TAAN ... Sorry I mean the South Africaners are in town and by that I mean Smaak! the team promoting South African wines (www.smaakZA.com) in Malaysia going round doing in-depth "masterclasses" to promote the wines and wine regions of South Africa, parnered by South African Airways (SAA), the largest African airline. So South Africa, contrary to popular belief, isn't JUST about football!

Smaak means "taste" in Afrikaans, and the team, represented by Entwine Consultancy from KL, have been or are going all over: to Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Ipoh and a few other big towns. Here in Penang they did the "Wine and Dine" dinner at The Brasserie in Traders Hotel led by certified sommerlier Thomas Ling.

We started with a couple of whites: Neethlingshof Sauvignon Blanc, gorgeous crisp bouquet with an excellent aftertaste, which went well with the Modern Caesar Salad in Cheese Net, after that a fruity Chardonnay from the prestigious Fleur du Cap "cellar in the mountain" to accompany the Sweet Bean Soup.

Unfortunately I just cannot mix my wines, so I couldn't really tuck into the reds which followed: another Neethlingshof "The Owl Post Pinotage" which was served with the Duo Meat Sampler - Beef and Lamb although I did sneak in a little just to see how it went with the meats. All in the course of duty, I hasten to add ...

With the Spiced Tea Cake, we finished off with the Amarula Fruit Cream, a delicious, silky liqueur made from the fruit of the wild Marula tree which grows wild in the subequatorial Savannah. It's a bit like Baileys but lighter and fruitier, and was excellent iced. It will make a good little aperitif too I think.

New world wines, although I wonder why they are referred to that cos some of them have been producing wines for centuries, have rapidly established themselves as worthy rivals of the more traditional producers, some even overtaking the quantity and at time quality of the old countries.

During the evening Thomas tooks us through an interesting slide show trying to teach us a bit about the wines and regions but not sure how much we learnt cos we were too busy imbibing and chatting and enjoying the good food, but the important thing is we had great fun. And well done to Traders Executive Chef who was able to whizz up the mainly South African food from just recipes provided.

And will definitely will look out for them in the shops now.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY ...

2010-07-14T16:23:00.003+08:00

HEY I CAN'T WAIT ... It's about time those of us at this end of the island had some of that free-flow buffet townees have access to every Friday night - I'm talking of course about the E&O Sarkies Corner's Wine and Dine. And I'm delighted that finally, Golden Sands Resort's Garden Cafe is offering it ... check this out:

Weekly Themed Buffet Dinner

7:00pm to 10:00pm

RM89.90++ adult | RM45.00++ child

Free flow of beer, wine, juices and soft drinks

Every Wednesday & Sunday | 1 to 31 July 2010

East Meets West Buffet

International buffet with Middle Eastern cuisine

Every Saturday | 1 July to 31 August 2010

Seafood Delight Buffet

Every Friday | 1 July to 31 August 2010

BBQ & Carvery Buffet

If the wine is reasonable (and to be frank sometimes with these free-flow affairs they can be pretty undrinkable) I will be the first in line so see you there!

GOLDEN QING

2010-07-09T11:05:00.007+08:00

NOW THAT ALL THE EXCITEMENT HAS DIED DOWN, it's back to business as usual: the business of eating, I mean. And so it was that last night I was invited to attend the soft launch of Penang's latest outlet, GOLDEN QING.

The cavernous place at the corner of Gurney Drive and Jalan Concordia used to be called The Porch, but is now offering a Steamboat Buffet. At RM28 per person it seemed quite reasonable.

Their USP (unique selling point) is the stone hotpots that were specially imported from China, whic is supposed to disseminate heat more evenly and add a certain "je ne sais quois" to the taste. However, these are not too big and good only for 2-4 pax, although they have some big ones too. If you want to "split" stocks, then it will have to be the good old stainless steel pots.

But to me it's taste foremost, then value and quality of the food and last night I thought it was quite good, considering it was their first day. Pots like that need to be "seasoned", and that takes time. There are some six stocks on offer. Personally, steamboat for me always means qing tong - plain broth which builds up in taste the more stuff you cook in it.

They also have some charcoal barbeques going in one corner where you can grill the food, which proved to be a hit with the kids especially but of course they will require constant supervision.

I thought the spread was good: it all looked quite inviting, with a lot of meat including beef and chicken; seafood, vegetables and noodles and of course all the usual fishballs etc.

There's a bit of cooked food to one side as "fillers": fried rice, fried noodles, etc - the Belacan Chicken was excellent, succulent and tasty, unlike some which look dry and taste like sawdust - and there were plenty of condiments going.

The staff are dressed in traditional Chinese garb: red and black, which is a bit different. Their learning curve will be steep, but the location is great with lots of passing trade, so I think with a bit more experience, it will be quite successful. It was quite nice sitting there enjoying the night time passing crowd, in the short time I was there we saw and were seen by a number of friends and acquaintances. It was surprisingly busy too, for their first night although I think that was just as well cos I'm not sure they would have coped!

GDiP2 - It's HERE!

2010-07-04T06:11:00.016+08:00

Yes, after eight months of it hanging over my head, eating out practically every night and trying desperately to keep my weight - and corresponding cholesterol - under control, it's done and dusted. Great Dining in Penang 2 is finally out, launched by State Exco for Tourism Development and Culture YB Danny Law, who incidentally also launched my first book in April 2008, only a few weeks after assuming the position.

The event itself, as everyone knows now, was at the trendy Sigi's in Golden Sands Resort. Over 120 people attended, although I'm not really sure of the final count, cos not everyone took the goodie bags as they left. In fact, we were expecting 100 and had to turn down others who asked to come, which I was sorry to do. However, what I can tell you is that it went splendidly, and everyone had a great time. It really WAS the Launch of the Year. You don't often see photos of my in my blog but I decided to include a few ... after all, it was MY event!

The food was excellent, or so everyone told me, because to be honest I was really much too stressed out to eat anything. John Brock, Executive Sous Chef, (that's me with him - what do you think of the t-shirt - neat eh!) really excelled himself, and he and his magnificent team produced some great stuff: particularly the Fish 'n Chips which was wrapped in ... a newspaper article about the launch! Caused quite a sensation, it did.

The event started at 4pm with everyone tucking into the food and drink like no tomorrow: the Carlsberg Gold, the Angove wines (which were superb, btw) and the Evian Limited Edition Jean Paul Gaultier designer water.

YB Danny Law was bang on time as usual, showing up for once in casual togs because it was in line with Sigi's relaxed image. At one point it got a bit hot - I don't think they're used to having so many people in there all at once! - but the conversation definitely got louder and louder as people got more and more "relaxed". It was a great chance for people to network and restaurateurs to meet each other, and old friends to get together again. Anyone who was anyone was there - at least 8 or 9 GMs of Penang hotels including Desmond Hatton, GM of the Rasa Sayang, and Marco Battistotti, GM of g Hotel and Chairman of MAH. I was really deeply honoured; they all "hor wa been" (gave me face), as they say.

At 5pm Suleiman, Director of Communications for the Shangri-La in Penang, started the ball rolling and introduced Bruno Cristol, GM of Golden Sands, who gave a short speech. After that YB took the mike and then it was my turn to thank everyone.

I was particularly nervous because we were trying something different: we wanted to make use of the long "pond" in the middle of the room, so the book placed in the middle of a polystyrene fish which they had made specially for the occasion, then it was buried in the sand in the pond. Although we'd had a few trial runs beforehand, I was still a bit unsure how it would work out.

And I was wrong to doubt John, whose idea it was, because it worked wonderfully - something different! There was a drum roll as YB was reeling the fish in, then when he hooked it out the Comms Team let off some "poppers"! It was all quite fun and thankfully, had gone smoothly! I thought YB was quite sporting. When I expressed my nervousness, he said, "Don't worry about it! It's all casual and relaxed!"

YB then cut out the book, displayed it to everyone, then the three of us cut the wonderful cake, specially made for me decorated in the GDiP2 logo by the chefs at Traders Hotel, thanks to good friend Karl Karlsson, GM of Traders Hotel.

After that the books went on sale and I'm delighted to say that nearly 500 were sold altogether. Actually we ran out, as the printer only delivered the first batch of 400 so I'm still waiting on the rest, and the book shops are waiting for theirs! If you are planning on getting one - which of course I hope you do - please be patient. A lot of blood, sweat and calories went into its making!

It was after that that I was able to relax and have a drink as I was interviewed by the press, then people started to wonder off as we packed up and bade everyone adieu. What a day, but what a grand and successful day.

My sincere thanks to Bruno Cristol, Suleiman TAR, John Brock, YB Law, and everyone else who made the effort to come. You done me proud. Here's to Great Dining in Penang!

ARABIAN NIGHT IN BATU FERRINGHI

2010-06-26T13:46:00.009+08:00

HAD A FABULOUS NIGHT LAST NIGHT, and all courtesy of Sigi's at Golden Sands Resort. It was the first of what will hopefully be MANY special nights organised by John Brock, their Kiwi Executive Sous Chef. And the weather, thankfully, held off, although having said that it was just as well it rained during the day cos that cooled the evening down considerably.

If you'd seen them preparing during the day you would have marvelled at how much they achieved; they really put a lot of thought and imagination into the whole thing, and managed to achieve quite the right ambiance because it the transformation was amazing - it was like happening on an oasis in the middle of the desert! There were canopies above and colourful cushions and carpets on the floor you could loll on; low tables and loud Arab music.

The serving staff were all dressed quite imaginatively, although some were so authentic I wouldn't have liked to meet them in a dark alleyway ... I could almost see them chopping my head off with a silent swoop of their curved sword (OK, OK, my imagination is running a bit wild!). You could almost imagine you were a Bedouin in a desert somewhere in the Middle East ... and I almost expected to see a camel appear in the horizon ... except for the fact that the sea was splashing away just a few metres from where we were!

There were raffles, an amazing snake charmer who mesmerised not just the reptiles but also the audience I think, some fire eaters who were unfortunately too far away for us to see but who were I'm sure good; even a henna artist, magician and a great band from KL whose retro oldies got quite a few off their backsides to bop away - including moi who was trying to dance away some of the calories I had imbibed.

Because there was a LOT of food, all Middle Eastern: donner kebab (which was quite delish) and barbeques including a whole lamb on a spit, stuffed vine leaves, rice, an excellent Moussaka, some hummous and other dips, breads, baklavas and other sweet puddings. I think John and his fantastic crew outdid themselves. That together with the free-flow wine (which was good stuff and not the cheapo cheapo plonko one sometimes gets at dos like these) and beer really got the party spirit going, I can tell you that.

There was also an interesting "Best Dressed" prize and 4 ladies vied for the position: to be crowned, they had to do an individual dance in front of the audience. OMG I would sooner have died but they were all very game and in fact rather good, especially the first one - but the last contestant was absolutely fantastic and really should have won but it was all in good fun cos they all won some fabulous hotel stays. I was nowhere near winning although I did consider popping a teatowel on my head ... !!!

It was a great night, and I can safely say everyone had a ball.

If this is a sign of things to come - and they are planning at least 3 more before year end to which I hope to receive invites again (hint hint) - then I can hardly wait. Well done guys, and I look forward to the next one!

2010-06-18T08:49:00.005+08:00

FOR ONCE WE HAD A NIGHT OFF, but as I still have a lot of work to do preparing for the launch of my book (and anyway I haven't cooked for quite a few months - my wok must be wondering how come it has been made redundant) it was out to dinner on our own for a change.

We thought we'd try the new YYU YUAN Restaurant in Jalan Lembah Permai, Tanjung Bungah which I'd been told was quite good and not too pricey. Now who can resist that?

It's on the newly opened block with the Maybank round the corner, and (at the moment anyway) parking is fairly convenient.

As is usual with Penang, it was quite packed, as everyone goes to try a newly opened place. It's clean, spacious and relatively "modern", with one side painted a trendy dark grey and the other bright yellow.

It's run by the friendly Looi Chan Leong and his wife, and it seems a whole host of other family, friends and relations.

The menu is large, as it's seafood and western, rather like the Pg Swimming Club kind of food - this was obvious because the other tables were full of members who had absconded from the club restaurant (can't blame them, the standard has really dropped despite James Foo coming back).

Anyway I digress. As there were just two of us my husband ordered his favourite : western, and I had a Wa Tan Hor which was supposed to be very good and indeed it was, full of "wok hei" and gooey "lor" with an egg beaten over it. Excellent with the sambal.

However, the "Chicken Breasts with Bacon" wasn't that brill. Granted there was a LOT - so much so we had to "da bao" half of it - but it cost RM25 so they had to give value. But, as I told Looi, he should have given less and reduced the price which would still have been acceptable to us price-conscious Penangites. It was also rather tasteless - just salty - and the gravy was a blob of thick brown sauce which had no discernible taste whatsoever. Disappointing really.

HOWEVER I also ordered a couple of veg dishes; the brocolli fried with garlic was OK - I mean what can go wrong with that right? But the Kang Kong Belacan was also not up to scratch; I've had better in a lot of other places.

So verdict? Only 2 out of 4 dishes were good, so I'd give them just a 5/10 for the moment. However they are new (only one month old) and will still be learning the ropes. The good news is that they intend to create some private rooms which will be great, and the middle and top floors will be kitted out for functions and meetings.

HARD ROCK BIRTHDAY HAMBURGERS

2010-06-15T18:02:00.007+08:00

IT WAS QUITE FUN LAST NIGHT. I'd been invited, along with several other press members, to witness Hard Rock birthday - in this case the day it was founded in London 39 years ago rather than when it was opened in Penang which if you can cast your mind that far back was in December last year.

Anyway the whole day had been put aside to do funny things in house, like the employees had to swap places with Management - apparently GM John Primmer was pretty sporting, and was last seen in the role of kitchen stewart mopping the floor ... and they had lots of other events like a birthday cake shaped like a hamburger etc. They were also offering patrons a special set menu at RM19.71 nett for one day only - that's what an original HRC Hamburger served with Seasoned Fries, Apple Pie and Milk Shake would have cost in 1971!

Everything culminated in the Hamburger Eating Competition at the Hard Rock Cafe last night, and 20 people were down to take part in it. Not sure if all arrived cos I didn't stay till the end, but the first two rounds were hilarious: they had to finish off a Double Decker Cheeseburger ... as each was 7 0z it meant 14 0z of meat plus bun and salad to imbibe .. and as fast as you can. That's nearly a pound of meat, ie 1/2 a kg. As one of the other reporters put it, "Kua liao pun pa" ie just one look and I'm full.

They were at it hammer and tongs, but the 3 eventual winners who emerged were Jason Tiong, Clay Quinn and Howard Ooi: First prize went to Jason who did it in an amazing 3 mins and 18 secs: he must have really wolfed it down without chewing, which really is the secret as it's the only way to do it. Once you start chewing you’re done for. The hungry (or was it greedy?) guy won a 3 Day/2 Night Hillview Deluxe Room with breakfast for 2 and a dinner voucher worth RM150 at Hard Rock Café. If he can face going there again!

Interesting to note that two of the three winners were locals - most of the Matt Sallehs who took part were knocked out! Anyway well done to all of them. All in the spirit of things.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARD ROCK!

SIN KHENG AUN - Can do better

2010-06-13T10:35:00.012+08:00

I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER BEEN SO BUSY IN ALL MY LIFE ... well certainly not in the past few years anyway. Apart from judging at cooking competitions and various dinners and birthday parties, I'd put aside a week to finish off my second restaurant guide to Penang, but in fact it's over run by another week, and even as I write (or, as is more accurate type), there are still a few more things to finish off.

HOWEVER, it is nearly done, and tomorrow, "Great Dining in Penang 2" will be going to the printer's - HALLELUJAH! - and it will be launched in time for my target date of 30 June.

So in between catching up with all the other things I've ignored including replying to emails and writing my other articles, there's a little bit of time for me to update this poor old blog, because last night I was asked to take 4 US food writers to Sin Kheng Aun in Chulia Lane. They had been flown in by MATRADE to promote Malaysian cooking in America.

Actually, it was my first time there since I was a little girl (and DON'T ask how long ago that was ... !) and it was a revelation. Obviously as everyone in Penang knows they're one of those old, old restaurants that serve colonial Hainanese food which the Brits used to like: Chicken Chops spring to mind, and as in Malaysia that includes a degree of nyonya dishes because many of them used to work for the more affluent households, it was the good old stuff like Assam Tumis. It was packed. In the evenings they only open from 5-8.30pm so people tend to squeeze in which is rather clever of the proprietors - he gets a life at night!

On 2nd generation proprietor the slightly eccentric Ong Chin Hong's suggestions (his father started the place in the 1940s with another man who was the chef), we ordered the must-have curry with pomfret (tow tay but of course), some assam prawns, fried bean sprouts with kiam hoo (salted fish), pork and liver with soya sauce, and trotter with salted veg soup.

The Fish Curry was OK, with the right amount of bungah kantan in it - an absolute must have, as far as I am concerned - but I'm not fond of their trademark coarse ground rempah.

The bean sprouts were rather oily, and the pork and liver was actually left relatively untouched cos not many of us really liked it: I prefer it without the ngor hiong hoon. We also had some Chicken Chop which was quite gooey, and the Fried Noodles were OK although the sambal belacan was a bit too wet and tasteless.

Presentation-wise, I think they could have done a bit better too; although I know we Malaysians don't care as long as the food is good, these dishes seemed to have almost been deliberately slapped on to the plates as haphazardly as possible. No effort was made to tidy up the plates before they were brought out at all.

However, before we ordered I made very clear to Ong that one of the journalists Joanna is allergic to MSG so NONE of the food had to contain any of it - he seemed to understand what I was saying, repeating that he would make sure none of the food would be prepared with it. Unfortunately Joanna seemed to think there was some, and I rather wondered how he could make the soup without MSG. I do hope she's OK.

One of the diners was Penang photographer extraordinaire Albert Foo who was busy snapping away for Matrade - that's him above next to Joanna - and as you can see from the two pixes below, one taken by me and one by him, why he's a photographer extraordinaire and not me!!

In my defense, I prefer not to use a flash!!

You can see how popular the place is though - their reputation precedes them - and like locusts hitting a wheat field, families just sweep in and clear them out. By 8 last night it had emptied out, leaving behind just blank plates for the staff to clear up behind them.

That lot plus 3 large bottles of Tiger Beer cost RM202. As I wasn't paying for it I didn't query it but I thought it was rather pricey for what we had had.

The journalists were suitably impressed with the food, with the exception of Joanna's reaction, which I was thankful for. However, next time round, I think I might recommend somewhere else.

BADMINTON STAR TURNS 80

2010-06-01T09:58:00.006+08:00

THIS IS IN DANGER OF BECOMING A "Society" rather than food blog, but hey, at least it's free! That's cos only two nights ago we were one of the chosen few ... actually there must have been nigh on 500 people there that night ... to attend Dato' Eddie Choong's 80th birthday party at Jade Palace in Abu Siti Lane.

It was indeed a grand celebration indeed, with no less than the Chief Minister himself attending with his wife Betty Chew. Dato' Eddy (I call him DDE for short - Dear Dato Eddie) was in fine form, and for an 80 year old, incredibly fit and VERY with it - he can joke, eat and talk better than most younger people I meet, and definitely drink them under the table! Yes, our very own Badminton Grand Master is the bee's knees.

Anyone who was anyone was there - all the datos and datins, dato seris and datin seris, dato and datin wannabes, other former badminton champs from yesteryear, bankers and restaurateurs, society folk; even a humble old food writer like me had been invited ... and a lot of press. Poor old CM; he can't even go anywhere private although this occasion really wasn't supposed to be one because even Astro had been invited!

He also took the opportunity to launch his autobiography "Dato Eddy Choong Talk About History", which was being sold to raise money for charity. It's in Chinese translated into English which rather meant the wording was a bit strange, but it's in aid of a good cause and good of him to donate all the proceeds, and a wonderful way to capture history.

He is, after all, one of Penang's greats. There're some good black and white pics of him in action from before.

The food, considering how many people there were, was acceptable. One can only appreciate the mayhem that was going on behind the scenes in the kitchen; it must have been controlled chaos. Unfortunately the band was a little bit too loud; as the ceiling is very low there was a lot of resonance and it was sometimes ear-splitting. Old friend Marlene Fox rendered her usual "Yue Liang Tai Piao Wo Di Xin" which I must say she does very well for a Mat Salleh.

Dato Eddy gave his speech quite early on in the dinner, followed by the CM who was his usual energetic self - he spotted me in the crowd and told me that he has already written the preface to Great Dining in Penang 2 which is great news - and after a couple of courses they left, to great fanfare.

It was a great do, and they put a lot of effort into it; the but when the evening descends into karaoke you know it's time to leave so with that we sloped off quietly as Dato Eddy was still doing his rounds YUM SENGing with everyone else.

Happy Birthday DDE, and many more to come!

OLE ... Or is it OH ME POOR LEG ...

2010-05-28T13:13:00.006+08:00

APOLOGIES FOR THE LONG SILENCE ... it's not that I've had nothing to report - on the contrary there's been TOO much to write about: I've been to many places to eat, and more places to eat, including dinner at a "t'ng tok" (long table) with Gordon Ramsay when he was filming in Penang, to trying out the new dishes at Kopicine (Bonton Pg), and last night, the fantastic Ole - a Spanish Extravaganza, organised by the Pg Soroptimists, at the E&O.

The Spanish Embassy flew in Chef Fernando Martinez from Valencia specially for the occasion, and together with Chef Bob, he cooked up a seafoody storm in his enormous paella pan, which we had with our aperitifs at the pre-dinner cocktails in the garden, with freeflow Spanish wines, sherry and champagne. Very civilised indeed.

After that everyone made their way to the ballroom, very elegantly done up in the red and beige colours of the Spanish flag.

Speeches were by Organising Chairman Anita Pater, Soroptimist President Dato' Dr Shuba and the Spanish Ambassador.

Once all that necessary "official stuff" was out of the way, the food was served - the E&O as always did a good job; the creamy seafood soup was served piping hot which was incredible considering how many people there were, and the steak was quite acceptable too.

Highlight of the evening was the entertainment: "Tirititran", a Spanish group from Granada, with Raquel La Monica whose incredible voice warbled out some plaintive rustic notes, and Cristina Candela who did some amazing flamenco dance routines, all backed by classical guitarist Raul Corredor.

it was after all that "culture" that we were able to let our hair down - dancing the evening away. I'm paying for it now though ... the old bones can't take much of this revelling any more!! And of course the freeflow meant one didn't quite stint on the drinks too ... I think it's a quiet night in tonight, for a change.

However, it was a great evening, and even better to know that it was all in aid of charity: Penang Home of the Infirm and Aged, Asia Community Service and Penang Shan Children's Home.

Well done to the Soroptimists who care enough to take the trouble to raise funds for these organisations. Even more amazing was the fact that they did it all within a month or two.

SMC - Special Makan Centre!!!

2010-05-18T22:12:00.008+08:00

IT'S BACK!!

YES, the Spice Market Cafe's very popular and very special 1-for-1 offer is back once again. As I think it's probably one of the best buffets we have in town if you're looking at quality food and ingredients then it's a fantastic offer.

I like the spaciousness of the place, and the choice, the salads, hot courses and the Theatre Kitchen (talk about amateur dramatics!).

The seafood is excellent, the salmon sashimi is creamy as milk, and their satay is not bad either; the desserts, of course, are after all why one eats the rest first - so we don't eat too much pudding! (In fact, the only problem I have with it is I eat too much. And of course with all this eating for the new book, I'm going to have to let out some of my skirts and trousers I think. Thank goodness I'm nearly at the end - the book closes this Friday. )

BUT I digress.

As the special offer starts this Sunday, and runs only from Sundays through to Thursdays, and only valid until 30 June so don't delay - see you there!

CHEF WAN TO THREE

2010-05-13T16:33:00.008+08:00

I'M DELIGHTED TO SAY THAT the second edition of my restaurant guide "Great Dining in Penang 2" will be coming out soon - and launch date is now confirmed for end of June. HOWEVER that has meant additional pressure on me to get everything ready. It's mostly there, but still a lot of chasing left.

One lamentable result is lack of time to do things like update blogs, although today I was moved to do so because I attended an unusual event at 2pm this afternoon: Chef Wan (aka Redzuawan Ismail) officially "opened" the Golden Sands Resort's herb and spice garden just outside Sigi's. Cheffie, who is of course now a "Datuk", being one of Malaysia's most important ambassadors, was on top form as usual. He's here to film his new series "Glorious European Food" with Executive Sous Chef John Brock which will be aired on AFC and TV2.

(What do you think they're whispering to each other?)

1000 sq ft plot now has about 28 types growing on it including some rare varieties like Sawtooth Coriander, Daun Salam and Stevia, black pepper, galangal, Daun Kaduk etc. According to Bruno, the home-grown herbs, set up under the guidance and expertise of the Tropical Spice Garden in Teluk Bahang, will be used in Sigi's dishes, so diners can expect "enthralling twists" to well-known offering soon, he promises us. I look forward to some tropical cum exotic flavours ... Turmeric and Cardamom-flavoured pizza, maybe?

Chef Wan gave a short (for him) sweet speech about how important it is to use herbs in cooking: the flavours, colours and aromas being so varied, then together with GM Bruno Cristol he officially "cut" the ribbon and Bob, as they say, was your uncle. He also signed the plaque and even took the trouble to doodle a little figure of himself presumably on it. After that there was a (very) short walk around the garden whilst he "labelled" a few of the plants.

Everyone scuttled into the cool of the air conditioning where refreshing cold drinks were served and Cheffie gave a press conference.

ANOTHER FOODIE HITS PENANG ...

2010-05-04T10:14:00.005+08:00

IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I UPDATED THIS. Partly because of sloth although having said that I've actually been very busy, but partly because I've not been to many hawker centres recently. However, last night I finally managed to visit a place I've been meaning to for a while: the famous 888 Hokkien Mee Stall in Presgrave Street (Sar Tiao Lor).

I was taking another fellow foodie on a Penang Street Food Tour: this time Joaquin Persson, a Swede who writes for Travel & Lifestyle Magazine. Of course one had to introduce him to our favourites and seeing as he was staying at Traders in town, where better to start off than this place which was just a short walk away (although truth be told the traffic was a bit hair-raising, so close did it come to us sometimes!).

So we trotted off down Magazine Road and came across the place; as it was still fairly early (6ish) it wasn't that busy and we were able to get a table after ordering the HKM and a plate of Ong's konlow meen (wantan noodles) with a separate bowl of wantons in soup. I have to say the latter two were excellent; just like the old Tok Tok Mee I used to know, down to the pieces of yummy chee yao (pork crackling) in the minimal gravy that goes with it. And cheap too: the two cost just RM5.60.

HOWEVER the HKM left much to be desired: it was quite bland, and if it hadn't been for the chilli boh it would probably have been completely tasteless. Disappointing, considering they are supposed to be one of our better known ones - they were certainly busy, and not quite prepared to talk.

So on we went, this time to the famous hawker stalls at Macalister Road's New Lane, just outside the Sunway Hotel. It was packed as usual, the stalls lining both sides of the "lane". I took him for a quick tour up and down, introducing him to some of our more famous dishes, then we sat down and ordered a few for him to try: must haves like our inimitable Chee Cheong Fun, full of heyko like nowhere else in the world, let alone Penang; Char Kuey Teow but of course, our heritage item, and Laksa, which was again a bit of a let down.

England they have a saying, "You know you're getting old when all the constables look young" ... well here it must be, "You know you're getting old when all the hawker food doesn't taste like what it did"! Having said that the CCF was very good, the sauce dark, thick and gooey.

Even though Joaquin is currently based in Thailand, where this sort of street food is so prevalent, he found it fascinating enough to take lots of photos - to the extent of almost squatting on the road in the face of oncoming cars! However, I think (and hope) that he agrees that he got a fairly good grounding of many of our favourites, but like I said to him, this is just the tip of the iceberg! There are SO many more for him to sample! Welcome to Penang!

CHYNNA IN YOUR HANDS

2010-04-24T10:41:00.007+08:00

SO IT WAS BACK ON THE MOTORWAY TO KL AGAIN YESTERDAY, this time to celebrate my dear koko's (big bro) birthday. Although we nearly didn't make it, because we had a couple of near misses, once so close I really thought we'd had it. To the BLITHERING IDIOT who pulled out from behind a bus without even thinking to LOOK OVER HIS SHOULDER to check if there was anyone coming - BOO SUCKS to you, for nearly killing us (yourself and your family included) and at the very least causing almost a heart attack for MOI. I really thought we'd had it. Do you REALLY think that when YOU are driving, there's NO OTHER TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD? As they say here, "HEY, YOU TINK THIS YOUR GRANDFATHER ROAD AH?" If so then you're WRONG because there are a MILLION other cars which use the motorway, so please have DUE CARE and CONSIDERATION for other drivers please.

Anyway I digress, but make no apologies for venting my spleen. There really are some BLOODY IDIOTS out there, if you'll pardon my language. Like I always say, if you drive stupidly and kill yourself then please go ahead. But please don't endanger myself or my loved ones.

We arrived at about 5.30pm which left us just enough time to get ready (one must, after all, titivate) for the family dinner which had been arranged at CHYNNA Restaurant in KL Hilton, Sentral.

It is a posh place, no question about that, and we had a private room booked which was even posher ... you would have thought. Unfortunately there were a couple of problems we hadn't foreseen - my aged father couldn't make it up and down the stairs in his wheelchair (which btw they had kindly loaned us) so had to be CARRIED lock, stock and barrel, even when he went to the loo - which was the other problem. Most private rooms in KL have their own en suite toilet. This one didn't. He was really quite upset to have to cause such a spectacle because all the men in our party of 12 had to accompany him to the toilet and back! What a sight it was to behold!

The food, traditional Cantonese meets modern Shanghainese, was quite good, tasty especially the Sharks Fin Soup (before you write in to complain yes you're quite right, it's very un-PC, but it wasn't MY party was it) which was very good but it was served in an open mini "wok" so to keep it warm it sat over a little burner which was lit as soon as they placed it in front of you. Which was all very well except as the amount of soup diminished it got hotter and hotter and I actually burnt my tongue. Why didn't you blow it out I hear you ask. Of course it's not something one thinks about until it's happened, stupidly you might add, and served me right.

The wagyu beef was delicious, but service wasn't exceptional. I asked for warm water and they forgot it so had to be reminded; no one topped up my wine so I had to resort to BIG HINTS for it to be replenished ... one just can't get the staff these days ... (joke, joke).

Everything was served individually as is the trend nowadays, although the table was so big all the food had to be served that way as there was no way we were going to be able to reach for it, lazy susan or not! I didn't get a chance to see it but one of their gimmicks is the long-spouted tea pot wielded by an expert who is apparently a bit of a show-off.

They even had a young man all dressed up in traditional Chinese garb to say goodbye as we left.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRO.

2010-04-21T15:18:00.003+08:00

WHAT A GATHERING of foodies! The patrons of the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang and Spa's Spice Market Cafe, already quite busy despite it being a Tuesday night, had an additional group last night: five food writers from the US who had been flown to Malaysia by MATRADE to sample our delicious offerings. They had just arrived by bus from KL but along the way had stopped at various interesting "eating points".

MATRADE's "Malaysia Kitchen for the World" is, according to their gumph, a global initiative of the MsiN Govt that "aims to educate and inform consumers about Malaysian cuisine and restaurants throughout the world". This group were from New York, and they are seeking to "boost interest (in Msian cuisine) among American food lovers". The group was led by Suresh Kumar who is Director of MATRADE Northern Regional Office.

Unfortunately I didn't get all their biz cards (and in fact, I'd run out myself too, for shame, for shame), but they were all, typically American, very friendly and forthcoming. Nancy Davidson is a freelance restaurant and food writer, Diane Stopford, and there's Adeena Sussman who's in the pix having a go at the roti jala. Hope to meet them again when I'm next in US.

The SMC really did us proud. First of all there was a simple demo of how to make roti jala at which they tried their hand, and then the chef demonstrated how to cook chicken curry, which we sampled after. It must be sooo different for them, all the different herbs and spices that we use here; having said that, it would be just as strange for many of us to go over to US and try some of the food that they eat - grits being a case in point.

Then they were let loose to try the various offerings and as one of the best buffets in Penang (and I really mean this) there was a LOT to sample! The fresh seafood is always a hit, and so was the cooking "theatre".

Noodle Station offered quite a passable Mee Rebus, and they even knocked up some Char Kuey Teow for us although the Beef Rendang wasn't up to standard - a bit too sweet I felt, as was the Gula Melaka with Sago that they served a table - much too much syrup and far too little santan. However everyone was suitably impressed.

It was a pleasure to meet fellow writers from another part of the world, all of whom have one thing in common: food, and promoting it to all and sundry. Welcome to Penang guys, and hope you are enjoying your short stay here. (The lucky things are being put up at the Rasa, but of course.)

Sarkies Corner

2010-04-17T10:42:00.006+08:00

BEING A FOOD WRITER REALLY IS AN AMAZING JOB - in fact, one would hardly describe it as a job - witness the number of food bloggers there are who do it for nothing more than to be able to express their feelings about certain places online - it's more a passion and an interest.

However sometimes it can be quite tiring, eating out all the time (can't remember the last time I went marketing, let alone touched my wok!) and of course one's got to be aware of one's cholesterol level; sometimes it's a bit depressing, when you see the standard of food being served at certain places. And that's just the professional side of things. Sometimes though it's nice when one is invited just for the pleasure of one's company ... and a case in point was last night, when friends (yes, I do have some) invited us to the E&O for one of their splendiferous free-flow buffets. Of course I still had to take some photos for my blog!

As usual, the place was packed, full of locals and expats all tucking into the food and wine, although personally I find the huge dining room too echoey which increases the noise level significantly, and because it's all enclosed air conditioning the smells tend to linger so one always ends up having to have a shower at the end of the evening. But if you sit outside it's even worse - especially now, as it's absolutely boiling as there aren't enough fans.

I'm always on at them to open up all the windows and doors and have the fans going at full blast which will make it so much more comfortable and less noisy, but then who am I that they should listen to!

Didn't catch sight of old friend Executive Chef Bob but Chef Ah Fat was there, friendly and smiling as always, although I did notice he was more quiet than usual. "Tired," he said. Hope you feel better soon mate.

I will say this for them - they do lay on a truly magnificent spread. The starters, salads, main courses and desserts - just overwhelm, there's so much to choose from. Of course their sashimi and prawns are always popular, as you can see from the empty platter, and the lamb was but a

carcass before the evening was out.

Having said that the wine is really not up to much: I started with the white and rapidly changed my mind after a sip, deciding to go for a red instead. That was just as disappointing, so mein host kindly opened the bottle of white that I'd brought for them - which wasn't the point at all as it was meant to be their gift to thank them for inviting us. However, it did make the rest of the evening slightly more pleasant for everyone probably as I wasn't cringing with every mouthful I took.

What do you expect for freeflow, as you may well ask. To be frank, I'd sooner a glass or two of a more palatable vino than as much as you want plonk like that.

Their desserts as always are quite a treat, although the two Chocolate Bombs above reminded me of something ... hmmm ...

2010-04-08T11:08:00.008+08:00

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!

IT'S PUBLIC ... BUT I WISH IT WASN'T!

2010-04-06T15:46:00.008+08:00

NOW REGULAR READERS OF MY BLOG WILL KNOW THAT I am more often than not positive about the places I write about, as I think it's a bit unfair to impose my own relatively exacting standards on others who may be more easy going than me. HOWEVER there are times when even this is too low, and yesterday's visit to the Kedai Kopi Public in Gurney Drive was a good example.

We were in town waiting to see someone so decided to pop in as we passed by at about 6pm. In my eternal quest for a good Hokkien Mee, I decided to try one. After all, I hadn't had much to eat that day, and dinner wasn't till at least 9pm.

That's what I was served (top pix) ... well I have to say it was probably one of the worst, if not the worst, Hokkien Mees I've ever had in my life, apart from the ones served abroad which of course couldn't be helped.

First of all, it cost RM5 for a bowl - and all I could see were a few extra TINY prawns, which weren't even prepared the way it should be for Hokkien Mee ie fried with a bit of chilli paste until dry-ish. When I went, "RM5?!!" her reply was, "Yes, it says so on the front of my stall."

Secondly, it was LUKEWARM. Now who in their right minds would serve a bowl of noodle soup less than piping hot? Without wishing to digress into the topic of food hygiene etc, it is without a doubt safer to eat street food which is so hot that most, if not all, the bacteria has been killed. This was positively unsafe.

Having paid RM5 for it, one of course could not justify leaving it so I did try a bit - to find it not just lukewarm but bland and tasteless. The miserly prawns were a disgrace. In fact, after a couple of mouthfuls I gave up. What a waste of money the whole experience was. The pix above is what I left behind: canny Penangites will understand how bad it must have been for me to leave all that uneaten!

So I took a drink of my Iced Lime. Now it's not difficult, I don't think, to make a simple Iced Lime - one just takes a couple of limes, add some syrup, crushed ice and a bit of water and voila! A glass of iced lime. You would think. You know how sometimes in posh restaurants when you ask for plain water they try and dress it up with a couple of slices of lemon thrown into the jug? Well, that's what this tasted like. And they charged me RM1.60 or something for it.

Their saving grace was the Char Kuey Teow Mac had was acceptable, and it cost just RM3.00.

However, if there is one place I would NOT recommend anyone go to for Hokkien Mee or Iced Lime, it is the Pubic Kopi Tiam in Gurney Drive, especially not when Penang has a thousand other better places to go to. I'm the first one to put my hand up and say hawkers really work hard for their living, and I am all for supporting them. However, some stalls shouldn't be allowed to continue as they really just give Penang such a bad name. Some visitors to Gurney Drive may not know any better, so I think it's a case of "cham pak kai" - chopping the white chicken - but it shouldn't be.

EDDIE'S BACK

2010-04-01T08:25:00.008+08:00

LAST YEAR WHEN FORMER FORMULA 1 RACER EDDIE JORDAN VISITED Penang, I was one of the media members invited to attend a dinner held at the Rasa Sayang's Feringgi Grill to welcome him.

Last night he was back again, but this time as the draw for a charity dinner held at Traders Hotel's enormous ballroom; performing with his band The Robbers doing some well-known covers for about thirty minutes. They were good but the acoustics were not brilliant so it was a bit of an ear-bash.

The dinner was to raise funds for Penang's Lighthouse Programme, a community service for the poor. A short film was played to tell everyone present about the charity, which provides valuable services for the poor and elderly. It was very moving, and to me, it was so incredibly sad that there are so many people out there who, having gone through life, find themselves suddenly without money, food or shelter.

Shangri-La's three properties in town (Traders, Rasa Sayang and Golden Sands) take turns to sponsor daily dinners every month for a year as part of their CSR programmes (Corporate Social Responsibility). Apparently every day at least 120 people come in to shower before their dinner, which is served by volunteers and schools. The hotels also donate used clothes, linen and towels. It's a very noble gesture, and I do hope that they continue to do so.

The dinner was launched by the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who gave a short speech, commending the hotels for their great efforts. I stopped by his table to have a quick chat, and asked him if he would write the foreword for the next edition of my restaurant guide and he said, "Consider it done!" which was nice of him.

There were various performances from local artistes, some dressed in very elaborate outfits.

I found myself thinking about my father, who at 87 is looked after by a full-time maid, his every need seen to. My brother, who is a businessman, still makes sure he has dinner with Dad every week, despite his hectic business commitments. I try and go to KL to see him regularly, and he comes up here too (this weekend in fact, for our annual Cheng Beng trip to Taiping). He's a very lucky man, and I hope that one day my own children will look after me like that! (If I live that long that is).

Well done to Shangri-La for taking their Corporate Social Responsibilities so seriously, and for choosing such a worthwhile charity. They make such a difference to those people.

BTW hope you survive the morning - it's April Fool's Day of course!

SPICE N WINE

2010-03-26T08:18:00.003+08:00

WHEN AUSTRALIAN WINE EXPERT ROY MOORFIELD was in town recently, I had the honour of arranging a nyonya dinner for him one night. It was hosted by GM of Traders Hotel Karl Karlsson. The whole point was for him to taste the food and try and pair it with wines which would best go with the sort of spicy, very aggressive tastes.

Unfortunately, it was actually on a Monday night, when most of our hard-working restaurateurs take a day off, so there were very few places about to choose from. Finally I settled on the Perut Rumah in Kelawei Road which was open that night, also because I thought would give him an idea of local architecture.

Partner Giannick and his team did quite well, especially the "Nyonya Four Seasons" we started with, which included a bit of everything: Fried Popiah (not Choon Piah), Nasi Ulam, Lor Bak and Nyonya Kerabu. He wanted taste, so I gave him taste - a lot of it was hot and spicy!

It was interesting to hear Roy talk, although he's got rather a low, rumbly voice and I wondered whether the others could hear him. As I was sat next to him it was all right for me! According to him, it's not that difficult to pair wine even with such strong-tasting foods if you treat it like a condiment - rather like a curry goes well with a side dish of pickle which has vinegar, wine can be treated the same way - it's slightly acidic.

Our table consisted of 11 people, including Chef Adam Roy from Feringgi Grill, who although American is quite well-versed with local food, as he spent several years working in Thailand and Indonesia, and has been in Penang for the past 12 months. That's him not taking a night off - serving the food up as usual!

After that we had the main meal with a representative sample of many nyonya dishes: Kiam Chai Ark (Salted Veg with Duck Soup), Fish Assam Tumis (Curry), Heyakay Bak, Tau Eu Bak etc.

The penultimate course was the Nyonya Lam Mee, after which we had what I thought was the best of the lot: the Or Chut Bee or Black Glutinous Rice, cooked with a few slices of dried orange peel - it was perfect: just the correct consistency, not too thick and not too watery; just a touch of salt to offset the creaminess of the santan, and sweet but not too sweet. Unfortunately it went so quickly I couldn't take a photo of it!

I hope it gave Roy, who was there with his lovely Hong Kong wife Selena, a good idea of the kind of food nyonya cooking is, and that he enjoyed it. Thanks Karl for hosting it.

AI YO ....

2010-03-23T09:09:00.004+08:00

ALL THAT WEIGHT THAT I SHED whilst ill ... is now back and with interest. That's cos whilst we're in KL we are being feted by friends and relatives, which is all very nice of course. But it does tend to pile on the pounds just a leeetel bit. Ah well, rich man's problem, as my father used to say.

Actually I rather like the food in KL; although I still think Penang hawker food is still better (our Assam Laksa, Hokkien Mee and Nasi Kandar is d best) KL has a lot to shout about too. And their Cantonese restaurants are excellent, not to mention their wantan mee which is darker and fuller-flavoured.

However last night my cousin took us to dinner at their favourite local; a small Italian restaurant tucked away in Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya. There was a birthday party going on which was a bit of a shame not for the proprietors nor for the celebrants but for the other patrons as it really was quite noisy.

However the food was really very good; and it's not often I say that. And which makes me wonder why if they can do it, other people can't. The menu isn't large (and quite rightly so), and it isn't TOO expensive (this is KL after all) but what was on offer was quite delicious, especially, as you know, my PASTA.

Dessert was a Cheese Platter, nicely presented with cut celery, carrots and strawberries all neatly laid out although there wasn't really very much cheese at all.

Their Seafood Pasta A La Opus (or something like that; featured above) is apparently what made them famous; it's not tomatoey although that constitutes one of the ingredients, but was very tasty.

In the afternoon I went for a drink and chit chat with a girlfriend at a pleasant newish outlet in Lorong Maarof in Bangsar. It's called Cafe Barbero and is apparently owned by former PM Pak Lah's brother. They do western food and snacks but their prime selling point is the very special Italian coffee which unfortunately I couldn't try because it was already about 5pm and that would have meant me staring at the ceiling the whole night.

And that's not the end of the wining and dining - tonight is the whole point of us being in KL - it's my father's 87th birthday dinner. Happy Birthday Dad!

BACK IN KL AGAIN ...

2010-03-22T09:42:00.007+08:00

WE TRAVELLED DOWN TO KL YESTERDAY, leaving early to get here on time for Mac to play golf ... which turned out to be just as well because it was only as we got on the motorway that we realised it was the last day of the local school holidays, and traffic heading back to the capital would be quite heavy!

(That's one good thing about no longer having school-aged kids to ferry back and forth - apart from many others - one doesn't realise nor really care when the school holidays are! However there are other not so good things of course, like missing them and continuously worrying about them wherever in the world they are. A girlfriend of mine asked, "What is it with us? Is it an Asian thing? One of my kids just has to sneeze and I won't be able to sleep all night worrying about how he is!" Yes that's motherhood for you.)

Anyway I digress. We made it on time and Mac duly went off to play golf and in the evening we had dinner at what was our local favourite but closed down for several months for renovation last year: Monte's in Bangsar Shopping Centre, aka "BSC" (yes, it gained a dubious fame as the car park where the unfortunate Canny Ong was abducted).

This steakhouse was incredibly popular, both because it had great steaks and an excellent set dinner: for just RM37 or something (I can't quite remember) you got a choice of two starters (usually a soup or potato gratin), a steak or fish, dessert (usually ice cream) and brewed coffee. Fantastic value.

Last night was our first visit back there and although yes it's nicely decorated inside, I'd have continued going back to the old place. What was another result was that, sad to say the sets have disappeared - rental of the new place is probably too high! As often happens when they get very popular they try and go up-market but misjudge the clientele - the place didn't have half as many people eating there as it used to have, and prices had been "revised".

However their soups were excellent: the Oxtail and French Onion, full-bodied and very oniony, were delicious if a tad salty, but their sirloin steaks, although nice large slices, were gristly and a bit chewy.

My Pasta Marinara (featured at the top) was quite good although a bit more sauce would have been perfect. I was feeling rather saucy that night I guess ...

Service was quite good - it always used to be - but as it wasn't that busy that's how it should be! They also forgot our butter and rolls and we had to ask for it. For the four of us, inclusive of 3 glasses of wine and two beers, the total came to about RM360. Wow, just think of the buffets we could have had with that in Penang!

EAT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT - AT MIRAKU

2010-03-16T16:58:00.006+08:00

I FEEL QUITE PRIVILEGED, as I'm now privy to something that not many of the JAPANESE expat population Penang know about, and I can share it with you!: the Miraku Restaurant in g Hotel has a very special "Eat as Much as you Can" offer, available only on WEDNESDAY evenings for the next THREE WEEKS, on all their fresh-as-a-daisy sushi (it's flown in 3 days a week).

According to Deputy Managing Director Mr Hijioka, they are keeping it quite low-profile because (and here I have to whisper ... ) they just want the local community to know about it this time round. They know how popular it will be with the Japanese, especially the businessmen, who will go over there after work for a beer with the first sitting which starts at 6pm. And as it's just available at the main sushi bar which can seat just 22 pax, it is limited to that number of people per sitting. The second one starts at 8 and goes through to 9pm.

There are over 12 items of sushi (squid, cuttlefish, yellow tail, shrimp, tuna, salmon belly, soft and creamy; there's unagi (eel) and roe, and many more) which are skilfully made up and handed over to you on the spot, beautifully presented on a long wooden platter, after which you can just request more of your favourites: for me, it's the salmon of course.

As it just costs RM50++ per person, if a sushi enthusiast were to tuck away say 50, it will cost just a little above RM1 each! That is real value for money, although I was assured that they have not skimped on the quality: it's the same excellent sashimi that Miraku, described to me by another Japanese businessman as "the best in town" has been famous for since they opened their doors to the public a few years ago. And not only that, it's delicious and healthy to boot, the raw protein easily absorbed into our blood stream.

Obviously with such an incredible price they will only entertain bookings so if you are at a loose end as to where to eat tomorrow, do try it. But don't just show up if you're interested - do book in advance 04 229 8702.

IF it proves popular enough they will extend the Wednesday specials further - here's an opportunity to encourage them to do it.

WRITERS UNITE ...

2010-03-15T18:03:00.004+08:00

GLAD TO SEE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE who actually read my blog: people have been stopping me and asking how I am. Actually, except for the slight croakiness still in my voice (which is actually not that bad cos a few people have described it as "sexy" ... hmmm ...!) I am almost back to normal. I hope!

So it was also back to "work" with a vengeance as I met up with fellow freelance food writer American Gayle Keck and her husband on their whistle-stop tour of Penang at the weekend. As I had just over an hour with them, it had to be somewhere which had a bit of everything to offer, so we ended up at New World Park in town.

It's always so interesting to introduce our food to outsiders, because like any other culture, one grew up with this sort of stuff: our laksas, curries, noodles, rojaks and what-nots is second nature to us yet so unique to people who are new to it. However the same is true of us when we land in another country: we too need to learn about other cuisines. Even when you live in a country for a few years it takes a while to get to know it.

Not sure what their stomachs thought of the assault, but as they flew in from Bangkok presumably the tastes weren't too strange: I ordered quite a few different dishes for them to try. Cucuk Udang, Assam Laksa, Hokkien Mee; a bit of Lor Bak (tried to show off how good I was to get both sauces into my mouth without dribbling it all down my front but guess what, they were pretty good at it too!), Chee Cheong Fun (hmmm ... that's the test of a true foodie - whether they are prepared to even try it - our version is so fishy with the black gooey hey ko) etc.

I will say this for them: they were game for anything, and tried EVERYTHING without blanching or turning white, and even went, "Mmmm ... I liked this," or "that". Even got an opportunity to show off my newly-acquired knowledge of how "chang" (zhong) came into being (as I've just written an article for Senses of Malaysia).

UNFORTUNATELY and this is the gospel truth: I charged out without any cash at all so my sincere apologies Gayle that I had to leave you and hubby to pay for everything! Hope you enjoyed it anyway, and look forward to reading your blog about your trip to Penang. If you would like to read Gayle's writing check outwww.GayleKeck.com.

FEELING ILL

2010-03-12T12:46:00.009+08:00

A FEW DAYS AGO I WROTE ABOUT HOW I paid for the trip to Singapore, both literally and figuratively. Well, that's 'cos not only did I have to fork out cash for most of the trip (ie the return flights and two nights in a hotel) but until a couple of days I was still suffering the after-effects.

Not sure what it was because it started the last night before I left: a not very nice experience which resulted in me shivering in bed, but suffice it to say that for lunch I had had my THIRD helping of Buah Keluak in 2 days: three different types of Chicken Buah Keluak; they seem to use it for everything, even in the fried rice. Now I'm not sure about this Indonesian fruit which seems indispensable to southern nyonya cooking, which is after all what I was researching and I'm certainly not laying the blame on it, but it does seem rather a bit of a coincidence.

How I made it back to Penang the next day is a miracle; I got to the airport early and slept the whole journey back under a blanket. Luckily my darling husband was there to greet me, and boy, was I glad he was there to take over my burden (bags and all) with his broad shoulders. I spent the rest of the day in bed but it was just too much: I ended up in hospital with a drip in my arm. They wanted to check me in but honestly I feel much happier in my own bed so they let me home reluctantly. Although I got better, I came down with a sore throat and cough. The spate of hot, humid days haven't helped either.

All social events, dinners, lunches, drinks and what nots, had to be cancelled and my weight plummeted rather dramatically which is, as someone who saw me recently said, "Nice, I wish I could," but actually it's not, cos it is very AGEING!! The older one gets the less elastic the skin is, rather like a stretched balloon which has had all the air let out. Yukh, what an image!!

So if you haven't been reading about me doing much lately now you understand why. In fact the Sigi's launch was probably the first thing I'd attended for a long time (a good friend's birthday dinner at Ocean Green was the other but that didn't count cos it was a personal event).

Aah, the things I do in the name of duty ... eat, eat and eat! Anyway enough of the self pity ... I'm okay now except a bit croakey. So look out Penang, I'm back!!!

SIGI's IS LAUNCHED!

2010-03-11T09:46:00.005+08:00

IT WAS A NIGHT TO REMEMBER ... not only was it the launch of the new Sigi's Grill and Bar on the Beach at the Golden Sands Resort in Batu Ferringhi, but it was also probably the hottest night ever - in fact the day had averaged some 40 d Centigrade I believe. Penang has been sweltering for the past three months, and it doesn't look set to abate.

However it didn't stop the most happening event of the month (after all we're only in March!) from taking place; in fact, it probably made it go with even more of a bang as all the revellers - and there were hundreds - just HAD to down more beer and wine to cool themselves down, didn't they!

The drinks disappeared the same way the food did: with alacrity, and although the invitation said 730pm, by the time we got there at 745, it was already rocking: ANYONE who was ANYONE had been invited including all the inhouse guests from both resorts it seemed like. The place was PACKED everywhere, and there was nowhere to sit. Massive queues were already forming at the lamb station, barbeque pit and everywhere else. So I just settled for a glass of wine and a strawberry shortcake.

It was however horrendously humid and sticky weather, and I can only pity the poor auld souls who had to WORK rushing around serving drinks and food (there was pizza and fish 'n chips going round); one poor chap's shirt was completely stuck to his back he had been sweating so much. It was interesting as someone there pointed out: all the Msians were huddled in the air-con main dining area and all the Mat Sallehs were outside in the sweltering heat! We are such spoilt ninnies really ... !

The St George's Girls' School Band was there to liven things up, and there were fire dancers and belly dancers etc. It was all very lau juak. GM Mr Bruno Cristol gave a very short (I think, wisely, he knew he didn't stand a chance if he went on for too long) succinct speech to thank everyone for their hard work, and then declared Sigi's open with a BANG when the name lit up. After that it was back to the partying!

Well done Golden Sands, and Chef John BROCK (yes I'm afraid the old slippy and sleepy fingers here added an extra syllable to his name in the Star article about him so he's getting his revenge now by calling me Mrs Smith! Sorry Mr Brockman ... ooops I mean John) for getting it all together so quickly. Look forward to trying your other dishes.

TIAN TIAN - EVERY DAY

2010-03-05T11:34:00.003+08:00

IT WAS A REALLY INTERESTING TRIP TO SINGAPORE, even if I ended up paying for it - both literally and figuratively.

As mentioned before, I was invited to attend the San Pellegrino dinner, but also took the opportunity whilst there to do some research about Peranakan food in Singapore, which was quite an experience. But this post isn't about that.

Most of my other trips there I had stayed in hotels along or just off the Orchard Road which is great, it goes without saying, for shopping. Not too far to go back and dump all your spoils before heading out again. However this time round I decided to try a different part of town, and booked myself into a hotel in Chinatown and you know what, it was really quite fun.

The Inn on Temple Street is one of those boutique hotels which seem to be the trend nowadays: entrepreneurs who buy up whole stretches of old shophouses then converting them into retro-style hotels. It's beautifully done but they tend to be rather small with rooms squeezed into niches and nooks and very few facilities. And this one didn't even have a lift so I had to trudge my bag up 3 floors; no fun when you've just travelled all the way there. The room I was in was so tiny I could sit on my single bed and practically touch both walls if I stretched my hands out. But it did have an ensuite bathroom attached.

For the third night I checked into The Peranakan Hotel right on the other side of town, in the Katong District, courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board who had kindly sponsored some of the activities I was pursuing in the course of my research. Again it's another of those renovated and refurbished buildings but to be frank apart from some lacquered furniture in my room I couldn't really see where the "Peranakan" bit came from. It did however have a lift!

Much of Singapore's Peranakan community lived in the Katong area, which is also famous for a lot of food - everywhere you go around the city state you'll see mention of "Katong Laksa" and "Katong this" and "Katong That" ... rather like stalls all over Malaysia say "Penang Laksa" and "Penang Char Kuey Teow" etc. Whilst there I managed to visit quite a few places - more about them later - but on my way back to the hotel I passed by the Tian Tian Hainan Chicken Rice Shop which had just opened that very day - the bouquets and flowers outside their shop were testimony to that fact. So of course kay poh that I am I had to pop in and try the food.

This shop is the branch of the famous Chicken Rice shop in the Maxwell Food Centre, which has been going for the past couple of decades. It's quite decent value: for SGD5.50 I got a fair bit of silky white chicken and rice, and their chilli sauce (very important) is freshly made every day. It was good, although I do believe some of our stalls are just as good and a few are better.

However, I'll say this for the Singaporeans - they have succeeded in branding their country to the extent that if you say "Singapore" the images that come to mind immediately are Chilli Crab, Chicken Rice, Orchids etc - despite the fact that such things are prevalent all over South East Asia. I think the Penang State Government should take a few lessons from them. After all, we have quite a few things to shout about as well.

EAST OF THE SWEZ

2010-03-04T13:02:00.005+08:00

EAST IS EAST AND WEST IS WEST, goes the famous saying, "and ne'er the twain shall meet. Well, maybe not, but I might meet you at the Eastin Hotel near Queensbay Mall which will be officially launched by TYT and CM next Tuesday morning.

HOWEVER me being me, I've already managed a sneak preview of their spacious ground floor coffee house called Swez. Don't ask! It's fantastic for two reasons: one because the food that I tried was really rather good. But that's because of the second reason: it's headed by me old mate Jean Marc Veron, who used to be Executive Chef at Equatorial Penang. Bienvenue encore, mon ami!

And being a true blue Frenchman, he's an exacting taskmaster who keeps an eagle eye on everything that comes out of the kitchen, despite splitting his time between KL and Penang. But he has trained his protege Executive Sous Chef Lim Soon Leong well, and the standard is still pretty high.

There's a reasonably-priced buffet every lunch time (RM45++ adults, RM27++ children), available from noon to 2.30pm. It all looks very clean and presentable, and the food looks authentic and appetising. The theme changes daily, but "We offer 60% western dishes," remarked Jean Marc (there's him there bossing the others about as usual!). There's also a grill bar and action station doing pasta or local. The desserts looked particularly delectable.

At weekends, there's a High Tea Buffet with Japanese on Saturdays and Seafood on Sundays, pricer at RM75++, but Jean Marc promises us "good value" with quality ingredients.

In the evenings there is a la carte or semi-buffet, with some excellent choices, again without breaking the bank: RM45++-RM65++ depending on choice of main course - there's steak, cod, lamb, seafood; the Pasta with home-made Pesto was delicious.

Well whatever it is, I think Swez is going to give the other hotels a run for their money. The only setback as far as I'm concerned is it's not exactly round the corner; one has to physically make the effort to drive all the way out there. But if you're already in the vicinity or want a break from all that retail therapy, then do head there to give them a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.