LET'S GO!

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

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 ...

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 ...

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

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!!

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 ...

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!