My Food & Travel Experience ~ Malaysia & the World

Penang Hill Funicular Train Views

2012-02-06T02:34:00.000-08:00

On my way up Penang Hill on the Funicular Train, I was lucky enough to be right at the front and had an amazing view while the train makes its way up the hill. Enjoy

The long queue. At least it was pretty fast and moved alot of people up in a short time.

Here we go

Up up and away

Its steep

The other train passing!

This is the old one and placed as an exhibition

The tunnel leading to the destination. Its made in 1922

Finally, light at the end of the tunnel!

Sights from Penang Hill

2012-02-06T02:28:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in a previous post, was at Penang Hill and had the opportunity to walk around. This post is a compilation of some of my favorite sights of the day. I myself were surprised to find so many colorful and unique sightings here, almost like they say, right in your backyard! So just enjoy the photos in no particular order ya!

Cockerel on the rooftop!

A view from Bellevue Hotel

Trees

Fresh ginger flower from Bellevue Ginger Garden and Aviary

A white parrot

The large hornbill

Colors of the peacock

This blue macaw can say "Hello"

And this one says "Hi"

Hmm, this parrot so enjoying his sleep!

Mosque at the top of the hill

Gate House. Too bad they do not open it up to public

Path to Gate House

Path to Monkey Cup

The spectacular view

Some path to a private residence

Can see me?

Another little cottage house which I really loved

My wife would love this

Colors on the rocks

Everything here my wife would say is so zakka

Some rich family home

Trees against the sky

Pinecorn!

Flower in the crevice

Some wild berries I guess

Purple flowers

Contrast!

Grass!

Red on Green

Ivy

Another nice home

Colors of fall?

Patterns above

A British postbox that came all the way from England!

The gate to the cottage! Seriously wish I have a place like this someday

David Brown Restaurant, Penang Hill

2012-02-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

On a bright sunny Sunday, I decided to head on up to Penang Hill! Little did I expect to find this gem of a place. Even though I'm having tired feet right now due to all the walking, but the David Brown Restaurant really gave me something to smile about. Right after coming out from the funicular train station, on the left is David Brown Restaurant, located right at the top of Strawberry Hill. Not sure why they call it this as there sure weren't any strawberries as far as I can see.

When I first saw it, I was like wow! This is a colonial mansion that has a pristine garden and due to that, you can actually enjoy your breakfast, lunch or dinner in the garden under the shade of the trees! Thats exactly what I did. Was told that the scones here are one of the best and thats what I decided to have, a Devonshire Cream Tea set (RM24.00 ++) which comes with a pot of tea, 2 scones and their very own strawberry jam, cream and butter. The weather was perfect, clear blue skies, cooling breeze and its just an excellent way to spend a day up in Penang Hill. The place is perfect for those looking to host a function, a garden wedding or just spend some quality time with the family. I for one will surely be back again!

They are open daily and serve breakfast till dinner. No stops in between so you can come anytime of the day. The last call would be about 9.00pm as the last train leaves at 10.00pm.

The Devonshire Cream Tea set!

David Brown Restaurant with their lovely garden!

A pot of very nice flower at the Sky Terrace

The Sky Terrace was just opened and features a bar and some light refreshments like cakes

Lovely chair to chill

The interior of David Brown Restaurant

This is the tea with milk separate

After mixing in some milk and sugar

The fresh cream, homemade strawberry jam and some butter to go with the scones

The whole set

The 2 scones.

The scones were served warm, and it really was very light and flavorful. Its not very big but after having 2 pieces of it, it did feel filling. The jam was fresh and you can surely taste lots of strawberries in it. Since this place if operated by the same folks who runs Smoke House in Cameron Highlands, I wonder if they got their strawberries there? But I do know that their chef is from Smoke House and also got to know that they serve some very good roast!

Just relaxing under the shade, having a cup of tea and scones! Wish I can do this daily

Flags waving with the breeze

Even the restroom looks nice

The seating at the patio area

The lily pond

A really classic wooden door with a rocky path

Kuih in Sham Shui Po ~ Hong Kong 2011

2012-02-05T06:24:00.000-08:00

This will be the last entry about my Hong Kong trip from Oct 2011. Well, right before we boarded, we stopped at the Sham Shui Po MRT station to grab some snacks (kuih) to eat before the flight. Well, for those that likes kuih, there is quite a variety here. Do check out this place. If only we had more time we would surely have walked around the Sham Shui Po street market!

So many people crowding over the shop. Its easy to locate, just exit the MRT and its right at the exit

A quick view of the surroundings

The popular "Put Chai Ko" or small plate kuih. This one comes with red beans

Can't remember what this cake is called

This one like jelly is is made from water chestnut

And this one, which looks all dark is made no other than from black sesame seed. My wife said it was too sweet though.

Lamma Island ~ Hong Kong 2011

2012-02-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

On our last day in Hong Kong, my wife decided that we should visit Lamma Island! Well, we had to take a ferry and its from the Central Ferry Terminal where we boarded. There is 2 spots which the ferry goes to (each is a different ferry) and we opted to go to Yung Shue Wan village. This is a small fishing village and its as if we are suddenly transported back in time compared to the hustle and bustle in the city. For those looking for something different, can always try visiting the many islands in Hong Kong.

Small fishing boats dot the coastline of Lamma Island

Interesting homes on the hills

Once we get off from the jetty, the pier is lined with bicycles. There are no cars here as the roads are too narrow!

Official you are here signboard

The bigger boat looked like those where they smuggle people! LOL

Signboard for all the places to go

Steep stairs

This is Yung Shue Wan village

There were lots of seafood stall. Not cheap though

The many different buildings here

One of the stall selling snacks

Silver fish with different flavoring. It was quite cheap too

There was an emergency where a person lock some people in the temple. The police and firemen were called.

We bought a bun! Mya loved it

We took a long walk to the beach and took some pictures on the way

The drain covers has serial numbers?

Under a big tree there was stools and tables

Fresh Tau Fu Fa made with the spring water from the island. It was really smooth and fragrant from the soy bean. Also the ginger flavored syrup made it all the better.

Do you see "House" picture there? It's NOT Lipus. WAHAHAH

It was a really long walk to the beach

Finally!

On the way back, we stopped for lunch. Again a set meal

This was fried pork ribs with white cabbage on flat noodles!

Mong Kok Part 2 ~ Hong Kong 2011

2012-02-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

One of the must do on our list while in Hong Kong was to try out the chicken egg puff. The ones in Hong Kong is unique in that they sell the whole piece whereas the ones locally (kuih bahulu) they sell in individual pieces. A must try street dish in Hong Kong. Find out what else we had in Mong Kok.

Drink from Hoi Lau San ( I think I pronounced it right?) This was the mango juice which was absolutely delicious (again, not cheap though). This stall is everywhere in Hong Kong (lots of chain stalls)

Ladies Market. This place really comes alive at night

As we were hungry (haven't had dinner after coming from Disneyland), we decided to experience food at a local eatery. There was food served by the sets like in the TVB series, and the best part, the chinese tea served by the waiter and even the cleaner asking us to lift up our legs while she mops the floor! Priceless experience

The cups are not full as if not, his fingers will be dipping in the tea. Now can you imagine how the cups are held? :p

We decided on 2 sets, and each set, with chinese tea and tea/coffee, soup and main course only cost HKD35!
The mixed vegetable soup

Cream of corn soup

One cup of tea and another coffee

Pork chop rice. The slap of pork chop was thick (at least 1cm after cooking) and for some reason, all the rice sets comes with a big plate of rice

Chicken fried with spring onion and ginger. Just look at the amount that they serve on a plate. Not stingey in my opinion

After the filling dinner (we couldn't finish all the rice), we stroll around before heading back home.

We were on Tung Choi Street. Interesting most of the streets here are named after vegetables

A mini bus!

The MRT station say it all where we were!

Disneyland Hong Kong ~ Hong Kong 2011

2012-02-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

This is a recollection of pictures while we were at Disneyland. It happened that we were there during the month of October and Halloween is very popularly celebrated there. So there were lots of Halloween themed decorations, even for Disney's characters! Just check out the many photos here. Its of note that you definitely should stay till the very end of the day when they have the fireworks, and in the afternoon, the parade!

The famous castle!

The main street with clear blue skies on that day

Did we enter a jungle?

Its the Lion King performance

Scary skulls

A talking robot? There are people like FBI's all over the place controlling the robot :p But the kids loved it!

One of the rides

Our lunch. Baked rice and pizza. Wasn't cheap but the portions are decent enough.

Colorful balloons!

The train station!

Special costumes for Mickey and Minney!

One for the family

The parade has started!

My favorite shot of Mickey during the parade! Makes me smile looking at it

Can you spot the aliens? So cute!

Its a small world at night

The one show we missed because we were queuing so long for the Winnie The Pooh ride

The magic castle at night! Do not miss it

The entrance to Disneyland

Magical fountain

Saying goodbye to Disneyland

Disneyland Train Shuttle ~ Hong Kong 2011

2012-02-04T06:11:00.000-08:00

One of our must visit destination was Disneyland and I guess for me and my family, it was a very fun and enjoyable trip indeed. My daughter just loved it there and couldn't get enough of this place. To get to Disneyland, they even have their own train! Check it out

From outside, mickey themed windows

Mickey handles

Bright and comfortable seating area

There is various mini sculptures too

Honeymoon Dessert ~ Hong Kong 2011

2012-02-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

Hong Kong is just so famous for their desserts and actually the thing that surprised me the most was their love for Durian flavored desserts. Yes, there was alot of durian! So after we went to Qi Kee Restaurant, we went to Honeymoon Desserts. The place was packed but do not expect super cheap desserts. Each bowl I think is minimum about HKD25~30. But the desserts here do taste good so I guess its worth it. Read on.

Their menu!

Just look at the crowd. It was full

Red bean with grass jelly and a scoop of ice cream. For some reason, their red bean is really smooth

Tau Fu Fa with black sesame paste. Again, the sesame paste was very smooth and the tau fu fa was full of soy flavor.

This custard with sago! They purposely burn the sugar at the top

Can't remember what this is but as you all can see, each bowl is pretty sizeable.

Qi Kee Restaurant ~ Hong Kong 2011

2012-02-02T06:12:00.000-08:00

How can we go to Hong Kong but not have any of their famous Wan Tan Mee right? So we went to Chi Kee Restaurant which is famous for the noodles! This branch is located in a shopping mall but I just can't recall where it is. Its just next to the Mong Kok MRT station though. Just look at the delicious bowl and its very sizeable dumplings. Read on!

This is how the shopping mall look like. The restaurant is located on the ground floor next to a very large food court.

The restaurant which was pretty crowded

Their cups and this is how you spell Qi Kee in chinese

Their menu printed on paper

Mya with her McDull toy!

The McDull

One of the appetizer which is the stewed white radish! Really delicious

Another side dish which is Hong Kong Kai Lan with the oyster sauce on the sides. How interesting to have it like this.

When the noodle arrive, it looked small and not very special but the soup had a dark color. Whats special about the noodles in Hong Kong is that its crunchy and springy and this is how I really like it.

The dumplings were hiding at the bottom and its large and filled with prawns. Very succulent and much better than the normal wan tan.

Interestingly, if you order their noodle sets, you can order a cup of their soy bean drink for just HKD3!

Another interesting dish we had was the fresh water crab porridge. You get a whole crab in the small bowl in the bamboo tray

There was lots of crab roe also and the porridge was infused by the freshness of the crabs.

Finally, there is their special Wan Tan Noodle with prawn roe paste. This is their unique recipe where the prawn roe is made into a paste and then mixed with the noodle in a dry style. Its slightly salty but has a very crunchy texture. Can't find this anywhere that I know in Malaysia.

Missing Pictures to blog post

2012-01-30T19:29:00.001-08:00

Update : Seems like only pictures served by 3.bp.blogspot are affected and this could be due to my laptops updates. Seems like other computer works fine :p

Dear readers

I notice that some of the pictures seems to be missing
Contacting blogger to check what is wrong and I'm surprise by this as well
Sorry for the inconvenience ya
Thanks for supporting
Brandon

Mong Kok ~ Hong Kong 2011

2012-01-30T05:07:00.000-08:00

Hahah, well, I guess I dozed off on my Hong Kong trip last year. Time really does flies doesn't it. Well, today I got to catch up abit and got to add some pictures while we walked around Mong Kok. This place is packed in the day but really comes alive at night. The streets are just filled with people and stalls and shops! This is really a happening place!

Restaurants everywhere

Yes CAT III cinemas exist

People fill the roads

Lots of old apartments and buildings here

Sai Yeong Choy Street is probably one of the most flashy and busiest

Even have live performance. I missed taking a photo of the one where they have the martial arts performance like Sum How Sui Tai Sek!

You can't say you been to Hong Kong without eating a stick of their curry fishball! Curry Yu Tan! This one is one of the best they say!

The stalls sells many other things, including Chow Tau Fu (Stinky Tofu)

BBQ squid is good

But we bought the fried squid instead

The Taiwan famous fried chicken Hot Star is also right next door

Their McDonald's had a promotion for Hello Kitty dolls!

Nathan Road!

Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner at Home

2012-01-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

What better way to spend the eve of Chinese New Year than be at home with the family and enjoying a meal together right? Well, my family and I were back in KL and mom prepared some simple dishes for us and just want to wish everyone a Wonderful Chinese New Year (yeah its the 7th day now). Have a great one!

Large prawns pan fried with some tomato ketchup.

Blanched broccoli with some oil and oyster sauce

Stir fried roasted pork with soy sauce chicken and ginger. These were basically the leftovers from lunch and recooked to a new taste.

This is the special meat ball with stuffed salted egg yolk. Yummy!

Simple salad by my wife, 3 colored capsicums with chopped preserved plums.

On the second day, we had Yee Sang too!

Close up. This is with jelly fish only as few days ago we had so much sashimi salmon already!

All tossed and ready to eat

Thats a bowl for me. Yum!

Chez Weng @ Precinct 10, Penang

2012-01-28T04:24:00.000-08:00

I guess I was labeled as fast and you are in for this invited review where the fastest respondents got invited for a food review at one of the latest restaurant in Penang which is Chez Weng! No its not a typo but "again" a French word meaning place, aka, Weng's Place! How catchy right?

So Chez Weng is located at the new hood haven which is Precinct 10 located in Tanjung Tokong right beside Island Plaza. With a simple design and eccentric deco, this is probably going to be another happening place. Read on to find out more!

The simple yet chic interior. There is also a bar area

Some of the wines available in their interesting rack

The fully filled up bar

Cutleries and plates all lined up

The soft lighting provided by the candles on the table

Their menu

To start of, we had pita bread served with olive oil dip and also some nuts. The olive oil gave it a base for the nuts to hold on to and this creates a fragrant taste to compliment the bread. Simple yet interesting

Pizza with Portobello mushroom, Garlic Confit and Truffle Oil. The pizzas served here comes in a thin crust and this was one of the pizza which I enjoyed as the mushrooms were really flavorful. To be frank, I have no idea what Garlic Confit and Truffle Oil was until I Googled it up :p Basically Garlic Confit is made by frying garlic in oil and then typically used as condiments.

Just look at how thin it is. There is more condiments than dough

This is the tomato, basil and mozarella pizza. The chef would pick the freshest ingredients and today cherry tomatoes were used as these were the best of the day!

There were also appetizers of Serrano Ham with slices of pear and bits of fresh watercress. The saltiness of the Serrano Ham is controlled by the sweetness from the pear.

A classic pizza of Pepperoni and Cheese! This one is beef which I skipped on that night. But they don't skimp on the pepperoni as you can clearly see

Another light yet refreshing appetizer called Prosciutto. This one is with Prosciutto ham which is more moist than the Serrano and I like how the chef have matched it with rock melon and cheese and the salad leaf called rocket!

Then there is also Prosciutto pizza where its filled with the Prosciutto ham and pear and rocket leaf. This is one of the pizza which really tickled my taste bud as I liked the saltiness from the ham so much! Yummy

Then we have duck confit. They use a whole leg of duck and according to the chef, even the duck meat was imported. Its served on a big layer of mash potatoes and there is also a sausage to go with it too. The duck has a slight crispiness to it probably from the way they fry it.

The Atlantic Salmon is also one of the better main course for the night. A huge slab of salmon, perfectly grilled and not over cook sitting on a layer of herb infused mash potatoes coupled with a good mix of vegetables on top make this a very appetizing a healthy dish. I can't emphasize again how well the fish is as it was really cook just nice! The butter sauce also complements it very well.

For meat lovers, rejoice as this is the pork belly! If you zoom in to the photo, that is one thick slab of pork belly with very little fat. Not like the typical "sam jang bak" or 3 layer meat which you typically find. The chef ensures that we get the best cut of pork belly and he really takes the effort to trim the meat to its perfect form. He even removed the skin and with that, just look at the thickness! Now this pork belly is really tender and the chef highlights its natural flavor by not putting too much flavoring to it. And he uses a cooking style called Sous Vide where if you have watch enough food channel or cooking shows, its a method where meat is vacuum packed and then cook in a warm water circulator at the teamperature where the meat would be served. This process takes a long time, and depending on the size, can be 36-56 hours or more. Now you know why this pork belly is so juicy and tender. Again, its served with mash potatoes and vegetables and a sauce at the side!

OK, so this other dish I did not try but its the US Black Angus Tenderloin at 200gm! Again, employing the Sous Vide method and then lightly sauteed, my friends tell me that this slab of beef is to die for! Well, I guess I will have to take their word for it considering how good the pork belly was!

Next up is one of my favorite which is the Squid Ink Aglio Olio with Seafood. This pasta is imported and it already has squid ink mixed into it during the production process. We got to try squid ink in its pure form, and it really does taste link those Chinese ink which we use for calligraphy. It has a slight sweet saltiness to it which is what makes squid ink so yummy. Now the downside to using fresh squid ink is that your whole mouth will be black after having it. Yes, I tried a small dab for tasting and my tongue ended up blackish. The squid ink again is imported and this very substances is what makes this Aglio Olio stands out and gives it that unique flavor. This dish got the plate licked clean!

See the black pasta!

Australian Rack of Lamb is next, and again, using the same cooking method for meats, no need to mention how juicy it is. Its done medium and it looks abit red but its really just nice! I', also surprise at the amount of meat on the racks and this will surely be nice for meat lovers. Its served with a potato cake which is grated potatoes and then fried. Yummy yummy was all I can mention about it. There is also some sauteed vegetables at the side too. Again, you will see the nice clean trimming of the meat and I think I saw a coking show before which shows how the trim the meat into this shape and it looks just like that on TV. LOL.

We have now reach the desserts. Mine you, I was really filled with food but as always, there seems to be a separate compartment for desserts. To start of this is the Orange Vanilla Creme Brulee. Its served in its own bowl and has a nice sweet and aromatic taste to it. It has a nice sugar glaze on top and was a surprise to me!

Panna Cotta was next and actually I was abit shock by the size. It probably goes down in 2 modest bite but at least the taste and texture was good with the chocolate sauce at the side. This one feels kinda pricey to me.

Banana Strudel with Peanut Butter Icecream and Chocolate Sauce on the other hand is pretty good. The strudel has a nice outer layer and a very good mix for the banana inside.

Apple Pie with Cinnamon Icecream and Caramel Sauce is another one that is similar to the strudel but with a different filling and sauce. The aroma from the cinnamon complements the apple very well and I guess this is one of the classic combinations that can be found always.

Finally is the strawberry turtle! No, thats not the name its actually Chocolate Mousse with Marinated Strawberries, Cookie Crumble and Brandy Sauce. It really does look like a turtle swimming doesn't it? Well, the chocolate mousse is really well made and its so smooth to the taste. The crumble and strawberries just makes it all work together.

And finally the chef himself!

Pricing :

Serrano and Prosciutto ~ RM22++

All pizza ~ RM35++

Mains :

Duck Confit ~ RM38++

Atlantic Salmon ~ RM38++

Pork Belly ~ RM38++

Autralian Rack of Lamb ~ RM68++

US Black Angus Tenderloin (~200gm) ~ RM88++

Squid Ink Aglio Olio with Seafood ~ RM38++

Desserts :

All desserts mentioned above is RM16++ each

Address :

10-C-18 & 19, Precinct 10, Jalan Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Tokong, 10470 Penang, Malaysia.

Tel No : 604-899 9878

Operating hours : 11.30am – 11.00pm (Closed Monday)

GPS Coordinates : N5.44897, E100.30602

There are also more reviews of this place here at www.yourfoodreview.com

Kwong Sang House, Penang

2012-01-07T23:54:00.000-08:00

Its never ending the many lovely places to hangout and dine in Penang. Really salute all these creative and happening people for providing us with all their hardwork. So today, from the creators of Behind 50 (which I have wrote about before here and here), they have now started another semi concept cafe/restaurant, this time at Leith Street. It happens that the building in which the cafe now stands used to be a tailors shop and thus, they have adopted this as their concept, a place to chill out and dine at a toilors shop! How interesting ya. My wife, Apple, already has plans to get all her patchwork friends over pretty soon as this place just makes them feel at home. So my family and I decided to give them a try on only their first week of opening, and we were overall pretty happy with the place. Read on to read and see more of this place.

Location : 36, Leith Street,, 10220 Penang, Malaysia

Operating hours : 12noon - 11pm (close on Thursdays)

Contact : +6012-5565509

GPS : N5.420433, E100.333352

Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kwong-Sang-House-%E5%BB%A3%E7%94%9F%E6%B4%8B%E6%9C%8D/338975852798701?sk=wall

The building facade

The interior. Each table has been nicely setup with lovely decorations everywhere

Not fully filled up yet but they do have some cakes already

An old sewing machine which was inherited from a neighbouring shop owner.

Where do they find all these stuff anyway?

Sewing supplies on the wall?

These guys/gals can even design clothes? HEHE

Like Behind 50, lots of old memorabilia's adorn the wall!

Lots of greenery abound!

Colorful lanterns

There is a fitting room? Hmm, lets see what is inside

It actually leads to an indoor garden or dining area. Work still being done to improve on this area.

This was the set dinner menu which we had. It changes depending on what fresh ingredients they get daily. We ordered Set A and Set C as well as an ala carte pizza.

The sets comes with a drink which was iced lemon tea for the day we went. One hot and one cold!

For appetizers, you can either choose a fresh garden salad or pumpkin soup with garlic bread. So with 2 sets, we just ordered both. The salad was garnished with a simple vinegarette and it was pretty good. Just nice as it complements the vegetables sweetness.

The pumpkin soup was creamy and at least we do get to taste the pumpkins in it. The bread was very crispy too!

Thats my daughter munching on the greens

For set C, we chose the Lasagne ala Kwong Sang House which was made from seabass instead of the usual lasagne made with meat. This was really good and the sauce and lasagne worked really well. We just wished that the portion was bigger! Can't get satisfied yet.

The cheesiness was great

The set A was Pasta Pugliese. This was a combination of vegetables and potato with pasta. We asked for the sauce to have some tomato paste as well as our daughter loves that. It turned out very well. This one the portion was pretty decent.

Apple finished the lasagne clean!

And Mya giving the thumbs up for the pasta!

We has an additional pizza ordered and this was chicken ham. It comes on a crunchy base and was very tasty. The side did get slightly over browned though.

Apple with the Tobasco sauce. I added chilli flakes instead to the pizza! Hehe.

Finally dessert was a fruits platter. It comes with 3 types of fruits so thats not too bad.

Overall, this place looks set to be another great place to hang out. With it only starting for about a week, many items are still being fine tuned but thats the whole fun of it isn't it with new places! They keep finding ways to improve. Do have a visit and share your experience here too!

Eco Park at Gopeng

2012-01-05T06:54:00.000-08:00

While at Gopeng, we took a drive through the small kampung roads through some orang asli settlements and was shown this Eco Park retreat by my uncle. This is quite an interesting place as they have chalets which are actually tree houses! How cool is that? Well, cool if you like the outdoors, not cool if you do not like bugs and especially mosquitos! I will add the GPS coordinates later as I do not have my device right now but enjoy the pictures first. Now only I know so much to do at Gopeng! Definitely need a more thorough visit there soon. Enjoy.

Interesting tree houses!

Up the tree house! If you have a sharp eye, can you see whats below it?

More pictures

They even have a large field and a platform. Probably for campfire performances or something

The family!

This was how the road leading to this place looks like. Really jungle

Interesting sign board

The king of fruits!

This is the Kampar River. Its surprisingly clean here

And this is dokong! Bundles of it

One of my favorite fruits. Who can guess what this is? Well its passion fruit hanging from the vine!

Finally, they also have interesting toilets and baths. Made from water tanks! HAHA. Well hope you all like this series.

Paya Terubong Seafood, Ah Sui

2012-01-04T06:11:00.000-08:00

Just some random shots of one of my favorite seafood place in Penang. This place is located along Jalan Paya Terubong right after the cemetary and before the fire station :) So this is another great place to share. The owner, Ah Sui Ko gets the fish fresh from their village in Balik Pulau thus you can guarantee the seafood here is fresh. Should I reveal the GPS coordinates of this place? Worry that even more people will flood this place and I have to wait longer. Hahah. So enjoy the pictures

Thats tenggiri looking at you! Crystal clear eyes!

The catch of the day

This is one of my favorites, its the skin from sting ray. Its homemade so you don't have to worry of them using chemicals and all. Its great stir fried with spring onions and ginger.

Fresh pomphret! This is the "tau tai". Super nice but also pricey la

Thats a giant garoupa head. It was at least 1ft in size!

This is a black pomphret instead. All local, non frozen variety

Various fish cuts

Thats Ah Sui Ko in blue preparing the fish. He mans the BBQ section.

The various shell fish available here

Kampung grown vegetables.

Super large cockles. We were lucky to get this as they only had this plate on that day. Each cockle is at least larger than 50cent coins easily. Super delicious!

This is deep fried white fish (not sure whats its called in English). Super crispy and crunchy with just using soy sauce, lime and some chilli for added flavor!

Thats all for this round. I'm sure I had more than that on that night but sometimes the camera just got left behind once my hands get dirty.

Padang Brown Hawkers, Penang

2012-01-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

So one of my friends was asking me to recommend more local Penang food and I happen to have a collection of photos from one of my favorite afternoon time hawker place which is at Padang Brown along Jalan Perak. There is 2 different rows of hawkers at Padang Brown thus the one which I really enjoy is the one along Jalan Perak. This place is open daily except Thursdays from about 1.30pm till about 6-7pm. On some Mondays its closed too so try your luck. So hope you enjoy this place as much as I do ya. Its great for that weekend afternoon yum char! Oh ya the GPS coordinates : N5.41432,E100.316548

One of the best kuih and also kerabu bihun you can find in Penang!

The uncle at work. A long line will usually be there and its self service so you need to wait your turn

This is a very good kuih talam too!

Sorry for the blurred picture but the guy who ordered this plate grabbed it before I snap it. The Oh kuih (yam cake) is also pretty tasty!

And this is my wife's favorite the kerabu bihun. Just look at all the condiments that is mixed in.

Next on my favorite stall list is the crab meat popiah. They still use handmade popiah skin and if you are a crab lover, order the special. The popiah is served with the sauce from the crab with the sweet radish! So delectable the seafood taste. Really a popiah that is truly Penang!

Another of my favorite, this time my daughters is the Apom Balik. Our must have is the one with cheese in it. The apom is crispy and the cheese will just melt! Awesome indeed.

Finally in this sharing is the roti babi (This is non Halal). Its a very special bread in which the bread is sandwiching the special mixture of meat and vegetables and then deep dried. This is also a special item here and worth a try!

There are also many more items here, such as Lok Lok, Char Koay Teow, Cendol and also Yong Tau Fu. But those will be for another post I guess! With that, enjoy ya.

Sushi Kitchen revisited

2012-01-02T03:44:00.000-08:00

Since my family were up in Penang, wanted to let them try out the special sushi from Sushi Kitchen. And by luck, we managed to have the Golden Age which is their speciality coffee with fresh mango! My previous writeup about Sushi Kitchen is here. Hope you enjoy this one too!

The highly acclaimed Golden Age!

The family

More pictures of Golden Age. It really makes you think again, why you even need to have salmon or sashimi with your sushi! But an advise would be to make a reservation. I called in the morning to book 2 plates! HEHE.

If I'm not mistaken this one is called Global Warming. Its a rolled sushi and then fried! This one is also very good but you don't get the fresh and unique texture as the above.

Some decorations in the restaurant!

Penang Heritage Foodtrail

2012-01-01T18:15:00.000-08:00

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Well, about a month back, I had the opportunity to participate in the Penang Heritage Foodtrail program that was organized by YourFoodReview.com with sponsorship from HTC, Squarelet, IN Penang and Visit Penang. It was a really fun experience as we got to visit some great places that have a historical and heritage value and at the same time serve some excellent food.

I got to visit every place in the program but sadly, missed the food served at Soul Kitchen
Below are links to my writeup

Joyous Cafe
Coffee Atelier
Nostalgie
Behind50
Lighthouse Coffee

They will be rolling out the programs as below (its a recorded video program)

Episode #1: Soul Kitchen - 2nd January 2012
Episode #2: Joyous Cafe - 2nd January 2012
Episode #3: 55 Cafe @ Coffee Atelier - 6th January 2012
Episode #4: Nostalgie Cafe - 6th January 2012
Episode #5: Behind 50 - 9th January 2012
Episode #6: Lighthouse Coffee - 9th January 2012

Do checkout www.YourFoodReview.com as the videos get rolled out ya

Cheers and have a great 2012 year ahead!

Hai Boey Seafood Restaurant, Another visit

2012-01-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

As my mom and sister came to Penang for a visit, decided to bring them to Hai Boey Seafood at Teluk Kumbar for dinner. Reason for coming here is that besides seafood, they do get to have some non seafood items as well which is the nice part about Hai Boey. The other of course is that its by the beach, and one can get a nice sunset evening almost daily here. Do check this place out if you like to have some good food by the beach.

The picturesque view here!

Having fun on the swing

The infamous spiky shells. Eaten with just blanching it and then using a toothpick to pick out the flesh and dip in some spicy sauce! Simple and nice.

Stir fried clams with ginger and spring onions. This is how to have fresh clams with some light flavoring. Of course, it works well when the clams are big.

This is one of their special fried stuff tofu. This is pretty good with lots of minced meat and seafood.

Fried Kai Lan with salted fish. They could use abit more salted fish here.

Another of their special is this curry in coconut. Fresh prawns and squid cooked in a thick coconut curry and then pured into the coconut. The curry was very flavorful, slightly spicy and goes so well with rice. Of course fresh seafood helps too.

One of our favorites was their stuffed bittergourd. The minced meat and seafood, stuffed into the bittergourd and then steamed and topped with their secret sauce. Loved this one. And its good for health too from the bittergourd.

Lastly we have the salted egg yolk fried crab. I was glad that they even allowed just 1 crab and the one we had was about 500g in weight. Not too bad as the crab price was about RM50 per kg.

A pretty affordable seafood place (well, no such thing as a cheap seafood place right?) that can be found in the southern part of Penang Island.

Yee Kee Restaurant at Simpang Pulai, Perak

2012-01-01T07:55:00.000-08:00

The bunch of family members had a simple dinner at Yee Kee Restaurant located at Simpang Pulai. GPS coordinates here N4.526367,E101.120342. The restaurant is very simple, and doesn't even have a proper sign board. Food is reasonably priced and pretty good tasting too.

The first dish of the night, fried minced pork with salted fish. This looked really simple and not special, but as always, looks can be deceiving. It tastes really good and the saltiness makes it go so well with rice! Its also crispy and crunchy since its fried.

The simple setting of the restaurant. Good point is that there is ample parking

Steamed tilapia with preserved black bean in soy sauce. The taste was good but we ordered a large fish but the size left me disappointed. Would have given full marks if they really did serve us a large fish. Heard a similar complaint from another table about the size of the fish. Moreover they claimed this fish was 1kg :(

Claypot tofu. Standard fare, not much special but no complaints either for the taste

Fried paku pakis. The tips of some kind of ferns. This is fried with mini Thai chillies and belacan or shrimp paste. The ferns were fresh thus it tasted crunchy and good.

Another supposedly famous dish here is their yellow wine chicken. It smelled really good but upon tasting, they made their version sweet. Too sweet to my liking to gulp down all the soup. I prefer my drunken chicken spicy from ginger and hot! But no complaints for those that like this version.

Overall a good dining experience here and its pretty good value for money. For 15 person, total was about RM140. Not too bad I guess.

Breakfast at Gopeng!

2012-01-01T00:42:00.000-08:00

On Christmas of 2011, my family and I were at Gopeng and thus we managed to have breakfast at the local market foodcourt. Among the famous items here were the noodles "Lai Fun" and also the chicken porridge. We had the noodles as the chicken porridge seller was not exactly the friendly kind and its really tough to even order a bowl from him.

Back to this place, its located at N4.475765,E101.167906 for GPS coordinates and there is ample parking thus this should not be a problem. As we woke up late, we reach there about 10.30am for breakfast...lol. Anyway, this is a covered foodcourt and there is also ample tables. But we chose to sit outside under the tree, much cooler and relaxing than inside. So keep reading ya and if you happen to drop by Gopeng, you can try this place out. Since this is my first post on my blog for 2012, Happy New Year all foodies and fans!

The outside of the foodcourt! Colorful umbrellas

A look inside. Bright and lots of place to sit

My sister and cousin checking out stall number 8. The noodle stall!

The owner preparing the noodles

The assorted condiments which you can choose!

The different noodles available. The one in the pink basket is what we came for, the famous home made lai fun.

Another view of the various condiment

My cup of cold coffee

The version of lai fun with clear soup! Non spicy, and I like it because it comes with sesame seed

But I also like this version where the soup is spicy curry! Thus I had both

A bowl of fried pigs skin! Only RM1

These are some of the condiments selected. You must try the Gopeng fried tofu. Soft and delicious!

This is another must try. The fried crispy bean curd skin! Very crispy and has abit of fish paste inside! Yummy indeed

Now, as it was the prime durian season, and the fact that my uncle from Gopeng knows many of the people here, he managed to get 2 durians which were from the wild durians collect by the Orang Asli or local tribes people. I have to say, the durians were great, and very affordable. So lucky and excellent way to end a great breakfast.

Just look at the meaty yellow and creamy durian!

Pusing Public Seafood Restaurant, Ipoh

2011-12-31T07:47:00.000-08:00

A relative of mine had a wedding dinner at Pusing Public Seafood Restaurant in Ipoh on Christmas eve, and as a food lover, how can I not or resist the temptation of bringing my camera along for some quick photos right?

Well with Ipoh, when it comes to wedding dinners, a very important aspect is that the food must be good and the portions big. And I do mean big. Just continue skimming through the pictures below and you will know what I mean. Hope you all enjoy it and this is one restaurant which I believe if you ever have a dinner there, you will not be disappointed.

The first course, "5 fook lam moon" or a 5 combination platter. Just look at the size of the plate, its as if we have 5 full course meals in 1! This is what and how any platter should look like! Beat this, restaurants in Penang and KL!

But I was hungry waiting and with my cousins help, we still managed to finish everything on this starter, though I was pretty full because of this! HEHHE.

2nd dish was superior soup with fish lips. Yes, no usage of sharks fin so its supposedly more eco friendly. Not sure how they got the fish lips though. If you zoom into the picture, the semi translucent piece hanging from the spoon is the coveted fish lips. It has a soft and jelly like texture, very smooth and I guess its good for ya some how.

3rd dish is a 2 flavor pomphret. At first, I was thinking, what does it mean by two flavors? It just looked like a fried pomphret. So the surprise is when you flip the fish, its actually steamed instead! This is really creative and the first time I have this. First they steam the fish and then fry just 1 side of it! Excellent indeed.

Fried on this side

Steam on the other!

This is butter prawn. Just look at the portion, at least 2 pieces of large prawns per person! We couldn't finish all and end up having take aways!

Kampung chicken with ginger paste. I was initially expecting the typically steam or broiled kampung chicken but again, surprise by this one. The taste was definitely refreshing. I just would have preferred if the pieced of chicken were larger. Also, it didn't really tasted likek kampung chicken as the meat was very soft and not having a more bouncy tender texture.

So that you know the address of this place!

Vegetable dish was next. The presentation was pretty ok, again a large postion. But upon peeling away the tofu skin, was disappointed with what was inside. Just boiled vegetable, which was tasteless and relying on the sauce for flavor. Was hoping for much more after all the previous goodies. Maybe vegetables are not their strong point here.

One of the last main courses is the fried rice with preserved was meat. I'm not a fan of wax meat thus I will slowly remove the pieces of it and still enjoyed the fried rice very much. I have to say, the amount which they serve is horribly large! Enough to feed half the table even if they had not had dinner you will be full. Thus we ended up taking away this one more or less whole.

Finally desserts. Crispy pancake and red bean soup! I liked both of them

Finely blended red bean soup with some coconut milk.

Thus my conclusion, you can't really go wrong with a wedding dinner in Ipoh! They are so far, still one of the best around.

Sarkies Corner at E&O Hotel

2011-12-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

I'm sure many knows about the buffet at E&O Hotel in Penang. Sarkies Corner is famous for serving some very good buffet spread at very affordable pricing (well relative speaking). So its with luck that my company had an appreciation lunch for those who participated in the Young Entrepreneur Program in which we served as advisors to students in setting up their own company and making a business work.

So on to the food :) At Sarkies Corner, this is the hotels in house dining area. When I went there in late November, Christmas decorations were up and I got to understand that they will move to the new wing of E&O soon with a better and bigger restaurant. Without ado, I leave you with some of the pictures from Sarkies Corner to end 2012.

Christmas decorations abound to put you in the mood!

This is not from Sarkies Corner but from the main lobby of E&O. They have a huge tree there! This is a very special spot "hint : try making noises and listen while you are under the tree!"

The dining area! They have both indoors and outdoors sitting area! So choose whichever that suits you.

You get your cutleries all nicely placed at the table! Thats the roasted duck counter at the back :p

This is one of the live kitchen which is also very popular. This is the grill and teppanyaki station! You can get beef and lamb chops, sausages, grilled salmon, slipper lobsters, mini lobsters, vegetables, and even grilled salmon head! Do not miss their special sauce which is placed in a large bowl at the counter top.

Then there is also the fried noodle station. Honestly, the fried Koay Teow is not all that bad. What I normally asked for is for the minimum of noodles and share this at the table!

Chef in action!

Then the standard buffet spread! I just realize I didn't take pictures of the cold seafood section and also sashimi. Well, they don't exactly have much to choose for sashimi other than sliced salmon! But they have lots of salmon for sure!

Salad bar is pretty varied too!

I did take a few pictures of their desserts!

And finally what I had! I think a few plates of mine when the photos came out it was abit blur (the lighting was really bad) or I was hungry and hand shaking! LOL. Anyway, these are some of the stuff I had.

This look like a lobster! But the meat was very little as you can see from the photo, the head is so big. I was very happy when they served this but, 1 of the pieces I had, the meat was very soft and crumbly. When I told the chef, he says its like that as they fried the lobster first. I don't believe it and felt that he didn't take my complaints seriously. I was actually kind of disappointed with this response! Luckily I wasn't paying for this meal else I'm sure it would have been escalated further. I hope they will improve in the future.

I was really happy that they served unagi this lunch time. First time I seen this here.

Finally some fruits desserts. Again, surprised they even had kiwi and mangoes! Kudos for this varied spread of fruits.

Again, a satisfying meal here other than the soft fleshed piece of grilled lobster. Do note that its advisable to make a booking as this place can get really full sometimes.
Why I also says this is a famous place is because for the price, this is probably the best value for money and delectable buffet one can get in Penang. Check them out for latest promotions.

BlackBall Original Taiwanese Tea & Dessert

2011-12-23T21:32:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, even though I have been to Taipei a couple of times, but I didn't actually went to check out many of their tea and desserts places. Thus I was glad to hear and know that there will actually be one opening in Penang. So here comes BlackBall, which opened their franchise here recently in Pulau Tikus, Penang and my wife and I were lucky enough to get to sample their menu and recommended items during their prelaunch.
It was a merry gathering of bloggers during the event and the place was comfortable and lively. So keep reading to find out more about this new dessert and tea place which I'm sure many would love!

Their logo! Its a direct translation to the Chinese name too!

As we were there for the pre-opening, you can see that their signboard is still not revealed as they had to wait for the good day according to the Chinese calendar. They officially opened on the 20th Dec 2011 and had a grand opening on that day!

And this is their photo on the opening! Even had lion dance and the work! We wish them a very successful business!

This is the interior of BlackBall. There is 2 sections, the one in the front is open air but shaded thus for those that prefers a more outdoor environment can sit and enjoy their tea and desserts here.

The inside on the other hand is fully air-conditioned and provides ample place to hang around with friends!

This is a first for everyone! We were shown what look like mini UFOs after we were seated and then found out that these are actually their order pre-alert mats. The concept here is that of a self service. You first go to the counter, select your item and pay for it. Then you will be given this mat and you can proceed to wait at your table. When you order is ready, the mat will flash (blinking lights/led) and vibrate at the same time! Bring your mat to the collection counter and your tea or dessert would be waiting for you there. How cool is this? You no longer have to wait like a zombie, lingering around not knowing what to do while they prepare your order and just sit back and relax. We surely like this concept and hope more places would pick it up.

This is the BlackBall Signature (RM6.50) which comes in either hot or cold. It consist of red beans, taro balls, black perals and of course their grass jelly. I guess since it was a hot afternoon, naturally everyone loved the cold version which has shaved ice at the bottom giving it a cool sensation! Yummy! The one below is with extra milk added to it. This comes separately thus one can choose whether to put it in or not.

This is the one before putting the milk and cold version! The portion is pretty large. Recommend that you can order different ones and share them together. Empty bowls are provided so too extra spoons.

The next item is a drink which is called the QQ Cranberry Lemon Juice (RM5.90). Using cranberries which we know has lots of healthy properties, this is a favorite with the ladies (my wife too). There is lots of grass jelly and also chewy's inside thus giving it not just a flavor but texture as well!

This is the fresh milk with grass jelly (RM5.90). Because of the fresh milk, this is kind of similar to that of Soya bean with grass jelly. And the best part is that its not very sweet thus this will go well for those that prefers a drink that is milder on the sugar.

Next we have the 3Q Passion Fruit Green Tea (RM5.90). This is a crowd favorite as I believe almost everyone loves the taste of passion fruit. The use of passion fruit, mix with green tea and topped with various toppings make this one a very addictive drink.

Another dessert here is the Jiu Fen Taro Ball with crushed ice (RM6.50). For those who have visited Taiwan before, Jiu Fen is an old mining town on the north east of Taipei and it is here where there is a very famous stall selling these taro balls (taro is yam). The ones here at BlackBall comes pretty close as I guess no other stall can ever get the recipe to be 100% as the original right. But this one is pretty close with the taro balls having a very good Q texture!

Just look at those yummy and QQ taro balls

Continuing with drinks we have the Boba Milk Tea (RM5.90). This one came with black pearls and its nice as its prepared not very sweet!

The next one is Yogurt Green Tea (RM5.90). Sorry but I have to admit that this is not exactly my favorite as yogurt with tea has never been a strong one for me. But for those yogurt lovers, do give it a try.

Finally, this is one of my favorite drinks which is the Winter Melon Tea with Sky Pearl (RM5.90). Yes, this is the first time I had sky pearl too. So what is it? Its very different from the typical black pearls which we get from the many tea stalls. This one is whitish in color and it is very chewy and springy in texture. The winter melon tea goes very well with this and even my daughter loved this drink. Highly recommended.

Overall, a very satisfying experience at Blackball. Great desserts coupled with creative drinks and a cosy ambiance makes this place worthy for food lovers to check out!

Spice Market Cafe Dinner Buffet!

2011-12-10T01:08:00.001-08:00

Was very lucky to have my company dinner at Rasa Sayang Spice Market Cafe! To make it even better, we had the buffet on a Friday evening and thus, it was seafood night. How much luckier could it be right?

So without ado, this is going to be a photofest of pictures about what this buffet has to offer! So read on to see what's in store. Also, for those planning to try out their buffet, I understand that they have some great promotions on offer such as buy 1 free 1 on certain days of the week! Do give them a call to find out and make reservations!

Christmas is already in the air here!

As you enter the Spice Market Cafe, its as if you are entering Santa's Grotto

Colorfully decorated Christmas tree

Reflections!

White white snowman! So fluffy he is!

Some of the table decorations! The lights reflection gives it a natural glow!

Here comes the rows of food in the food warmers!

Grilled lamb chops and butter fish

Pies pies pies! Its best to share as its pretty filling and big size

Who can skip or miss baked oysters right?

There is a Tandoori section. Interestingly enough, besides chicken, there is fish (pomfret) and also large prawns

Besides Tandoori, there is various satay to savor! The satay is not tough and very tender even for the lamb version

How can we have Tandoori without naan. There is also nasi briyani and an assortment of curries. My favourite papadam is also available!

Octopus and also shell fish! This is served sashimi style. They do have lots of sashimi to choose from such as Unagi (grilled eel), salmon, tuna, white fish, mackerel, squid and even abalone slices! Lighting was not optimal thus I didn't take their picture!

Besides the various sashimi, actually they have quite a good selection, they have sushi as well. Now, of course, don't expect sushi master class sushi here. The sushi is pretty good, but as my standard comment for sushi, if the piece of sashimi on top does not even able to cover the rice, I will try to skip it. Reason is simple, I don't want to waste my precious stomach capacity for rice in a buffet.

This is an assortment of pickled items such as jelly fish and miniature octopus. There is also kimchi here!

On to the cold served seafood! These are their scampi! A type of shell fish that has a sweet flesh though a thick shell and big head! HAHHA

Freshly chucked Pacific Oysters. The flesh was sweet and fresh. To me, they were slightly large thus my advise, go for those that look white, with a deep shell and no smell! That ensures they are as fresh as possible.

Blanched prawns on ice! Can't go wrong with this one anytime

There is also lots of slipper lobsters for the night. Though you get lots of flesh, it still lack the texture of the bigger lobster family.

Salad bar, lots of green to choose from

Lots of bottles of spices. No, these are for display only ya

Another row of asian dishes such as fried rice, green mussels, lamb kurma and fried vegetables!

Something which I feel is not commonly found in buffets is deep fried soft shell crabs! I can tell you that they don't skimp on the crabs and you get wholesome soft shell crabs. I always like crabs that has some meat to them for this as those that are too small you just get a crunchiness but not much crab tastes.

Stir fried prawns

This is their signature and special for the night. This is a whole baked salmon with spicy mayonaise and cheese. The salmon was smooth and coupled with the special layer, the taste was awesome. I had second helpings of this. For those that like fish, grab the belly area as it has more oil thus a smoother texture.

Then next to the salmon, they have the seafood action station! Here you can find scallops, prawns and boston lobsters! Yes, yummy lobsters. All you can eat!

A cooked version of the boston lobster!

Roasted Teriyaki Chicken is their other highlight. You can have as much of this well marinated chicken and I find that even the chicken breast was not tough. This is always a good sign of well roasting and juiciness of the chicken being retained.

One of the chef in action!

This fried bunch of mushroom serves only as garnishing, but to me, it looks delicious

A big selection of cold platters. There is smoked duck, tuna, and over 10 other dishes here including an assortment of cheese.

There is also lots of buns and breads around to choose from

I took a picture of this grilled capsicum as its so colorful! How to miss it right

After all the heavy meal sections, its finally the desserts! I have to say, the variety available here is pretty impressive as they have fresh fruits, cakes, ice cream, crepes, and local favorite desserts such as corn thong sui and ice kacang!

One of the apple pie

Why are these on sticks? Reason is simple. There is a molten chocolate fountain to dip these sweet items in!

The fresh crepe section. These are all the toppings which you can choose for your crepe. According to the chef preparing it, just choose 2 at a time.

Getting ready

Spreading the batter evenly to make the crepe thin and crispy

After the crepe is folded, to give it that extra oomph, a scoop or 2 of icecream is added. The icecream is skillfully coated with melted chocolate too! Yum Yum! I give the head chef here extra marks for meeting my request to have peanut butter as a filling which was not available at first! Thanks for the effort to make it happen!

This was a bowl of icecream that was not had by me but my colleagues.Just look at all the melted chocolate and toppings

OK, so there you have it. Such a wide selection. And now I will show you the plates that I had for the night
Plate 1 :

Plate 2 :

Plate 3 :

I also had a double boiled black chicken and ginseng soup, fruits as well as icecream!

To end it, a snap or two of my colleagues

Lighthouse Coffee Revisited

2011-12-06T00:09:00.001-08:00

Really lucky of me to have the chance to sample some of the best from Lighthouse Coffee recently. The previous time I was there, I only had the chance to sample 1 coffee and their carrot cake. This time since we were there as a group, we got to sample many many more! Located at Logan Heirtage Building, Lighthouse coffee is started due to the passion for coffee. They not only roast their own coffee, but provides coffee to businesses and also trains baristas. I can truly say, if you want to know more about coffee, Lighthouse Coffee is the place to go. Its the best of the west in the east ! Keep on reading to find out ya!

A very colorful potted plant hanging from the shades of Lighthouse Coffee

A very full Latte! The skill of the barista is what makes the nice decoration possible! Wanna train to be a barista, then Lighthouse Coffee provides this training too!

Latte with mocha! Add some nice chocolate to the coffee

This is one of their signature, Devil for her 2.0

As a touch, they even throw in a coffee bean

Mochachino?

Orange Moon! What an interesting name. Its coffee with some cinnamon as well as a slice of orange on top

The whole spread

Coffee baked rice. Filled with lots of cheese and some coffee flavor!

What a surprise to know that we got the last piece of the tiramisu. The tiramisu here is special as its made with their own roasted coffee

Devil for him 2.0

A look at the interior. This place is almost always packed on the weekends

Some sample of roasted and fresh coffee beans

And finally a group pictures with the bloggers and Victor the owner!

A great thanks to the organizers of Penang Heritage Food Trail as well as Lighthouse Coffee. Also thanks to HTC, Squarelet, IN Penang and Visit Penang! Thanks for the great experience!

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Behind 50 Revisited

2011-12-05T21:50:00.001-08:00

As I have written in the past before, Behind 50 is an interesting place where the owners have a passion for art and food! Their walls is decorated with 50 frames of pictures as well as many relics of their childhood past. So hope you like this post of my experience eating there!

Picture frames

Toys from the past

The interesting decoration

The use of Monin syrup.

Drinks drinks and more drinks

A delectable salad that is both colorful and refreshing

Toast topped with an appetizing salsa

Spaghetti with asparagus. Very yummy with the springy asparagus and some bits of chicken and lots of cheee

Penne with a sweet and sourish sauce

Their mushroom soup with slices of toast. Notice the 50 character in the soup!

Meat pizza with a thin crust

A different pizza. Overall their pizza is good with lots of cheese and a crispy crust

Here we have Almond fish. Deep fried fish and top with almond nuts

And this is fried chicken with some penne pasta and the chicken even is topped with melted cheese! Yummy

As always, would like to thank the organizers of Penang Heritage Food Trail and also the owners of Behind 50! Also thanks to HTC, Squarelet, IN Penang and Visit Penang for sponsoring and hosting this event! Cheers!

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Nostalgie of Steward Lane

2011-12-05T21:15:00.001-08:00

Located on 34 Steward Lane is a new establishment serving some home made Italian food called Nostalgie. This is a family run business with brothers and sisters as well as their mom! So what makes Nostalgie such an interesting place is the fact that its set in a pre-war house which is very homely as they have put in alot of effort to refurbish the place as it was probably more than 50 years ago. So keep reading to find out more about the place ya!

The exterior of Nostalgie. With the Chinese and Nyonya influence nicely done

Its a double storey building with a high roof line.

The middle courtyard with a simple garden and water feature. Notice how the natural light fills the place evenly.

In the interior, there are many antiques.. Even the walls and partition can be antiques already.

The wooden staircase leading to the upper floor. In the future, they will have homestays here! Can't wait for it to be completed so stay tune.

The dining area. Currently has about 8 table each sitting about 4 comfortably

A view from the top of the middle courtyard

Their menu in a very chic design

To quench your thirst, they have the iced coffee. Interesting how the coffee floats at the top.

This is cranberry juice with some longan in it. Very refreshing indeed

So lets start with their delectable dishes. Here we have their pasta with home made Pesto Sauce with fettucine and also grilled chicken breast. Their very own secret recipe for the sauce which includes fresh basil and virgin olive oil! Definitely one of the better pastas in town.

Next we have their king prawn pizza with chilli. The prawns are really fresh and delivered daily and each slice will have a prawn. Its topped with lots of cheese as well as fresh basil. Another of their best seller and favorite.

Next we have a Jumbo prawn marinara! Again, large fresh prawns is the highlight as the flavor of the prawns really get infused into the sauce and then mixed into the spaghetti. Very delicious and not spicy thus suitable for the whole family.

Pesto sauce pizza. This pizza is made with the same secret pesto sauce used in their pasta dish and filled with goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, and of course virgin olive oil. Really great!

And finally for dessert, they have their signature carrot cake. With two layers of creme cheese, and lots of fresh ingredients, this is one captivating dessert. Importantly its not too sweet thus works well. Do ask for this after your hearty meal.

And finally, a group photo of the organizers or Penang Heritage Food Trail and also the owners of Nostalgie. Also thanks to sponsors, HTC, Squarelet, IN Penang and Visit Penang! It was truly a great opportunity to sample all these unique flavors in a heritage environment.

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Coffee Atelier ~ Not just about Food

2011-12-05T19:06:00.001-08:00

Located on Steward Lane where Kopi Cine & Bon Ton used to be, it has now been remodeled and rebranded as Coffee Atelier. Coffee Atelier comprises a few pre-war shop houses from no 47 to 55 and now boast suites for stays, an art gallery, a coffee museum as well as a cafe of course. The proud owners are Lorina and Stefan Gehrig and they are really a very lovely couple who would be more than happy to share with visitors their love for this place (and its food).

The Cafe is aptly named 55 Cafe after the number of the building. How simple and elegant way of naming. Its worthy to note that the building here was built in 1927, and that means its over 80 years old! It's just amazing how these old buildings can withstand the test of time, and after so many events through history, continue to stand tall and proud. So without ado, lets start looking at some of the delicious goodies which is served here.

OK, to keep your suspense abit longer, I start with some general pictures of 55 Cafe and its building facade!

This is how the building look like

Colorful corridors

OK, here comes the food!
This is the garlic with mushrooms. Lightly garnished with pea sprouts, this is a very delightful appetizer. Of course, this applies to those that likes garlic as the whole garlic is fried and then mix and cooked with the mushrooms, infusing all with its pungent taste. I like it though and it goes great with the toast.

This is the cold cut platter. It comprises various ham, bacon and salami (beef). Meat lovers would love this I'm sure.

This is a unique dish which is the grilled brinjal. It has a good taste as the brinjal is soft from the grilling and with the spices, give this one a try!

This is a cheese platter with 4 types of cheese including blue cheese. I'm not an expert when it comes to cheese but from sampling the limited amount here, I'm sure it will please cheese lovers.

This is another of their signature dish which is the meatballs. Again, cooked in a tomato paste and with the meat well marinated and spiced up, this is surely deserving as a signature. Look closely and you will notice the sprinkle grounded olive on top to give it that extra bam!

This is probably one of the highlights which is the prawn gambas capane! I hope I spell it correctly but this is just fantastic. Its bite size wrap with a large prawn inside! This is juicy and flavored well and I'm sure everyone will love it. A must try. Show them this picture if I got the name wrong :p

This is another prawn dish and this one too is good. Its called Gambas Aljillo and features large prawns in a olive oil and dried chilli dressing which is actually a pretty good combination, especially to go with the toast.

And here, we have a selection of pastas and its important to note that their portions for the pasta is pretty big. From talking to the chef, the amount of pasta here is at least 220g per serving compared to the typical 160-180g thus do expect a big plate here. Overall, their pastas a pretty decent, but as mentioned, probably order it as you eat if you go in a group as you might not be able to finish it all alone. Thats because you need to reserve some space for the next section!
Carbonara with penne or spaghetti

Spaghetti with a meat sauce

This one is vegetarian and called Al Gorgonzola. It has a very thick cheese flavor to it so its a joy to cheese lovers again

Aglio Olio with Smoked Salmon

So what was it I was asking you to save your stomach capacity for? Well its desserts of course and those available here will make you salivate easily!
This is a very moist chocolate brownie serve with some icecream and fruits garnishing

This is a creamy custard which is again a wonderfully prepared dessert

Another highlight is this one which is the cheese cake. If correct, its a really special cheese cake which will appear on the menu soon. So do keep an eye on it. The creative use of the dried slice strawberries really makes the cheese cake colorful.

Just look at all those dessert

And then there is the Creme Brulee. Again, very well prepared with just the right amount of sweetness. I always find if the Creme Brulee is too sweet it really overwhelms the flavor.

After all those sweet pickings, we were served coffee. They still have coffee from Kim Guan but they also serve some of their house coffee which is one of the most aromatic around town.

You name the style they probably have it. Latte, cappucino, black, cold, etc

Well, thats the food. I would also like to show you some pictures of their art gallery too!

The coffee museum. Here they have lots of posters talking about coffee as well as the heritage of this place

And then they have the suites which is available for rent as prices less than RM400. Each prewar house is split into upper and lower levels. For less than RM400 per night, you get a whole floor. The upper floor even have 2 bedrooms and each is fully air conditioned so you don't have to worry about it being hot.
Some of the antique furniture at the common lobby of the suites

Another view of the common lobby

The queen size bed on the lower level

The large and comfortable wash area as well as bathing room

This is how you go up to the upper floor

The master room on the upper floor. The windows overlook the street below. Its really romantic at night

Just look at all those comfortable looking pillows

This is the smaller room upstairs. Good enough for the kids

The upper floor open toilet and bathing area. Pretty interesting design with the open rain shower

I would really like to thank the owners of Coffee Atelier for hosting this, namely Lorina and Stefan as well as their great manager there. Also thanks to Your Food Review, HTC, Squarelet, IN Penang and Visit Penang for organizing this Heritage Food Trail!

Joyous Cafe

2011-12-05T06:47:00.001-08:00

Joyous Cafe is located at one of the oldest part of the city at the newly refurbished Logan Heritage Building along Union Street. Started by 4 sisters, Joyous Cafe goal is to deliver healthy and delicious tasty food to everyone. Here at Joyous Cafe, they specialize in not just food and drinks on their premise, but also preparing some more unique full moon package for parents and their family. The difference between what they have here is that the choices are more modern and they have over 10 different varieties to choose from as well as different price ranges. Thus, for those looking for a change and celebrating a joyous occasion, do check this place out.

The exterior, chic and simple.

The polkadot themed decorations and interior

Even polkadot ribbons on the chairs

Majestic teapots? Hehe, cute they are

Some samples of the baby cards in name card sizes and designs

An assortment of cakes and sandwiches

Some of their most popular smoothies and blended drinks. I was really surprised with the spinach one and it tasted like Umbra. They even put in some sour plum in it. Besides this, I also find the one with the black sesame to be really good. Of course, they have so many choices, but my favorite is still the spinach one!

This is one of their signature snacks, Joyous Bun made from nice buns stuffed with their special cream!

Smiley smiley smiley!

They also have their homemade cheesecake. Its really affordable and taste very homely. The cheese is soft and fine and worth a try too!

I would like to thank Your Food Review, HTC, Squarelet, IN Penang and Visit Penang for this opportunity!

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Hong Kong 2011 ~ Ocean Park

2011-12-04T03:44:00.001-08:00

As with any visit to Hong Kong, I guess the 2 biggest amusement parks are Ocean Park and also Disneyland. Ocean Park is located on the south of Hong Kong island and you will need to take a bus to get there. But there are plenty of buses so this is not a concern. As we were there during October, they were deck out for Halloween thus I guess its something out of the norm. It was really amazing to see droves of people coming in after dark to get frightened silly! I would say this place is great for those seeking family fun, but the huge influx of Chinese tourist really spoilt the mood. They are rude, pushy and have no respect for others. Try to avoid tourist places that have lots of them.

All deck out on the escalator leading to Ocean Park entrance

With the sign in the background

Whole family for a picture. At least they also have staff to help take pictures

Outdoor performances. This place is pretty big. Can easily spend the whole day if you want to visit every attraction and rides

Initially I thought this was a stationary balloon but only found out when we were about to leave that you can actually take a ride on it. Missed this one.

She loved the panda

They had a few live pandas which are on permanent display here. They are one lazy bunch only coming out to eat and shit. lol

One of the rides! No I didn't went on any

There is 2 sections which is accessible via cable car or a train. We took the train and skipped the cable car as the queue was more than 2 hours long. Crazy really!

You can play mahjong till you die! Hahaha, this is part of the halloween deco!

Another attraction here is the jelly fish display. Quite interesting but they didn't really have that many on display. If you have seen similar jelly fish displays like those in Sentosa or Langkawi, this is about similar

Playing with water

The sun about to set. It was only about 5pm

This is another of their main attraction. The live show which has dolphins and seals. This is another must see here!

Didn't take that many photos as camera couldn't really reach.

Horror dancers! All the dancers were decked in ghostly outfit and makeup

This is one of the more spooky one. This was going around the crowd and my kid got a shocked when she suddenly turned

Before you leave, they do have a sound and light show at the fountain area which was pretty interesting too!

Hong Kong 2011 ~ Chew Yuen Restaurant

2011-12-03T19:00:00.001-08:00

After we went to Wong Tai Sin Temple, we headed to Central for lunch. And we were brought to a small coffee shop that is really hidden to have some of the best Teo Chew fish balls and meat balls noodle that can be found. This place is called Chew Yuen Restaurant. Well not sure if its a restaurant as its almost a hole in the wall, but the food is great. Its made from freshly pounded fish and eel meat and for the meat ball, its made from beef. Since I don't take beef, but my friend says its the best around so for beef meat ball lovers, try to find this place. I'm still trying to find the address :p

This is fried eel skin. Its like crackers, very crispy and is just delicious. A must have.

A small poster about the place. I can't read it so for those that can, can always leave a comment.

Another part of the poster. Even shows the process to make the fish balls

This is the fried version with noodles

This has the non fried version with meat balls and noodles

This is with hor fun and seaweed

Another angle

A view of the place

The cook waiting for orders

The cramped interior. Enough for about 20~30 people but food is good & affordable

Hong Kong 2011 ~ Wong Tai Sin Temple

2011-12-03T07:48:00.001-08:00

Of all the temples in Hong Kong, I would guess that Wong Tai Sin is probably the most famous of all. Well, we took the opportunity to go to "Kau Chim" and this was a must do item on our trip to Hong Kong. There were of course many people and thankfully the weather was superb thus it was a nice sunny day to go to make a wish. Won't tell you all what I wish for, but according to the person who helps in translating the meaning, this is not my year and need to wait patiently for next year. So for those keen to have a glimpse into your hopes, wishes or future, make sure to note down Wong Tai Sin Temple while in Hong Kong!

The majestic arches

Suen Ng Hung, or the Monkey God. My daughters favorite!

Ans this is it.

The many lanterns hanging all over the place

Making my wish. You get the bamboo canister and then keep shaking it till the stick with the number pops up. Keep thinking of your wish and the numbered stick will pop out sooner or later.

There.

Some of the many interesting structures there

This is the match making god. They even teach you how to tie the knot :p

This aunty master helped us translate our numbers! Cost HKD30 each. If you get a bad one, she will help you burn it!

Tea Secret - Queensbay Mall Opening

2011-11-15T00:04:00.001-08:00

On 11.11.2011, Tea Secrets had their Grand Opening in Queensbay Mall. It was a happening affair as many were invited to participate in this special occasion. The public were treated to an opening special in which the drinks were sold at only RM1 each. This caused quite a long queue as many were eager to give it a try.

I would like to congratulate them on their opening and of course we got to sample a drink from them for the opening. But their menu is so varied, that definitely many more visits will be needed to go through their menu. I had on that day, their Japanese Brown Rice Green Tea with some pearls added. The brown rice were brewed with their tea brewing machine and then added to make the tea. It had a earthly tone to the taste and was very happy with it.

So keep reading as I took more of their photos! Comments welcomed!

Ding Ding!

The eager crowd queueing up

Everyone busy working to serve the long queue!

Yes the queue is really that long

Their large signage with some pictures of how the drinks look like

Happy customers!

The menu! So many to choose from, only so little stomach capacity!

On of the owners of Tea Secrets manning the orders!

I wonder who is that? Making their orders!

Some varieties of tarts for the guests during the opening.

Even the straw have a special packaging to it!

Now, the nice thing here is they have followed the modern trend of sealing the cups of tea they make. This is way hygenic and will not spill! Great for take aways.

Their tea brewing machine

The jars of Roselle and Black Tea mix

These were what some other bloggers ordered. Mango and Passion Fruit flavored drink. Added with Aloe Vera too

OK, my brown rice being brewed

See, just like an espresso machine!

Thai Bayok Restaurant

2011-11-13T21:54:00.001-08:00

I recently had the opportunity to be invited for a food review at Thai Bayok Restaurant which is located at the Heritage Club of Penang. This Thai restaurant has opened for awhile but I guess its not that well known since its not easily seen from outside the compound. So its really great that we get to sample some of their signature dishes here. Do continue reading to know more about this place ya!

Tel : 04-2278308

Address : Restaurant Thai Baiyok , (inside Heritage Club, opposite Penang Sports Club)

2 Jalan Scotland, Penang.

Website: http://thaibaiyok.webs.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thai.b.restauran

GPS : N5.419202, E100.304216

Sign board for Heritage Club

Entrance to Thai Bayok Restaurant

I could not believe my eyes! There was even a welcome banner greeting us. Shock and abit embarrassed!

Their own little signage!

The interior. This is one side of their dining area. Pretty decent size and layout. Fully air conditioned

Tables of different sizes. They can easily accommodate a good crowd

Interesting decor! Wonder if its hand woven?

They also have a more private dining area which can fit about 4 large tables. Great for private functions

Another interesting decoration. Not sure what it is though as I can't read Thai :p

And a few more ...

Time for the food! The first appetizer, Miang Pla Kraphong (RM18). This is a traditional appetizer with a twist. Its similar to the ingredients used in Meang Kam but they have added deepfried seabass cubes. The ingredients are also all mixed together already. This is then eaten with wild betel leaves as a wrapper, just like Meang Kam. I feel that its a good mix, and might be abit mild to those adventure seekers as they were very sparing with the chillies. But I guess you can always add as much as you like !

With the wild betel leaves

This is how its wrapped!

In my hands before it goes into my mouth! Yes, one whole bite at once, and when you bite into it, the flavors just all burst out. Yummy. I had at least 3 wraps.

Their drinks selection. Just look at all the colors of the various fruit juices. Probably the more unique one is their lemon grass drink. Its made from boiling lemon grass thus it has lots of flavor.

Sorry so many photos, but its just so colorful

This is a finger food called Goong Khai Daeng (RM18). This is basically fresh prawns wrapped in between pieces of bread with some salted egg yolk and the deep fried. It comes with a plum sauce dipping. Overall it serves as a nice and simple finger food though my only small feedback is if the last segment of the prawn shell could be removed as well would be great!

There was a BBQ Chicken dish called Kai Yang (RM18) for 2 whole chicken legs. Yeah the name sounds like Kai Lan .... Since its a BBQ dish, it can't really go wrong. The chickens were well marinated and had a taste of honey. The dipping was a mixture of chilli flakes and coriander with some chopped onions. The sauce was definitely different than the usual chilli sauce, so its a change :)

Pla Rad Makhaam (RM45). This is a deep fried red snapper and it is bathed in a sauce that is similar to those in paprik or kong po for chinese but its actually tamarind sauce. The fish was thoroughly fried to ensure its crispiness. Even the fins were edible. Thus the tangy sauce with the fish works well and was yummy indeed.

Pla Meuk Neung Manao (RM25). This is a steamed squid dish with lots of lime and chilli. It is one of the more spicy dish that would give one the kick needed for a Thai meal. The squids were large and succulent and was steamed perfectly as its not tough like rubber. Highly recommended.

Yum Yok Maphrau (RM15). This is probably the most unique dish which I have ever had. It is coconut shoot salad and I believe that this is one item not many places would have. At first bite, it tasted abit weird as I was not used to the texture and bland taste of the coconut shoot. But as one continues taking bites, it started to get really enjoyable and soon, I was munching on it every so often. Its mix with a simple lime and chilli giving it a salsa feel.

Hor Mok Talay (RM32). At first, one would think why is there a shiny bird on the table. This is actually one of the better Otak Otak's that can be found. The otak otak comes with generous fillings of seafood that is still in chunky form. There is also lots of basil leaves in it though I would have preferred if the basil had been chopped and then evenly mixed to give it a better more even flavor. But this is a very nice dish.

Goong Choo Chii (RM5 each prawn). This is basically a deep fried prawn dish with Choo Chii sauce. These are fresh large prawns that are really nice as the meat was springy and texture well rounded. The Choo Chii sauce though was abit bland and would have been great if the seasoning was better.

Tom Yam Talay (RM35). As its name implies, this is seafood tom yam. What makes this one different is the use of milk in the soup. The milk helps to neutralize the spiciness of the soup and it makes it very nice to slurp up the tom yam. There were also very generous with the amount of seafood included. Nice and should be tried.

Broccoli Phat Kapit (RM12). This is a simple dish of fried broccoli with fresh belacan. The dish on its own is abit overpowering and would go best with rice.

And finally we come to the dessert. Thap Thim Krop (RM4.50 each bowl). This is a combination of sliced jackfruit, fresh coconut and water chestnut jelly in a sweet coconut milk. Its best served with ice to cool it down and this is surely a refreshing dessert to finish off a hearty meal. A must have for any Thai meal.

Hong Kong 2011 ~ Tsui Wah Restaurant

2011-11-09T23:46:00.000-08:00

After a tiring day, we decided to have dinner after witnessing the light show. Got recommended to try out this place called Tsui Wah Restaurant. It's a place that has lots of branches everywhere and they are slightly more expensive than the norm. The choices are not that much and kind of limited and expect about HKD100 per person including your drinks.

The green sign of the place

Glass door entrance

One of their signature is the toasted bun with condensed milk. At first we thought it will be a pork bun. LOL

Had a coffee with ice cream as I was really thirsty and hot

Tea or Lai Char.

Hong Kong Sui Kow with wan tan noodle. Their noodles are still way better than many of those found in Penang. The soup its served in is very good too.

This is what I call a Sui Kow. The size and texture. Just like how its made at home.

This is Garoupa fried with bitter gourd. This is really a nice dish though abit pricey. I think its like HKD65. I guess we should not have ordered so many dishes, forgetting that the portions here are much bigger than in Malaysia. But you do get lots of chunks of fish

The last dish is garoupa with king prawns in a egg batter. Its abit like wat tan hor with fish and prawns. Again, pricey and not as taste tantalizing as the bitter gourd one. Very suitable for kids but again, portion is enough to share.

Hong Kong 2011 ~ Light Show

2011-11-09T23:36:00.000-08:00

This post is about the infamous Hong Kong Light Show at Tsim Sha Tsui which is on every night of the year. We went to witness this after we went to The Peak. The place to gather is where the Avenue of Stars is located. The time, 8.00pm sharp daily. So from The Peak, we took the bus again to Central Pier and then took the ferry into Tsim Sha Tsui. The ferry was fun and a quick journey across the waters and I was glad to still see many people using it.

A last view of The Peak before taking the tram back down. There is even a shopping center at the top and lots of place to eat. So don't ever worry of starving here.

This time Meng Wui got a seat!

The Hong Kong Central night view as we move along the bus

A look at the ferry pilot room. Still have the wheel

Saw this interesting boat in the waters. Seems to be a boat which takes on tourist for them to wine and dine and enjoy the light show. Not sure how much but sure doesn't look cheap

Thats the view of Central behind us

Just amazing. Not sure how many movies about Hong Kong has this shot

And at 8.00pm sharp, unless there is a storm or something, the show will begin. To be frank, the show is just OK only. You would not regret missing it if you don't have time to catch it. But since I did, I'll boast about it. HAHAHHA

Hong Kong 2011 ~ Madamme Tussauds

2011-11-09T23:31:00.000-08:00

Visiting The Peak in Hong Kong, I guess as a tourist, Madamme Tussauds wax museum is an obvious choice for a place to go. Surprisingly, they have quite a number of Asian stars here but I was really disappointed that Jacky Chan wax statue is the only one that is not allowed to be photograph. I'm not sure this is Jacky Chan's fault or Madamme Tussauds trying to milk money out of tourist already spending on tickets, but this is just ridiculous. If it's Jacky's choice, then I'm not sure you can be called "Tai Kor" as this is not something I hope to role model. If you read this ever, I hope you will do something about it.

Anyway, all in all, I guess its a worthwhile place to spend the afternoon. My daughter was really enjoying herself too.

Our own Malaysian superstar! Dato Michelle Yeoh

Louis Koo. One of my wife favorite

This is showing how they choose the fake eyes. Kind of funny but I guess it works

Heheh, Now you know he is not that tall. Hope he don't come and hit me

My little princess and mommy with royals

Sitting at the Oval office? See even Obama need to stand back

Hmmm... its kinda dirty

McDull and his mom. My daughter can't get enough of them

Yes, I practice everyday with the wooden man. In my dreams

My natural born star!

Can't even reach the waist? That guy is crazily tall

And thats staring at you

Hehehe, I'm as big too

GAGA all over