What’s for Lunch? – Elite Avenue Edition (Part 3)

Restaurants are definitely blooming at Elite – even parking has become a problem now as most of the outdoor parking seems to be full! Here are some new restaurants that we’ve sampled and also some pictures of the restaurants that I’ve blogged about in previous blog (link & link) but with different/additional food choices. =)

BBQ Korea’s No. 1 Chicken Restaurant
I accidentally saw the post in Facebook on its opening and noticed that there was additional 10% discount as opening promotion during the 1^st few week. Thus off we went to this restaurant to give it a try. Even though it was newly opened and had additional discount, the restaurant was quite empty when we walked in.

BBQ

The Interior

It's Korea's No. 1 Chicken Restaurant =P

Guess those are their specialty?

The set lunch menu was advertised on banner outside the restaurant but the waitress did not even offer us the menu until we asked her for it. The menu offered varieties of Korean style chicken especially those deep fried with spicy sauce.

Set Lunch Menu

Since we are ladies who watch our weight (*cough*), we ended up ordering their grilled chicken instead. We had the Signature Korean Charbroiled Chicken set and the Jerk-BBQ Chicken. The set came with a drink. The meat was tender and well-marinated. Perhaps we should also throw out our diet plan for a day and go for their fried chicken! =P

Green Tea

Korean Charbroiled Chicken Set

Jerk BBQ Chicken Ala Carte

Blue Reef

Blue Reef finally opened its 1^st branch in Bayan Lepas area! We were so excited and vowed to try it once it’s opened. There was this opening promotion where we could add on RM1 (Yes! Just RM1) from your ala carte order for a soup or salad and a drink! We were so excited until forgot to take a picture of the menu. *facepalm* Anyway you may refer to their menu in this link (link).

We ordered their Traditional Fish & Chips (bread crumbs), Fish Fillet Meuniere & Prawn Spaghetti Aglio Olio and added on the RM1. There was a manager there telling us she would come and got our feedback on the food – I guess they wanted to get more feedbacks from each customer since it was still new.

The soup of the day was some homemade vegetable soup - according to my colleagues were kind of tasteless. I did like the salad as the vinaigrette was a good balance of sweet & sour.

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Salad

The bread crumbs fish & chips was kind of tasteless on its own so we had to either drenched it with malt vinegar or eat it with the tartar sauce. I liked the Fish Fillet Meuniere though – the fish was well marinated and the mashed potato underneath it was scrumptiously made with real potato! I was beyond stuffed but just couldn’t stop licking the mashed potato off my plate. *facepalm* The Prawn Spaghetti Alio Oglio was too spicy for my colleague though – I guess it’s more suitable for spicy lover like me? =P

Fish & Chips (Bread Crumbs)

Fish Fillet Meuniere

Prawn Spaghetti Aglio Olio

The portion of the fish was huge – according to the manager they want every customer to walk out of the restaurant feeling full and got their money worth. FYI, the cheapest Fish & Chips was Tilapia and it cost RM18 before tax whereas the cheapest Fish Fillet Meuniere cost RM21 before tax. Anyway we did give her a suggestion to serve in different portion like Italiannies which provided the choices of Small or Regular (link). In this case, small eater may choose the small option with cheaper price instead – good for budget & diet conscious customer. The manager didn’t seem to grasp the concept through. Oh well, guess we can just order one ala carte and share it next time. =)

We also had other visits and tried more choices such as grilled salmon, seafood galore & the mushroom soup. The grilled salmon was just normal thereas we liked the mushroom soup.

Grilled Salmon

Mushroom Soup

The seafood platter was HUGE - sufficient to serve 3 people. There were some scallops, tons of calamari & prawns and a big piece of Tilapia served with more chips & salad. Frankly speaking, this was an super greasy feast and one might felt nausea with all the grease before finishing it. =P

Seafood Galore

Aussie Outback Roast Chicken and Fusion Cuisine

After our earlier visits to this restaurant, we had since visited it again and tried some different set lunches. My advice? Always call to make reservation else the restaurant will be full during lunchtime. I did a last minute booking (30minutes before lunchtime) and Alex the manager was so nice to let me book the table. =)

There are some pictures of the new set we’ve tried:-

Pork Schnitzel - Highly recommended if you are not on a calorie watch! The pork is coated with crumbs and served with some sauce which compliments the taste so well!

Pork Schnitzel

Roasted Pork – the portion for this is kind of meager since there were only 4 slides of thinly sliced pork so it’s good news for the weight watchers. The pork is topped with apple sauce. Kind of special.

Roasted Pork

Chicken Kiev – It’s deep fried chicken breast where the coating is same as the pork schnitzel. The downside is the meat can be kind of hard.

Chicken Kiev

I noticed they have added additional choices in their set menu (RM14.50 nett) but I kept forgetting to take a picture of it. Maybe next time! There is only one thing i do not like is their coleslaw - it's really drenched in Mayo. Keep it light! =P

Elite Avenue is located behind Pantai Hospital at Bayan Baru, Penang.

More information on Elite Avenue can be read at:-
What's for Lunch? - Elite Avenue Edition (Part 1)
What's for Lunch? - Elite Avenue Edition (Part 2)
What's for Lunch? - Elite Avenue Edition (Part 4)

An Idle Afternoon at Macalister Mansion

It has been a long time since I’ve gone for an afternoon tea. The last one I had was in Winter Warmers which feel like a gazillion years ago (link). In fact, I’m not entirely sure what possess me to suddenly Google for “Afternoon tea in Penang” and end up making a swift decision to go for the Afternoon Tea in Macalister Mansion. I think price does play a factor here though as RM78nett for 2 pax is definitely a steal!

The Afternoon Tea

Thus there I was, taking an afternoon off from work (Yay!!!) and managed to get to the “Living Room” (left side of the building) at around 4pm. There was a heavy downpour at 3pm+ but thankfully the rain stopped as hasty as it had started. We were quite surprised at the crowd for afternoon tea – the place is full and we were lucky to get a table as the patrons just left. We did not make any reservation as we were not sure of our timing. Everyone was chatting away loudly and it somehow diminished its high class image. The waiters there were all busy simply threw us the menu before serving us after quite a long time. *sweat*

Coffee Lovers should try this! Add on RM5 for mini cakes!

Nice deco!

Can only take picture of it sideway since people are sitting right in front of it!

TWG Tea!

We ordered the “MM Signature HighTea Set” and chose “Sakura! Sakura!” as our tea of the day. I was comtemplating whether to go with Royal Darjeeling (I ADORE Darjeeling) but ended up with “Sakura! Sakura!” as many bloggers seemed to recommend this. The verdict? The scent kind of reminded me of cough syrup! *facepalm* Thankfully the taste was quite refreshing though – acceptable but not mind boggling. Give me Darjeeling anytime over this! Haha… Anyway this was actually our 1^st time drinking TWG brand tea! =P

The MM Signature HighTea Set - comprises of the platter & a pot of TWG tea

Sakura! Sakura!

Our set was served finally and I was pleasantly surprised. It looked even better than the pictures that I saw in other blog! The spread seems to have more choices and it seemed to be more similar to the afternoon tea set at Farquhar Mansion but with lower price tag. We’ve never been to Farquhar Mansion Afternoon Tea (Yet) but from pictures it does seem like Macalister Mansion has upgraded their afternoon tea spread to compete with Farquhar Mansion.

Look at this!!! What a Feast to the eyes! My Dinosaur Camera Phone doesn't even do it justice!

The spread was such a state of art that we loathed to destroy it. Anyway we ended up dismember it piece by piece to great pleasure. Now this definitely sounds like a murder scene! Too many gory movies for me! *facepalm*

Another Angle! Look at the Quiche!!! 

Look at the Camera!!! What Camera?! With Food like THIS, my eyes are too busy!

We started with the alluring tomato Basil & Parmesan Quiche and it was as great as it looked! Crispy at the outer layer and savoury cheesy filling at the inside – I want to eat this everyday (diet plan to be darned)! The mini sandwich bagel was a bit too dry though and I wish the smoked salmon & cream cheese could be more to contra the dryness. But bagel always gave me a dry impression so I was not sure about this one. Not one of my favourites. We went forward with the Grilled Chicken Ceaser Salad Wraps and it was good – juicy and chewy.

Quiche, Mini Bagel, Wrap, Mini Apricot tart & Mango Cheese Cake foam

Smoked Salmon in Mini Bagel

Grilled Chicken Ceaser Salad Wrap - Blurry picture! My phone just won't let me focus on it!

The scones provided were also fluffy and it tasted so scrumptious when eat with clotted cream & jam. *sigh with contentment* Then there was the Mini Apricot Almond tart! The zesty lemon cheese cake! Crispy Chocolate Fondue Dough! Tiramitsu Lollipop! They were all great in their own way and definitely an indulgence! The only thing out of the sweet stuff that I was not too fond of was the Verrine of Mango Cheese Cake Foam – I just didn’t like the texture as I generally didn’t like foam/mousse type dessert. =P

Fluffy Scones with Clotted Cream & Jam

Lemon Cheesecake, Crispy Chocolate Fondue Dough & Tiramitsu Lollipop!

This MM Signature HighTea set is a definite MUST-TRY!!! SPLURGE it for at least once in your life! At Rm39nett per pax – it is worth every penny! It is also a very nice place for friends gathering so head for this indulgence when you have the chance. The only down side was the slow service but the place was packed during our visit so perhaps you might get a more attentive service during your visit. =) This definitely triumped Suffolk House that we visited few years ago (link)!

More Pastries at the Counter

We were the 2nd last customers to leave...

The Living Room!

Beautiful Environment

Relaxing in the Outdoor can be a good idea!

I'm not even sure who this is! *facepalm*

The Living Room of Macalister Mansion is located at Macalister Road beside Loh Guan Lye Hospital (same row as Ghee Hiang) in Penang.

Diet Splurge: Farlim Night Market (Part 1)

I was not a fan of night market in Penang. I’ve always envision night market in Penang similar to the Batu Ferringhi Night Market – a place that caters only for tourist. I was proved wrong when a friend pointed me to Farlim Night Market (Pasar Malam) – a FOOD HEAVEN for gluttonous fiend like me!

Once I see the gazillions of food stalls in the night market, I know there is no going back. There are just so many choices to choose from and one will not be able to try everything in one go even if one has a diet splurge! *facepalm*

We seldom eat on the spot and always takeout the food since we have two monsters tagged along. Thus the review here might be a bit bias to those foods that only taste good even when served cold. Some food just tasted gross when you do not eat them piping hot. =(

One of our favourites? Oops.. MY favourite – the imitated (aka FAKE) sharkfin soup! I just have a soft spot for this kind of treat especially when it’s drowned with vinegar. It’s only RM3.50 per bowl.

The FAKE Sharkfin Soup

Another favourite? – the Mini Ric’s Sliders! Remember the famous pork burger *oink oink* in night market that ended up opening a shop in the one – Ric’s burger (link)? Well, apparently this is the kid’s version! The mini slider! The patty and other condiments taste exactly like the big brother but with a forth of its size! Great news for dieters like me! A classic slider costs RM3 whereas 4 classic slides only costs RM10. The YUMsss!!! The patty is cooked on the spot thus you won’t see any samples display. I was quite hesitant to order it as I’m one of those people who like to see sample! But my gamble pays off when my end product was served and it definitely exceed my expectation – aesthetically (it looks SO CUTE!!!) and taste (its crispy, juicy and greasy patty made from minced pork – such a guilty pleasure!!!).

Look at this! HOW CUTE!!!

It's really YUMMY too!!!

There are 2 stalls selling grilled pork – 1 stall with thinner & smaller pieces (satay style) and 1 with thick slice of pork. Both have its own advantage – the satay style comes with a super spicy sauce if you buy 10pcs and the spicy sauce is really nice. It also helps that the smaller slice of pork cuts down your calorie intake. LOL! The stall also sells curry fishballs which I find average. The stall with thick slice of pork gives you a chewy and organismic experience – it tastes like the grill pork that we taste in Hatyai night market (link) with a more expensive price tag. FAT DIE ME!!!!

The Thick Pork Slice near Ah Hua Soya Stall

There are also many stalls selling soya bean products and we normally buy our soya drink from ‘the Beans’. However, we buy our tau hua from ‘Ah Hua’ as their black bean tau hua literally melt in your mouth! Remember to ask for black bean tau hua! It doesn’t look black and looks like normal tau hua but the texture is totally different!

The Beans

Ah Hua Tau Hua

Order the Black Bean Tau Hua!!!

Another must-try is the Belacan Chicken – we skip this during our earlier visit since there is always a crowd for it and we are lazy to wait. We finally tried it when there was less crowd during a rainy night and were immediately addicted. We ordered the chicken wing and a pack of small chicken meat (鸡粒) and immediately fell in love with the chicken meat. The small chicken pieces provide maximum Belacan taste and you don’t even have to get your hands dirty to eat that since it’s boneless! =)

Belacan Chicken Wing

Small Belacan Chicken Pieces

There are also 2 stalls selling deep fried mushrooms and I must say I prefer the one with less queue which I have no idea what its name is *facepalm* – the one with long queue (炸菇菇) tastes so gross when I only eat after reaching my house.

Deep Fried Mushroom

There is also this famous ‘Uncle Bob’ Taiwanese snack stall selling deep fried chicken, Taiwanese mee sua & giant deep fried hotdog. I must say Shilin snacks (link) do taste better than this if compared with their XXL crispy chicken & oyster mee sua. However, I kind of like the giant deep fried hotdog even if it’s just a simple cheese hotdog deep fried with battered bread clogged with tons of calories. =P

Taiwanese Mee Sua

Deep Fried Giant Hotdog

HOTDOG!!!

There are also other stalls which are not so memorable but might want to give a try when the mood is right.

The Japanese Gyoza - Sometimes I just crave for this! Nothing too fancy but it makes me return for more. It’s 5 for RM3.50 only.

Fried Gyoza

There are 2 stalls selling Quail egg - one is quite new and even has tea leaves quail egg! Nevertheless we are quite smitten with the tea leaves quail egg – mini in size but cater the taste like a normal tea egg. Beware of cholesterol level though!

Quail Egg on a Stick - Near Ah Hua Soya

Spicy Quail Egg - new stall

Tea Leaves Quail Egg - new stall

Frankie’s Pizza – the local pizza with crispy base! It’s really yummy but kind of greasy at the bottom.

Frankie Pizza!

Yummy but FAT!!!

Deep Fried Giant Squid – this definitely looks impressive when on display at the stall but less impressive once it’s cut into small pieces. It does taste scrumptious even after we bring it home. RM10 per giant Squid.

Deep Fried Giant Squid

Tako balls – the Japanese tako ball is just normal. Didn’t really like it too much as it tastes too flour-y!

Tako Balls

Bubble Waffle – the kids love this but it just tastes ordinary for us. I think it might taste better when eat it hot from the pan.

Bubble Waffle

Apom & Kuih – this stall definitely brings back the nostalgia! The spicy kuih (which I have no idea what it’s called!!!) is awesome with tons of ingredients inside.

Apom

The Kuih that i have no idea what to call

With Spicy Coconut-y thing inside

Prawn Paste Deep Fried Mini Crabs - they also sell other deep fried stuffs coated with prawn paste but we've ony tried the mini crabs - crispy and taste a bit weird! Kind of like eating a giant spide! LOL!!!

Deep Fried Mini Crabs

Tomyam Fried Rice Vermicelli - this is just forgettable... a bit dry if you ask me...

Tomyam Fried Bihun

Malay Deep Dried Stall - they sell tons of deep fried food on a stick but we've only bought the squid balls since we are in the mood. The oil just oozes out after we eat it at home.. >.<

Deep Fried Squid Ball

On the rare chance that we finally eat on the spot, we tried the laksa, fried oyster, horfun rolls and fried koay kak which located near to each other. The laksa noodle is different from the normal one but the soup is just okay. The fried oyster is not up to my expectation if compared to the one at Carnavon Street. The hotfun rolls do taste nice though.

The Rare Occasion to eat in

Laksa

Horfun Rolls

Fried Oyster

Loh Han Drink

There are 2 stalls selling fried koay kak in Farlim night market and we actually prefer this stall near the fried oyster – not the one near the tau hua. Do try it if there is a chance.

Fried Koay Kak - ask for extra chilis!

What is a night market if there are no Tidbits? There are 2 major tidbits stall there and each sells something that the competitor does not have! One has the Fish Cracker Stick whilst another one the super thin spicy potato sticks! Both not to be missed! Of course there is the POPCORN! If you bought it once and would like to buy it again – bring the existing empty container! 1 small popcorn costs RM5 but re-fill only costs RM4.

All the Best in one room!

Tomato Juice from a random stall - don't buy this! I thought i was drinking a whole borrle of syrup!

Farlim Night Market is located at Farlim Padang opening every Wednesday night.