What’s for Lunch? – Ssambap Korean Restaurant

Korean restaurant had been blossoming in Penang and Ssambap was one of the recently opened Korean restaurant which were opened in Krystal Point & All Seasons. Ssambap’s menu may not be as extensive as Daorae but it still had its charm.

Lunch Menu - at the top half...

Stew Menu

They offered weekday set lunch to cater for factory workers in Krystal Point – unfortunately the choice was meagre – Spicy BBQ Pork or Grilled BBQ Pork Belly set at RM19.90. The set was quite huge and worth the value thus resulting returning customers.

Appetizer in Krystal Point Branch

Grilled Pork Set

Spicy Pork Set

There were also varieties of ala carte choices such as Bibimbap, spicy stir fired pork rice set, kimchi stew and rice noodle soup & rice with bulgogi. We tried the Bibimbap and rice with Bulgogi in Krystal Point Branch. 

Beef Bulgogi - my Col says this was just okay

Bibimbap - a very vegetarian experience with all the vegetable. Wish the sauce is more..

In Farlim, we tried the spicy stir fired pork rice set, kimchi stew and rice noodle soup. The food was overall not bad and my favourite would be the kimchi stew which was really a treat to eat it during colder weather. They also offered BBQ meal but we hadn’t try that yet.

Appetizer in Farlim Branch

Spicy Pork with Rice - this is HUGE!

Yummy Kimchi Stew

Rice Noodle Soup - this is a bit salty

Ssambap is located at Krystal Point Bayan Lepas & All Seasons Farlim in Penang, Malaysia. 

What’s for Lunch? – Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung had opened its door in Gurney Plaza for quite some times – there were always long queue outside during peak hour a few months after its opening. The crowd seemed to reduce after a while due to other new choices in the mall. =P

Interior Deco

We visited the restaurant a few times as lil one had took a liking to their Shrimp Fried Rice. Here are some of the dishes we sampled during our visits.

Children Set

Adult Set! LOL!!!

Condiments on table

Din Tai Fung House Special – a cold appetizer dish with glass noodle, seaweed, beansprout and bean curd strips in spicy dressing. This tasted cold & fresh but just not our cup of tea.

House Special

Hot & Sour Soup – this was a hit with us, the sour & spicy soup with smooth beancurd & shredded pork was simply a killer combination! We ordered this every time we visited.

Hot & Sour Soup

Pork Xiao LongBao (Signature Soup Dumpling) – the soup inside the dumpling was really flavorful and the pork was nice. However, this dish tasted similar to other restaurant which served Xiao LongBao too. Nothing to shout about there…

Pork Xiao LongBao

Crab Roe & Pork Xiao LongBao – the crab roe taste was really overpowering and addicting. I think this was better than the original pork xiao longbao. =P

Crab Roe & Pork Xiao LongBao

Spicy Shrimp & Pork Wonton – the shrimp was really fresh and generously stuffed in the wonton. This dish certainly satisfied our taste buds when combined with the spicy sauce. YUM!

Spicy Shrimp & Pork Wonton

Braised Beef Noodle Soup – this was their signature noodle with savory beef soup. The soup did taste like it was braised for a long time but somehow I preferred the peppery taste of beef noodle soup from another restaurant. *facepalm*

Braised Beef Noodle Soup

Noodle with minced pork in Bean Sauce – this was just okay. Nothing too spectacular.

Noodle with Minced Pork in Bean Sauce

Tan Tan Noodle - this dish was bizarre! The bean sauce tasted a lot like peanut butter!!! We would never ordered this again. =P

Tan Tan Noodle

Noodle with Spicy Sauce – this was simply noodle with their spicy sauce. Simple and nice due to the sauce! Not to mention one of the cheapest dish on the menu. LOL!!

Noodle with Spicy Sauce

Shrimp fried rice – the Lil one's favourite! The rice was fried perfectly with egg and scallion and every single rice tasted scrumptious. The prawns were fresh and complimented with the fried rice. Only complaint was it could be quite oily.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Golden pumpkin with salted egg – you couldn’t go wrong with dishes with salted egg! The pumpkin was sweet and blended well with the salty crust. It could be drenched in oil in some part though.

Golden Pumpkin with Salted Egg

Ma Po Bean Curd – this was an okay dish, a bit similar to hot & sour soup but not as concentrated in taste like the soup.

Ma Po Bean Curd

In conclusion, Din Tai Fung is actually quite overpriced and may not really value for money. Occassional visit is okay but not for frequent ones. =P

Din Tai Fung is located in Lower Ground Floor of Gurney Plaza Penang, Malaysia.

What’s for Lunch? – Tavern in the Park

In the buzzing Guadwara street where foreign workers and locals walked idly by everyday, once stood the old Hin bus depot which was turned into an art exhibition center. With the crowd, it just made sense to have a little glass restaurant there which aptly named “Tavern in the Park”.

The restaurant was right in the middle of an open field surrounded by art works – looking serene and fitting for the artful atmosphere. It was a cloudy & lazy afternoon when we walked in to this little tavern and ordered ourselves the Mango Mint Chutney Burger and Fried Soba with Teriyaki Salmon.

Tavern in the Park

One had to order the drinks separately in a café outside of this glass restaurant else the choices will be limited to canned or bottled drinks. We were not in the mood for fancy drinks so we took the free water from counter.

The Mango Mint Chutney Burger was zesty with sweet, sour & spicy taste and the beef patty was just nice. The size of the burger was quite small thus this might not be sufficient for big eater.

Mango Mint Chutney Burger with Fries

Yummy Yummy

The Fried soba with Teriyaki Salmon was surprisingly good – the salmon portion was generous and fresh whilst the soba was lightly seasoned with a hint of gingerly taste.

Fried Soba with Teriyaki Salmon

We simply lazed around the area and someone took a liking to the swing. This is definitely a good place for a quiet day. =P

Relaxing in the Park

Let's Swing!

Tavern In the Park is located in Hin Bus Depot Penang, Malaysia.

What’s for Lunch? – Reminiscing Yoshinoya

Yoshinoya was one of my favourite joints back when I was claiming per diem during business trip in Japan. It was fast, delicious and not to mention cheap! 300 Yen would get you the gyudon (beef bowl) for a satisfying meal with free water and condiments. Like Malaysian always says: Where to find? =P

I was beyond excited when I saw the renovation in Gurney Plaza and kept stalking the progress for its opening. It was finally opened and I had the pleasure of queueing since Malaysian loved new restaurant. New Jambam ma!! LOL!!! Anyway this Yoshinoya is tagged along with Hanamaru which is specializing in udon.

Queuing Queuing Queuing...

We ordered the original beef bowl with soft-boiled egg, Ajitama tan tan udon with sausage tempura and Aburi Salmon Bowl. It’s a self-service fast food restaurant thus you had to pick your choices, paid at the counter before bringing your own food to your table. Oh, and there were lots of condiments free of charges at a counter for your taking. Water is not free in Malaysia’s Yoshinoya though – you need to pay to take a cup from the counter to get free flow green tea. Still a good deals though. *wink*

The verdict? Frankly speaking I was quite disappointed with the beef bowl as it was not as good as the Yoshinoya in Japan. I guess the beef supplier was different then. I miss Japan’s beef bowl! *sob*

Beef Bowl with Soft-Boiled Egg

I was not a big fan of udon – more of a soba person so the Ajitama tan tan udon didn’t really allure me that much. It was just okay. The sausage tempura was just mediocre as well. Perhaps we were choosing the wrong tempura? =P

Ajitama tan tan Udon

Sausage Tempura

The Aburi Salmon Bowl was surprisingly good – this was not available when I was in Yoshinoya Japan so I was not sure if this was a local thing. Anyway, the combination of grilled salmon, mentai mayonnaise and rice was perfect. The only complaint was the salmon slice was quite thin. This kind of reminded me of Salmon Mentai Sushi but in a big bowl instead. =P

Aburi Salmon Bowl

Will I come back? Well, perhaps when I have a reminiscence of my past Japan Yoshinoya experience.

Yoshinoya|Hanamaru is located at LG Floor of Gurney Plaza Penang, Malaysia.

What’s for Lunch? – A Little Dose A Day

The Daily Dose café is nestled among the old heritage houses in Stewart Lane in Georgetown. One may actually needed Waze/Google Map to find it if one was not familiar with labyrinth of small lanes in Georgetown.

There it is! 

In an Old Heritage Building

The little café looked unassuming outside and totally homely in an east slash west decoration which somehow looked absolutely harmonized. There was a small pond with open roof right in the middle of the restaurant – a trait of Penang Heritage Building which I used to stay in when I was a child. =)

Western Style Counter

The Daily Dose

Little Pond with Open Rooftop

They had varieties of choices in their menu but our eyes were set on their brunch menu. We ordered the House BLT, Big Breakfast and Today’s Special – Mashed Potato Waffle with Sunnyside Up. 

Brunch Menu

Waiting for our food and enjoying the Ambience...

The star of the bunch was definitely House BLT – Bacon, Lettuce & Tomatoes was served on top of Sunnyside Up egg with Fluffy toasted bread at the bottom coupled with the sesame dressing. This was definitely a must-try!

House BLT

It's as Tasty as it looks!

The Big Breakfast was a little bit pale in comparison as it was just a normal plate of hearty big breakfast which happened to be on the menu of a gazillion café in Penang. It did taste good but it was simply too common with all other competitions in Penang. Nothing screamed out from the plate as spectacular. =P

Big Breakfast

The Today’s Special was an odd one – the mashed potato waffle was quite special but needed other condiments to bring out its taste (such as the baked beans beside it). The Sunnyside Up was well…. Sunnyside up! =P

Today's Special

They also served local food and the foreigners beside us were ordering those. They also had other main courses but I think I’d know what I want to order if I came back to this quaint little café next time. Beware of the portion though as it was quite ginormous for small eater. Oh well, a little dose a day keeps the craving away! =)

Cute Lil Messages on the Stairs

The Daily Dose café is located at 36, Stewart Lane Penang, Malaysia.