fried tofu

Among their tofu dishes in the menu, this is their signature dish. Fried tofu with some plum sauce topping and a splash of fragrant sesame. Kind of simple but taste good.

seafood tomyam

The portion for Seafood tomyam was also okay and the bowl looked as if it was filled up with lots of ingredients. The soup itself was reddish (rem the real Tomyam soup is clear one?) but quite spicy and sour, at least we did agree the soup tasted good.
Overall, RM78 for 6 persons (RM13 per pax + RM0.30 for water) is quite reasonable and does not burn hole to your pocket. It is in air-conditioned environment too so you don’t need to worry about sweating after having tomyam soup, like me :P.
One thing to watch out is we did notice a 10% service charge for the set lunch (it’s on the menu) but we were charged at nett rate instead. So it is advisable for you to check with the waiter/ owner upfront before ordering.

curry mee

Overall, the taste of the curry mee is great. The food is worth the money and the owners are friendly. However, there are not many sitting places and is hard to find a parking slot nearby. If you parked nearby to the market all the illegal parking attendants will collect money from you.

siu long bao

Not Dragon-i in Queensbay Mall. It's outside the shop lot there at Queensbay. The shop name is call House of Dumpling. Siu Long Bao is a kind of dumpling that is origin from Shanghai, China. There is soup (some say juices) in it with meat. You bite a little of the top and then you like suck out the soup or, tear into half on a spoon and you drink it.

lok lok

As usual, we were browsing and hunting through for a nice dinner, and somehow Hubby had a great idea of having some Lok Lok! Commonly on the island, we usually go to Padang Brown or the Pulau Tikus Market at night, however this time; hubby wants to try out the Lok Lok at Butterworth’s Chai Leng Park, Wai Sek Kai.
We made a trip over there and we chose New Corner Lok Lok as it is the first visible stall when you enter into this one way street. In the evening, this street is turned into a hawker food haven with stalls lining up from the beginning right till the end.

beef ball soup

Beef Ball Soup at Lorong Baru
The 'lucky' 8 comprise of mostly the usual suspects: Audrey, Ai Ling, Dennis, Henry, Kam Keong, Wen Chieh, Valerie and myself. Kam Keong is new, or rather new to the group. He is actually my senior from my university days joining us to perhaps take a break from the mundane monotony of daily (domesticated) life ;). We also had a 'penumpang', Selina, whose hometown is in Penang and hearing that we are making a trip there, chose to hitch a ride in our cars.
The journey was supposed to start at 5:30am, after all participants gathered at the Trail Tracker's HQ. However we were somewhat delayed because someone forgot to set the alarm to wake up on time. :) But to that person's credit, a phone call was all it takes before that person rushed over to the meeting place so that the we all can commence the trip at 6:30am.

fried oyster

Fried Oyster by Anjung Gurney Stall 84
Ordered to taste, the fried oyster are similar to Malacan style fried oyster. Fried oyster, known as O-jien in Hokkien (the most used dialect in Penang) served by Stall 84 are delicious. It's fragantly fried with well proportioned of starch and egg mixture and generous portion of oyster.

chicken wings

Yummy Barbequed Chicken Wings and also Chicken Butts!Mmmmm...These were perfectly barbequed, smokey and slightly crisp on the outside while still tender and juicy on the inside...(They were a tad too oily though... but not that bad)

laksa

Penang has Malaysia's best food. A pronounced Chinese influence (much of the population has family roots in Hokkien and Teochew provinces) is blended with indigenous Malay and south Indian spicing (the Indians came on British opium ships to become plantation workers) and Arab recipes and techniques. Put all this together and you have rather more than supermarket satay. Against local advice, I eschew taxis and, in suffocating heat and drenching humidity, I hit the streets to find the food: it's like walking in hot soup.
There are three types of hawker market in Penang: municipal, new development and private enterprise. Of the first, the most interesting I found was at the end of Persiaran Gurney, near the shiny unnecessariness of G Hotel. Gurney is like that - towering blocks and pricey malls - but this market is noisy, smelly and raucous: rough-and-ready-made food, if you like, and the hundred-odd stalls positively pullulate with life. Families shove and tourists are few; you choose and pay from whichever stall or stalls you fancy, squeeze on to a table and your dinner arrives.
This is just the place for your squid and convolvulus dinner, or a plate of koay teow th'ng, a noodle soup with fish balls, thickened with pig's blood, which you'll be eating in neon-washed semi-darkness, with baldly staring Malaysian grandmas and (bizarrely) banging acid house music for company.
The new development hawker markets I tried were a disappointment, as what you gain in hygiene you lose in atmosphere. New World, for example, has removed the private hawkers from Swatow Lane and put them in a place that mixes the aesthetic of Brent Cross in north London with that of a hospital waiting room. Still, they do have those nice turbo fans that mist you with cool water, and Celine Dion on the PA.
Much more fun was the Hong Kong Tea Garden, a fine example of a private hawker market, where stalls grow up around an existing restaurant. You can eat all day and most of the night here, either ordering from the restaurant proper, or from the stalls that surround it. As well as just about every food in the Malaysian culinary canon, HKTG is fine place to try teh tarik, "pulled tea".
This heady drink is a mixture of hot tea and condensed milk, poured from a great height, a technique that both cools the drink and gives it a frothy, cappuccino top. Teh tarik is also the dentist's friend, being both sweet as fudge and thick enough to coat your teeth for the rest of the day. My advice is to ask for a chilled jelly-nut, the young coconut whose water you sip through a straw before scraping out the soft white flesh inside

zhu zhang fen

Gurney Drive is popular with its hawkers affair and have recently become a phenomenon in Penang where visitors from KL and as far as Singapore flock down to Gurney Drive just to sample its delicate array of food. The number of people frequenting Gurney Drive hawker stalls on weekends is quite high compare to many years ago and it can be a daunting experience to visit the ever so famous Gurney Drive just to sample Penang’s delicacy as finding a place to sit can be as difficult as finding a parking space in Kuala Lumpur shopping malls during the weekend. Furthermore, the quality of the food has drastically deteriorate over the years.

kuih-muih

We keep saying nostalgic because that is how those roti bakar are prepared, under the charcoal fire. Yup, the roti bakar here has a more conventional, old style of toast, unlike the one at Sungai Tiram.
An oil drum was used with middle section cut to make holes that allow breads to be toasted directly under the charcoal while the top portion is used to boil the water. Occasionally, the charcoal ash may fall down but they will brush it off immediately.

tang shui

Tong Sui is a generic term used when referring to desserts consumed by the Chinese that is normally served at the end of the meal. Tong sui is popular among the Chinese or where the presence of Chinese people are obvious.
The phrase “tong sui” itself translates to “sugar water” which means the dessert is a type of sweet serving. It is also known as “tian tang” or sweet soup in Chinese which also reflects that the dessert is soup based.There are many types of tong sui available and the one we have here is known as “cheng pou leong” or “qing bu liang - 清补凉”.The popularity of “qing bu liang” picked in Malaysia quite a while ago, possibly due to the exposure from watching the Hong Kong drama and those exposed to Chinese cultures in other nations. In Penang, it is commonly known as “leng chee kang“.
There is not much cooking required to prepare “leng chee kang” as most of the ingredients are either cooked upfront or straight from the cans and into the bowls. The only item that must be cooked is the soup (or syrup) itself, which is typically mixture of sugar cooked with water.
The ingredients used usually consist of sweet potatoes, jelly, lychee, longan, sea coconut, atap chee, red beans, white fungus and perhaps much more. They are mixed into a bowl and poured with the syrup. “Leng chee kang” is normally served hot but ice cubes can be added if cold dessert is preferred.

wan tan mee

The first real meal I had upon arriving was this colorful wan tan mee, priced at $1 or forty plus pesos. This was egg noodles in black soya sauce with slices of roast pork, dumplings, green veggies, chilies and other bits. Simply superb!

Had dinner at Sin Tong Kee with 2 lovely girls last night. ^^. Sin Tong Kee’s a restaurant in Ebisu that serves Singaporean food. Singaporeans or Malaysians in Japan missing some local goodies can go there for a little taste of home. ^^. Man, I think I ate 3 dinners that night!
Up above is Singapore’s version of the Hokkien Mee. FYI, the Malaysian version is totally black! There’s a picture over at Foodgasmic Wellington.

To say that Malaysians are talented is not an overstatement as some of the best–and most impressive–food blogs are authored by Malaysians. I am constantly amazed by the sheer talent of my fellow Malaysians, for example: Billy Law at A Table for Two. A Table for Two chronicles Billy’s eating adventures in Sydney as well as documents delectable recipes from his kitchen. Graced with outstanding food photography plus a keen sense of humor and wicked writing style, I am ready to crown A Table for Two the best new food blog of 2009! Please welcome Billy to Rasa Malaysia as he shares Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken (芽菜鸡) recipe with us–a famed dish from the state of Ipoh in Malaysia.
Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken (芽菜鸡)Guest Writer: Billy Law
I can confirm this - no matter where you are, the only one topic that can reunite all Malaysian expats around the world together has to be food. I am sure you will all agree with me, Malaysian food especially. When Rasa Malaysia asked me to be a guest writer on her blog to feature a signature dish from my hometown, the answer is loud and clear - the most famous dish from Ipoh has to be Bean Sprout Chicken (芽菜鸡) with Sar Hor Fun (rice noodle).
This is a very simple dish to prepare, all you need is patience. The chicken is cooked using the same technique as Hainan Chicken. It is poached in a water bath then quickly dunk into cold water to stop the cooking process to retain its juicy smoothness texture. As for the bean sprout, it will only need to be blanched no more than 10 seconds, then drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce, and a smidge of white pepper for bit of kick…(get Ipoh bean sprouts chicken recipe after the jump)

Inspired by my recent trip to Hawaii, I made garlic shrimp today. It’s not quite the shrimp scampi I had, but it’s a close cousin done in Chinese style and without too much grease.
Garlic and shrimp are two of my favorite ingredients and I love pairing them together whenever I feel like having a shrimp dish. Most people in the United States prefer shelled shrimp, but for garlic shrimp, I strongly suggest you to cook the shrimp head-on and with the shell intact. The shrimp head and the shell “soak up” the fragrance and nuance imbued by the chopped garlic and butter used in this garlic shrimp recipe. The natural sweetness of the shrimp heads and shell also add depth to this dish…(get garlic shrimp recipe after the jump)

I have always thought that making ramen is no small feat, but was very surprised to find out that it’s actually rather easy, if you are willing to cheat. (As you all know, I am quite a cheater when it comes to cooking; I don’t mind taking shortcuts as long as it doesn’t compromise a recipe too much.) The soul of ramen is its soup stock or dashi–where bonito flakes and kombu (seaweed) are boiled in water and then strained. I didn’t have both ingredients so I cheated with hondashi or an instant powdered alternative which essentially is an MSG.
It turned out very well, almost like the spicy miso ramen I get at my favorite ramen joint Santouka. The miso ramen was very tasty, spicy, and I couldn’t get enough. And now, my appetite is totally back!

Tom Kha Gai–everyone’s favorite Thai coconut chicken soup–is one of the Thai recipes that I have always always wanted to make but never did. Why? Because there are plenty of good Thai restaurants in the US that serve pretty authentic Thai food.
So, it’s no surprise that this is my virgin Tom Kha Gai–my first attempt at home. It was easier than I thought, and the Tom Kha Gai turned out really good and tasted exactly like what it should be: milky, aromatic, sour, salty, and super appetizing…(get Tom Khai Gai/Thai coconut chicken soup after the jump)
The main ingredient of Tom Kha Gai is galangal, or “Tom Kha” in Thai. “Gai” means Chicken. The more I cook Thai food, it dawns to me that Thai recipes are pretty much variations of the following Thai ingredients:

If there is one Nyonya dish that I wish I could make in the United States but couldn’t, this rempah fish or fried fish stuffed with sambal would probably be it.
Why? Because a true and authentic Nyonya rempah fish (’Hu Chee Rempah” in Penang Hokkien) can only be made with hardtail mackerel, a fish that is not available in the waters here. If you don’t have hardtail mackerel (or “Ngeh Buey” in Hokkien), you simply don’t make rempah fish because other fish will do no justice to this dish and will not deliver the essence, texture, and authentic flavor. Yes, Nyonya will not compromise when it comes to ingredients used in Nyonya food…
So words can’t even begin to recite how I’ve missed my late mother’s rempah fish, a recipe she had perfected. Her rempah fish was always sublime, with aromatic and moist sambal plus perfect balance of flavors, and let’s not forget about the charred sambal paste oozing out of the fish. But consider ourselves lucky, my sister-in-law did cook side-by-side with my mother and helped her make rempah fish on countless occasions. I asked her to recreate the dish for this blog and she nailed it.
Here is our recipe for rempah fish—a Penang Nyonya specialty that is well-loved by many Peranakan/Nyonya-Baba families. If you go to Penang, you might find it at economy rice stalls if you are lucky!

It’s impossible to get good Hokkien Mee here in the US, so for the past few months, I bought only head-on shrimps. Patiently and religiously I saved up their heads so I could make this at home…
This past weekend, the ziploc bag was finally so full that I could no longer zip it up. I quickly rushed out to the nearest Asian supermarket and got myself all the other ingredients–pork ribs, bean sprouts, noodles, etc.–and started cooking this famous hawker delicacy. The end result was a pot full of real prawny stock that was as close as what you get in Penang. It was really satisfying slurping up the soup and had unlimited topping of pork ribs that fell off the bones! Mmmm…

penang

The Penang Bridge (Jambatan Pulau Pinang in Malay) E 36 is a dual-carriageway toll bridge that connects Gelugor on the island of Penang and Seberang Prai on the mainland of Malaysia on the Malay Peninsula. The bridge is also linked to the North-South Expressway in Prai and Jelutong Expressway in Penang. It was officially opened to traffic on September 14, 1985. The total length of the bridge is 13.5 km (8.4 miles), making it among the longest bridges in the world, the longest bridge in the country as well as a national landmark. Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd is the concession holder which manages it. The bridge was designed by a local Penang resident, Tan Sri Datuk Professor Ir. Chin Fung Kee, a well known authority in geotechnical engineering and former acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Malaya.Before 1985, transportation between the island and the mainland was solely dependent on the state-owned Penang Ferry Service that runs between Butterworth and George Town.Similar to the ferry services in Penang, toll is only paid when heading to the island. There is no charge for leaving the island.Currently, the Penang Bridge is being expanded from 4 lanes to 6 lanes to accommodate the increasing traffic on the bridge. A proposal for a second bridge, the Penang Second Bridge, has been approved by the Malaysian federal government and included as one of the Ninth Malaysia Plan national projects. Construction work of the new Penang Second Bridge began in November 2007, and the target completion date is before the end of 2010.The bridge has an SOS emergency feature and traffic CCTV. The Gelugor Complex Interchange is the largest highway interchange in Malaysia.

Besides the impressive reclining Buddha, you can find many other smaller shrines of Buddha, and Thai deities. There is also series of painted images portraying story of the Lord Gautama Buddha. The floor of the temple is laid with tiles of lotus patterns - lotus is a symbol in Buddhism.

This is the largest Buddhist temple in Penang. The colossal size is due to the reputed third longest reclining Buddha in the world. Measuring some 33 metres (108ft) from toe to tip of headgear, Wat Chaiya's reclining Buddha takes pride of place alongside other Buddha colossi found in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and China.The Wat Chaiya was built in 1845 on five acres of land donated by Queen Victoria to the Thai community.
The architecture is authentic down to the last bit of gold paint on the pagodas - so much so that one feels transported to another place and time when wandering about the sprawling grounds. Like the Burmese temple across the road, one is likely to encounter mythical beings and religious icons which dot the grounds.Walking towards the main temple, visitors are greeted by awesome looking green-faced beings standing guard before the temple entrance. Crawling at their feet are 2 huge dragon-headed serpents. Unlike the western culture (read Caucasian), Oriental mythology teaches that serpents and dragons are propitious beings and not to be feared.
The significance behind the reclining Buddha in the Wat Chaiya, with the head resting in the palm of the right hand, with the head pointing northwards, signifies enlightenment or Nirvana. Underneath the reclining Buddha are niches where ashes of the deceased are kept.

arlo...大家好啊!

arlo...im=xiaoyu

nice too meet u all...