Buzzing with FOOD

Coffee Island @ Gurney Drive, established last year was more tuned towards a trendy hang-out place for youths and young adults to come and have a drink over some business or coffee talk. After it started for a few months, we tried it out.

When we asked for the menu, they said they only have this order form for us to choose our order. That was a little funny.

The interior

We ordered a snack, Tempura Bowl. Pieces of brocolli, carrot, mushroom, cauliflower and corn. Nothing spectacular and certainly way below par of real Japanese-style tempura.

Seafood Spaghetti Marinara. I think any of us can attempt to do this at home and give this dish a good fight. The sauce was not tantalizing enough and there’s no sight of Italian herbs or the taste of it. 

Fish in honey sauce. Nothing to shout about for this one. A little too plain in my opinion and the fish is not grilled well enough.

That was my first visit.

Then recently…..

We were undecided that night on where to have dinner, and it’s already quite late, some shops are closing already. Since my dinner-mate has not been here, I said ok but forewarned her that there shouldn’t be any good expectations towards the food.  

Now they have a menu for the customers to look at what they have to offer.

The new menu, with lots of food photos. Don’t fall prey to the looks though…it looked better in the photos.

They served western and local cuisine. This page is showing the western food

And this is the local food.

New ordering form

Cold Chocolate Island (RM 5.90) and Mango Smoothies (RM 7.90)

Dragon Silk Shrimp Roll (RM 8.00). Some crunchy snack. Lots of crispy threads (made of flour??) coated on the shrimp rolls.

Cheesy Fish Cutlet Rice (RM 10.50). This has got to be the worst cheese bake rice I’ve tasted. Goodness, how can they even think of putting this in the menu??? The cheese taste just like the square cheddar cheese we buy to make sandwiches and turned real hard and tasteless after baked. The fish cutlet is not well-marinated with seasoning thus taste bland and also very dry.

And the funny thing is they serve this dish with sambal!!!! But the sambal was the only thing which pushed me through to finishing this dish without wasting food. In fact, the sambal, with crushed dried shrimps turn out much better than the main dish itself!!! What an irony!!

Southern India Chicken Curry served with tomato rice (RM 12.50). This one fared much better, at least. The curry and sambal was ok but the whole dish was served cold. Hmmmm….

Maybe they are better at local dishes. Western food needs improvement for sure.

There is far more choices of drinks for those who just want to hang out. Lots of tables in open air and near the roadside of Gurney Drive but be careful not to simply pay the bill when you are approached with out requesting for it. Heard of a case where an outsider acted as the waiter and ask for payment, then ran away with the money.

They have free WiFi and even a mini room equipped with 5 computers for you to go online!

You’ll definitely see this outlet when you drive by Gurney Drive. It’s near to Bali Hai Seafood Restaurant.

Now can someone tell me what decent food is worth ordering here??

Many moons ago….I went to Lavender Bistro.

Lavender sounds more like a tea house to me but this outlet is actually a bakery cum bistro.

The abundance of pastries and bread are displayed at the front section of the shop.

The open kitchen, meanwhile, is located at the side of the outlet. Here you can see the pastry chefs creatively making all sorts of pleasing-to-see delights.

Further into the outlet is where the bistro is, tables, sofas and chairs nicely placed to give a place for diners to sit and have a complete meal.

I like the classy look and feel of the interior although it is not using really classy materials. Don’t get what I mean?

The chandelier is actually a wall tile and not a real one, although from far it could fool the eye.

There are also string of beads or some sort hanging down from the ceiling and nice but not overly-bright lighting.

The menu consist of light to heavy meal.

For breakfast, one can opt for set meals such as Healthy Country Bread set, Wheat Bun set, Butter Roll set or Florentine Egg set - each comes with a complimentary coffee/tea.

For a more heavy meal, you can opt for soups, pasta, burgers or even fried rice and tomyam with vermicelli.

Of course the ‘sweet temptation‘ section of the menu like cakes and puddings can be ordered at anytime while stocks are available.

Red Plum Lime Soda (RM 5.90) and Iced Peach Tea

I had Honey Green Tea (RM 5.90). Haha sounds funny right?! Usually green tea is taken without sugar or honey but this combination taste quite pleasant after a few sips.

Also, Americano Coffee (RM 2.45 after a 50% promotional offer)

And we were there to actually get a bite on the sweet temptation. It was way past lunch time…so it’s more like having tea.

Cocoa Barry Walnut (RM 4.80)

Really soft and ‘chocolaty’ mousse. This was gone in a matter of seconds!!!

And a few pastries chosen from the front bakery section. Select what you want and put in your tray, then pass it over to the counter and tell them your table number. They will serve it to you.

Chicken floss bun (RM 2.50), Egg tart (RM 1.50), Charcoal (RM 1.50) - black square pastry, Chocolate Marble Square (RM 1.50) - layered square pastry, Xiao Ge Ge (RM 1.50) - long cake-like pastry. Not expensive considering the environment and service of the bistro. But a 10% service charge and 5% gov. tax is applied.

Now how I wish I can find such outlets in Penang. By the way, this shop is in the Jusco Mall in Bukit Tinggi, Klang.

Lavender Bistro
Lot G18, Ground Floor, Aeon Bukit Tinggi Shopping Centre
Tel: 03-3326 2793 

 Note:

This is going to be a start of more ‘many moons ago’ series post which I will be posting from time to time.

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Four Seasons Tea House and Restaurant have been constantly visited by customers who wants some chinese ‘chu char’ dishes. They have a main branch in Terengganu Road and another branch in Sunway Tunas, Bayan Lepas (to cater for FTZ people?)

Menu. They have a wide variety of choices, from seafood to chicken, pork, vegetables, noodles, and even their specialties. Price ranges from the portion size served (small, medium, large)

This is the branch at Terengganu Road. Fully air-conditioned.

(Food shown are from two different visits. All portions ordered are small servings)

Oyster Noodles. Lots of baby oysters and crispy bak ew pok (lard pieces). This is their signature dish. Almost every table will order this dish, either as starters or main. The style and look differs slightly in different visits but generally the taste is the same. This is a good dish for those who like oysters. But bear in mind, don’t expect to see huge oysters in here. It’s just some baby ones.

Fried Tang Hoon. Slightly wet but still palatable and it’s not overcooked or burnt.

Signature tou foo dish. Lots of minced meat with 5 pieces of soft tou foo.

Thai style pork ribs. This looks like sweet and sour version but it’s actually a little spicy. Something different.

Sam Pui Kai (literally translated as 3 cups chicken). This dish is a classic Chinese dish which originally calls for 1 cup each of 3 main ingredients: soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar, hence the name 3 cups chicken - Sam Pui Kai.

The version here is very fragrant, a tantalizing aroma spreads once it’s served to our table. The chicken and it’s gravy is infused with the 3 main ingredients. But it can be a little salty if eaten without rice.

Sweet and Sour Pork. The usual. You can find this in most of ‘chu char’ restaurants. The one here has just the right amount of gravy to coat the pork pieces. It’s deep-fried before being added to the gravy but it didn’t come out hard.

Homemade deep-fried Tou Foo. Soft and crispy but lacks in seasoning.

Spinach with century egg and preserved duck egg (forgot the actual name). This suits my tastebud. The century egg and duck egg adds a strong taste to this dish and the tiny deep-fried ikan bilis (anchovies) is so crunchy. This vegetable dish is almost like soup, with very watery stock.

Complimentary lotus root soup. Can you see the difference? One has a very cloudy soup base while the other is clear. The clear one was probably because we were early (the first few customers that day), so it didn’t get overboiled yet.

Price is reasonable and they don’t purposely give you all those unnecessary stuff like wet tissues and charge you for it. Credit cards are acceptable too. Parking can be a little hassle at this branch as it’s just by the main road. Try parking at Solok Terengganu. (Be warned that parking at Lye Lye food court car park can be unwise coz if the owner sees you parking there and walking over instead of eating at their food court, he will give you some words!!)

Map:

Terengganu Road branch
80-U, Jalan Terengganu,
10460, Penang

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Young Heart Restaurant hardly needs much introduction. With a motto of ‘healthy living starts with healthy eating’, this restaurants strives to offer healthy home cooked food to its customers but with added quality and comfortable environment. 

Publication in various local dailies are a testimony of their wonderful offerings.

Ground floor setting 

VIP room setting 

They were recently spotted with a new menu and a lot of new dishes have been added to the long list of offerings.

Start of the meal by having some tea. Young Heart offers a really wide variety of tea, including flower tea and some not so well-known tea combination.

Pu Er Tea (left) and Natural Flower Tea Mixture - Rosehip, Hibiscus, Green Apple (right)

Mid Autumn Reunion Package (4 pax) @ RM 123 nett 

 
(pic courtesy of Jason)

Reunion Dumpling Platter (5 flavours-10 pieces) 

One of the main attraction here are the steamed dumplings (jiao zi). 5 different types are served in this package, 2 pieces each. The flavours/types are (from left) Prawn + Pork + Scallop, Pork + Spinach, Pork + Cabbage, Pork + Pumpkin, Fish + Water chestnut.

The fillings are finely chopped and equally distributed. I personally like the prawn + pork + scallop and also the pork + spinach type. The fish + water chestnut is quite similar to the other pork flavours but the addition of water chestnut makes it slightly more crunchy and juicy. Do eat the dumplings while it is hot or else the skin will hardened.

Soup of the Day - Green Papaya with Spare Ribs

Unriped papaya is used here, hence the yellowish-green cubes you see in the soup. The soup as a lot of herbs and spare ribs, making it very sweet. I can’t help feeling very homey while slurping down a bowl of this soup. Very ‘cheng tnee’ as hokkiens would say, meaning clear and sweet.

Cod Fish Ala Twin

The cod fish is steamed to perfection with light soy sauce and garnished with deep fried ginger. Accompanying the steamed cod fish is it’s twin but the fried version. Some places will offer deep fried fish which is hard and overdone but over here, there’s no complains at all as it still remains juicy inside while the outer layer is crispy.

Orange Pork Chop

Pork cubes are deep fried and coated with tangy orange sauce. The meat remains soft eventhough it was deep fried and the sauce adds a zing to whip up the appetite. This is a winner for the night. 

3+1 Cup Chicken

I didn’t realise this is the sort of 3 cup chicken dish as it was not drenched in dark soy sauce but just lightly seasoned. The taste is also not as strong as the one I tried in another chinese food restaurant. However the version here is slightly altered. This is where the +1 comes in - the red chillies. It was a good choice as the chillies added another dimension to the taste of this dish.

Stir Fry Kai Lan

This dish was originally meant to be Stir Fry Chayote Leaves with Shredded Chicken but due to rainy days, they were unable to get fresh stock of the Chayote Leaves. The name was intricate enough to raise a hope of trying for the first time but unfortunately it didn’t happen. So a simple Stir Fry Kai Lan is substituted. It’s a simple dish, with garlic as the main source of taste.

Deep Fried Young Heart Bean Curd

Cube-sized home-made bean curd which is cripsy on the outside but very soft on the inside. Eaten together with thai-style chilli sauce, this will be a hit for adults and children alike. 

The set above comes with a choice of clear hand-made noodle or rice (total of 4 servings)

The noodle is only lightly seasoned with sesame oil but don’t let it’s appearance and perception foul you. The noodle texture is very springy and the sesame oil give just the right amount of taste without overshadowing the real focus, which is the noodle itself.

Mid Autumn Romantic Package (2 pax) @ RM 55 nett

(pic courtesy of Jason)

Deep Fried Young Heart Chicken Wing

I kind of prefer the ones I had last time (which has the fragrance of kaffir leaves). This one is crispy but lacks a distinct flavour. Nevertheless you won’t go wrong with fried chicken, it’s just a classic which is enjoyed by everyone.

Deep Fried Prawn and Cheesy Dumplings

This is like a snack to enjoy while having your meal. Very proportionately sized and has a very crunchy skin.

The fillings inside. Do eat while it’s hot as the juicy prawns really squirts in your mouth when you bite it, while the cheese melts instantly when you cut it open. 

Steam Pork Stuffed Snake Squash with Egg Sauce (check it out here if you want to see how a snake squash look like)

Something similar I had the last time. The quality still maintains.

Stir Fried Enoki Mushroom with Brocolli

A simple stir fry vege to balance the meal. I love the addition of enoki mushrooms.

 Ying Yang Stuffed Egg with Sweet and Sour Sauce

This is something very unique and lovely, pleasing to the eyes and also to our tastebuds. Minced pork is stuffed in the egg and slightly pan fried and cooked with sweet and sour sauce.

Golden Osmanthus Pumpkin Pudding 

Both of the set meals above includes a dessert consisting of Golden Osmanthus Pumpkin Pudding. More like puree in liquid rather than pudding, this dessert is great for those who prefer to have a mildly sweet ending to their meal. Sago is added to the pudding to give some bite to it.

But if you are a mango lover (like us), it is highly recommended to substitude the pumpkin pudding with Mango Puree and Sago Pudding (additional RM 1 per bowl is charged). You can never go wrong with mango and since Young Heart uses fresh mango, this bowl of dessert is really heart-melting!!! I can slurp up 2 bowls of this!! Thumbs-up

This is the dried osmanthus flower and the syrup made out of it. 

To keep the mid autumn spirit alive, Young Heart is giving out complimentary home-made mini mooncakes with special flavours when you choose either packages above. This is more like "Kung Cai Peng’ (canto) or ‘Ang Kong Ngah Piah’ (hokkien). The crust is quite similar to mooncakes but the filling offered here is sambal dried shrimps!!! What a treat! The crust is real soft and the filling is very fine and tasty. If you can’t get enough of it and want to buy more back to satisfy your tummy, do ask the staff.

 If you are still feeling hungry after ordering the above, then here are two more highly recommended items to order. (Note: Not available in the package)

Stir fried Sambal Seafood with Fried Brinjal @ RM 10 (medium-size), RM 15 (large-size)

I was surprise how such a simple combination will bring out such flavourful taste. The deep fried brinjal was like eating tempura while the sambal seafood was not spicy but very aromatic and savory. By combining both, it worked wonders to the crispy brinjal and the rich seafood sambal.

Fiery Hot Noodle @ RM 8.80

If you are longing for ‘lat chiu pan min’ (Chilli Pan Mee), look no where but here. The hand-made noodle is topped with minced meat, fried anchovies, spring onion and a ‘medium raw’ egg. Add the chilli according to your preference but mind you, the name of this dish is Fiery Hot Noodle, so beware of the chilli power! We added the whole saucer of chilli and it was really super hot! But I liked it very much since I love spicy stuff!!

The aftermath of egg oozing out and addition of chilli, all stirred together. Tempting isn’t it?

Young Heart Mid Autumn Package will be available starting from 18th Sept 09. Yes, that’s 2 days away to get a taste of a healthy yet delicious meal. This offer will be valid until 11th Oct 09, so don’t wait too long. Please be aware that they are closed on 28th, 29th and 30th Sept 09.

Young Heart Restaurant is just opposite Bandar Baru Pulau Tikus Supermarket and a stone-throw away from the Pulau Tikus market. 

Map:

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Some ask what is gelato? What difference is it from ice-cream? Is it just another stylish name created by the Italians?

Well, generally it is not the same as ice-creams. It is flavorful, rich and creamy, and health-conscious!

But how can that be?? Rich and creamy do not go along with health-conscious!

 For a start, Gelato is both lower in fat and calories compared to traditional American ice cream. In the U.S. ice cream is generally made with cream, and is classified by its butterfat content (10% - 12%). Gelato is made from milk or water, which accounts for a lesser percentage of butterfat (5%-8%) and therefore calories and fat.

Also, gelato contains about 25% to 30% air, while ice cream can contain as much as 50% air, meaning gelato is denser because not as much air is whipped into the mixture. For consumers like us, it means more flavourful and rich texture!!!

Read the difference here

 Gelatissimo from Down Under (Australia) brings to our shore the real taste of Italia. Most of their product/ingredients are imported from Australia, so no compromising on the taste even though we are in Malaysia. Gelatissimo Pty Ltd is a 100% Australian owned company that utilises the best of Italian and Australian ingredients to create that real Italian gelato flavour.

They have choices of 1 Flavour cup @ RM 8.90, 2 Flavours @ RM 12.90, 3 Flavours @ RM 16.90. Some might be put off by the price but rest assured that the taste is more satisfying than normal ice-cream and that all the ingredients are specially imported from Australia! That should convince you to give it a try, right?

The array of choices available in this outlet. There’s about 50 or more flavours, and they rotate it around every week. So one week you might see certain flavours and another week it’s could be a totally different display. Feel free to take a scoop or two and try it out before you decide to buy any! They will be pleased to serve you.

3 cup sizes and the packaging provided.

I’m just gonna give you a small peep on how mango sorbet is made. Basically Gelatissimo went through a Sprint Process, then through Extraction, Blast Freezer and finally Decoration. Different places might go through different process but the last 3 method should be somewhat similar.

(for more info of other processes, read this)

From liquid to the creamy gelato 

The spatula used is not something to be kidding about. It has its importance!!

The waves created from the machine and handling of spatula is part of an art and decoration for gelato!

Gelato is not only an Italian ice cream but an art form. From the classic waves that are created right out of the machine, to spatulart, and an array of toppings and garnishes, and plated desserts, the aesthetic gelato creates is just as important to gelato makers as the overall taste. 

Gelato Waves

Gelato waves are the classic way gelato is presented in a pan. The waves are created during the extraction from the batch freezer. The gelato maker takes a gelato spatula (note: gelato is traditionally served with a spatula and not a scooper) and carefully collects the product as it leaves the machine and places in the pan. The technique is to collect the gelato so that it is almost in the form a tear shape and drop it into the pan.

Spatulart

Decorating techniques of gelato are endless with the many varieties of spatulart. More like a sculpting tool then a spatula, spatulart is a flat handheld tool that shapes gelato into various patterns that include shapes, rows, grooves and so much more.

and also have you seen Plated desserts before? (read more) 

Here’s the freshly-made gelato. The mango fragrance is really tantalizing and we were really lucky to be given a spoonful each as it really melts in the mouth!!!

Affogato @ RM 14.90

This is indeed a yummylicious treat. Ever tried something bitter-sweet? This is one of them - The bitterness of illy’s espresso and the sweetness of biscotti flavour gelato. This should be taken not seperately but both together to have the cold-hot, bitter-sweet effect. Real thumbs-up!!!

They use illy espresso (ready-packed)

Sample of the mango shake

Gelatissimo shake @ RM 14.90. They take the mango sorbet and blend it to give you a smooth and creamy shake.

And this is the 2 flavour cup gelato of green tea and Belgian chocolate. It is quite a lot actually and can be shared by 2 person.

Take-away cold-box if you decide to pack it back for your family and friends.

The friendly staff of Gelatissimo. Thanks to Jason and Gill for sending out the invite and to Mr. Hong, the marketing manager for his sharing on gelato!!

And as they say in Gelatissimo, "This temptation is guilt free with sorbet being 100% fat free and premium dairy between 90-97% fat free.".

So what are you waiting for? Give it a try!

Contact:

G-45A, Gurney Plaza, 10250, Penang
Tel: 04-228 0822
http://www.gelatissimo.com.au/ 

GPS:

 5°26.255′ N   100°18.571′ E

Anyway here’s a trivia:
(don’t take it seriously!)

 WHAT YOUR FAVORITE GELATO FLAVOR SAYS ABOUT YOU
Is It True That We Are What We Eat?

Most people know about their IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and many know about their EQ (Emotional Quotient), but how many know about their GQ (Gelato Quotient)?

GQ is a theory based on customer research at PreGel AMERICA that equates favorite gelato flavors with personality types. See what your favorite gelato flavors say about you.