Buzzing with FOOD

Now on to the food available in Noodle Station. For a look at what beverages they have, look here.

With over 70 items to choose from, here are some of the more widely ordered dishes. 

Curry Springy Noodle With Prawn & Fish Ball (No. 25) @ RM 7.50
Springy Noodle Soup With Tom Yam Seafood (No. 32) @ RM 7.50

This two dishes came out first. Curry was a little tad salty and tomyam was sweet instead of hot+spicy. Nevertheless these two are the more popular dishes here. I do agree too that these two are some of the better choice to order.

Curly noodles are used in all their noodles dishes. Not as springy as I thought it would be.

Fried Springy Noodle With Thai Style- Spicy (No. 40) @ RM6.50
Fried Springy Noodle With Prawn- Non Spicy (No. 39) @ RM6.50

 Look almost the same except that one is in a darker shade than the other. I know ‘al-dente’ does not cover this kind of noodle category but not al-dente is what I feel about these two dishes. There’s also not much ingredients other than a few prawns and greens.

Springy Noodle With Fried Chicken Dumpling (No. 7) @ RM 6.50

It’s a little dry and that’s why this dish is accompanied by a small bowl of clear soup. I think making the soy sauce seasoning more fragrant will enhance the noodle’s taste.

 Springy Noodle With BBQ Honey Whole Leg Chicken (No. 15) @ RM 8.00

The first look of this dish is indeed impressive but as you dig in, you’ll realise that the whole leg drumstick is a little of a hindrance. Chopping it into a few pieces but presented it in the same way will make it more realistic I think.

Spicy Fried Kuey Teow (No. 44) @ RM6.00

Before I talk about the koay teow, compare the drumstick below with the one above. What’s the difference? Shinny right? It’s the wonders of honey!!

The spicy fried koay teow taste ok but as we all know, Penangnites are spoilt with great choices for char koay teow. But this version is of course halal and that’s a plus point for some.

Fried Rice With Prawn (No. 53) @ RM6.00
Tom Yam Fried Rice With Prawn (No. 54) @ RM6.50

Both fried rice lack the thorough frying effect. The tomyam version has more flavour than the normal version but the tomyam paste seems a little too much.

Ladna Kuey Teow (No. 45) @ RM6.50
Fried Yellow Noodle Hokkien Style Kicap Hitam (No. 49) RM6.50

Dishes such as these two seem very little when served but this is actually due to the plate size, not the portion. If you prefer something not too dry, then try it. Can’t fight the hawker version though.

Honey BBQ Chicken Wing- 6pcs (No. 72) @ RM14.50
Fried Chicken Dumpling- 10pcs (No. 73) @ RM5.00

The BBQ chicken wings are of the same style as the whole drumstick served with the springy noodles. I feel it’s a little dry, i.e. not juicy. The fried dumplings is very crispy but the filling is quite little. Nevertheless, it makes a good finger food!!

Super Sandwich With Smoke Turkey (No. 67) @ RM7.50
Chicken Chop With Brown Sauce (No. 57) @ RM10.90

If you want to take something light, then go for the sandwich. I like the fact that they use the thick ‘roti benggali’ style of bread and lightly toast it. The chicken cop is one of the western food dish available here. I don’t fancy the brown sauce and funny thing is that a fried egg is served with this dish.

Overall, Noodle Station does serve with it’s mission of providings food with fast service. Lots of choices and and cafe-dining concept is a plus point here. Food-wise, some hits and misses, but with further improvements, they should be able to cope in this business.

Here are some of the branches available across the country. 

Noodle Station at Kulim Landmark Central Shopping Complex. This complex also housed the Giant supermarket. So if you are unsure how to reach this place, do look out for Giant’s signboard along the road to this area.

Noodle Station started from Kota Bharu, Kelantan in 2005. Their concept is to create a dining place of fresh food with fast service at an affordable price.

The first branch opened in E-Gate, Penang and soon after, many other branches have mushroomed, from northern region (Sunway Carnival Mall Penang, Taiping Central) to central region (Ampang, Setapak, Subang Jaya, Damansara, Kajang, etc.)

Part of the Menu. There’s over 70 (food) and 100 (beverage) items to choose from. Talk about extensive!!!

(click to view a larger image)

I’m going to do something a little different here. The beverages standard will be based on awards I’ve come up with (IMHO). So feel free to interpret the goodness or worth-ordering factor!! (Not all beverages are featured and given award. The complete serving are shown in 2 photos above)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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??

Ultimaxx Cafe has opened its doors for business for quite a few months already, so I suggested this place to my friend when we ran out of ideas what to have in Queensbay. This shop is located behind HSBC Bank and just beside Queensbay Mall. You will see this cafe if you come out from the side entrance of the Mall.

Blur photo of the building as I was running for shelter due to the sudden drizzle.

Very simple setting but adequate for a normal meal and drinks with friends. The cafe has a small stage too, but no idea if there’s any singers/band performing.

The funny thing about this place is that during daytime, there are hawker stalls like economy rice/chicken rice but in the evening, the cafe’s kitchen is open for business.

Menu consist of mostly western food

Fish & Chips (RM 8.50)

Standard kind of western food you will find at hawker stalls selling western food. The fish fillet has a crispy outer layer.

Grilled Fish (RM 8.50)

Fish fillet lightly grilled. Taste a little bland that’s why I keep pouring chilli sauce in my plate. And the portion also looked much smaller than the fish served in the fish and chips.

Maxx’s Stir Fried Rice (RM 5.50)

Enough ‘wok hei’ and quite a big portion. One of the better choices here. Sambal belacan is served with this dish.

Hainanese Fried Mee (RM 5.50)

Something like hokkien char. This plate was swiped clean, so I guess it should be tasteful enough.

There’s very little choices here but the good thing is that there’s no service charge!! 

 Contact:

~ 

A continuation on the offerings of 75° C Restaurant & Bar. To view the beverages choices, click here.

(The descriptions below in orange are as written in the menu)

Snack selection:

Tempura Calamari (RM 8.50)

Very crispy and the calamari does not taste rubbery. A good snack to start off the meal.

Tempura Prawns  (RM 9.90)

Crunchy outer layer and juicy prawns added with thousand island sauce. This is also good as it was snapped up in seconds!!

Fish Cocktail (RM 8.50)

Blended fish made into balls and deep fried. I would prefer the earlier two snacks to this as this lacks a definitive taste of fish. (it could be my tastebuds/preference)

Cheesy Garlic Bread (RM 6.90)

Very crispy externally but the softness remains inside. And the cheese + garlic is a great combination to this simple yet wonderful dish.

Mushroom Bruschetta (RM 7.90)

The word bruschetta comes from the Italian term "to roast over coals." So, the most important part is to toast the bread.  You can make different variations of bruschetta. One possibility is to rub the bread with a cut tomato after rubbing it with garlic. You can also make a salsa for the bread. Chop some ripe tomatoes, then cut some fresh basil. Put the tomato and basil into a bowl. Add a little olive oil, and then spread a thin layer of the salsa onto the bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.
video on how to make  bruschetta

Stewed mushroom served with butter toasted baguette. If you are aiming to get a light meal, then this would be a reasonable choice. The stew is made with a few different kinds of mushrooms and herbs.

Lamb Bruschetta (RM 8.90)

This one has a stronger flavour than the mushroom stew. The lamb was very tender and fully infused with herbs.

Salad dish selection:

Chef’s Salad (RM 11.90)
Mix garden green with cherry tomato, onion, black olive, tuna flakes and filament stick served with thousand island sauce.

Very fresh greens mixed and topped with tuna and thousand island sauce. Oh and the olives, I love olives!!!

Crispy Chicken Salad (RM 12.90)
Deep fried chicken in mix garden green, cherry tomato, onion, black olive served with oriental dressing.

Same kind of salad as the chef’s salad but this is added with deep fried chicken pieces. This is for those who want a balance of some greens and some meat as a meal!!

I can’t help but see the little similarity of this and the chicken ban ban in Heaven Delights (Penang Times Square)

Soup dish selection:

Creamy Tomato & Bacon (RM 6.90)

Sourish tomato puree with bits of bacon. It has a thick consistency and whips up our appetite with its sour taste!

Creamy Mushroom (RM 6.90)

I like this among the three. It’s very creamy with a strong flavour of wild mushroom and herbs.

Oxtail (RM 8.50)

After tasting the two above, this is quite mild.

Sandwiches/Burger dish selection:

Turkey Fresco (Rm 12.90)
Toast butter croissant add in smoked turkey roll, lettuce, cucumber and tomato served with french fries.

Fresh greens with crunchy croissant and fragrant ham makes a good combination to this dish. The french fries is sprinkled with chilli powder.

Hamburger Delight (Rm 16.90)
Grill juicy beef burger, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion and cheese served with french fries.

The hamburger was a winner in this category (according to others as I didn’t managed to get a bite - it disappeared so fast!). The grill beef patty was very thick and satisfied the craving for a meaty sandwich! The baked cheese on top adds a bursting flavour to this delight (living up to its name).

Tuna Supreme (RM 12.90)
Toasted butter croissant add in tuna and filament mayo, lettuce, tomato and cucumber served with french fries.

Same set as the Turkey Fresco but with tuna as the filling instead. I would prefer the turkey fresco to this as the filling is rather moist and missing the chunky tuna pieces. But for those who are into tuna, you can give it a try.

Cheezy Beef (RM 15.90)
Saute beef slice, onion and mushroom add on roasted pepper baked with cheese, served with french fries.

Did not try this but others mentioned that taste-wise, it’s nothing spectacular.

Pasta dish selection:

Alla Carbonara (RM 10.90)
Saute beef bacon and capsicum add in cream sauce served with spaghetti.

This also totally disappeared soon after photo shoots. It’s either really great or some wants to get rid of it fast! From the looks it’s creamy enough. I guess it should taste as good as it looks.

Aglio Olio (RM 15.90)
Saute garlic, mix herb and chilli flake with olive oil add in tiger prawn served with spaghetti.

This is a little spicy and one of the dish which I enjoyed. There’s a mixture of ham slices, brinjals (eggplants) but not sure if I spotted any tiger prawns though.

Alla Marinara (RM 16.90)
Thai style tomato sauce add in mix seafood served with spaghetti

This dish is quite dry and the tomato sauce is nothing exceptional.

Baked Cheezy Seafood (RM 16.90)
Small shell pasta served with mix seafood and creamy tomato sauce

Looks good but not recommended in my sense as it has a funny taste -  like fishy taste to it. And it’s also very creamy and since it’s cheese baked, it’s better to eat it while it’s hot from the oven.

Fish dish selection:

Fish and Chips (RM 10.90)
served with french fries, mix lettuce and tartar sauce

Deep fried fish fillet and french fries - a classic I would say.

Lemon Butter Fish (RM 12.90)
served with french fries, mix lettuce and lemon cream sauce

Similar to the fish and chips in every sense except with the addition of lemon cream sauce. The sauce is kind of diluted and taste quite bland.

Tagarashi Salmon (RM 17.90) (below left)
Grill roll salmon, mash potato ratatouille with mix lettuce, served with curry cream sauce

This salmon is uniquely rolled with seaweed in the inner ring and added with curry cream sauce. I did not taste any strong flavour of curry, just creamy. As salmon is naturally quite dry and bland, the sauce should be more flavourful to cover the dryness, while the seaweed comes in to cover the bland part.

Lamb/Beef dish selection:

Lamb Cutlet (RM 22.90)
Served with mash potato, ratatouille, mix lettuce and mint yogurt sauce

The mint sauce is a special addition to the lamb cutlet and taste quite good. (By know you would have realise too that they like to garnish their dish with carrot strips very much!!)

I can’t help but photograph this nice-looking cube of mash potatoes topped with ratatouille. Only the two dishes above are served with this mash potatoes + ratatouille side dish. It was quite engrossing eating it, spoonful after spoonful.

The only dish served in a hot plate is this Jacuzzi Beef (left pic).

Jacuzzi Beef (RM 17.90)
Served in hot place with french fries and black pepper sauce

The beef slices was stir-fried with onions and mushrooms before black pepper sauce is poured on top of it and served in a hot plate. I feel that the black pepper sauce is actually not spicy and fragrant enough.

Spice Lamb Leg (RM 18.90)
Served with rosemary potato, mix lettuce and pineapple JD sauce.

The lamb was tender and goes very well with the potatoes which is sauteed with butter and rosemary.

Chicken dish selection:

Black Pepper Mushroom Chicken (RM 10.90)
Served with french fries, mix lettuce and mushroom pepper sauce

Same sauce as the jaccuzi beef, hence lack in spiciness and fragrance as mentioned earlier. This dish is something normal which can be cooked at home or found in other western food restaurants/stalls. 

Roasted Chicken Drumstick (RM 15.90)
Served with rosemary potato, mix lettuce and orange ginger sauce

The sauce of orange and ginger combination is indeed something different and adds some zing to the roasted drumstick. Sauteed potato with rosemary comes as the side dish.

Chicken Chop (RM 10.90)
Served with french fries, mix lettuce and oriental sauce

The drumstick is deep-fried and maintained its crispiness even after being drowned in oriental sauce for quite some time before we started eating.

Teriyaki Chicken (RM 15.90)
Served with saute potato, mix lettuce and teriyaki cream sauce

Teriyaki by name but I can hardly savour any teriyaki taste. And it’s also a little dry.

Overall, the ambiance of this restaurant is good (albeit the hotness during day time), the beverages served are really interesting and covers a wide range, the food presentation is good and taste-wise, there’s some hits and miss but averagely it’s considered not bad for new emerging western restaurants.

 This restaurant can be clearly seen at the stretch of Gurney Drive, being neighbours to Coffee Island Cafe and also Khaleel Restaurant. This place serves western cuisine and a 10% service charge is applied.

~