Steven Goh's Penang Food, Budget Travel and Unique Lifestyle

Kang Beef House, Jelutong – Variety Of Beef Supplies

March 9, 2010 – 2:33 pm

The number of Penangites taking beef is very less. Partially due to the restriction of certain religions. I was told by a senior person that if you are a follower of Goddess of Mercy, your prayers will not be answered if you consume beef. I am the one of the followers, but still beef is one of my favorite meat especially when they are cooked in medium rare. No wonder my prayers were not answered when I am asking to be a millionaire.

Though there are many restrictions to beef, there is one good place for beef lovers. In fact, this place serves variety of beef in different dishes and style. The name of this shop is called “Kang Beef House”. It is located at Perak Lane. If you are driving from Penang Bridge to town via Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim, you will come to a junction which will turn left to Perak Lane and right to Jalan Jelutong. Take the left turning where you will see the Police station is on your left. Keep driving for another 20 metres and you will see Kang Beef House on your right.

Kang Beef House is located within the town area. It is very easy to be spotted if you are driving via Jalan Jelutong. However, finding a parking space will be a challenge for those who visited this place during dinner time.

Mr. Kang was busy preparing the beef dishes. This beefy business has been passed down from grandfather to father. They were known as the beef specialists.

Crystal Beef Fried Rice (+ Meat Ball Soup) – RM12.80. You might think that this is a very normal fried rice with some slices of beef and some chili and veggie as garnish. However, this is not what you think. There is some meaning for the crystal. The fried rice had the texture of crunchiness rather than the usual rice texture. I have the feeling that the crunchiness of rice is either deep fried rice or dried rice.

Black Pepper Beef – RM15.00 (S), RM28.00 (B), the beef had been sliced into pieces and were fried with black pepper sauce. The tenderness of the meat was soft and the black pepper was not too overwhelming. Although to some the starch might not be enough, but to me the taste was just find and it was delicious.

Crispy Beef Ball (6pcs) – RM4.80. It was quite unique that the meat balls were covered with croutons and flour and then brought to deep fried. Dipping the beef balls with their home made chili sauce was very delightful.

Beef Koay Teow – RM6, 8, 10, 12, 15 is one of the koay teow soup which had a mixture of various beef parts like beef slices, meat balls and some intestines. The bowl shown below was the largest bowl. You can always order for smaller one if you think you couldn’t finish it.

For those that don’t eat beef, there is always other option for you to try out. The Dry Fried Hor Fun Kosong is one of it. There was no pricing available for this dish as they seldom provide this unless requested. This was a purely vegetarian dish. The Hor Fun was fried with mushrooms and bean curd.

Other than all the dishes above the one which is the most famous here is the Beef Steamboat – RM20.oo each person. The soup base of the steamboat was boiled with radish and preserved vegetable. The taste was slightly sour and salty. It was very suitable to be cooked with red meat.

The ingredients for the steamboat include:

Tenderloin, one of my favorites. Texture was soft and tender, tasted great when dipped in the hot steamboat.

Raw Meat

Beef Intestines

Beef Tripes

Sirloin

Beef Balls

Beef Ribs

Enoki Mushrooms

The preparation of steamboat is very simple. First make sure the water is boiled and then place all the meat inside the hot pot and wait for it to be cooked.

For those who do not want their beef slices to be overcooked, use your chopsticks to dip the meat into the pot for 30 seconds.

Steve Kang, one of the marketers for Kang Beef House. Special thanks for his arrangement of this review.

Overall, the food here is nice and the service is great. This place is specially dedicated to beef lovers. However, the price of the beef is a bit pricey compared to pork and parking is a constraint for patrons.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room

Operation hours: 12:00pm – 2:30pm; 4:30pm – 10:00pm (Close on Tuesday)
Contact: 04-2810892
Address:474, Jalan Jelutong, 11600 Penang.

stevengoh |

Penang Food |

Comments (3)

Inexpensive and Cozy Dining @ The Sun Restaurant, Macalister Road

March 4, 2010 – 2:38 pm

Some one asked me last week whether I know where is The Sun. I replied, The Sun newspaper that I read everyday? Some more that person replied “No, the Sun is just beside Guang Ming Yit Poh”(Guang Ming Daily Press). Again, I replied “Ya I know both of them are newspapers and I also read Guang Ming occasionally.” Then that person shot me back, ”The Sun also you don’t know, some more claim yourself as a food blogger.” Gosh! I hate it when some one said like that to me. In that case, don’t ask me for food direction next time?

Anyway, back to the main topic. The restaurant which I am going to introduce this round is located at Macalister Road. If you are driving from Komtar to Pulau Tikus via Macalister Road you will see Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Centre on your left.

The Sun, Spring Chamber is located inside Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Center. To be exact it is just beside the main hall.

The big signboard on top of this restaurant is known as @ The Sun. However the entrance signboard says Spring Chamber. Therefore, I am not sure which is the name for this restaurant.

Once we entered the restaurant, it welcomes you with its east meets west decoration. The ornaments were still very reddish and there were Chinese New Year songs playing throughout the dining time.

Other than the oriental style deco, the layout of the table is very Western style.

The welcome drinks were served once our order had been placed. The drink was a combination of Sarsi + 7up with no alcohol content at all. The taste was kinda sweet and it might not be suitable for those who dislike sweet.

The Set Dinner at this place was very reasonable and delicious. For couples looking for a quiet environment while enjoying fine dining, this is the place to be where the set dinners are priced at RM38 Nett (inclusive tax) per set.

Below are the options for set dinners:

Starter option:

Wasabi Mayo Tempura Prawn with Mesclun or
Soup of The Day

The prawns were coated with flour and deep-fried. They were then served with cherry tomatoes and topped with wasabi mayo sauce and also thousand island sauce. The taste was appetizing.

The soup of the day was creamy mushroom soup. The mushrooms were chopped into fine pieces and cooked together with pinch of chopped rosemary. The fragrance of rosemay was not too overwhelming while you could still taste the mushrooms.

The main course options:

Grilled rib-eye tarragon demi glazed served with mashed potato or
Pan fried salmon Kikkoman cream served with boiled potato or
Grilled chicken oriental barbecue sauce served with potato wedges

As for the main course, I tried 2 of them. The one below is the Pan Fried Salmon Kikkoman Cream. What makes this dish special is the sauce. It contains cheesy flavor, and yet not too rich which is quite unique for a salmon steak sauce. The salmon was also very fresh.

Besides Salmon, the Grilled Rib-Eye Tarragon Demi Glazed served with mashed potato was also delicious. The rib-eye steak cooked in medium rare served with custom mix sauce which has some similarity to brown sauce was excellent. The meat almost melted in your mouth as you chewed. The steak here is one of the must try in town other than The Ship.

Dessert Options:

Carrot Walnut Cake or
Chocolate Brownies Cake

This was a very rich and creamy cake. If you feel not enough after the main course, this is the best option to finish off your meal. It was full with chocolate flavor.

Carrot Walnut Cake actually contained both carrot and walnut. The taste of carrot was not very obvious and you can feel the crunchiness of walnut. For those who prefer a less-rich cake, this is a better option.

The finishing of a set meal with coffee or tea is the norm for every restaurant, including The Sun. I couldn’t complain much as I’m a coffee-lover.

Now let’s take a look at the other side of the restaurant. There was an open-air dining area linking to the main hall. This place in Chinese is called “Xiao Lan Ting”, translated as “Small Dixx Square” in English.

The corridor to the washroom is full with old time posters.

This is the beer poster. I wonder how did the “Tiger” poster look like at that time?

Toilet for gentlemen…

Toilet for the ladies…

Very unique place for guy to pee, the antique urine bowl…

Outstanding basin…

Overall, the place is cosy. The food is nice and the price is reasonable. I can’t find a reason not to return to this place.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room

Operation hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm (Close on Monday and Public Holidays)
Contact: 04-226 5181 (Mr. Ooi)
Address: Sun Yat-Sen Centre, 65 Macalister Road, 10400 Penang.

stevengoh |

Food Western, Meal Dinner, Meal Lunch, Penang Food, Place Georgetown, State Penang, With Pork Free |

Comments (6)

Ho Town, Kulim @ Delicious Chai Kuih In Town

February 22, 2010 – 4:25 pm

I still remember the last trip when I visited Kulim, my customer brought me to a place with a similar name as Old Town. When he told me that “We have Ho Town in Kulim now”, I simply replied “I know” and after he brought me to this place it is not the usual Old Town but is Ho Town instead.

To locate Ho Town is not very difficult. If you are exiting from BKE and heading to Kulim High Tech Park, take the exit to Lunas and turn right to Jalan Lunas. Keep driving for about 30 metres and watch out for Ho Town which is on your left.

Ho Town is a place to get away from the hassle city. Although this place has the similarity of some of the franchisee style restaurant, they still have their own unique selling point.

They have the Hainanese-style coffee and the aroma was very thick. Coffee, Hot – RM1.80. Coffee, Ice – RM2.00. For those who prefer cold drinks, Mango Ice Blended – RM3.20 would be a refreshing drink to have.

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stevengoh |

Food Chinese, Meal Dinner, Meal Lunch, Meal Teatime, State Kedah |

Comments (7)

Lekker Claypot House, Prai – Delicious Claypot Rice

February 13, 2010 – 12:42 am

Talking about claypot rice or claypot curry, this post is about the one which is really famous and also one of the most delicious claypot dishes served in Penang.

The location of this place is at Chai Leng Park, Prai. If you are driving from the Penang Bridge to Chai Leng Park, you need to make a U turn on the flyover before entering to Chai Leng Park. Once turn left to Chai Leng Park, make another left turn on the first exit. Keep driving until about 300 meters and you will see Leng Heong Coffee Shop just on your left and Lekker Claypot House is just located at the shop.

Keep Reading »

stevengoh |

Food Asian, Food Chinese, Food Hawker, Meal Lunch, Meal Teatime, Penang Food, Place Gelugor, State Penang |

Comments (0)

Shin Ki Xiang Bak Kut Teh, Taman Maju Jaya @ Bukit Mertajam – Best Dry Bak Kut Teh

February 5, 2010 – 1:17 am

It has been a while seen my last blog about bah kut teh. The main reason is due to the extremely hot weather recently and also partially I am not a very big fan of bak kut teh.

However, I was invited by Criz to visit a new opening of bak kut teh shop which is located at Bukit Mertajam. The exact location of the shop is at Pusat Perniagaan Maju, Bukit Mertajam. If you are heading from Penang Bridge, the abandoned Mayang Mall is on your right. Head straight and you will see Wah Lee Electronic on your left, turn left to the junction and you will see Lorong Maju 2 on your right. Move another 20 metres ahead and you will see Shin Ki Xiang on your left.

Shin Ki Xiang Bak Kut Teh shop is branched out originally from Klang. The owner is also originally from KL and he is a professional in preparing bak kut teh. There are two options of bak kut teh, the soup and the dry version. The taste of the soup base was very normal. However, the dry type is the one that I wanted to emphasize.

Keep Reading »

stevengoh |

Food Asian, Food Chinese, Meal Dinner, Meal Lunch, Penang Food, Place Bukit Mertajam, State Penang |

Comments (13)

Pulau Payar, Langkawi Coral – Relaxing with Modeling

January 25, 2010 – 9:29 am

Lazing at the beach, drinking fresh coconut juice, enjoying the sea breeze, getting a good sun tan and watching girls passing by with bikini’s have always been a dream for me. This is what I am wishing for during my retirement time, nothing to worry about life and financial, dining without looking at the figure and so on. Well, this is my long term goal of life.

(Stefanie Chuah, Miss Malaysia/World 2009, Runner Up)

However, there is a break away which can fulfill all the requirements above. Packing up a few dresses which include your swimwears, prepare RM180 for the ticket and heading to Pulau Payar.

There are only 2 places that able to depart to Pulau Payar, one is Langkawi and the other one is Swettenham Pier, near Penang port.

It is indeed quite a long journey to depart from Penang port to Pulau Payar. The duration of travel takes approximately 2 1/2 hours. My advice, prepare some snacks and breakfast for your journey would be a wise choice.

Instead of sleeping during the whole journey, you can always walk to the deck of the boat to have a wonderful view back to Penang. What a beautiful island, from far.

If you are feeling tried after watching scenery, you can always take a short nap during the journey. Remember to beware of your outlook, someone is dripping saliva when sleeping.

The boat will drop you at the Pulau Payar platform upon arriving. The platform is quite big and stable.

Keep Reading »

stevengoh |

Food Asian, Food Western, Meal Lunch, State Kedah, The Lifestyle, Travel, With Pork Free |

Comments (6)

Suffolk House Restaurant, Jalan Air Itam – Classy and Exclusive

January 19, 2010 – 4:51 pm

It has been a very long time I heard about Suffolk House and was requested to blog about this place from many readers. Unfortunately, it is a bit difficult for me as this place is more of a “high class and exclusive” one. Therefore, I only took some of the pictures of the surrounding but not dining area. Until recently, I found out that dining at different time will require different level of spending. Follow this post and you will know what I mean.

I was told by one of my friends that dining at Suffolk House Restaurant during dinner requires about RM100 ++ per pax, which is a bit out of my budget. Even the set lunch is about RM70++ per pax. However, it is so coincident that I dropped by to this place on a sunny afternoon to check out the location. It was a great finding for me to learn that teatime for 2 persons is for RM64++. At first I thought it is out of my budget again until I checked out the quality of food they served, it is worth the money.