To get to this place, you need to drive all the way from Tanjung Bungah, to Batu Ferringgi and up to Teluk Bahang. You need to drive pass Hard Rock Hotel and Tree Monkey is located about 600 meters away from Hard Rock Hotel which is located next to Tropical Spice Garden.

To access to Tree Monkey Restaurant, you need to climb for about 100 meters up hill. Those with disability and unable to walk, you can always request the owner to allow you to drive to the place that nearer to the restaurant. However, you are not allowed to park there and you still need to get some one to drive your car down.

Upon entering to the restaurant, you will realize that this restaurant has a mixture of modern and also traditional concept.

On the traditional side, this place has a combination of oriental and western concept as well.

The surrounding looks very Balinese and you feel like you are now back to the nature.

Even lamps on the walkway is also Balinese style.

For those who want to have some privacy, there are small huts with table for 4 in each hut at the side of the restaurant.

If dining in a small hut is not your ideal choice, you can also choose to dine under the tree with the nature.

If it is raining, there is always a big sheltered dining area for you to dine comfortably.

Before your meal is served, it is always a good idea to take a stroll around the restaurant to enjoy its beautiful garden.

If you happen to walk up to the pathway which leads to Tropical Spice Museum, you will be stopped by the owner as you need to pay to enter Tropical Spice Garden.

For those who wanted to get some spices or souvenirs, you can always visit the souvenir shop beside.

The decoration at the counter has a very Thai and Balinese Style.

Even the lighting is also very Balinese.

Now back to the feast of the day.

WELCOME DRINK: Sunset Paradise - RM10.00 (only available from 6.00pm-7.00pm). This is a special drink prepared for us and is currently not in the menu yet.

A refreshing tropical fruit mocktail. I could taste a mixture of orange, pineapple and lemon in it.

Sweet and sourish with a very fruity taste. The feeling was very appetizing.

Thai Tapas (choose any types of appetizers served with sweet chili sauce) 8pcs @ RM30, 12 pcs @ RM45, 16 pcs @ RM60 (max 4 pcs on each item)

(There are 12 options on this menu – Thai Toast, Money Bag, Herbs Chicken, Spring Roll, Pandan Chicken, Otak-otak, Mussels Salsa, Lemongrass Stick, Prawn Sarong, Prawn Sabai, Thai Fish Cake & Darling Crab)

• Mussels Salsa – Half shelled mussel steamed with chili lime salsa.
• Otak-otak -Steamed curried seafood paste in banana leaves.
• Prawn Sarong – Deep fried prawn wrapped with crispy rice noodle.
• Spring Roll – Thai crispy vegetables spring roll.
• Money Bag – Golden fried bag of minced chicken & vegetables.
• Prawn Sabai – Deep fried prawn wrapped with spring roll skin.
• Lemongrass Stick – Crumbed minced seafood wiwth lemongrass skewer.
• Thai Toast – Crispy toast with minced chicken & sesame.
• Thai Fish Cake – Deep fried curried fish paste with kaffir lime leaves.
• Pandan Chicken – Marinated chicken wrapped in pine screw leaves.
• Herbs Chicken – Deep fried chicken drumettes with lemongrass.
• Darling Crab – Half shelled crab stuffed with mixed seafood. (Not available in this serving)

This is one of the dishes which includes every thing in a plate. All the items in this plate are delicious. My personal preference are the Lemongrass Stick, Otak-otak and also Pandan Chicken.

A slice of squid which was found inside the otak-otak.

Asian Tapas (Choose any dish, served with 2 portions of Tumeric Rice) 8 dishes @ RM60, 12 dishes @ RM90 (max 2 dishes on each item)

(12 options on menu – Mango Salad, Satay, Nam Tok, Crispy Herbs Fish, Chili Paste Prawn, Sweet Bean Curd, Kang Kung Belacan, Son In Law Egg, Masaman Curry, Panaeng Curry, Tomyum Soup & Tomkha Soup)

• Kang Kung belacan – Stir-fried morning glory with shrimps paste.
• Panaeng Curry – Red curry beef, long bean, eggplants & kaffir lime.
• Crispy Herbs Fish – Deep fried seabass fillet with crispy spices & herbs.
• Sweet Bean Curd – Deep fried bean curd topped with sweet chili sauce.
• Masaman Curry – Red curry chicken, potatoes, onion & cashew nuts.
• Satay – Grilled chicken skewer served with peanut sauce.
• Nam Tok – North Eastern Thai beef salad with shallot & dry chili powder.
• Prawn Chili Paste – Stir-fried prawns with chili paste.
• Son In Law Egg – Deep fried boiled egg topped with tamarind sauce.
• Tomyum Soup – Spicy seafood soup with lemongrass & lime juice (not in this pic).
• Tomkha Soup – Creamy chicken soup with galangal & lemongrass (not in this pic).

The variety of dishes in Asian Tapas is as many as Thai Tapas. The few nice dishes are spicy herb fish, satay, prawn chili paste and Son in Law egg. I have just blogged about Mistress Bun last week and this time I encountered Son in Law Egg, all with the funny names .

Tumaric rice, this is served together with the Asian Tapas set.

Tomyam (left) and Tom Kha (right) soup as below. Thai Soup is also available in ala carte order, pricing is based on serving size and categories of either chicken, seafood or prawn.
Price ranges from small (single bowl) (RM8.80 to RM10.80),  medium (RM10.80 to RM19.80) and fire pot (RM20.80 to RM38.80).

Tom Kha – Creamy Chicken Soup infused with fragance of coconut milk and ingredients like galangal, oyster mushroom and dried chili. I personally prefer this soup over the tomyam, as the soup is more sourish, the spiciness is not too overwhelming and also the taste of the seafood is very rich.

Tomyum soup – Favourite Thai soup of many with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime and chili & lime juice.

Although this soup is not my cup of tea compared to Tom Kha, I find that this soup is full of seafood and very spicy. It is meant for spicy lovers.

While we were relaxing over the hillside and enjoying nice food, at the same time we were also mesmerized by the beautiful sunset. It just took my breath away at that moment.

Thai Coconut Ice Cream (topped with jackfruit and sea coconut seed) – RM8.80. This dessert is very Thai, it helps to cool down your hot sensation after the Thai’s hot and spicy meal.

A romantic setback for a cup of chilling ice cream, with the candle light lantern on the side. Enjoying the orange glow of sunset that is fading away, that is the greatest moment in life.

Spice Tea/Coffee with Condensed Milk (Hot or Cold) – RM8.00

Frankly speaking this spice tea/coffee is not my favourite cuppa. The taste of spices has overwhelmed the original taste of coffee and tea. The cinnamon was too heavy and it has made my tongue felt numb.

Below is the picture of the owner of Tree Monkey Restaurant and also the organizer of this outing event. From left, the owner Mr. Pattkhor, his wife Miss. Wisakha and the organizer Waren.

Overall, the food is great and the ambiance is very relaxing and romantic. This is a great place to get away from the busy city life. There are a lot of parking places available by the road side of the restaurant. There will be free WIFI at this place soon. The only drawback is the accessibility to this restaurant which is not so disable-friendly.

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 (Open Concept)
WIFI Available

Operation hours: 9:00am – 12:00pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 04-881 3494
Address: Lone Craig Villa, Lot 595, Mukim 2, Jalan Teluk Bahang, 11100 Penang.

After a long shopping trip and tiring walking, this stall will release your craving for tasty cold drinks. There is a vast variety of cold drinks for you to choose from, be it fruity yoghurt drinks or bubble milk tea.

 The price list is as below:

Among the many bubble milk teas I have tried in Penang, most of them were unable to compete with the authentic taste from Taiwan. However, the iced pearl milk tea at Each A Cup is one of the very few ones that able to be on par with Taiwan’s standard. The milk tea was not too sweet and was milky yet the tea fragrance was remained. The pearls were chewy unlike other competitors’ which were sticky and soft.

No doubt the name of this stall is e-cekap when speak fast as the drink was served just within 10 seconds after we placed our order. They have special weekly promotions to attract customers. As for this week, the promotion is on Yoghurt Series which cost RM3.00 for any yoghurt drinks and Rm3.50 for Sunrise drinks.

Overall, to quench your thirst in a quick way, this stall is a great option. The taste of the drink is on par with Taiwanese’s preparation style and the hygiene of the stall is well taken care of. It is located inside the mall which is in one of the strategic locations. It is a simple and easy concept stall.

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
WIFI Available

Operation hours: 10:30am – 10:30pm (7 days a week)
Contact: -
Address:1st Floor – North Zone of Queensbay Mall, Penang.

In Penang, there are many places that served Shanghainese Soup Dumpling. However, those that serve quality soup dumpling the price will be very high while the one that serve relatively cheaper soup dumpling the taste is not up to standard.

The place that I am going to introduce below serves great Shanghainese Soup Dumpling, yet the price is the most reasonable you could find in Penang. The name of this restaurant is Viva Dim Sum Delight.

It is not hard to locate Viva Dim Sum Delight corner. Previously it was known as SeahorseFood Court situated beside Chinese Swimming Club in Tanjung Bungah and now it is named as Viva Local Food Heaven and one of the corners is the Dim Sum Delight.

Shanghainese Meat Dumpling (小籠包-RM4.80), this dish is one of the most delicious Chinese delicacies. It is an art to make Shanghainese Meat Dumpling. The general idea is to dip the minced pork balls into pork ribs stock and freeze them. The next day, they are taken out to be individually wrapped into thin flour skin. The dumplings will be steamed to perfection and served in a steaming basket.

Once they are steamed, the meat dumplings would look like any other normal dumplings except that they look slightly watery on the exterior.

Once you have your first bite, the soup from the dumpling will flow into your mouth. Beware when you eat it as the the soup might be hot. The soup from the stock was thick and delicious while the meat was full of flavour.

The “must-have” condiments when serving Shanghainese soup dumpling - ginger slices and vinegar.

The proper way to savour Shanghainese Soup Dumpling is illustrated in the comic below. (Click on the picture to enlarge).

Steamed Bun with Butter Cream & Egg Yolk (特制流沙包-RM4.80). Besides the Shanghainese Soup Dumpling, the steamed bun with butter cream and egg yolk here is also a must try dish.

A bite on the bun will make it burst with milky butter cream like volcano lava. It was hot yet delicious. It is one of my favorites.

Shanghainese “Mistress” Bun (上海二奶包-RM4.80), if you lick other’s mistress’ bun I can’t guarantee your wife will not tear you off. However, if you lick and suck Viva’s mistress bun, your wife surely won’t scold you and in fact she might encourage you to go for more.

The filling of the bun is made of some nice custard-like buttery corn cream.

Baked Hong Kong Style Polo Bun (香港菠蘿包-RM3.80). Besides the “mistress” bun, you could also get some delectable buns with some sweet crust on the surface and barbecue pork within it.

It is indeed a very unique type of dish. However, I personally prefer the inner with creamy butter instead.

Traditional Steamed Glutinous Rice (古法糯米雞-RM3.80), the glutinous rice was stir fried prior to steaming it with pre-cooked chunks of chicken, Chinese sausage and barbecue pork.

Overall, the taste of the glutinous is acceptable, except that I am not sure is this is the traditional method of preparing it.  To me, I find the rice was slightly on the sweet side and the rice was a bit too watery. If the rice was covered with some mushrooms and was less sweet, it would be perfect.

Scallop and Fish Roe Dumpling (鳳眼帶子餃). The dumpling is made from the combination of large prawns, topped with scallops and garnished with fish roe, spring onion stalk and a leaf of coriander.

It was one of the acceptable and edible dim sums. Most importantly the large prawn was fresh.

Dragon Whiskers Roll (龍鬚卷). Inside the deep fried rice noodle were blended avocado, custard cream and butter.

The rice noodle was crunchy while the inner stuffing was sweet and creamy. It was indeed a very sweet delight and was very good for the sweet tooth, but is not my cup of tea.

Steamed Bun with Premium Lotus Paste and Egg Yolk (蛋皇蓮蓉包-RM3.80). There were plenty of finely ground lotus paste and a big salted egg yolk inside the bun.

I just love the salty egg yolk but not the sweet base lotus paste. If the sweetness can be minimized, it would be my top choice.

Steamed Bun with Supreme Barbecued Pork (蜜汁叉燒包-RM3.80), the usual steamed bun stuffed with barbecue pork. This dish is available at almost any dim sum restaurant.

The taste of the barbecue pork was very normal and standard. I have not much comment on this dish.

Crispy Dragon Roll (香脆升龍卷-RM3.80), a giant prawn was wrapped with tofu skin and then deep fried and made into the shape like dragon tails. They were then dipped with mayo sauce and mustard.

The sauce was nice but the tofu skin had been soaked with too much oil when it was deep fried which made the dish too oily.

The price list for the dim sum dishes are as below (click on the picture to enlarge).

The chef was like attending meet-the-press conference when all the bloggers were asking questions.

The assistant chef was helping to answer some of the questions as well.

While the chefs were busy answering the questions, some of the food bloggers were happily browsing someone’s iphone.

Overall, the taste of the food here is acceptable. In fact, some of the selected dishes here are the must-try type. As for pricing, some of the dishes here are very reasonable, while some are not that value for money. My advice, choose wisely for the dishes before placing order. There will be an add-on for RM1.00 for each person when dining in.  There are no worries about parking space availability.

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
WIFI Available

Operation hours: 6:00am – 2:00pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 04-890 2549
Address:Lot 303, Jalan Tanjung Tokong, 10470 Penang, Malaysia.

Although the dinner started on Saturday, 6pm, it was still very hot and sunny out there just like in the noon and many floggers (food bloggers) were busy taking photos on the surrounding.

Strada Caffe serves not only beer and liquor for the people who come to watch football matches…

…they also serve coffee of all ranges for the people who come to this cosy place as a gathering and reunion.

Before the review session began, the owner of Strada had re-emphasized that this place is not meant for fine dining or very delicious food. Instead, this place is more for people to relax, having a cuppa and also some light food.

After the speech, followed by a solo unplugged guitar performance by one of the shareholders.

Besides the usual coffee bean range, Strada Caffe also provides the precious Kopi Luwak or Civet Coffee. Civet coffee, is a coffee made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet and other related civets, then passed through its digestive tract. A civet eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In its stomach, proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids.

Green Garden Salad – RM8.90, the dish was mixed with lettuce, capsicums, onions, croutons, sun flower seeds, eggs and smoked chicken. Finished with house salad dressing. The taste of this green salad was very green indeed and was an acceptable starter.

Seafood Chowder in Bread Bowl – RM15.90. Chunks of seafood were simmered with potatoes, onions, celery, real heavy cream and a touch of butter and served in bread bowl. This dish was very special, but I feel that the price is slightly on the high side.

Kung Pao Chicken – RM9.90. Stir fried with kung pao sauce, served with cashew nuts, sunny side up egg, prawn crackers and rice. It tasted spicy and sourish.

Kam Heong Seafood Combo – RM8.90. Stir fried with kam heong sauce, served with prawn crackers, sunny side up egg and rice. This dish was more spicy compared to Kung Pao.

Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice – RM8.90. Served with prawn crackers, sunny side up egg and chicken wing. The salted fish fried rice was tasty.

Bao Zhiang Mien – RM11.90. Noodle in house-blended gravy, with minced chicken and 3-colored vegetables. The mixture of the gravy and the cold vegetable didn’t really blend well. In fact, after mixing the ingredients together the taste became cold compared to warm. It is not my cup of tea.

Tomyam Seafood – RM8.90. A choice of bee hoon or instant noodles. The taste was more spicy than sour. This is not my cup of tea either.

The Barista was preparing the brew of latte.

A nice decorative cup of latte.

Different types of decoration on the coffee.

Besides coffee there are many types soda and cocktails available.

Strawberry Kiss Frappes – RM8.90. A very standard strawberry milk shake.

• Fluffy Hot Chocolate – RM6.90, the chocolate flavor is not strong enough. It would be better if the chocolate taste is stronger.
• Choco Banana Frappes – RM8.90, acceptable drink for chocolate + banana milkshake.
• Chocolate Chips Frappes – RM8.90. Rich and nice chocolate chip milkshake.

For those who missed out the previous post of mine at Young Heart, please click on the link to recall them. This round of review that was recently held was not on the main dishes like before. In fact, it was more on the new promotion sets. Thanks to Ann, the owner of this restaurant and also Jason from Gourmet Garden for the invited review.

Before the meal was served, the desk had been prepared with tri-seasoning for the food. There were the chili oil, fried onion and also vinegar with ginger slices.

The drinks which were served (from left to right):

• Carrot Juice
• Iced Honey Lemon with Sea Coconut
• Apple Mint Juice with Aloe Vera
• Hot Honey Lemon
• Chrysanthemum Tea

The first promotion, is the set value promotion. The new all day long super value packages, with 15 over specially selected dishes (meat, seafood & vegetables) to choose from. This set includes:

3 Dishes + 1 Soup + Rice/Noodle, Package For Two - RM39.80 only

4 Dishes + 1 Soup + Rice/Noodle ,Package For Four - RM59.80 only

There will be additional plate of Golden Handmade Dumpling complementary to the above sets if you come on Weekdays (Monday – Friday) during dinner time (6pm-8pm).

Package For Two

Chinese Teriyaki Prawns, the prawns had been stir fried with teriyaki sauce and garnished with spring onions and chili slices. It tasted slightly sweet and sour, a very appetizing dish indeed.

Orange Pork Chop, the pork slices were marinated and cooked with home made sauce. The highlight was the orange-flavoured sauce which blended very well with the pork chop. This is one of my preferred dishes.

A Plate of Green, usually the green refers to the vegetable of the day. Today we had been served with stir fried mix veggie of Chinese Cabbage, Lettuce and Carrot Slices. It was a simple but delightful healthy green dish.

Handmade Golden Dumpling, these dumpling were fresh and tasty.

White Rice, the basic commodity to Asians.

Handmade Noodle, the noodles were handmade and mixed with some sesame oil and fried onions. It was so simple yet nice.

Soup of the day, for this round the soup was beet root. It was very tasty and healthy.

Package For Four

Deep Fried Garlic Prawn, they were slightly salty and rich.

Stewed Chestnut Chicken, deliciously marinated chicken stewed with chestnut and garnished with spring onions and lettuce. Yummy.

Stir Fried Winged Bean with Sambal Balacan, green and nutritious. The winged beans were stir fried with sambal balacan.It tasted spicy and slightly salty from the sambal balacan. I just love it.

Stir Fried Broccoli with Mixed Mushrooms, another great mixture of stir fried vegetable. The ingredients of this dish include 2 types of mushrooms, broccoli and some carrots.

Seafood Fried Noodle, mixed with delicious seafood and sauce.

Twin Cauli with Bailing Mushroom in Special Sauce, bailing mushroom tasted like abalone, cooked together with broccoli, carrot, cauliflower and dried scallop in tasty starch. It was a very pleasant dish.

Home Made Young Heart Steamed Tofu, the texture of tofu tasted like egg which was soft and smooth. Cooked with high grade soy sauce and garnished with carrot slices and chives. Another one of my favorite dishes.

Chicken with Dry Sea Product, deliciously marinated chicken cooked with Chinese Nostoc and dried scallops. The chicken was juicy and luscious.

Balacan Roast Pork, the tempting and delicious roast pork were deep fried together with balacan. I feel sinful when taking this dish, due to the fatness and cholesterol. However, I still couldn’t stop taking it as it was so tempting and tasty.

Fiery Hot Noodle, the hand made noodle was cooked with anchovies and hot chili oil, with minced meat and a poached egg. The taste was spicy and hot. No wonder it was named as fiery hot noodle.

Barbican Non-Alcahol Beer, for those that love beer and still not allowed to take alcohol, these beers are specially made for you as they taste like beer yet with no alcohol content. They come in peach flavour.

(Click on the picture to enlarge)

Overall, the taste of food at Young Heart is still up to par from my first post until now and the concept of this restaurant is still the same which is focusing on healthy and tasty food. It is a place to be for families.

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

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Operation hours: 12:00noon – 10pm (Close On Wednesday)
Contact:04-228 8084 / 016410 8098 (Miss Ann Kee)
Address:No 44A, Jalan Cantonment, 10250 Georgetown Penang.

Below post is my trip to Lumut and Sitiawan. This post is not a usual travel post. Instead this is a post that will give you a guide to most of the dishes that are available in Lumut and Sitiawan.

The first post is the mouth-watering Hock Chew creation biscuit in Sitiawan, which is known as “Gong Pian”. To go to this shop, you need to drive to the main road of Jalan Sitiawan from Jalan Lumut.  Once you see Wisma Ganda which houses Courts Mammoth, turn left to the alley which is Jalan Tok Perdana. Just a few metres after turning you will see the shop with the name “Cheong Cia Gong Pian”.

There was a Chinese legendary story saying about a boy who was too pampered by his mom. He was too lazy to do anything and all he needed to do was to sleep on the bed and wait for the food to be fed directly to his mouth by his mom. Until one day, when his mom needed to go back to her own mother’s house, she made him a giant Gong Pian that looks like a donut and placed it on his neck so that he could eat them when she was away. However when her mother came back his son had died off of hunger. He only managed to eat the gong pian within his reach but he was too lazy to reach for the rest of it.

Back to the main topic, this stall is a very old and classic family business stall. It has been on business here for decades which has been passed down from generations.

The specialties of this shop is it has various types of Hock Chew biscuit. Below is the price list:

• Hock Chew Gong Pian (Big) – RM1.00
• Hock Chew Gong Pian (Small) – RM0.70
• Hock Chew Fo Pa (Big) – RM3.40
• Hock Chew Fo Pa (Small) – RM1.70

There are 2 types of Hock Chew Gong Pian, one is sweet base and another one is salty base. The sweet base gong pian is made into a donut shape with lots of sesame seeds sprinkled on top of it.

The taste of the sweet base gong pian is like a crunchy donut skin with bread-like texture.

In contrast, the salty base gong pian is hard and crispy on the outside, while inside is stuffed with salty fried onions.

In fact, the salty taste of the gong pian comes from the salted onion fried in lard which makes it undoubtedly so delicious.

Hock Chew Fo Pa (Torch) biscuit, is one of the Hock Chew clan specialties. The biscuits are made of twisted sticks which are then baked until crunchy. It also brings some slight sweetness taste in it. The best part is the biscuits have no preservatives. Surprisingly, after a few weeks the biscuits still remain crunchy and delicious if kept in a air-tight bottle.

These savoury biscuits are one of the oldest favourites brought by the Hock Chew settlers from China. This shop successfully tweaked the original “Gong Pian” recipe to create what you will find sold at their shop today.

Overall, the taste of the Hock Chew Gong Pian is so special and delicious. In fact I prefer the salty base of Gong Pian biscuit compared to the sweet base one. Unfortunately, this traditional making of Gong Pian has gradually lost its presence in Sitiawan. It has become impossible to have one of such store in Penang.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation

Operation hours: 9:30am-5:00pm (Close on Sunday)
Contact: 019-558 9228
Address:12, Jalan Tok Perdana, 32000 Perak.

The place that I am going to introduce below fulfills the requirement of good service, food and the convenience of parking. It is located at town area at Penang Road inside Cititel Hotel, which is Zhong Hua Restaurant.

To go to Zhong Hua Restaurant you just need to walk directly to the entrance of Cititel Hotel at ground floor and walk until the end of it which you will pass by Kirishima Japanese Restaurant. In fact, if the restaurant is full there is another branch which is located at 1-stop complex which serves the same quality dishes.

This post below consists of 2 different sets of banquets which are semi-budget type and exclusive type.

Semi-budget type banquet (RM250)

The starter of this banquet is the crunchy skin of Peking Duck. The waiter will serve the duck is front of you and slice off all the skin “live”and place it to a plate.

The skin of duck is served together with thin egg slices.

Complete with cucumber sticks and spring onions with chili slices.

The duck skin slice is to be wrapped into the egg slice together with the spring onion and cucumber, accompanied by sweet soya paste. The duck skin was very cruncy with the nice aroma of roast duck. Together with the softness of the egg slice, the juiciness of the cucumber and the strong smell of spring onion and chili, the taste is simply divine.

“A meal is never complete without wine.” This sentence is said by a wise man which I find it quite true.

After having the Peking duck skin, the need is Chinese Water Crescent Soup. The taste was quite delicious.

The next dish will be the mix veggie with tofu. The ingredients are green peas, mushroom, carrot, cauliflower and tofu. It is then finished with starch. The taste is acceptable with slight sweet base.

Fried Kailan is a very simple dish with some salt and Chinese wine, it is done. The dish is simply good.

Fried Duck Meat with Zhong Hua Style Specialties, garnished with spring onions. The dish is cooked with dark sauce and some secret recipe with slight spiciness of the meat and it is tasty.

Steamed Garupa, a simple steamed garupa without any other additional ingredients other than fried chopped onion, soya sauce and sprinkle of spring onion and chives on top. The fish was fresh and the simple cooking made the fish stands out.

Exclusive type banquet (RM500)

Besides the semi-budget type of banquet, Zhong Hua Restaurant also provides exclusive type of banquet. As for starter, there is always the usual 5 cold/hot dishes to kick off. The dishes include marinated baby squid, dark sauce fried chicken, deep fried spring roll and pork slices with cashew nuts. The taste was like the usual starter from most of the restaurants.

The next will be shark’s fin soup with crab meat. The taste and the look of the shark’s fins were real and the amount was generous.

Next to come is the highlight of the exclusive banquet. It is the deep fried suckling pig skin. The skin of the suckling pig was cut into small pieces. To eat this, it is best to combine with sweet soya paste. The slices were so crunchy and melted in your mouth.

The next was the Steamed Garupa Fish, this dish was the same as the previous semi-budget banquet.

Next was the Baked Cheesed Prawn. The prawn was very fresh. The combination of saltiness and richness from the cheese was very delicious. However, I find it abit overwhelming as I was already feeling full at that time.

After the skin of the auckling pig had been served, the meat was taken to deep-fried with salt and pepper. It was simply delicious,  Deep Fried Suckling Pig With Salt and Pepper.

Next on the menu, the Abalone Mushroom with mushrooms and broccoli. There were 2 types of mushroom in the dish and the ingredients were covered with starchy and tasty gravy. It is great to have this after all the meats.

Fried Bee Hoon, for those who has got room for food, this dish is specially designed for you to fill up the gap in your stomach.

Last but not least, Honeydew Melon Cream with Sago. It was a refreshing ending with sweet honeydew and sago.

Overall, the food here is acceptable and there are a lot of parking space around the hotel. There is another branch available which is at 1-stop if this place is fully booked.  The service and the presentation here are up to standard. For those that looking for a place to invite your customers or family and you need some privacy, this might be your choice.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

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

Operation hours: 11:00am – 3:00pm; 6:00pm – 10:00pm (Mon – Sat), 9:00am – 3:00pm; 6:00pm – 10:00pm (Sun)
Contact: 04-818 2268, 012-428 9329 (Doris Ng)
Address: Ground Floor Of Cititel Hotel Penang, 66, Jalan Penang, 10000 Penang.

The name of the restaurant is called First Famous Restaurant, it is located at Lorong Susu. To go to this place you need to drive through Macalister Road. Once you see Menara Umno on your right and before arriving at Dim Sum Food Restaurant you need to turn left to Jalan Kak Chuan. Once arriving at Jalan Irving turn right to Lorong Susu.

The boss of this stall Eddie, is a very friendly person. Once arrived at the shop he will ask you what do you want to eat and he will get someone to lead you to your seat.

One of the main reasons that the skin of the roasted duck is so crispy is because it is deep fried in a boiling oil right before it is served.

The color of the barbecue pork is very natural, rather than the artificial colouring that most of the stalls are using.

Roasted Duck Rice – RM3.50 per plate. The taste of the roasted duck was very delicious. The skin was very crispy and the meat was juicy and succulent. The sauce mixed well with the duck meat and the style of roasted duck is abit like the “Pi Pa Duck”.

The cut of the duck is in chunk as well. However to some people, this might not be too attractive as the deep-fried crunchy skin might taste a little too over done. But I am cool with the taste as I love the crunchiness of the skin and succulent of the meat.

Barbecue Pork Rice – RM3.50 per plate. The barbecue pork was well marinated with fresh thyme, garlic clove, honey and some lime.

The taste was delicious, especially the gravy that topped on top of the barbecue pork together with spring onion as garnish. The chili sauce is a great complement to the dish if you are a fan of chili sauce.

“Chai Boey” (in Hokkien) soup is a complement with any order of duck or pork rice.

There were plenty of vegetables in the soup and all the vegetable were in very big portion. The soup tasted slightly sweet and sour, which some people didn’t like the sweet taste. However, for me it is an excellent and appetising starter.

Overall, this place serves great duck and barbecue pork rice. However, different people have different taste. Not everyone will appreciate the taste of the duck and “chai boey” here. The place can cater 20 – 30pax which is quite cozy inside. There are 2 drawbacks to this place, first the cooking by the coffee shop is done right at the back of the dining area which makes the surrounding smelly and oily. Secondly, there are not many parking spaces available. Either you have to go earlier or later to be able to find a proper parking space.

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: 11:30am – 9:30pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 016-454 5847 (Eddie)
Address:No 3, Lorong Susu, 10400 Penang.