First of all, I need to thank CK Lam for the arrangement of this review and also enable us to have the chance to try out this delicious Korean cuisine.

It is not hard to locate this restaurant, if you are driving to Gottlieb road from Greenlane, you will see “Peng Hwa” Penang Chinese Girl High School on your left and there is a row of shops on your right and that place is called New Bob Center. At the left corner of New Bob Center, you will see the Korean restaurant called Sa Rang Chae. I remember there was a Korean restaurant (Arirang) here before and it has been taken over by Sa Rang Chae.

As soon as we arrived, our table was full with all the side dishes. There wasn’t even an empty space to place our rice bowl also. It looked just like a feast which will last for 3 days and 3 nights.

The side dishes are complementary from the main courses and they are all free and refillable.

The kimchi and the pickled raddish had the authentic Korean taste. Usually the one that I tried in other restaurants were abit sweet and not as spicy. However, this one was really spicy and tasted not as sweet compared to the OEM version of kimchi.

Maewoon Kalbi  (Spicy Pork Rib Stew) – RM30, This is my favorite. This hot pot of stew consisted of pork ribs, korean glass noodles. The soup base had been cooked with ginseng, dong gui and red dates. The strong aroma of herbs from the soup made my mouth watery. The spiciness of this hot stew is still acceptable and the base had some slight sweetness from the red dates and pork ribs.

Dakgalbi (Spicy Grilled Chicken) – RM50, if you tell me that you can really take spicy food, tell me about that again. Dakgalbi is one of the most spicy food I have taken. The level of spiciness is very different from Maewoon Kalbi. For maewoon kalbi it will spice up your tongue while dakgalbi will heat up your throat and will stuck there for long time. Moreover, Mr. Kim the owner told us this is just the first level of spiciness, are we still strong enough for that?

Spicy Hot Seafood Stew – RM80, the ingredients in the stew included crabs, mussels, squids, scallops and prawns. It is indeed a real seafood stew. However, this is not very suitable for a person with high cholesterol. This stew also came with a lot of excitement and happiness, you will be crying out of appreciation after having this stew.

Modeum BBQ Set – RM150 This set was made up of beef ribs, pork ribs (marinated), pork belly, chicken, flower crabs, prawns, squids and clams. You might think that this would be very expensive. However, the portion can really feed 4 to 5 persons and the ingredients given were really value for money. This time the BBQ was not as spicy as the stew.

The dip for the BBQ, the right one was similar to sesame oil and the other one was a sweet and sour sauce.

Sesame leaves were given as an option to wrap the barbecue meat.

Gentlemen it’s time to start up your engine.

Ladies please be prepared to burn some meat.

Jokbal, Glazed pig’s feet – RM70, besides BBQ, Mr. Kim told us that many Koreans came here for the pork leg. The portion has been standardized to one size and each can feed 3 to 4 persons. The tender of the meat was just nice and with the layers of some fat and big portion of meat made me couldn’t stop eating it.

Ojingeo Samgyeopsal Bokkeum – RM30, This is Stir Fried Squid and Pork Belly, extremely spicy dish. The combination of soft pork belly and chewy stir fried squid really made a great combination. However the spiciness has overwhelmed the whole dish.

Soju, Korean wine – RM25, it really went well with the BBQ. For alcohol lover, it is a must-order if you had BBQ or pork leg.

Thanks to the sweet couple owner Mr. Kim and Mdm. Lim who gave us a very warm welcome and with great food.

Overall, my conclusion is authentic Korean food is actually very spicy. However, certain  dishes like stew and BBQ are still very nice indeed. For those ladies who want to have good skin, then you should eat more Korean food and your skin will be as fair and smooth as Korean ladies.

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: 12.00noon-3.00pm, 6.00pm-10.30pm (Closed Monday Lunch)
Contact: 04-226 3587, 012-468 6700 (Mdm Lim/Mr Kim)
Address:11-G-1 & 2 Jalan Gottlieb (New Bob  Centre) 10350 Penang.

This is the buffet corner for those who prefer to savour the many dishes from the menu rather than just a few ala cartes.

Cheers to all my readers.

Japanese Yaki Udon (RM12), normally bonito flakes are sprinkled over the udon and the effect of the hot steam from the udon made the bonito flakes moving here and there as if the bonito flakes are dancing in front of you, MY FOOD is Dancing. Not only it has an impressive presentation, the taste is nice as well. The udon is cooked with their secret Japanese which is sour and salty sauce with a slight taste of sweetness. It is indeed one of my highly recommended dishes.

Chicken Ban Ban (RM10). Fusion Japanese fried chicken with egg in Chef’s special mayo sauce. Big chunks of batter fried chicken meat topped with crispy fried egg white and seaweed strips. The dish is complete with 3 types of sauces which are mayonnaise, wasabi mayonnaise and spicy sweet sauce. It is another thumbs-up selection by me as it has the perfect combination of sauces on the crispy fried chicken. However, the Chef should consider the consistency of preparing this food as the placing of the food layout does make a difference to the taste.

Hong Kong Fried Rice (RM10),  the fried rice which is covered with a thin layer of chicken floss with some cashew nuts. It is an indeed a simple yet tastes good dish as it has a strong fried pan taste (Wok Hei in Cantonese). For those that prefer simple and filling dish this would be the option as the portion given is sufficiently filling for the price that you paid.

Kimchi Fried Rice (RM10), Korean style fried rice with juicy kimchi slices. The taste of the fried rice with kimchi is excellent with a slight sour and spicy touch. The Chef manages to maintain the juiciness of the kimchi, which is really great. However, the consistency of cooking this dish by the Chef had been a concern to me as during the first time I ordered this dish it was too spicy where the kimchi paste and pepper had over powered the rice and other ingredients. However, this time it is far much better which has a more acceptable level of spiciness.

Soft Shell Crab (RM12), two whole soft shell crabs were deep fried to crunchiness with their secret Japanese spicy sauce which blended well with the soft shell crabs. The taste is incredible and is highly recommended.

Red Dragon Prawn with Jammy Sauce (RM35), Fried prawns and white dragon fruit in jammy sauce. The jammy sauce is slightly spicy like curry and is mixed with orange crush like “sunquick”. The jammy sauce is used to cook the battered prawns and also the ball-like white dragon fruit. The taste is very unique and appetising. The presentation of this dish is slightly out compared to my previous visit. It would be great if they could maintain the standard like before.

Motoyaki Scallop (RM14). Grilled scallops with homemade spicy mayo sauce. Scallop lovers should not miss this dish. I personally love the richness of the mozarella cheese with the tabasco sauce and thousand island type of cream placed on top of the scallops. I was told by the chef that a couple had ordered 50 plates of this dish which you could imagine the seduction of its taste.

Korean Beef Kimchi (RM16) – Fried homemade kimchi with beef slices. As usual the taste of the kimchi is very juicy which I believe is their custom-made instead of “OEM”. The tenderness of the beef is just nice and it actually blends well with the kimchi. This dish really beats most of the Korean Restaurants in Penang.

Lamb Teriyaki (RM18) – Grilled lamb with herbs in homemade sweet sauce. The lamb has sweet and slightly grilled-burnt taste, I am not a great fan of lamb, however the way this dish is prepared was slightly over-cooked on one side whereas the other side was not. The presentation is gorgeous but there is still room for improvement for this dish.

Homemade Spicy Chicken (RM15) – Fried chicken with homemade spicy sauce. The fried chicken pieces, chopped fermented black beans, red chilies, garlic, spring onions, curry leaves and sesame seeds were cooked in thick, sweet and spicy gravy. This is a great selection for the spicy lovers, it is definitely better than the usual fried chicken.

Shanghai Honey Spare Ribs (RM18) – Fried spare ribs with honey sauce. The display of this dish is nice but the taste is just average. The meat is too salty and the texture of the meat is abit hard. Maybe my expectation is too high on this dish.

Chef’s Special Surprise:

Fried Tempura Maki, it is an innovative creation by the executive chef himself. Usually Maki is just a usual roll but this one the maki is being fried which makes the outer layer crunchy. It is delicious and I am coming back for this.

Tempura Cheese Maki. Another surprise dish by the executive chef. The mildly burnt tempura unagi roll topped with creamy Mozarella cheese was wonderful. The roll is similar to fried tempura maki but this has an extra coat of melted cheese to make the roll smoother with a cheesy smell.

Chicken Bomb, with slices of chicken meat on the outer layer and mashed salmon on the inner side. The presentation is good which is served with a blue flame beside. However the spicy and thyme enhanced flavour of the mashed salmon somehow did not match well with the fibre texture of the chicken meat. It not my cup of tea.

Hong Kong Style Wan Tan Mee. The taste of the wan tan mee is the classical usual style from Hong Kong. The wan tan are as big as knuckles and are really juicy. The ingredients in the wan tan are fresh prawns, minced meat and water chesnut. It is the real taste of Hongkie-style wan tan. For those who want to have a taste of the real Hongkie style noodle, save your air ticket to Hong Kong and dine here instead.

After the review sesson, we had a good chat with the executive chef, Edwin Teo. It was a great sharing session with him as we gave him our opinions over the food while he explained to us on the preparation of the food.

Overall, most of the food are up to excellent standard although there are still room for improvement for some. The portion provided are mostly value for money especially the buffet-style dining. Presentation wise, all of them are attractive which are up to the standard of fine-dining but at a lower price. Another thing that makes me want to revisit this place is the friendly service by their customer service executive. I really hope they will maintain their smile and generous service.

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: 10.30am-11.00pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 604-210 8855, 604-210 8856 (Mr. Ng/ Miss Angie)
Address:HAVEN DELIGHTS @ Penang Times Square, 77-L1-34, Jalan Dato Kramat, 10150 Penang, Malaysia.

(Due to excessive amount of pictures taken and I find it very hard for me to sacrifice some of the pictures, I have decided to break this post into 2 chapters. This first chapter consists of Starter, Drinks And Dessert Chapter whereas the second chapter will concentrate on Main Dishes.)

This particular restaurant that I am going to introduce is located inside Ivory Time Square Penang. It is very easy to be accessed, when you arrived at the main entrance of the building take the escalator in front of you to level 1 and turn left, walk until the end and you will see Haven Delights is located just in front of you. Special thanks to Criz for organizing this eatery outing.

Haven Delights presently has one outlet in Penang only. “There are plans to expand its business to other parts of Malaysia and other countries within the next few years,” said Mr. Ng Boon Tong, Chairman & Managing Director. The restaurant currently serves fabulous cuisines from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Shanghai with a twist of fusion to stay above of its competitors within the food and beverages industry.

Under the expertise and experience of its Executive Chef, Mr. Edwin Teo, the restaurant has ongoing plans to excel beyond the expectations of its patrons with creative presentations and tasty food. With more than 10 years of experience in serving great Japanese/Korean food to the East & West Malaysians, Singaporeans, Canadians and even the royal family of Brunei, Edwin has teamed up with experienced Sous Chef, Mr Alex (Hong Kong/Shanghai cuisines), Mr Melvin Loo (Sushi Assistant) and Mr. KP Lim (Demi Chef de Partie) to serve you the best of what Haven Delights can offer.

Apart from the over 200 varieties of A la Carte dishes (which will be reviewed 2-3 times a year with new additions to the menu), the restaurant also serves buffet lunch and dinner at RM49.90+ per pax (Children will get 50% off). You can order any items on their 90 over dishes buffet menu within a duration of two hours from as early as 10.30am until 11.00pm daily.

The ambience and surroundings of this place has already given you a touch of classical and grand feeling.

For those who prefer oriental style you can choose to be seated at the dining area, else there is also a sushi bar for Japanese food lovers.

Other than the ambience and the layout, even the utensils used looked classical and delicate as well.

First of all before the excitement begins, usually we will start off with drinks. There are 3 types of special creations invented by the chef himself. Starting from left:

1. Red Cherry (RM5)
2. Blue Lagoon (RM5)
3. Green Soda (RM5)

These are some of the great creations by the chef that will chill you down with different flavors. Some of the main ingredients of the drink are kept secret as these are their specialties.

Fizzy Mint (RM5) is another creation that is made from mint and soda. The gas of the soda and the mint flakes are like the snow flakes, while slurping down your drink with its creative straw, you will get to watch the flakes flowing up and down and it’s like dancing in your drink.

While the drink was being served, the chef executive, Edwin was preparing our starter dishes. The preparation took a lot of time as he purposely arranged the creation for us in a more presentable manner.

The first dish on the menu, Hotzzz Abalone (Buffet Menu) – Abalone slices with homemade spicy paste & eel sauce.

On the same plate there is Unagi Tofu (Buffet Menu) – Grilled eel with silky tofu in sweet sauce and garnishes.

Silky Egg with Water Chestnut (RM6), sliced red dates, white fungus and finely sliced water chestnuts simmered with in a beaten egg white broth, mildly sweetened with rock sugar is an excellent selection of dessert for those that prefer hot dessert. This is one of my favorites as I usually prefer hot drinks than cold drinks. This dessert is not too sweet, the smooth textue of it really cleared my throat.

Mocha Ice Cream (RM8), Green tea ice cream with red bean paste. For those who love cold desserts and do not have sweet tooth, this is the most suitable option. The mocha has the taste of green tea and the texture is fine, served with soft red bean paste and rice dumping as filling. To me I would prefer this to be slightly sweeter as desserts are supposed to be sweet as a happy ending.

Kuru Goma Ice Cream (RM8), black sesame seed ice cream with crushed peanuts. I prefer this ice cream than the mocha ice cream as this is slightly sweeter compared to the former. There is also a fresh aroma of crunchy peanuts coming from the ice cream which I find it quite unique and tasty.

Please stay tuned to this post as the 2nd Chapter on the ”Main Courses”, click here

Operation hours: 10.30am-11.00pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 604-210 8855, 604-210 8856 (Mr. Ng/ Miss Angie)
Address:HAVEN DELIGHTS @ Penang Times Square, 77-L1-34, Jalan Dato Kramat, 10150 Penang, Malaysia.

The restaurant is located on the first floor of the commercial building.

Like many other Korean restaurants, there will be a bottle of Korean Green Tea on the table. The taste of the green tea is like a mixture of tea + coffee. Of course it’s neither like our Chinese “yun yong (coffee + tea)” nor the Japanese green tea that we used to have, it was a common tea among Koreans as told by my friend.

There are a few private rooms available, but the rooms are open to parties consist of 8 people and above. We were directed to sit in the open space since we have only 6 of us. One big disadvantage about this place is there are no baby seats available. As for the infants, it’s time for them to learn to sit on adult chairs or the parents will have to carry them througout their stay. This is even worse when you have to sit on the floor with your baby like those typical Japanese restaurants where your legs rested on the big hole beneath the table.

The vegetables are served as the appetizer. If you look carefully on the picture, you will see someone is feeding her baby as the baby has started to make noise due to discomfort.

The sesame oil and the honey for the barbeque.

Like any other Korean restaurants, a wide array of side dishes will be served as starter before the main course begins.

One of the side dishes is the ever popular Korean signature dish – Kimchi. The Kimchi is not as spicy as compared to others. It is specially made to suit those who prefer a milder taste.

The short and fat Korean fragrant rice which is served in a silver bowl with matching silver chopsticks and long silver spoon.

The Barbecue stove which has been setup after we were half-way through our starters.

Soyabean Paste Stew (Doenjang Jjigae) RM18. This hot pot is catered for 4 people. The sourness and the spiciness really keep the appetising going. The soup is cooked with chinese noodle, 冬粉 dang hun, bean curd, chinese cabbage, fish balls and miniature corns.

Unfrozen Grilled Beef Rib (Saeng Glabi) RM60. This is a must order if you are a beef lover. The beef was very soft and the fat was well spread on the meet, it just looked like wagyu beef. The beef has been marinated with their own special ingredients. The preference of the meat to be soft or hard depends on the way you cook it.

Grilled Chicken with Red Pepper Paste Sauce (Maekom Dak Gui) RM27. This is an alternative to those who do not eat beef. The chicken was nice as well with their homemade red pepper paste. The spiciness is considered mild.

If you think  Grilled Chicken with Red Pepper Paste Sauce will  be too spicy for you, then you should go for Grilled Chicken with Teriyaki Sauce (Dalkom Dak Gui) RM27. As this particular chicken is cooked with teriyaki sweet and sour sauce, even kids will love this dish. There are also options to DIY (Do It Yourself) on barbecuing the meat but if you don’t trust your skill or you want to lay back you ask the waiter/waitress to cook for you.

There are few ways to enjoy the barbecue meat. You can grill them and put them directly into your mouth; You can eat them together with rice; Or in a more unusual way is to use the vegetable leaves provided to wrap the barbeque meat.

After reading the title of my blog, a lot of you might be thinking why on earth did I come out with this title ”Localized Korean Style BBQ”.  This is because the taste of the marinated meat are not as “Korean”, instead the taste is more towards local taste. This could be due to the ingredients are sourced from local. You can find the taste of the cinnamon powder and also the teriyaki sauce is like coming from the local supermarkets.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly (no baby seat)
Pork Free
Parking
Alcohol
Corkage Charge
Credit Card
Reservation
Private Room

Operation hours: 12:00noon – 5:00pm; 6:00pm – 10:00pm (Closed on Wednesdays)
Contact: 04-899 7900
Address: 28-1-2 Jalan Tanjung Tokong, 10470, Penang.