Anyway, my introduction today is on Western food that is not covered in the prime locations. Instead, it is located at Paya Terubong. The name of the shop is Bon Appetit Western Deli.

The stall is located inside EQ Kopitiam. If you are driving from Air Itam to Paya Terubong via Jalan Paya Terubong, you will sure see Shell Patrol Station on your right hand. Keep driving for another 80 metres and you will see there is a new row of shop houses on your left which was developed by Lone Pine Group of Companies. Turn left to this row of shop houses, keep driving for another 10 metres and you will see EQ Kopitiam.

Bon Appetit is not an exclusive type of restaurant. It is a very down to earth and casual dining place. Therefore please do not have any high expectation on the ambiance.

The restaurant was setup and run by the owner, Pierre Choo. He loves to cook, and therefore, most of the dishes were cooked by him.

For those looking for affordable and delicious lunch, try the set lunch here from 11.00am until 3.00pm.

Set Lunch:

• Chicken Chop Rice – RM5.00
• Fish Fritter Rice – RM5.00
• Pork Cutlet Rice – RM5.00

The set lunch comes together with rice, sunny side up egg, salad and also the option of chicken, fish or pork.

For the chicken chop, a layer of crispy batter covered the juicy and tender chicken meat and served with onion tomato gravy. It was very appetizing meal.

As for the fish fritter, the fish fillet was pan fried and served together with brown sauce and some touch of black paper. It is a good option for fish lovers.

For those who opt for pork cutlet, the pork was cut into slices and served with brown sauce. The meat was very juicy and it blended well with the sauce.

Ala-Carte:

Soup of The Day – RM3. For western cuisine, usually there will be soup of the day as starter. This round is creamy mushroom soup. The soup was thick and very satisfying with pieces of mushroom in it and served with a slice of garlic bread.

Poutine – RM4.50, this dish was originated from Quebec and made available across Canada. This dish is made of french fries, topped with mayonnaise and brown sauce and some herbs.

This dish can be treated as starter or even main course for those who are watching out on their diet. The mayonnaise of this dish will let you feel very appetizing while the french fries and brown sauce will fill you up.

Grilled Chicken Chop – RM7.00, the grilled chicken was covered with tasty brown sauce and served together with fries, salad and slices of bread with butter.

Instead of deep fried like the conventional chicken chop, this was prepared in ”grilled” version. The chicken thigh was marinated and grilled until perfection. For garlic bread lovers, you can request to change the bread with butter with garlic bread instead, as Mr. Pierre Choo is a made-to-order chef.

Grilled Salmon Steak – RM14.00, instead of beef steak, this is salmon steak. It was pan fried and served with a slice of lemon. The portion of the salmon was very generous at this price. The salmon tasted very fresh. It was best complemented with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Grilled Fish in Lemon Butter  - RM7.00, besides salmon steak, there is also another grilled fish which was marinated and pan fried with butter and served with a slice of lemon. The taste was rich and thick compared to salmon steak.

Pork Cordon Bleu – RM9.50, Most of the restaurants in town serve chicken cordon blue instead of pork cordon blue. This is another selling point of this stall. The stuffing of the ham and the mayonnaise sauce were same like the usual chicken cordon bleu. Instead of chicken, it was substituted with pork instead.

Grilled Pork Chop – RM8.00, another great delicacy which is hard to get in Penang. The western style pork chop was very tender and juicy. It is a must-try.

Grilled Lamb Chop – RM9.50, this is one of my favorites. I love the way they marinated and grilled the lamb. It was so tender and did not contain much of lamb odour.

The lamb was well-served with the classic mint sauce. It is such an excellent combination.

Grilled Rib-Eye Steak – RM16.00, for beef lovers this is also one of the signature dishes here.

I love the steak preparation to be done in medium rare as you will still taste the juiciness of the meat while the outer layer is almost cooked.

Spaghetti Chicken Bolognese – RM5.00. The spaghetti cooked in minced chicken cooked in tomato-based sauce.

The texture of the spaghetti was just nice and not over-cooked. The taste of the bolognese sauce was very standard. For those who prefer something other than meat, this will be the option.

Overall, the taste of the food here is great. The price of the food is reasonable and the portion given is generous. There are plentiful of parking available here. The only drawback is it is hidden away from the busy town area.

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: 11:00am – 3:00pm; 6:00pm – 10:pm(Closed on Monday)
Contact: 012-452 5311 (Mr. Pierre Choo)
Address:No. 1049, Jalan Paya Terubong, 11060 Air Itam, Penang.
GPS: 5° 38′ 13.42″ N, 100° 27′ 54.70″ E

The wait for the cable car was about 20 minutes. Whereas the ride of the journey to the destination takes only 4 minutes. My suggestion to those wanting to visit Penang Hill, do it during the non peak season or on weekday to avoid the crowd.

Nevertheless, we had a comfortable ride up to the hill this time. Imagine in those days we had to pack with the crowd and squeezed ourselves in the non-air-conditioned cabin. Not to say that we had to change train on the mid hill. Now, with the new funicular train it is a non-stop journey straight up to the hill. All the cabins are fully equipped with air conditioning and the ride is far more quiet and faster compared to the previous one.

Ticket for the Funicular Train to Penang Hill :-
MYR4.00 for adults (one way)
MYR2.00 for children (Below 12 years old)

The train operating hours is from 7.00 am to 11.15 pm.

After arriving at the destination, you will see a beautiful aeriel view of Penang island. Although the climate these days is hotter compared to those days, the fresh breeze and the cooling air still make this place a relaxing one.

One of the attractions on top of Penang Hill is the smoke house that has been well kept and restored to its previous glory. The name of this place is David Brown’s Restaurant and Tea Terrace. This restaurant is in association with The Smokehouse Cameron Highlands. This house was built during pre-war time. David Brown’s offers a view of almost every significant landmark of the island.

The well-manicured garden with iconic lily pond sets the scene for dining in the garden. The seats for garden dining is catered for 50 guests or more.

The furnishing with the elegant English style is still well preserved.

The fireplace to keep warm is still standing at the side of this house.

The Smokehouse Cream Tea – RM28. Pot of tea, slice of fruitcake and 2 scones with homemade strawberry preserve and cream.

This set caters just enough for a person. The scones tasted fresh from the oven. The scones didn’t include any raisins. For raisin lovers, this wouldn’t satisfy you. However, for the fruit cake served, you will have all the bites with preserved fruit and raisin.

The cream that served together with the scone was so soft and creamy. I just love this.

The aroma of tea was very smooth and refreshing. It didn’t taste like the usual tea bag from the supermarket.

The splash of the pouring tea let out its wonderful tea aroma. Nice.

For side orders, a choice of sandwich will be as good to fill you up. The list of sandwiches are as below:

• Club RM30
• Steak RM30
• Smoked Salmon RM30
• Roast Beef RM28
• Roast Chicke RM18
• Cheese RM18
• Tuna RM18
• Tomato RM16
• Cucumber RM16
• Egg RM16

I ordered myself a set of tuna sandwich. The taste of this sandwich was normal but the fries were fresh from the pan.

Overall, the ambiance here is very cozy and it seems like turning back the time to pre war period, no hassle and no rush. The price of the food here is averagely high, while the taste of the food here is acceptably good. The only drawback is queuing up for the funicular during public holiday or festive season will be a headache.

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: 9:00am – 9:00pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 04-828 8337
Address:Lot 400, MK 17, Daerah Bart Daya, Strawberry Hill, Bukit Bendera, 11300 Ayer Itam, Penang
GPS: 5° 42′ 88.46″ N, 100° 26′ 96.42″ E

The place below that I am introducing will be the stall that sells traditional and authentic type of Hakka Noodle. The Coffee shop of this place is called Beng Chin Garden and is located at the junction to Kek Lok Si at Air Itam.

By going to Kek Lok Si, you will definitely pass by Jalan Pasar, where turning left will be going to Kek Lok Si Temple and turning right will be heading back to the roundabout that leads to Penang Hill. Beng Chin Garden is just on the right of the junction.

Beng Chin Garden is operating on breakfast and lunch hour only. For those that want to try out the good food here please be aware of your timing.

The stall of Hakka Noodle is located just at the front corner of this coffee shop. It is a very humble little store that operates here for more than a decade. I still remember the first time I tried the Hakka Noodle here was during my secondary school days which dated 15 years back.

Since then, Beng Chin Garden Coffee Shop had undergone renovation and gave the shop a new facelift compared to few years back where it looked like an old and classic coffee shop. In fact it looks much better now.

Usually for me to start off the day is a cup of nescafe and it has been a norm for me to have a cup each day. Some of the coffee shop makes very mild nescafe which they are too stingy to provide an up to standard cup of nescafe. However, Beng Chin’s nescafe and milo are up to par for a great start of the day.

Authentic and Traditional Hakka Noddle – RM2.50 per bowl.

The noodle was homemade and the minced meat had been marinated with fermented soy bean in paste. The minced meat had a slight pork odour that made it tasted authentic. 

The texture of the minced meat was very chewy and delicious. It actually blended very well together with the noodle. As for the chili sauce it was spicy and sour and had a bit of sweetness in it. It mixed perfectly with the noodle and the meat.

Overall, the price is very reasonable and the taste of the food is very authentic. The service is good too. The cafe surrounding has many parking slots, but this only applies to normal days. When it comes to public holiday and weekend the parking slots will become limited.

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: 7:00am – Until Sold Out, usually 2:30pm (Close on alternate Tuesday)
Contact: -
Address: Beng Chin Garden Cafe, Jalan Pasar, 10400 Penang.

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.

It is not hard to get to this place. If you are following Jalan Scotland from town area, Union High School is on your left. Keep moving for another 4oo meters and you will realise a small sighboard written “Suffolk House 100m”. In front of you will be 2 junctions that turn to Jalan Air Itam and also Jalan Masjid, follow the signboard and use the Air Itam exit and turn left at the next turning. Follow the signboard of Suffolk House all the way and you will eventually reach the destination. By the way, the last part of going to that place is slightly secluded. You have to keep driving although it looks like a private housing estate.

Suffolk House is also known as the first “Great House of Penang” and is said to have been built by Sir Francis Light, the founder of the British Settlement of Penang. However, there are still a lot of arguments that the house is built by other person.

The main selling point of dining at this place is not mainly about food. However, it is the ambience and also the feel of dining at a restored place which maintains its rich historical values.

The surrounding of this place is very peaceful and quite. You can feel the breeze from the trees is like whispering lullaby to your ear.

The main entrance to the restaurant looks grand and supreme. They still maintained the old structure of the mansion. The restoration to this place took more than 3 decades to complete.

Classic chandeliers at the dining area.

A good collection of wine and the bar counter outside the room.

The classy English-style private room.

The open air dining area for high-tea.

Set Tea For Two @ RM64+
Selection of tea:

• Earl Grey
• English Breakfast
• Green Tea
• Mint
• Camomile Fruity
• Darjeeling

Platter provided:

4 x Scones with strewberry jam & cream
2 x Smoked Salmon Sandwich
4 x Cucumber Sandwich
2 x Chicken & mushroom pie
2 x Cheese Cake
2 x Chocolate Cake

I was told by the waiter that the tea bags are imported from UK and there is no way to get it in our usual supermarkets. The English Breakfast tea is the usual and most common type of tea for those who prefer old-style black tea. While fruity camomile is the unique type of tea with fruity taste.

Besides the 2 pots of tea, the cakes and pastries listed above were served in a small platter.

First layer of platter, cheese cake with strawberry on top. It was very soft and fluffy. The cakes may look small, but they were very filling and rich when you finished it. The same goes to the chocolate cake.

The second level of platter contained scones and chicken mushroom pie. The scones were heated up prior to serving. The fre and the pie was also very crunchy with the standard chicken mushroom stuffed inside. The scones also came with fresh cream, strawberry jam and also butter to go with it. The combination was heavenly.

As for the ground layer, there were 2 slices of smoked salmon sandwich and 4 x cucumber salad sandwich. The salmon was very fresh and tasty while the cucumber cooled off our body temperature.

Overall, dining at Suffolk House Restaurant is not mainly for the food, but for the environment and dining experience. It’s not always that you will dine in an elegant and high standard restaurant.

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 – 2:00pm (Lunch), 2:30pm – 6:00pm (Tea Time), 7:00pm – 10:30pm (Dinner). (7 days a week)
Contact: 04-228 3930
Address:250, Jalan Air Itam, 10460 Penang.

The stall which made the longest Chinese cruller is located at the main road of Paya Terubong, where you can see Restaurant 1997 opposite of this stall. Other landmarks to this stall include “Syarikat Perabut Modern” and “Lau Fu Zhi Bah Kut Teh”.

Mr. Tan (Hin) proudly showed off his longest in Penang, some even said the longest in Malaysia.

Steps to make the longest Chinese cruller:

1. Mix the flour, yeast and some of the secret ingredients and let it rise.
2. Next, place the mixture on the table and make it into a long flat stripe.
3. Cut the stripe into an inch width each.
4. Place an iron rod into the middle of the mixture for segregation.
5. Stack 2 mixtures to each other and repeat step 4 for the remaining mixture.
6. Pull the mixture to about 14 inches long and place it into the hot boiling stove for deep-fry.

This video below shows how the Chinese cruller are being deep-fried.

The completed extra long Chinese crullers are laid on a shelf  to drip-off the extra oil and to cool down the temperature.

The crullers are then cut into half for a variety of creations by Mr. Tan. The crullers are being stuffed with few items to make the else plain crullers to become more tasty and delicious.

Chinese Cruller with Chicken Floss Mayonnaise – RM2.50, I love this one as the chicken floss itself is sweet while the Chinese Cruller is a bit salty with the mixture of the mayonnaise’s sourness, it is simply divine.

Chinese Cruller with Tuna Mayonnaise – RM2.50, another one of my favorites. The cruller has been cut into to 2 pieces and sliced into half and stuffed with tuna mayonnaise and mix vege. I love both chicken floss + mayo as well as tuna + mayo, mostly because the mayo is taking off the deep fried oily taste and the sourness really makes it more appetising.

Chinese Cruller with Sausage Mayonnaise – RM3.00. This is also one creative option, I only managed to eat some only. No doubt this option also has mayonnaise, the sausage really filled me up. For those looking for more filling option, this will be the best choice.

Chinese Cruller with Kaya and Butter – RM2.00. The taste of cruller with butter and kaya is like having a crunchy toast with these 2 ingredients but with slight saltiness from the cruller.

Chinese Cruller with Honey and Butter – RM2.00. The cruller with honey is nice, as honey will cool down the body tempreture and also cleanse away the oiliness of the deep fried cruller.

Chinese Cruller with Peanut Butter and Butter – RM2.00. The taste of this option is as unique as kaya with butter and honey with butter. As for me I still prefer the honey or kaya with butter. Peanut butter and butter with deep fried Chinese cruller is overwhelmingly rich.

Black & White Sesame Twins – RM2 for 3. This is the so-called mua chee. Instead of the plain mua chee, Mr. Tan added in black and white sesame to make it more unique. It is great to have this together with a cup of kopi-o (black coffee).

Extra Long Chinese Cruller – RM1.00, for those that don’t fancy the add-on stuffing but looking forward to plain chinese crullers, this would be the choice.

Black Soya Bean – RM1.00. The drink that served here is the one and only black soya bean. It is nice and refreshing after the fried and oily meal.

Thanks to Criz for the arrangment of this outing. We were also honoured to have Miss Cariso to serve us the Chinese crullers.

The food bloggers who attended:

• Criz Food – Criz Lai
• Cokeworldcitizen – Jian
  
• Cariso Food – Carrie Soon
• Food Paradise – Mary Teo
• Steven Goh – Steven Goh
• Lingzie – Lingzie
• Food Promotions – Eunice + Siew Ying
• Yummy Station – Allen Ooi
• What2SeeOnline – CK Lam
• Buzzing Bee – Bee
• All About Penang Food – Alan Choong

Overall, some of the stuffing really mix well with the Chinese crullers although not all. The price is very reasonable and the service is up to standard. To me everything is fine, just the miss out of kopi-o to serve with these extra long chinese crullers.

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: 6.00am-5.00pm (Close Alternate Tuesday)
Contact: 016-4337301 (Mr. Tan, “Hin”)
Address:1250-A, Jalan Paya Terubong, 11600 Penang.

The stall is located under a big tree shade and you will see people sitting by the roadside or even squatting there for a bowl of delicious curry mee.

The stall is run by 3 old ladies aged between 60-70 years old. Whenever I see them it makes me recall my granny who has passed away many years ago. Sometimes I wonder why are they still selling curry mee even at this retiring age. Anyway, I have confirmed with my friends who live nearby that they are working for their own interests. How I wish I could be as energetic as these aunties when I reach their age.

This stall started selling curry mee few decades back. It is estimated that the stall existed for more than twenty years. The curry soup is cooked by using charcoals, this way it will keep the soup consistently warm while the vaporization is slowered.

The 3 aunties are segregating their tasks among each other. One is preparing the noodle, the other is putting in the ingredients, while another one pours in the soup. Usually they will encourage self-service for faster turnaround. If you required them to serve to your table, you will need to wait abit longer.

Another thing to remember is to check your money whenever you receive the change from them as they might give you extra money in return. Like my case, I paid RM10 for 2 bowls of curry mee and the aunty gave me RM14.50 in return. Which of course I gave the money back to her and informed her that she will go bankrupt if I come to eat every day.

The main ingredients of this classic curry mee include noodle and rice noodle, bean sprouts, “Tau Pok” (fried brown beancurd), frozen pork blood and also cuttle fish marinated with chili .

The curry mee soup has a strong aroma of coconut milk and the taste is quite strong. As for the chili paste the taste  is also very nice. Warning for those who can’t stand extreme spiciness, remember to cut down on the chili paste, else you will be sweating like mad.

The combination of the noodle, the soup and also the chili paste is a perfect match, it makes me recall the taste of curry mee prepared by my granny when I was young.

Overall, the taste of the curry mee is great. The food is worth the money and the owners are friendly. However, there are not many sitting places and is hard to find a parking slot nearby. If you parked nearby to the market all the illegal parking attendants will collect money from you.

Price for the curry mee:

• Curry mee (Small/ Default) – RM2.50
• Curry mee (Regular/ Meddium) – RM3.00
• Curry mee (Large/ Big) – RM3.50

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: 6:00am – 2:00pm (7 days a week)
Contact: The 3 musketeers Aunties
Address:Beside the Bridge near Air Itam Market (Kiao Kar).