Food Crawl – Stop 4 : Sin Kim Sun Kopitiam

06 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Gastronomy, Local (Malaysia), Local Restaurants, Travel

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We decided to hunt down the famous ‘penang hokkien mee’ since the hokkien mee in KL and Penang is totally different. Those of us from KL who are not aware of this is in for a big surprise if they expect the black noodle. In Penang, when people say hokkien mee, they mean the prawn noodle.

Since we were staying nearby Jalan Ranggon, we went to the Sin Kim Sun Kopitiam. It is a corner coffeshop betweem the Jalan Rangoon and Macalister junction.

The first thing that caught our eye is the yellow banner claiming that the star newspaper recommends the wan tan mee.

So, we quickly sat down and worked out our drinks with the uncle. We ordered the Wan Tan Mee. It was not bad. The noodle was nice and springy. The thing I love best is their wan tan (little meat dumplings). It was cooked well and all the skin wrapping it was very smooth and soft all the way. Sometimes, you get some hard area in due to that area having the thickest wrap area.

Something the other table was eating caught our attention and we found out that it was pan cake. Yes – Pan Cake (separated). It is not spell pancake (together). It is very similar to pancake only that it is serve like it has been stir fry vigorously. You can have it the traditional way which is with butter and kaya, or, add on the banana. It was ok. Not fantastic but definitely interesting.

The star of the day was the Hokkien mee we ordered here. It was served with praying mantis prawns. Definitely yummy! Unfortunately, we were so engrossed with eating then that I forgot to snap a picture. Sigh… (I’ll try to remind myself to snap one in future if I return back to Penang for food again)

Food Crawl – Stop 3 : Anjung Gurney (Food Court)

06 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Gastronomy, Local (Malaysia), Local Restaurants, Travel

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After having our meal at Joo Hooi Café, it was only about 4:30pm. So, we took a short stroll along Campbell Street and were disappointed that almost all the shop was closed. We were trying to hunt for the famous kaya butter toast which was suppose to be at one of the small lane along this road. Unfortunately, they are close on Saturday. Since it was about 5:30pm then, we decided to head down to Anjung Gurney.

This open air food court is almost toward the end of Gurney Drive. Most stall starts around 6pm and crowd will start pouring in around 6:30pm.

We manage to find a ‘rockstar’ park thanks to J’s sharp eyes! If you’ve been there, you will understand how hard it is for non-local to find parking here.

After settling down on 2 tables, most of us ran off to find food. Hub and I return with the ‘famous’ pasembur rojak (this guy sings and dance while he prepare your food to the loud music he has blasting from his stall. Actually the only word I hear is him chanting rojak-rojak most of the time).

Other stuff we ordered

fried oyster omelette (O-chien) – it was ok only. We only found out later the really good one is suppose to be from Stall 84.

Pork Satay – oo… so yummy. Thumbs up !

Sotong Bakar – really nice and crispy and pack with the sotong (squid) taste.

After our meal, we took a stroll along the sea side. What a nice way to finish a meal.

Bistro Romain (France)

02 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in France, Gastronomy, Oversea Restaurants, Travel

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I was pondering for some time before writing a post about this restaurant / bistro. The reason ? It’s a chain restaurant in France. So, it is sort of like blogging about McDonald’s or TGIF or Italiannies (Malaysia). But, it’s French!!! they do food so well…And, I do drop by Bistro Romain at least once every time I am in France. So… it’s only fair I write a post about it.  

Bistro Romain have about 14 or 15 chain within Paris itself and another 10 or so outside paris (the whole France). I think almost every major city in France (tourist area) has one Bistro Romain. But, the most frequented by tourists is the one located along the Champs-Élysées. (It’s even on lonely planet). If you like to get the address, you can google online and even find their menu and prices there. Quite good if you would like to know in advance what you are eating. ;p

Personally, the price is reasonable and the service is passable. Just don’t expect it to be value for money with top quality french services. It is a chain after all. But, if you wish to avoid slow service, the trick is to have dinner early and avoid the dinner crowd. When I say early, I meant somewhere around 6:45 – 7:15pm.  

To tell you the truth, the only thing which brings me back to this place time and time again is their beef carpaccio (thinly slice raw beef). It might not be the best I had, but, it is good enough. Not to mention, it is the most thinly sliced I have ever come across. I love the simple way it is prepared with some pesto sauce and olive oil served with wedges of lemon. You can add parmesan cheese and rocket salad if you want. But, I prefer it with some sprinkle of salt. That way, I can fully enjoy the freshness of the beef by itself. Another reason? It’s eat all you want !!!     

 

Foie Gras de canard serve with toast. (Duck Liver Pate style) Yum yum…

 

Tortelli cèpes et foie gras de canard (Tortelli with mushroom and duck liver). Definitely amazing on the first bite. But, you can only take so much of richness. One whole plate is just too heavy (in my opinion). But hub enjoys it all the way. Yes – he lick up the plate with the bread (how French. Hahahha).

 

Pavé de saumon rôti (Roast Salmon Steak) it’s ok. Nothing to rave about. The meat was cooked just right. Nice and moist. So many people tend to overcook salmon steak.

 

As for their dessert, it’s nothing to rave about. Most of the time, I’ll just go with their ice cream or classic tiramisu. But, hub wanted to try their tiramisu special of the day. For me, it was some tiramisu ‘wannabe’ with pear (fail).

Overall, it’s a nice restaurant. I usually like to sit upstairs by the window and look down the street. It’s very beautiful at night. And, if it gets too stuffy, I could sneakily open the window to allow some air in. ;p