Chinese cuisine at PUTIEN
We started our dinner at PUTIEN restaurant at Gurney Paragon Mall with the Starters Platter which had an assortment of four PUTIEN delights. They were cold pig's trotter jelly, seaweed with mini shrimps, braised pig intestine and braised bean curd. The cold dish of pig's trotter jelly topped with a dark chilli paste was packed with flavour and collagen. I enjoyed this dish very much.
Continue Reading
Lao Hakka Cafe: a culinary haven of traditional Hakka flavours
At Lao Hakka, the unpretentious Hakka cuisine comes alive, with each dish serving as a testament to the transformation of ordinary ingredients into extraordinary experiences. The cooking style of the Hakka people, also known as Hakka or Kuh-chia cuisine, originated mainly from the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangxi. Its comforting home-style dishes are known for their distinct flavours and aromatic meat-centric options such as stuffed tofu (yong tau foo), braised pork belly with taro and stuffed bitter gourd. The Hakka cuisine primarily features rice, pork, tofu and preserved vegetables. Of course being in Penang, some local favourites such as crispy belacan chicken and savoury gulai tumis (fish curry) are also featured on the menu.
Continue Reading
CRC Restaurant – a culinary icon among Penangites
In the 1900s, a group of Chinese sports enthusiasts established the Penang Chinese Recreation Club, a heritage clubhouse. Located at its premises in Victoria Green are two dining outlets – CRC Restaurant and CRC Victoria Cafe. Situated across the road from CRC is the "new" CRC Chinese Restaurant, sharing the same building as the North Malaya Cheah Si Chong Soo. Today, both the "old" and "new" CRC Restaurants are popular choices among Penangites for family meals, birthday celebrations as well as wedding and corporate dinners.
Continue Reading
An unforgettable birthday bliss – indulging in avant-garde dishes at Maple Palace Chinese Restaurant
When choosing a venue for her birthday celebration, my daughter Jean immediately suggested Maple Palace and it is easy to understand why. Located in the heart of George Town, Maple Palace Chinese Restaurant goes beyond traditional boundaries, offering avant-garde dishes that redefine Chinese cuisine in terms of both flavour and presentation. Under the guidance of owner Loy Tan and his skilled chefs, the restaurant's innovative techniques and use of authentic ingredients create an unforgettable and mouth-watering dining experience that leaves a lasting impression.
Continue Reading
A memorable 9-course vegetarian dinner at Happy Realm
Being a food paradise, Penang offers many avenues for full-fledged vegetarians to obtain scrumptious meals. From Indian vegetarian restaurants to Chinese outlets, there is a wider range of food available. During the Jade Emperor Festival (first to the ninth of the ninth month of the lunar calendar), more stalls mushroom all over Penang selling vegetarian delights from rice dishes to stir-fried noodles and from Chinese cakes to Italian pizzas. Furthermore with the creation of faux meats, some dishes are unbelievably "uncanny".
Continue Reading
Savoury Cantonese-style dishes at Zen Xin Vegetarian Restaurant
Zen Xin Vegetarian Restaurant is a vegetarian restaurant located along Nagore Road in the heart of George Town. One thing that strikes me when dining at a Chinese vegetarian restaurant in Penang is the creativity involved in preparing innovative vegetarian alternatives that closely resemble traditional faux meats or seafood dishes. It is almost like you are eating the real thing, from texture to taste! Using various plant-based ingredients such as tofu, seitan, mushrooms and soy-based products, the chefs are able to create wonderful dishes.
Continue Reading
Discover legendary handmade mooncakes by Chef Chong Kei
Celebrated by the Chinese on the 15th day of the eighth lunar moon (between September to October), the Mooncake Festival commemorates the overthrow of the Mongols, when the insurgent leaders, by way of smuggling secret messages in mooncakes, called the people to revolt.
Continue Reading
Memories of Auntie Jo's delightful jelly mooncakes
Taishi cakes, the predecessor of mooncakes, were present during the Shang Dynasty (c.1600-1046 BC) and Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC). For a long time in history, mooncakes have been created as an offering during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although traditional baked mooncakes have been around for thousands of years, this symbolic mooncake-making tradition has continued to evolve.
Continue Reading
Jia Siang Cafe, seafood at its freshest
Being more than half a century old, I have learned to watch with my own eyes and note down the "gloriousness" that is everywhere around me. As an artist and a photographer, this singular duty of being aware has helped me capture photographs that forge the narrative in my projects and creative endeavours.
Continue Reading
Deliciously authentic Hainanese chicken chop at Hai Onn Restaurant
Hai Onn Restaurant at Jalan Burmah is one of the few Hainanese kopitiams (coffee shops) left in George Town. Although there are two original signages at the entrance of the kopitiam with "Hai Oan", the correct spelling of this restaurant is actually "Hai Onn". This only goes to illustrate how forgiving the owner was in agreeing to carry on with the typographical error in the company name.
Continue Reading