Roti Canai Transfer Road, Penang

I just checked my draft while feeling rather contented that I've cleared off my log but guess what? I found a few Penang food post from last year hanging around in my draft! OMG!!! Oh yes, I remember why I haven't been motivated to finish writing about this. It's because the roti canai isn't as good as it was told.

But it's also important to document yucky good on my blog so that I remember to not go there again. Also, it's good for new people patronising the shop just because they heard that its good and famous. Doubt that they will head my advice but don't say I didn't warn ya!

Talking about yucky food, I think this food blog of mine is a bit useless because people don't seem tp heed my advice one? LOL I blogged about this cafe not too long ago because I felt like it's just not worth it to go there la. Gotta wait so long for a simple breakfast meal, price of the food and drinks there not cheap but taste below average actually. But people who read my blog still very enthusiastic to go! Err.. okay.

I usually read blogs before heading over to a new cafe because my money is limited thus very precious. I don't want to be spending RM30 on teatime which sucks la because RM30 is actually way more than my weekly groceries budget!! So when I'm actually ready to spend RM30 on a meal it better be good. Hence, the blog reading.

When blogs that I read gives out negative comments, I'll be watchful already and will be hessitant to go. That's how useful food review can be for me. Of couse, I weigh the pros and cons of the place la. Sometimes what they find not good in the cafe/ restaurant isn't the most important criteria for me when I'm dining so that's okay. But if the service is bad, the food is expensive and not tasty then why the heck would I go somemore right?

But no. My food blog doesn't seem to have that kind of resonance to my readers leh. Why aa? 

Roti Canai Transfer Road

Penang

So the last trip to Penang, it was a food trip as usual. I asked for some recommendation of good food and was recommneded this roti canai at Transfer Road. Transfer Road is tucked at the end of Penang Road, behind it. It's easily accessible for me because I always stay on Chulia Street!

There are not shophouses so you gotta look for this stall!

Curry truck

Canai prep area

Roti canai with egg on top!

The roti canai was okay, tasted like average roti canai that you can find elsewhere. So I'm not surprise to see many people there for breakfast la since roti canai is a popular Malaysian breakfast. I wouldn't mind having it again, just the roti canai, for a budget breakfast but what disapoint me that much was that chicken curry at the back there.

I wanted to order only the roti canai because I don't usually order side orders with my roti. For example, I only eat naan by its own. Of course with some dips la but I don't go adding on side dishes like chicken tikka etc. I always thought that if the roti is really good then there is no need for side dishes! It's the main star of breakfast anyway!

So back to the story, the waiter asked me if I wanted chicken curry or mutton curry. I said chicken and lo and behold came one big piece of chicken drumstick with my curry. I was expecting only the kuah la because as I've said, I don't order side dishes one.

Decided to stick with the mistake because I heard their curry is a must try also! That means the chicken must be goooood right? Wrong. The curry wasn't even that tasty. Pelita has better chicken curry in my honest opinion. The thing that pisses me off is that the chicken tasted like it was just boiled and thrown into the curry before being served to me.

Tasteless chicken! It wasn't salted well, no taste of herbs and curry spices also? GRR. Nih yang orang nak marah nihh.

So yeah, if you are around the vicinity and want quick cheap breakfast then by all means order the roti canai because it was okay. Just don't order the chicken la, damn wasting! Hmm, not that you will heed my advice anyway right? Lolol

Btw, I was told that I should get the mutton instead but the chicken already tasted like that I'm not sure if I want to give it the benefit of the doubt?

Next to the roti canai stall is this roti bakar stall

Read that it's pretty good! They have half boiled eggs as well to go with the toast but I didn't manage to try because... I spent my breakfast budget on the yucky chicken:S Maybe next time.

Rants about China House @ Penang

Suppose to be doing work but I can't seem to find the article that states that there is a lack in theory blah blah blah... I swear I read it before, why didn't I jot it down somewhere? Gah. So after looking through my journal collections, I got a bit restless and everything else seem to be more interesting than journal reading again LOL

So okay, I finally got motivated to write a little about China House even if I don't think I'll return to that cafe soon because they bad customer service (more like bad impression).

Btw, it's Valentines Day soon! Feel like cooking up a storm on that day! Like bake silly pink heart shaped cookies or something but I don't have my baking utensils with me now. But having second thoughts because I feel that my baking stuff wouldn't be appreciated if compared to buying them from shops so I might as well save the trouble and buy, lolol.

China House

153 Lebuh Pantai, Georgetown Penang

China House was a cafe/ restaurant that we visited when we were in Penang last year. Everyone seem to be raving about the place (not sure now if there's still a rave). I was on the fence deciding to visit or not to visit but I was encouraged to go so okay, we didn't had much activity anyway so no harm having teatime at 9pm, wtf hehehe

See what I told you about our meal times all jumbled up in Penang since we're eating all the time. It was hard to segregate meals into the typical breakfast, lunch and dinner.

That's Naomi with her grumpy face within 5 mins of us setting foot in China House

Not sure if you're interested in the story and I've told this story many times to my friends but why not write it here once and for all. Skip this part if you just don't bother to read lengthy explanations of what I mean by bad customer service. 

So we arrived at about 9pm for cakes and tea. The place was rather packed and the alleys to rather squeezy. No one showed us to our tables, waiters were just dashing everywhere, we felt a little lost not knowing whether to sit and then place order or place order then sit. Or should we wait to be seated or just do it the Malaysian rush-for-table style?

We decided to check out the cakes first since we were rather lost at what to do. Walking towards the long table of cakes was harder than though because people including waiters should be rubbing shoulders with you. My sis was actually SHOVED aside by one of the waiters! Are you serious? :O That explains her grumpy face in the above picture.

Okay, so we finally made it to the long table 

The long table did actually have more cakes than normal shops would. I think there were easily 10 different types of cakes on the table but most of them almost finishing by then. There were also a few cakes in the refrigerator not too far from the long table of cakes. 

Before telling the guy which cake I wanted from the refrigerator, I think my sis got pissed off again by one of the waitress aka cake bearer. Her duty was to take the cakes from the refrigerator and bring it over to the counter to cut and pack for take- away. My sis saw her with the cake so quickly move aside to let her pass. Instead of being thankful, she told my sis off saying that she's blocking her way!!

By "Blocking the way', she meant the way where my sis is currently standing at after making way for her to move. She could have continued walking in her original pathway because my sis moved aside, but she just HAD to walk at the place where my sis was standing (after making way for her). WTF is this?

There, cakes in the refrigerator.

Even after deciding on the cakes, no one attended to us so I had to go ask the waiter/ counter guy on whether I need to sit and order or order and sit. So apparently we needed to sit first, so we found a place to sit ourselves. The waiter came, handed us menu and before we could place an order he zoomed off :S

China House Menu if you're interested

I was already ready to order but it was so hard to hail the waiters who were constantly dashing about. Oh, of course there are waitresses who might come in handy if they weren't so syok sendiri standing their flipping their hair, grooving to the music, behaving as if they are those muscle guys  hired by Abercrombie and Fitch =.=

Hate gedik-ness, pff.

Okay, I get it that you love your job. Nothing wrong with that, so DO your job!

Yay, we found a spot to sit!

Ours is table 10. The place comes with free wifi. 

Our cakes came soon after we placed our orders, thank God for that or else I'd have flipped. We chose Oopsy Daisy, a peanut butter chocolate cake and Lemon Curd Layer cake. The peanut butter chocolate cake was a cake from the long table and the Lemon cake was from the refrigerator. 

Oopsy Daisy RM15

The chocolate cake (from the Oopsy Daisy)  was a little dry but if eaten with the peanut butter cream, it did mask the dryness. Peanut butter cream was quite good, could taste the thick slab of peanut butter. It's personal preference but I like lighter tasting less sweet cakes so good thing we also had the Lemon Curd cake.

Lemon Curd Layer Cake RM15

Lemon Curd cake is generally one of my favourite cakes because it has the tard taste and not entirely sweet. I'd usually stay away from dense rich chocolate cake because that's a little too much for me to handle. Lemon Curd Cake at China House was quite okay, the cake was better than the chocolate cake in the sense that it was not as dry.

The cake prices there are rather expensive. One slice cost RM15 before tax and honestly, cake tasted like slightly better homebaked cakes- like the ones we amateur make at home, Yikes. However, their cream on cake saved the day.

Earl Grey Tea, RM10 per pot (I think)

Good thing about China House is that they allow you to share a pot of tea. Not sure if you could refill with hot water but even if you could, I think it would take you a while to stop one of the waiters for hot water. Also not sure if they would give you the Stink Face if you ask for refill :S

The weird thing about China House is that occasionally the waiters are not literally in your face kinda rude. Example, they do say "Thank you, please come again" kinda lines but somehow you don't feel their sincerity in customer service. Probably the holiday crowd made it worst, it was so hard to sit and enjoy our teatime because everyone was zooming here and there so it gave us the 'rushing vibe'.

If you're looking for somewhere to sit and chill, maybe China House on it's fullest days isn't the place to go. In contrast, Mugshot Cafe provided extremely good service despite their equally busy routine.

Cashier was pretty quick with collecting money though. Not surprised LOL

Few more shots of us at China House. Doodle to stand a chance to win some prize I think, so I did:

Chee Cheong Fun @ Seow Fong Lye, Macalister Lane

This is going to be a quick post before I go off for dinner. Dinner is chicken rice today!!! The only downside to it? I cooked too less chicken so each of us only has 3 pieces of tiny chicken so I fried 4 eggs to compensate:S Seems like buying one whole chicken isn't worth it after all because the chicken is so skinny. Next time I'm just gonna continue buying chicken parts. Hmph.

Taking us back to Penang! Yes, food post on Penang has not ended because we tried out so many food and I haven't been the most diligent lately in blogging LOL Maybe it's because my trip to Penang is just for relax and makan so food blogging is just a plus.

Chee Cheong Fun @ Seow Fong Lye

Macalister Lane

This is the Chee Cheong Fun push cart that you should be looking for

And this is the coffee shop that the push cart is at. 

Chee Cheong Fun is opened for breakfast as early as 8am if I've not mistaken and it goes on till about noon when she runs out of chee cheong fun to sell. So it would be great if you're able to drag yourself out of bed in the morning and head over for some yummy breakfast before it gets sold out!

I was craving for chee cheong fun even before my Penang trip so I googled for it in Penang since I was going there anyway. Just google "Penang Chee Cheong Fun" and lots of reviews pointed me to this particular one!

What's so special you ask?

THIS.

Very smooth and soft chee cheong fun topped with some sesame oil, sprinkled with sesame seeds and served with THICK prawn paste, sweet sauce and chili sauce!!!

My God! This is to die for! She was very generous with her prawn paste and the prawn paste was very very extremely thick and concentrated! No scrooge on prawn paste there! You should see her drizzle the thick sticky prawn paste on your plate, I bet your jaw will drop wide open!

It was just a very simple dish. No fancy fillings in the chee cheong fun like some shops offer (e.g. prawns) but culinary skills seriously lies in simplicity. 

Give it all a nice stir. Can smell the prawn paste smell, crazy good!!

Price?

• 2 strips of chee cheong fun, RM2
• 3 strips of chee cheong fun  RM3

I had the 2 strips at first and obviously it wasn't enough but we had to rush back for our bus to KL. So I packed 3 more strips back home!! The lady was very nice to separate the sauces for me. She somehow knew that I travelling back home LOL

I regretted only buying 3 strips back because it wasn't enough :(

Btw, I had the take- away chee cheong fun the next day and it was still very tasty and fresh. What sorcery is this? :O

Take- away Macalister Lane chee cheong fun

Breakfast with my sis who felt that 2 strips was enough for her because "noodles" fill her yummy up fast LOL

Ming Xiang Tai @ Burmah Road, Penang

Why is everyone still on holiday??? I'm back and ready for action since a week ago but then everyone else seem to be still on holiday, which leaves me to have nothing to do, which makes me feel guilty for wasting time. Though there's nothing much that I could do.

Another post on Penang!

So prior to the Penang trip I was googling about the places to find good food. I wanted to try out different food that I have not had the opportunity to eat the last round I was there. Of course, good food from the previous trip will be eaten again LOL

Don't know how but I was googling about pastries in Penang and apparently quite a number of people were talking (blogging) about this chinese pastry shop. So I did my homework and paid them a visit!

Ming Xiang Tai 

133 Jalan Burmah, Georgetown Penang

Facebook

If you are coming from Penang Rd (It's a one way street), Ming Xiang Tai will be on your left

Entrance of the Burmah Rd shop

Ming Xiang Tai is a Chinese pastry shop that sells Cantonese snacks like egg tarts, Siew Pau, and other types of sweet and salty pastries. 

Initially I wasn't sure if it's worth the visit because Penang is a Hokkien place so I assumed that whatever good there is there should be of Hokkien originated cuisine right? However, lots of people were saying that the pastries were really good and that this lady even ordered many packs of Trishaw Eggtarts to be brought back to KL as souvenirs!

Since I didn't had to ride on public transport to get there, I decided to give it a go!

Interior of the shop

Sidewalk board outside the shop

I think this outlet on Burmah Road is their first shop, if I've not mistaken. Now they have a few branches all around Penang. Have a look at the pastries that would be the first thing to welcome you as you walk into the shop:

Pastries say hello!

Walked inside and found more pastries

They have soybean drink and Tau Huey (soy pudding) as well for sale in the refrigerator alongside other beverages.

Seems like their soybean drink is a hit! One bottle cost RM6. Since it's pricey I'm assuming that it would be really really good.

We packed back our pastries and Tau Huey to the hotel because we just had Pata Mee Sotong for lunch and also Swatow Lane Ais Kacang so we were so darn full and tired. Back in the hotel we had a nap and once I awaken from my slumber I felt hungry so just in time for snacks!

Pastries nicely packed in a transparent plastic box

I got the famous Trishaw Eggtart (RM1.80) and Salted Egg pastry (RM1.50). My sis got the eggtart and a chicken siew pau (RM2). We shared a lotus filled pastry (RM1+) as well. 

Trishaw Eggtart

This was the pastry that motivated me to go check out Ming Xiang Tai. It's call Trishaw Egg Tart because his grandmother started off selling pastries in a trishaw. People actually pack boxes of this back! Must be good!

I love the egg centre of the tart, very fresh, soft and wobbly. Not too sweet so that's good. The crust of the egg tart is the crispy flaky type. I thought that the crust needed to be more buttery though since it tasted quite bland. Overall I give it a 3 Star, not sure if I'd pack it all the way back to my hometown as souvenirs though. The ones at Canton- i tasted significantly better for me:P

Tau Huey, RM3.50 I think 

They soy pudding and the syrup were packed seperately. Here you don't get to choose your sugar. Usually I'd have mine in white but since they only had black I didn't mind too much either. The fun part comes when you drizzle your syrup onto your pudding!!

Syrup on pudding, yums!

This, I like!! Very fresh homemade tasting Tau Huey. The pudding was very delicately made, tasted so fine, fine as in halus with no clumps and easily slurped down your throat! YUMS!! I dumped half the syrup on the pudding yet it wasn't too sweet! By the way, the syrup was thick (I was impressed with how thick it was because usually the syrups are watery) so I thought it would be very sweet LOL

Naomi's Chicken Siew Pau

She didn't really like this because she said it didn't taste classic. Usually the meat is pork but since Ming Xiang Tai is pork free, they substitute pork with chicken. Also I think this siew pau is modernised in some way because they added extra ingrediants inside (Forgot what they were, was it lotus seeds?)

My salted egg pastry wasn't that tasty as well. Tasted very dry to me. Basically, all the pastry skin in Ming Xiang Tai is dry LOL But their fillings are not too bad though! But don't think I'll return when back in Penang.

Nasi Kandar Beratur & Restoran KSB Cahaya (Abu), Penang

It's a wonderful Saturday morning despite me being woken up by the loud drilling noise next door. Neighbours must be doing some renovation. Wondering when can I get a place of my own?

Anyway, I was suppose to write about China House before I write this post if it were to be chronological but China House has (present tense, because my sis's friend who is in Penang now experienced the same thing) such bad service i.e. waiter/ waitresses were impatient, rude and syok sendiri, I somehow feel demotivated to write about their mediocre food.

So I decided to skip China House, God knows why people are so crazy about that shop, and write about this instead!

Restoran Nasi Kandar Beratur

Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling

This is the famous Nasi Kandar Beratur at night, situated right next to the mosque

This stall opens only after 10pm. 

I repeat, ONLY after 10pm because before that there is also another Nasi Kandar owner selling at the the same venue. The first time I was there, about a year back I accidentally bought the wrong nasi kandar thinking why all the hype when Pelita back in KL tasted better. Good thing I got suspicious of the long queue and found out that the Nasi Kandar Beratur has yet opened! fml, LOL.

After China House (yucks!), at baout 9.40pm we headed to Nasi Kandar beratur. At that time there was already a line formed but the line wasn't monstrous yet so it was okay. I'm couting about 10 people before my turn?

Queuing for Nasi Kandar Beratur at 9.40pm

Waited and waited and waited. Finally at around 10pm, the before 10 Nasi Kandar stall shut down and made way for the Nasi Kandar Beratur. I felt a little bad for the before 10 nasi kandar because he must feel shitty about his business. Even before he shuts, probably about 9pm people where already queuing outside his shop but only for someother people's food not his:S

It took the Nasi Kandar Beratur guys so long to set their stall up. All their food has been cooked somewhere else and then pushed in a cart to the venue. Just that they had to wash the stall, yes as in use water and all. Then, they had to arrange their dishes properly. When they finally turned on the lights everyone perked up quickly!

HAHAHAHA thinking back, felt like we were so deperate for his rice.

Finally, lights up! And the Nasi Kandar Beratur business begins!

This was soon to be my turn. I look like a hungry monster with fat thighs here. I'm sure it's just the wrong angle:X

Stuffing my head in the corner to tell the guy what I wanted. 

Somehow I always feel very rushed when I order my food at Nasi Kandar beratur because subconsiously I know that the line, by now a monstrous line, is behind me and that I should not hog the line. I think most people feel the same way as I did and that is why they will ask their son/ daughter/ dad/ relative to go check out what dishes do they have before it reaches their turn.

Waited for nearly half an hour to 45 minutes for dinner!

Sorry, this is the only picture I've got. 

The thing is I didn't care about how the food looks when I unwrapped it back in the hotel because I was soooooo hungry! I ordered rice, fried chicken (thigh) and beef with kari campur kuah banyak gravy, RM10. CHEAP!

Chicken

One big piece of chicken thigh, nicely seasoned and deep fried. So crispy despite it bathing in kuah campur. I'm amazed! Must get Double fried chicken next time round.

Beef

Two large chunks of tender beef. Not need chew till dentures come off! It's so tender and flavourful as if they slow cooked their beef.

Naomi was initially having windy stomach due to our crazy eating time in Penang. It was hard to tell what was breakfast, lunch or dinner there because our mouths were just nomming non stop at odd hours throughout the day and her tummy must have been shocked to some extend LOL So she decided not to buy Nasi Kandar Beratur.

I warned her time after time that she would regret that decision! But she didn't head my advice. Once we were back in the hotel I gave her some fried chicken and she was sold! Out of the blue, her stomach wasn't windy anymore, lmao. Taking pity on her, I gave her half of my dinner.

Till now, she craves the Nasi Kandar Beratur so we're planning for a trip back when our finances allow :P

Me with the biker mural

So, since I shared my dinner I wasn't full. Decided to have supper. Actually supper in Penang is a must especially when you live right across a night hawker street. Regardless, I was very grateful to be recommended supper at this shop instead of the hawker.

Note: I had to haul the sleepy head out for supper because her post- Langkawi syndrome was starting to show LOL

Restoran KSB Cahaya (aka Abu Mamak)

Macalister Lane 


Abu. That's what Penang people call it I think.

Currently, they have moved to Macalister Lane from I'm- not- too- sure- where but I think this is their temporary place because they might want to move back to their old location. So as of November 2014 this is where they are.

I was told that this shop's food is a hit and miss kinda shop. Some people loves the food here but then some other people would have tummyache and diarrhea thanks to the food here. Nevertheless, they do have a large variety of Roti to choose from! Think Murni at SS2, similar concept.

Menu board

Ugh. I forgot what they call this. Something like Roti Bakar Kahwin and Power I think?

Roti Kahwin because it the butter kaya toast comes in a pair like married couple. Power refers to the half boiled eggs. Quite amusing names I must say, but fun to know! This set cost about RM5 if I have not mistaken. Our bills were counted in aggregate so I'm only guessing the bill breakdown. 

I totally forgot the name of this Roti but according to Naomi, this is Roti USA. Should be around RM5.

Roti USA is buttered toast topped with fried egg, sausage, cheese and another egg, drizzled with chili sauce. Actually, this is similar to having a big breakfast, just that they stacked each ingrediant on top of each onther rather than it being plated separately. 

I think this is Roti Hong Kong. About RM4- 5 maybe?

It's practically roti telur with sliced sausages inside topped with a dollop of mayo. Nothing special though. Even if they have a large variety of roti, most of the ingredients are repeated. 

This is Milo + Tea. I think they called it "TehLo". It's not on the menu but if you are their regulars you would know.

I enjoyed the kaya on the toast even if I was told that it was just cheap kaya. Cheap kaya also taste so good in Penang?!! Where can!!! Really. I enjoyed the kaya so much because it tasted so lemak-ish (coconut milk). The roti was nothing really special though and a bit pricey. 

I still enjoyed supper though! And no tummyache after:D