Boat Noodle, Sunway Carnival Mall @ Seberang Jaya

Boat noodles originates from Thailand and if you are in Victory Monument in Bangkok, there are plenty of boat noodles restaurant to choose from. My personal favourite is the one where the staffs wore orange shirts. That is the original or most popular restaurant serving boat noodles in Bangkok to go for. Boat noodles are actually noodles served in bowls by sellers on boats along the river. But this has been modernised and we now have them served in air-conditioned restaurant in shopping malls. So, unlike what my friend had in mind, the noodles are not served in boat shaped noodles. There are few variants to the original dish when it comes to its broth - usually pork based with pork blood or clear and light soy sauce. 

Anyway, this little humble dish invaded Penang just a couple of years ago on the island side at Summerton, Bayan Baru (near Queensbay Mall) and recently, it is now opened in EAT at Level 2 of Sunway Carnival Mall in Seberang Jaya. Yay for home turf! Good news to my Muslim friends, it is halal! Double YAY! 

Common condiments for boat noodles for chilli lovers.  

 The other side of the menu

 This is actually the whole menu. 

Noodles or rice as mains and they have other side dishes and desserts, too. 

 The kitchen where the noodles are made. 

 The drinks counter and cashier. There is an order form on each table and you just have to fill up your own order and hand it to the waiting staffs. FYI, the service is a bit slow. From order to meal on table, it took around 15-20 mins during my visit. 

 Signature side dish - grilled chicken meatballs. RM3.90

Seriously?

 The rest of our order. 

 The drinks are by Chill Chill and you can actually bring home the container if you can't finish it or just as a souvenir. There is a lid and the cashier can give you a little plastic carrier for the drinks. 

Iced Lemon Tea RM6.90 and drink of the day RM3.90. The drink of the day was lemongrass tea. 

The Chill Chill Agenda.  

   We had a late breakfast so wasn't prepared to have more than 2 bowls each. We ordered one of each of broth - Pathumthani and Ayutthaya. RM1.90 each. 

 Ayutthaya broth - strong herbal taste. 

 Pathumthani, lighter soy sauce broth. I prefer this one. 

As a customary end to our meal, we stack 'em bowls up and take a photo. 

As we live, there is a long queue outside of the restaurant. Good thing about this place is that it can cater to big groups. I don't think you can RSVP in advance. 

I would recommend it for first timers and also light eaters. For more information, check out their Facebook page here or its website here. 

Artichoke Cafe, Raja Uda @ Butterworth

My favourite brunch, lunch and dinner (maybe!) cafe in Butterworth to date! After all the hawker food stalls of course.

It is wonderful to know that the cafe scene in Butterworth is expanding and a lot of cafes open up along Jalan Raja Uda and at the heart of Raja Uda where Jalan Ong Yi How is. There is a question of sustainability and often, the restaurant that you've just dined months ago, will be replaced with some other joints already. But, I am glad to know that Artichoke Cafe did really well since its opening last year and I did not regret my visit to this cafe in particular for brunch.

Brunch starts from 930am until 1130am only. After that, they have the lunch menu which I haven't got the chance to try yet. I'll probably do that some other time as I've been having my Saturday brunch with this cafe for the past 2 weeks.

Their crockery are dainty. My friend ordered latte and I had the rose apple tea. Due to its colouring, it wasn't my cup of tea that day. LOL..  

Spinach and mushroom egg benedict. 

Oh, you could also get a bottle of water with as many glasses as you want for free. It is refillable, too.  

This has got to be the best dish ever! Egg Cocotte. 

After having this, I made my own version of it as lunch at work.

The Full Works. 

If you are feeling extremely hungry, this full breakfast is for you!  

Spanish Omelette

Love the chorizo sausage inside! And rocket leaves salad!  

Best of all, you can bring your own card game and play for as long as you want while catching up with your friends. 

Artichoke Cafe
Opening hours: 9am onwards, daily
Facebook page is here.

The Butterfly Cabinet @ Heaton Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England

It was the first time I had to queue to get into a cafe in Newcastle. In a quiet and upper part of Heaton Road, who would've guess there is a hidden gem for pancakes and breakfast. I've lived in Heaton before when I did my post-graduate studies at Northumbria University. I think I saw this place before but didn't really put it much into consideration that they sell really good food at a considerably affordable price. I left Heaton in 2008 and since then, I rarely visited that part of Newcastle until April this year. 

I met Wira and his girlfriend for brunch. He was my housemate for 2 years during my post-study work days and it was great to see him again. He suggested the Butterfly Cabinet because both of them loved the pancakes so much. It was fluffy and the drink choices were plenty in particular those infused with Elderflower. They picked up with their taxi from Morrisons Byker and just 5 minutes away, we're there! 

Fortunately, not much queue when we arrived. Just maybe 3 parties were before us.

The interior looks good. 

The extensive menu

My drink. I forgot what it was but there's Elderflower in them. Definitely. Their syrups are not for sale though. Wira was disappointed. 

HUGE ASS PANCAKES PORTIONS FOR ONE PERSON! I could only finished 3 pancakes, bacons and sausages. I left the rest for another friend, Al. 

Al's Salmon's Omelette with salads and potato wedges. AGAIN, IT IS SUPER BIG PORTION. 

Lots of paintings on the wall to look at while waiting for your food or to chill down after the big meal. 

Definitely would come back again for breakfast, brunch or lunch! Suitable for children, too.

Theire webpage link is here.

EU Cuisine @ Georgetown, Penang

I got to know about this restaurant through a colleague of mine who is a foodie. She loves her food and despite complaining of her expanding waistline, her love for food is undeniable and she still eat as usual. Haha.. Anyway, EU (you can pronounced it as "ee-yew" or "yew" but the correct pronunciation is "yew" as in the Chinese surname Eu) Cuisine serves Asian-European fusion food. Located at a quiet part of Georgetown, especially on weekends, Rangoon Road still hosts heritage houses and building. Surrounding EU cuisine is the popular foodcourt and also the famous Macalister Road steamboat. 

Mind you, parking along Rangoon Road or Abu Siti Lane or Lorong Selamat are marked as red zone means you gotta have some parking coupons ready even though it is the weekend or public holidays as red zone parking means coupons from morning until midnight. During our visit, we parked at Lorong Selamat (beside the famous and exorbitantly priced char koay teow by the aunty who wears a red buret) just a little bit off the little back alley that connects both Rangoon Road and Lorong Selamat. EU Cuisine is just walking distance from where we parked. 

Initially, we intended to book for a table on the 4th of May but through the tele-conversation with the member staff of the restaurant we got to know that they are having an official opening on the 1st of May. So, we booked for brunch at 10.30am and it was a gorgeous day for a trip to the island. We were greeted warmly by the staffs and the owner of the place and as we were led inside the restaurant, we were amazed by how well-groomed the interior are. EU Cuisine is in one of the heritage houses and the ceiling is so high that you could see the sky and also enjoy the feel of being inside one of the pre-war houses back in the 60s or 70s. 

All food are prepared and made to order. Such as this lovely bowl of sweet potato soup. 

Bacon and avocado cups. The best sashimi alternative that I've ever had. 

Top: Grilled chicken with vegetables. Bottom: Pan fried salmon with vegetables. 

They have posh names for their food and I couldn't remember any as it was 3 weeks ago now. But, yes, do capture their menu if you have the chance. For the price that you pay, akin to any midrange range restaurants, the portion is huge! We were stuffed for the rest of the day. Seriously. Most eateries these days charge high prices but with portion less than its price. 

My plate of rolled chicken with a generous portion of carrots and leafy greens salad. 

Water is served together with your meal so no worries if you didn't order any drinks. If you sign up as a member, you'll get 15% discount on the bill applicable only to ala carte menu. Their set lunch and dinner are commendable too as it is affordable and perfect for budget hunters. Do RSVP before you go especially for lunches and dinners on weekends. They served breakfast too and they are opened from 9am with afternoon breaks in between. 

EU Cuisine 
86, Rangoon Road,
10400 George Town, Penang
04-228 5128
Mon.-Sun. 12:00-15:00 (lunch)
Mon.-Sun. 18:00-22:00 (dinner)

Gold Choice Barista Cafe @ Raja Uda, Butterworth

This franchise was opened by an acquaintance (though not publicly announced) but with social media, this cafe gained popularity not just because of its coffee but also because of their waffles and puff pastry pizzas. 

A colleague of mine frequented this cafe almost every night on weekdays and sometimes even over the weekends just for their chocolate waffles. It was a shame that the chocolate waffles were sold out the night I visited. So, for an optimum experience and enjoyment of the menu, do drop by on weekdays or nights. Biasness aside, the environment is really warm and the tables were designed for 2 or 4 patrons each. There are few comfortable seatings for bigger groups at the front or the back of the cafe so, timing is really important or perhaps just delegation of attendance. 

Anyway, unlike other cafes I've been in Raja Uda (Arnold Cycling Cafe aside), it is packed. Really. Even though they've opened for some time now since the Chinese New Year yet the response they get is overwhelming even until today. I took my colleague's word for it. So, this is a throwback post as it has been a month ago since I've visited Gold Choice. The same day since I've visited Coffee Venture, too. So, Gold Choice is located near Aroma Hotel and the Library. So, if you are familiar of this location, you should also know that Maoz Cafe, Armor Cafe and Shunka Japanese Restaurant are also near this establishment. Parking could be a pain but if you don't mind walking, you can walk nearer to the karaoke joint or at the empty shoplot units opposite Gold Choice. 

Italian cuisine inspired menu. Their take of pizza or pasteleria is a lighter version of even New York Crust Pizza. You get less crust and more ingredients in a mouthful. Belgian waffles are brilliant as it comes in few flavours - original, chocolate and coffee. 

 The emblem of the barista cafe is of a rosetta, one of the basic latte art in coffees around the world. 

 Many well wishes and congratulatory bouquets at the counter. 

Hawaiian Pasteleria 

  Coffee flavoured Belgian waffles with bananas and chocolate ice cream. 

Awesome comfort food on any day! 

I do understand why my colleague love this place so much, not just because they served waffles but because they have the atmosphere that most cafe don't. It is not as posh as Macallum Connoisseur or Marlons+Co and yet not as shabby as old-school kopitiam so it came right in between these two high and low ends of coffee drinking rendezvous. It is not intimidating and yet you felt welcomed. It fitted the image of Butterworth very well so that's why the place is packed all the time. Warm and welcoming. As a support to this anonymous acquiantance of mine whom I could see almost every morning or any time of day at home, good luck and all the best! 

Gold Choice Barista Cafe  

No. 3, Butterworth Business City Centre,
Jalan Raja Uda,
12300 Butterworth, Penang
Tel: 04-313 7658
Opening hours: 
Monday-Thursday : 10.30am-12am
Friday-Sunday : 10.30am-1am
Homepage 

Griffiths @ Kampung Bharu, Bukit Mertajam

Kampung Bharu hosted a lot of f&b outlets and some of them managed to sustain themselves in business for the longest time even though the rapid change in Penangites' demand in quality and quantifiable food and drinks in Penang. Such as Shunka, Kim Castle, Kuo Fu Chen Steamboat etc.

Griffiths is not new to the locals in that area but to me it is. It is a bit like Route 9 at Bishop Street whereby with a top up of 4 ringgit, you can pimped up your main course with a free tea and soup. However, just a selected few main courses and it is different every day.

I ordered a turkey, ham and cheese sandwich and was disappointed with it came without a side salad. I wasn't sure why a piece of lettuce leaf was placed next to the sandwiches though. Did they forget to put in the side salad? Anyway for RM8.90, I couldn't ask for more.

My sister ordered carbonara and the portion is decent and the price is cheap. Amongst all the cafes and restaurants we have dined in, the prices of pasta dishes sold here is the cheapest and by cheap it means you can get it as low as 8.90 a plate for aglio olio. Of course, different people have different taste palette but judging from the number of patrons in this restaurant, it is popular.

The restaurant is open everyday between 10am to 10pm. If you know where Old Town Kampung Bharu is, it is just on the opposite side situated between another cafe and a fashion boutique. Drive slow after Shunka on the left and CIMB on the right.

No service or government tax, correct as of 19th January 2015.