El Faro Tapas Bar and Wine at Burmah Road, Penang.

If you do not already know, we are engaged! We have been engaged for about 2 months now and we finally arranged a night for us both to have fancy-schmancy dinner to celebrate our engagement. 

If you would like to know the story from his side and her side, see below links.

Will You Marry Me : His Side (Part I)
Will You Marry Me : His Side (Part II)
Will You Marry Me : Her Side 

We thought of trying a new place and a new kind of food, hence the restaurant of the night. We heard quite a few of good reviews on this place and thought that this would be the perfect time to try it out. Got reason to wine and dine like a boss. Heh. 

He called in the noon and made a booking ahead so we will not be greeted with, "I'm sorry but we're fully booked today" when we get there. So, prior planning is good. 

Spanish kind of night it shall be then :)

We were the first customer to walk in for dinner that night and we were greeted with a warm welcome. We sat down and looked at the menu. It was like new language for us. Our intention that night was to have their signature dishes and wine away the night, laughing at each other being all awkward and all. 

One particular thing that we hated dislike was how the Waiter 1 treated us. He gave us the menu and because we are so unfamiliar with Spanish kind of foods, we asked a few questions on certain food items and there he was, standing with his unhappy face, so unwilling to tell us more details on the items.

We even asked him what are some of the signature dishes and he rudely replied. Maybe it's his accent or the way he explained but we couldn't understand what he was saying and when he needed to repeat, he raised both his eyebrows, looked at us as though we're dumb.

Umm. That is plain rude okay. Then, he gave us a list of wine bottles to order and we told him we will just have a glass each since we are going to need to drive to somewhere else later, he raised his eyebrows again and stared at us.

Wah. Since it was a special night, we decided we shall just not let that bother us. Thank God it was another waiter who served us our food and smiled to us everytime he did that. He even helped us take a photo and yeah, it's not the best photo in the world, but A for effort :)

Anyways, shall we now proceed for food thoughts now. Heh.

We were taking quite a while to choose between the pre-set course or choose on our own from their general menu. We decided that since it's such a new thing for us, we will just go ahead with FOR 2 course.

There are a total of 7 food items in the FOR 2 for the price of RM132++ (10% service charge and 6% GST). 

Boquerones

Spanish white anchovies on watermelon with mint, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.

He says: Fishy. However, it works quite well with the mint and watermelon.

She says: I thought that this was an interesting dish. I don't like fruits in general but I was curious to try this one. Mint and watermelon, best combo ever. However, the anchovies were a bit too fishy to my liking. There's this not-fresh-smell if I may say that. 

Cold Capellini - We asked to change the Mackerel dish to this because she doesn't like Mackerel

Angel hair served with konbu (Japanese seaweed) and lumpfish caviar

He says: I love this one! Maybe because there is not much cold dish that I've tasted before. Please try!

She says: So funny to eat angel hair/pasta cold, but let me tell you something. This is a must try because it's very different! I thought I was in another world when I had this in my mouth. The taste is so unique I can't help but have more! Like this one. 

Mix Mushroom Salad

Bacon bits with balsamic dressing on a bed of green vegetables

He says:  Not bad.. Love the mushrooms!

She says: Quite a normal salad dish and of course it was better than those bacon-less salad because hello, it's bacon. 

Anchovy on Toast

Anchovy + red pepper + eggplant on toast

 He says: Love it! Toasted to perfection. Must try!

She says: I like that the toast was hard but not too hard. The anchovy and red pepper was really soft and mushy so the texture that the toast gives is very ngam. Not a big fan of this dish. Quite okaylah. Should try tho.

Spanish Bacon

Spanish bacon served with lychee salsa

 He says: Hahaha. 2nd lychee dish that I know. The other was "lychee pie". Man, this is good, the bacon is scrumptious and the lychee topping surprised me how good it is. 

She says: First taste felt so similar to the canned ham that we eat at home. Second taste and you know this is good stuff. Third taste onwards, my mind blew. Who could ever thought that lychee will go so well with this bacon? Well, El Faro's Chef did! And it was brilliant! Especially love the fact that there is no layer of fats in them. Love this one!

Patatas Bravas

Crispy potatoes served with bravas sauce and aiolli

He says: Not bad.. like it. The potatoes were soft inside and crispy outside. The sauce? Just nice.

She says: I thought it would taste like KFC's cheesy wedges. WRONG! Nothing like that at all. The potatoes were not too soft and the brava sauce was not overly sweet. It was a very good dish. Fork licking good for sure.

Moorish Chicken Thigh

Served with purple pickled cabbage, carrots and moorish sauce

He says:  Just so so for me. Not special to be honest but worth trying.

She says: The chicken thighs were perfect! The Moorish sauce was amazing. It's very similar to Ayam Milanese that we eat at Kapitan, but this one is like an elevated kind. The chicken portion was chun-chun. Amazing dish.

El Faro Tapas Bar and Wine at Burmah Road, Penang.

Closed on every Wednesday

Price: Expensive

Ratings:
His rating: 7/10
Her rating: 7.5/10

Chok Dee Thai Restaurant at Burmah Road, Penang

Hello there you all. We realized that every time we post something up, it always starts with this kind of greetings. The kind where we haven't been here for the longest time already! Haha!

Well, since we've been gone for so long (actually not very long also right), we shall post on another of our all-time favorite cuisine! 

Yes, another Thai food post! 

Told you that we are big lovers of Thai Food. If we're both so busy with whatever things and you try to get us out for a night right, always use Thai food as the winning point. CONFIRM WE BOTH WILL SAY YES! Hehe.

We personally think that majority of the people in Penang likes Thai food. No, we don't have some kind of survey of whatsoever but it just seems like Thai food has been surviving for so many years here. As long as your price is reasonable and your food is good, sure got return customers. 

If your cook is from Thailand, most likely your Thai food will taste awesome. At least that's what we feel lah.

So, this place is pretty famous already. People know about Chok Dee Thai, Burmah Road. In fact, everytime you drive past Burmah Road, for sure got cars in front of the shop. 

The shop is quite small, so do make your reservations first if you're planning to dine in with a big number of people okay.

We enjoyed our time at Chok Dee Thai, Burmah Road with the company of amazing people. Thank you Judson Lim for the treat! Our lawyer, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, he's still available :))

Take note that the photos are all on large orders (bold pricing) and just enough portion for 5 adults :)

Tom Yum Seafood - RM 20/RM 31

He says: Pretty good! More of a lemak kind of tomyam =)

She says: When I saw the soup, I was like, "Confirm nice already!" and I was right! Milky and spicy!

Tofu Curry Paste - RM 12/RM 15/RM 20

He says: Thumbs up! Like the gravy. Very authentic thai taste to it.

She says: This was highly recommended by Judson himself so my expectation is like so high on this dish. First serving: LOVE IT. Second time: Hmm. Sill nice okay. Third time: Err.. starting to feel jelak d. But overall very aromatic and different.

Crispy marinated Pork Strips - RM 16/RM 28 

He says: A bit dry to me. But its not bad when dip into the thai sauce.

She says: If its crispierrr, then it would have been perfect! Quite a dry dish to eat with rice.

Salted Egg Squid - RM 16/RM18/RM 28 

He says: Not a big fan of salted eggs! A no no for me.. the squid is quite nice and chewy too!
She says: Love this dish! Salted egg dishes are always of prawns so this one with squid was actually really nice. 

Tub Tim Krob (water chestnut and jackfruit served in coconut milk) - RM6

He says: A little bit too sweet and the taste is a little bit weird.

She says: A bit too watery to my liking. Normal je.

Chok Dee Thai Restaurant at Burmah Road, Penang

04-229 1492 / 012-505 8668 for reservations

Lunch: 11am - 230pm

Dinners: 6pm - 930pm

Price: Expensive

Ratings:

His rating: 6/10

Her rating: 6/10

huey&wah café at Bellisa Row, Burmah Road, Penang

So many cafes in Penang it's really crazy to keep up.

It's like new cafe opens up every two weeks in Penang or something.

This cafe that we went to on one of the nights was known to us when they first opened in Straits Quay. A small little shop along the outside of the mall.

Then, they moved to Bellisa Row and boy, they are huge. Huge compared to the one they have in Straits Quay.

All we knew of this cafe was that they serve chocolates. We have no idea where that impression came from. No idea.

We went in with a group of friends and toured the shop around before we placed our order to which was recommended by the staffs :)

Two storeys :)

Upstairs with beanie bags :)

Order & pay at the counter then your drinks/food will be delivered to your table.

A range of flavored marshmallows for you to bring home when you give money. Heh.

Vanilla, lemon, chocolate, passion fruit, rose, espresso and stout.

Price range from RM11.90 to RM18.90

 Cakes with marshmallows.

Frozen Yogurt Popsicle with marshmallow bits :)

Kopi-o with 2 cubes marshmallows (flavors of your choice) - RM6.50

Ours were stout and chocolate flavored :)

He says: Unique really. The coffee itself is nice! Then, then sweetness that the marshmallows offers when it melts is perfect. Should give this a try!

She says: I knew for sure it won't taste good! For sure! Cos I DO NOT like marshmallows unless it's over the fire for a while and melted a bit inside. That also, I only take one cos it's way too sweet as a candy kind. This kopi-o however makes the perfect combo with marshmallows. It's insane! They leave the cubes in there then it started to melt. So, I took a small sip and fell in love with it immediately! Kopi-o no sugar so the marshmallows became the sweet element in there and it tasted perfecttt! LOVE THIS ONE!

Bottle Lemonade

He says: Refreshing! 

She says: Sweet and very refreshing. Okay, amybe a bit too sweet for me. 

Frozen Yogurt Popsicle (Passion Fruit)

He says: Not a big fan of yogurt but a big fan of passion fruit! Kinda like it..

She says: I like the surprise element in it. The chunky bits of marshmallows! Sorry, no more surprise for you anymore since you are still reading this. Heh. Like this one.

huey&wah café at Bellisa Row, Burmah Road, Penang

Price: Slightly expensive

Ratings:

His rating: 7.5/10

Her rating: 8.5/10

Chicken/Pork Rice at Restoren Loon Heng at Burmah Road, Penang

Can say that we use this road quit often, but never really notice this humble shop on the right side of the main road of Pulau Tikus. It's directly beside Sawara Restaurant.

It was a random afternoon lunch and he decided to eat here. He ate there once and didn't really like it but we decided to give it another try.

Difficult for chicken rice to go wrong, isn't it?

Boss at work.

Roasted chicken and barbequed pork (char siew)

He says: Looking at it makes me hungry already! A lot different from what I can remember but its pretty good. 

She says: The dark sauce coating the meat is yummy. The bbq pork is quite hard. If it's softer, it would be really yummy.

They have different kind of soup that you can order if you do not the usual clear soup or kiam chai boey.

Six Flavor with Chicken - RM5

He says: I could just eat this with rice. The soup tastes just nice but in a way rich in its herbs at the same time. 

She says: It's a lil oily but the taste is yummy. I would love to try the other soups!

Chicken/Pork Rice at Restoren Loon Heng at Burmah Road, Penang

Price: Reasonable

Ratings:

His rating: 7/10

Her rating: 6.5/10

Ban Chang Koay at Chu Chang Kar along Lengkok Burma, Penang

One of the things that we love eating, whether for tea time or sideline for lunch/dinner.

Do you all not know that there was this one day back in our college years (which is not that long ago!), he surprised her with two pieces of ban chang koay from her favorite stall. This one.

It was sweet because she was craving for that particular one for a few days already. What made it even sweeter was because he went out of college to get it and came back to pass it to her and then went back home. Effort, score! :)

Okay okay! Back to this one. One of our random lunch session and upon seeing the stall, he straight went ahead and ordered. Ordered 2 piece sumore! You do not know this but we ordered other sidelines too. How to not get fat like that! Haha.

He says: Could be better! PS, BCK can hardly go wrong unless it is too hard!

She says: Quite crunchy in the middle, the sides are a bit quite chewy (maybe not fully cooked?) and the inside quite okay lah. Can't really taste the melted butter that usually makes it nicer.

 Ban Chang Kuih at Chu Chang Kar along Lengkok Burma, Penang

Price: Reasonable

Ratings:
His rating: 5/10
Her rating: 4/10

Roti Babi at Chu Chang Kar along Lengkok Burma, Penang

By now, you all can tell already that it's almost impossible for the both of us to NOT order side dishes whenever we dine together. IMPOSSIBLE.

On one of the weekdays, we went for lunch somewhere further than where our offices were at. Always eating around that area also sien d. 

I don't think this place has any name to it, except by its locally known name, "Chu Chang Kar"! 

There are a lot of hawker stalls that area and it's very confortable to be dining there because it feels very cozy, being under lots of trees, hence the name Chu Chang Kar. 

Roti babi (Minced Pork Bread) - RM3.80

He says: Just so so but the sauce is really good. Unique. 

She says: Very crunchy outside and soft inside. Really yummy. You have to dip in the sauce that is served with it. So delicious. We wanted to order another round after that but of course we didn't lah. We didn't only have this as a side dish. HAHAH!

 Roti Babi at Chu Chang Kar along Lengkok Burma, Penang

Price: Quite pricey

Ratings:
His rating: 7.5/10
Her rating: 8/10

Tammin Pasembur at Bangkok Lane, Pulau Tikus, Penang

What's the PERFECT food after swimming on a very sunny day?

Laksa? Err.. actually yes hah. Laksa is quite nice for tea time after a swim. Anyways, that's not what we had after a good swim dip in the pool.

We had PASEMBUR! 

What is PASEMBUR?

Our local Malaysian Indian salad with all its goodness (potatoes, beancurd, deep-fried prawn fritters, shredded cucumbers, bean sprouts etc) mixed together with the special homemade kuah (dressing)!

It's literally finger fork-licking good kind of dish. MUST HAVE IF YOU ARE HERE IN PENANG! 

You can add more ingredients as you wish or if you're really hungry.

The special recipe kuah/dressing for our local salad.

And here you have it, PASEMBUR for three persons.

He says: It's a bit cold already. Great combination of sauces but could be better if it is served hawt!

She says: First spoonful, it's alright. Second onwards, not that nice as it looks. I would love it to be a bit more spicier. Ingredients are okay.

Tammin Pasembur at Bangkok Lane, Pulau Tikus, Penang

Location: Bangkok Lane, Pulau Tikus, Penang

Price: Slightly expensive

Ratings:
His rating: 5/10
Her rating: 4/10

Famous Fried Yong Tau Foo along Burmah Road at Pulau Tikus, Penang

HELLO ERRBODEEEYY!

We have reviewed at this area before on its mee hoon thn'ng and tomyam. So now it's only complete that we reviewed this too. 

Everytime when we are with friends, or sometimes when it's only the two of us, we always HAVE TO order side dishes! It's like a typical thing to do in Penang. So many kind of food you want to eat but for sure can't finish, so BEST THING TO DO IS GO WITH YOUR FRIENDS! :)

Ingredients vary from not fried to deep fried.

There's this special gravy that comes together with the ingredients.

He says: Gotta say this one the BOMB here. A special gravy being poured onto the freshly fried yong tau foos! fulahhh.. Come try this, you will not regret! teeehee? haha.

She says: I don't usually take yong tau foo but this one is like the best ever in Penang! NOT KIDDING YOU! They deep fried then pour their own thick gravy over it! *drools*

Joshua says: When I first came to this place and eat, was thinking what on earth is that, and who eats that, until my friend ordered and ask me to try and BAM!! SO GOOD! Especially the chilli. From that day onwards, if I have 2 or more crowd, we will order and share.

Chilli sauce for dipping.

He says: Sweet and spicy at the same time. Yums! POWER.

She says: THE BEST BOMB IN THE WORLD! 

Joshua says: THIS IS SO GOOD.

Famous Fried Yong Tau Foo along Burmah Road at Pulau Tikus, Penang

Location: It is directly across from the junction of Burmah Road and Codrington Avenue.

Price: Quite expensive

Ratings:

His rating: 8/10

Her rating: 9/10
Joshua's rating: 8/10