Jasmine Garden Cafe at Macalister Road, Penang

"Everytime we drive pass this road, you sure look at this place. You want to try the food there isit?"

What he said every single time we drive down Macalister Road. Haha. 

The truth is, she grew up coming to this place for a family meal. Since she was a very young girl. He has never tried out this place before so he decided to bring her whole family there one nice sunny noon and gave them another walk down memory lane.

This place is run by Catholics where there are rooms upstairs for rent, prolly for those who would like to spend few days in Penang in a budgeted way. Not so sure about that though..

Anyways, no need to say also you will know that she was excited to have lunch that day. She kept checking her watch to make sure we go there earlier than planned. Crazy girl.

Simple place to dine for lunch or dinner.

Signature dish: Belacan Fried Chicken.

 He says: Belachan chicken can hardly go wrong! Thumbs up! Hot and crispy! 

She says: First bite so juicy and yummy. This one ten-fingers-licking-good. We ordered round two BTW. I can just order this next time. IT'S SERIOUSLY SO YUMMY!

Stir-fry Kailan.

He says: Could be better if there is more taste to it. Maybe a bit more salt?

She says: A normal dish with maybe more taste needed.

Black Bean Soup.

He says: Ermmmm..  Nothing special but pretty decent soup!

She says: Like having a hot water soup with some beans in it? Nehhhh.

He says: Taste okay but the curry is a bit diluted. 

She says: Fish fillet is fresh. It looks better than it tasted. To be honest, it was prolly one of the worse I've ever tasted. I remembered it being one of the best I've tasted last time. Maybe change of chefs.. 

Jasmine Garden Cafe at Macalister Road, Penang

Price: Expensive

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

Senya Izakaya Restaurant at Publika Shopping Gallery at Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur

Short quick holiday to Kuala Lumpur just because we can! :)

Found this Japanese restaurant at Publika while searching for places to eat with his family :)

We have two special guests with us today for this amazing makan session. It was a Japanese style of birthday celebration for the drop-dead-gorgeous lady on the right :)

The color and lighting of the restaurant attracts people from a distance. Extra point for that!

Hardworking chefs at work.

Udon - RM12.80

He says: Hmmm... Nothing special but the soup is pretty good.

She says: Udon very soft. Soup quite normal kind of Japanese udon soup. Heh.

Joe says: I'm still here trying to recall how it tasted and I can't recall. I supposed that says it all.

Jaryn says: I like this one! The soup is fragrant and the udon's texture is just the way I like them to be!

Hokkaido Pork Don - RM22

He says: THIS IS DA ONE. 2 thumbs and 2 toes up!

She says: Grilled to perfection wei! Soft and juicy. One of the best grilled pork belly. THUMBS UP!

Joe says: I would go back there just for this dish. Absolutely delicious.

Jaryn says: This has got to be the star dish of this restaurant. I love it so much!! Oily and unhealthy but oh-so-yummy!

Pork Cutlet Curry  - RM25

He says: Not a big fan of Japanese curry. Like usual, tastes a powderish..

She says: Love the curry. It's not those kin dof spicy curry. It has that amazing aroma and taste that makes the curry so delicious even when it's not spicy. Love it!

Joe says: Tasted exactly like how it should be; which is not too special.

Jaryn says: Never been a big fan of Japanese curry so naturally, this one is not my favorite. The portion is quite big though, so I supposed if you like Japanese curry it's worth trying.

California Roll - RM14.80

He says: Like it!

She says: Okaylah.

Joe says: Good!

Jaryn says: They aren't too bad at all! But they aren't the best I've had. For something so common I think it takes a lot more to really stand out. At least for me!

Canggih punya system ni.

Senya Izakaya Restaurant at Publika Shopping Gallery at Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur

Price: Slightly expensive

Rating:
His rating: 7/10
Her rating: 8/10
Joe's rating: 7/10
Jaryn's rating: 7/10

Famous Nasi Tomato at Batu Lancang Flats (Opposite Batu Lancang Market)

Supper starts what time?

10pm? 11pm? After 12am?

Well, if you plan to try this famous nasi tomato, your supper must start at 11pm. For us, it was at 11pm or maybe slightly after that we went to this place he has been bugging her to try. 

Curry left an hour later before they top it up!

1 piece of daging (beef) and 1 piece of sotong (cuttlefish)

He says: The nasi tomato plus the curry is the THING! It's a must must try peeps! The daging is tender but the cuttlefish was a bit hard.

She says: The gravy is TWO THUMBS UP! It's not like nasi kandar style. It's like Malay style curry. IT'S SERIOUSLY GOOOOD! The daging is pretty nice and soft, cuttlefish quite chewy but alright la.

1 piece of fried chicken

He says: Do not miss this one =)

She says: Not a bad fried chicken.

Famous Nasi Tomato at Batu Lancang Flats 

(Opposite Batu Lancang Market)

Location: Below Taman Seri Damai Blok 23, Lintang Batu Lancang. 

Price: Reasonable

Ratings:
His rating: 8.5/10
Her rating: 8.5/10

Nasi Minyak aka Nasi Ganja at Kampung Bengkali, Butterworth

Penang people will travel for food. Doesn't matter near or far. Penang people sure WILL travel for food! Or at least we know we will la! Hahaha.

The thing for this is that it's not that far. Just across the Penang Bridge. Very near what. He went there once and ever since then, he kept talking about it and insist that she has got to try it out! So, one night, we decided to hop onto a car, get some of our buddies and off we went for a food adventure overseas. Yeah, over THE sea. Hahaha.

She: Can I just say that, when I was on the way there, my expectation was very high because of all the emotions he used while describing it to me. And he also said that a lot of people line up for it. Like A LOT! But when we got there, there were like probably only 5 humans. Hahaha. But of course after that, there were close to 30 people lining up, under the drizzle. Amazing stuff.

He says: This thing is the special thing here. Aromatic, sticky and tasty!

She says: From quite a distance, sudah boleh smell the aroma la! Super thumbs up! I could just eat this with curry on top.

Our nasi minyak.

 He says: Look at that! Howww tasty looking it is. hahaha. The 'kerang'/'ham' is fulamak! The curry chicken is tender. The omelette and vegetable is just so so though. On top of all that, a mixture of curry which is so rich in flavour. Gah. I wanna go again ASAP!
She says: The mixture of all the curry blends in just nicely. The aroma of it is just finger licking good la. No kidding! The rice and curry goes well together! A definitely must try for everyone! :D

Nasi Minyak aka Nasi Ganja at Kampung Bengkali, Butterworth

Direction: Hmmm.. Butterworth. It is very hard to explain. So, refer to the location on Google map below. If you're going from Penang, it is easier if you go through the ferry though as it is very easy from there. If you use the bridge then prepare to pay some extra toll charges. Not much though =)

Price: Quite expensive

Ratings:

His rating: 9/10

Her rating: 9/10

Roti Canai at Transfer Road, Penang

Breakfast is that kind of time/day when you feel like you just want to wake up early and make the tummy happy. We don't always eat breakfast because we think that sleep is way more important and needed. But usually on Sundays, she have that kind of mood to wake up early and makan, just before church starts at 10am! And he doesn't usually have problems with that. He can be out with his friends playing dota till the wee hours in the morning and still takes her out for breakfast the next day. All done willingly. She's got herself a keeper, for sure! :)

Anyways, she decided that we should eat at this place since both her sister and niece wanted roti canai as well. They have been there since they were much younger and it was one of her favorite place to eat roti canai. It was his first time there and let's see what he thinks of the place!

Mass production of roti canais.

Nasi lemak.

He says: Not good.. Tastes weird..

She says: It is horrible! Probably the worst I've ever tasted of nasi lemak in Penang! It tasted almost like it's few-days-ago's product! :S Ewww..

Toast bread with half boiled eggs.

He says: Looks good but nothing special really. Not recommended =/

She says: No taste at all. Got butter like no butter nia. Blehh.

Roti Canai plain and roti canai with egg.

He says: Gotta say that the roti canai really tastes different from other. But for me, I would go for other normal roti canais. This one is just.. flat and not crispy.

She says: I will always go for the egg one. More texture to chew. Heh. Nothing special la.

Chicken Curry/Sambal.

He says: Good thing! =) This gravy is hot and spicy! 

She says: CHICKEN! Kuah manyak pedas. It means it's really spicy. It used to be thicker, but now a bit too watery to my liking. Still like the taste of it though.

Mutton Curry/Sambal.

He says: Mix this with the chicken curry! Sums up to be something really unique =)

She says: I love this one. Same thing la. A bit too watery. I prefer this one over chicken's cos this one more spicy. And a lil more thicker. Overall, I think their quality kinda dropped. Sad case.

Dhal curry (not spicy)

He says: Hmm.. not really good for me.. 

She says: Colored water to me. Yuck.

Roti Canai at Transfer Road, Penang

Direction: Along Transfer Road, on the right side. Just before Caltex. 

 Price: Expensive

Ratings:
His rating: 3/10
Her rating: 4.5/10

Nasi Beratur at Kapitan Keling, Penang

Midnight makan always somehow happens around mamak or nasi kandar. I have no idea why. I mean, sure there are people who will eat at Green House or some other coffeeshops that open till the wee hours. But in the end, Penang people will still settle for nasi kandar or roti canai. SOMEHOW!

And this time, she wasn't gonna just go to any mamak/nasi kandar place to eat. She had already planned one day earlier to go for the ever-famous nasi beratur since she will be out till so late d. For him, he had already gone there like so many times since he's such a night person.

That's 79 years of business yo!

The extended under canopy area. Pretty cool.

How Nasi Beratur got its name.

The many varieties of curry and dish for you to choose. If you're a clean freak, don't think you'll feel comfortable eating here.

Our main course.

He says: The chicken meat in the picture above is super hard. So, grandparents, you better stay away from that. Haha! But this place serves really good nasi kandar. The 'kuah'/gravy is simply awesome.  Even the rats and cockroaches risk their lives to get a bite of it. =p I recommend you people to try the beef meat, and the ayam ros. Also, some say that the squid eggs is a must!

She says: Fried chicken is definitely not the best. But the gravy is powerr! I never actually expect that the curry would be so nice. I mean, that kinda explains why there are so many people in the midnight onwards and people actually will BERATUR for it. But partly also cos the man who serves is freaking slow. He takes like forever to scoop the rice onto the plate. Haha. I will definitely go back there again and again. Go Nasi Beratur!!

Nasi Beratur at Kapitan Keling, Penang

Location: Just right beside the ever famous Masjid Kapitan Keling.

Price: Reasonable

Ratings:

His rating: 7/10

Her rating: 8/10

Roti Canai at Lorong Susu, Penang

When you wake up in the morning and you have no idea what to eat.

And you're absolutely insanely hungry.

And you want something that's fast and cheap and delicious.

And you just don't know where to go.

Worry not! For we have a perfect place for you.

Yes, makan roti canai di Lorong Susu.

She: I don't think many people will know where Lorong Susu is!
He : They will know la. There's famous chicken/duck rice here whatt!
She: Famous? Not nice also eh! (soon to be reviewed by us)
He: What not nice? It's super nice okayy! and they will know la. They are not you.
She: *deadly stares*

We purposely set our alrm clock earlier so that we could eat at this place and introduce it to you folks. Good things we must share, correct?

I shall let the photos do most of the talking.

the front part of stall.

The roti man.

curry: two types of intensity (mixed is always the best)

They also have nasi lemak (telur and ikan bilis only)

Nasi lemak

He says: Typical nasi lemak. 

She says: My idea to try the nasi lemak! It's yummy. What's most important of nasi lemak other than the rice is definitely the sambal. And this one has a great aroma and spicyness in it. Love this!

They also have samosa.

He says: I call this karipap tiga segi! There's sweet potatoes insideeee! However, its not crispy enough..

She says: According to him, there's sweet potatoes in it. I took a bite and it's just potatoes. And it was cold and chewy. Samosa is only nice when it's hot and crispy. So, this one, a big no-no to me.

Kopi Tarik (instead of teh tarik) since we needed to be really awake!

He says: Kopi tarik kuat kuat! Its good!

She says: I'm not a coffee person, but decided to give it a try. Thickness and sweetness, I will give 4 stars out of 5. I like this coffee. Must try! :)

Finally, ROTI CANAI that we've been waiting for!

His: roti kosong with separated kuah.

He says: Power mia la! Kuah atas banjir or kuah asing.. Both also tastes good cause its spicy =) I would say that the kuah is really good. (This is my breakfast every morning before work for the past 4 months!)

She says: I don't eat roti kosong eh. I like it with eggs. Heh.

Her: roti telur with kuah.

He says: Its okay la.. Tastes like roti kosong with eggg! hahaha! I think what's special at this place is the kuah =)

She says: Immediately got chemistry between me and the roti telur drenched with kuah. It's soooo nice! It's not that spicy and eat together with the marinated pink onions, BEST! Best roti canai breakfast ever!

Roti Canai at Lorong Susu, Penang

Location: Lorong Susu, off Macalister Road.

Direction: Going along Macalister Road towards Komtar, you will see the UMNO building on

the left. Lorong Susu is in the opposite direction before the UMNO building (see last photo)

the direction to Lorong Susu.

Price: Cheap

Ratings:

His rating: 8/10

Her rating: 9/10