The Safe Room at Campbell Street, Penang

The night was still young and we wanted to go somewhere. We heard of this place from friends and how they make their ice cream with liquid nitrogen gas. Since we have never tasted such ice cream before, why not go give it a try.

Not sure if it's super crowded that night because it was a weekend or because it was newly opened. Either way, the place is quite small to cater for big group of friends. 

Actually, the place is quite spacious. Maybe they could re-arrange and put more tables and chairs. Just saying.

We waited at the front counter where you place your orders and pay for seats to be available. Soon after that, we got a place and made our order. 

One thing we really love about this place is they really do serve their ice cream with fresh fruits. Coconut is their signature, so that's a must try, right?

Busy night.

Their safe room with love locks all around.

Stood there for a good 15 minutes and watch how they do it.

Coconut Nitro Ice Cream - RM13.90

He says: Creative! I love it.. alternative for coconut ice cream! Haha.. Should try!

She says: I like that they use the fresh ingredients to do their ice creams whether its coconut or strawberries or mango, pineapples and the list goes on. So, that's a bonus point. The must try is coconut and it's yummy. Tasted like coconut ice cream, no biggie. A little too overpriced for me.

Butterscotch Caffe Latte - RM9.90

He says: Not bad not bad. Could be thicker though.

She says: Butterscotch latte, love it. Not overly sweet. Quite difficult to hold the glass though when it's hot. 

The Safe Room at Campbell Street, Penang

Price: Expensive

Ratings:
His rating: 6.5/10
Her rating: 6/10

Yame Green Tea Ice Cream Wafer at Shojikiya, Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang

We recently saw a friend's Instagram photo of a green tea ice cream wafer and my gosh, it looks so good! We found out that we could get our handson this goodness at Shojikiya (The Japanese Food Specialty Store) and Gurney Paragon mall happens to have Shojikiya!

We don't go to the Gurney Paragon Mall that often and when we finally did step inside the mall, that was the first place that she wanted to go to look for the ice cream. 

We walked in and immediately went to the freezer and eyes started searching. He searched around and saw this one but mentioned that it costs around RM16! So, we almost just wanna drop the idea of tasting it until a lady who works there, came and pointed at a corner, that buy any of 2 ice cream products and it's only RM11!

So, we asked if this green tea ice cream wafer is also having the promotion. She said no and we were like whispering to ourselves that it's actually too expensive to spend RM16 for an ice cream wafer. Seriously, the most expensive ice cream (don't mention Haagen Daaz or Baskin Robbins) is RM9.80! You can read about it here!

Anyways, she heard us and immediately said, "Oh no no. This one *points to the one we wanted* is only RM6.90!

Straight happy! 

It's quite a huge wafer with green tea ice cream inside. ONLY RM6.90!

He says: Hahaha. Better than I expected it to be! The green tea ice cream is just right, neither too sweet nor bitter. Just nice. Would go back for that!

She says: LOVE THIS DESSERT! The green tea ice cream has that authentic green tea taste and not like flavoring kind. It's not that sweet. It actually has some bitter taste to it, which makes me love it even more. One more thing I really love about this green tea ice cream wafer is I won't have like 2-second-toothache on my front teeth when I bite the ice cream. First layer is the wafer ma of course lah right? And the wafer is not that thick, ice cream is fully packed in there. OH YUMS TO THE MAX! Love this so much I wanna stock this at home!

Yame Green Tea Ice Cream Wafer at Shojikiya, Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang

Location: Level 6, Gurney Paragon Mall

Price: Quite pricey

Ratings:

His rating: 8.5/10

Her rating: 9/10

Stickhouse Italian Handicrafted Gelato at Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang

Everybody loves ice cream yes?

Okay, maybe not all. MOST I GUESS!

We are both NOT dessert lovers. We do NOT crave for sweet things. She does crave for sweet things every once in a while but that's quite rare lah.

So, we were paktor-ing at Gurney Paragon when we walked past this shop. STICKHOUSE Italian Handocrafted Gelato.

We walked past this shop so many times and didn't even bother about it until he stopped suddenly this time after like 10 steps past the shop. Then, he kinda reversed and said, "Let's try this!" 

She whispered to him, "It's very expensive punya ice cream okay.." to which he replid, "Nvmlah, we food-bloggers, must invest and try.."

LOVE THAT SENTENCE! :)

So, we were kinda lost because there were SO MANY DIFFERENT FLAVORS and we have no idea which one to choose. We asked for the best selling one and the winner is PISTACHIO GELATO.

Pick your favorite.

`

There's 2 different size that you can have your gelato in. The mini or regular. RM5.80 and RM9.80. Got limited edition sumore if you are feeling exclusive and you just don't know where to spend your money on :)

Then, you also can add dippings and toppings. 

When we were discussing which one to get, we said that we wanted the mini one, so when he passed to us and we each took a bite already, he said, "Total is RM9.80. We were like, "Huh? Thought mini one is RM5.80 only?" He of course replied, "Oh! That's the regular one you're having." -.-

Tadaaa! Our PISTACHIO GELATO - RM9.80

He says: Unique I would say. Like the taste of pistachio! Try it if you have an extra kachings to splash.

She says: Never a fan of pistachio taste, but this one not bad. For someone who loves this nut taste, you will like this gelato. It's rich with the flavor and not too sweet. Though it looked like ice-y type, it's actually not. It tastes better than it looks, for sure. Still, I think it's too pricey for an ice cream like that.

Stickhouse Italian Handicrafted Gelato at Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang
Location: Lower ground of Gurney Paragon Mall, Penang

Price: Expensive

Ratings:
His rating: 6/10
Her rating: 5/10

Next Stop at 1st Avenue Mall, Penang

You know this shop.

You walked past this shop EVERYTIME.

You know it because of it's unique look. It's outstanding shop makes me know-able.

You probably won't realize it that you know of this shop, but you know it at the back of your head.

We asked a few friends about it if they have heard of this place called Next Stop, and after 1 minute of so, they all said the same thing (roughly the same thing).

"Oh, the one on the bus one ah?" and "Oh the one that sells fried snack food eh!"

This, my dear friends is the Next Stop.

So, we went for dinner to the 1st Avenue Mall's branch and had amazing dinner there. You are probably wondering if those fried snacks could actually fill our tummy. Yes indeed it did. There were quite a lot of people who actually had their dinner there. 

We felt that their location at the cinema level was very strategic. Afterall, their motto is "Take a break, have a bite!" 

So, after all that walking around mall or before you go watch a movie, stop by their very bright red bus and get a bite!

Before we go on ahead with our thoughts of the food, we must first say that we were totally shocked to find that their menu serves a wide range and variety of food. From fried fish fillet to soup to dessert. At Next Stop, you certainly can have a full wholesome meal.

We kid you not :)

Oh, and also all their frozen seafood products are of Pacific West brand. They literally used their products and cook them for people like you and me. Next Stop is like Pacific West's sister/brother company/brand, sort of. So yeah, high quality food and we don't even have to but them frozen and having to cook by ourselves. All ready to be served at Next Stop :) 

Alright, so now it's time to talk about the food that we had. LET'S GO!

Fish Burrito - RM8.90

Juicy white fish fillet coated with Mexican spice and crispy core chips in Tortilla wrap, served with salsa sauce, special mayonnaise, lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

He says: Look at that! The sauce, the fish fillet in the wrap! One of the best wrap I've tasted. =)

She says: I love tortilla wrap with almost just anything. This one is the BOMB of all bombs! Let me start with the fish fillet! It's super crunchy outside and super soft and moist inside. It's perfectly cooked for sure (I'm no Masterchef but you can tell because it tasted so delicious!). Then, the sauce. Wahhhh! The salsa sauce made this dish such a perfect one. It's sweet, a little spicy and have that tangy taste. Ahhhh! AMAZING STUFF THIS ONE! You have to try this! It's super yummy!

Cheesy wedges - RM4.50

He says: Hmm.. Its a bit soft but its still a yummy snack!

She says: It is just like any wedges that you can find elsewhere The cheese topping is somehow a little different than the ones they serve in KFC. This one tasted better. Don't ask me in what sense because I can't really tell. Just try and let us know what you think.

Crispy Fish Wrap - RM8.90

Juicy white fish fillet with black pepper in tortilla wrap, served with mayonnaise, lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

He says: CRUNCHY! When you bite, you can actually feel the sauce oozing out into your mouth eh! Gahhh.. Would go back for that!

She says: Oooh. Another fish wrapped in tortilla. Crunchy outside and softly moist inside. Next Stop knows how to cook a perfect fish fillet I tell you. This one is not spicy. This is very soothing-kind-of-wrap, with mayo and lettuce and tomatoes. It does taste like fish burgers but only thing is this one is a lot nicer and healthier.

Tempura Salmon Fish Fingers with Mango Chilli Sauce (3 pcs)- RM8.50

100% wild-caught salmon Goujon.

He says: My favourite of all! Salmon 'goreng' wei! Where can you find that? Here in Next Stop! Not only that, the mango, yes MANGO sauce totally owned everything. MUST MUST TRY!

She says: Salmon fish fingers.. Hmm.. THIS BLEW ME AWAY TOO! Insanely delicious. If you love salmon or eat a lot of salmon, you know there is some kind of taste/smell that salmon has on them, and surprisingly, that's the thing that makes people like to eat salmon. This one, although deep-fried, still has the fragrant taste/smell of salmon. It's superb! Oh, and the mango-chilli-sauce is so unique that we both finished the whole thing even when we already finish the salmon fingers. BEST CHILLI SAUCE I'VE EVER TASTED. Whoever that thought mango can go well with chilli, you are a genius! GENIUS! :) 

Salmon Burger - RM8.90

Succulent 100% salmon burger meat with herbs and spices.

He says: My first time trying this! Salmon blended with a mixture of herbs and spices made this the UUUMH thing.. somehow it tastes a bit like MURUKU! (Maybe I'm still stuck in the Deepavali mood) Haha! Thumbs up!

She says: I'm not a big fan of burgers, because I don't really like to eat buns/bread/flour-y stuff. Anyways, when I had my first bite, instant in love with the bun. Hot and super soft. SUPER SUPER SOFT. And the burget patty that's made of salmon meat, another genius. One thing I love about the patty is that it's mixed with herbs and spices, so it's actually very fragrantful (I don't know if there's such word. Haha). Thumbs up for this burger!

Salt & Pepper Squid (Next Stop's top selling item in UK) - RM7 

He says: How can this go wrong! I would go back for this as well.. Crunchy outside and soft inside. Yums! British's favourite!

She says: Best selling in UK for sure must try. When it first came to us, it looked quite cute because they're like these round round puffy things. I didn;t expect it to be good. Surprisingly, it's not chewy. It's soft inside and quite crunchy outside. Best to take them when it's hot.

Traditional English Fish & Chips - RM7

He says: Hmm.. normal. deep fried fillet aka fish and chips without fries. =p

She says: How can a deep-fried fish fillet like this go wrong? It's huge and it's yummy.

Hand-dipped corn dog - RM5

Chicken sausage coated in a thick layer of crispy cornmeal batter.

He says: Hahaha.. This is really really really huge. Good stuff.. The flour coating outside tastes different from normal ones! Smells good, tastes good. Maybe if you eat it with the mango sauce, it'll taste a lot better!

She says: Like I said earlier, I'm not a big fan of anything that is deep-freid with flour-y stuff. One bite, and I straight raised my right eye-brow. Something is different with the batter outside coating the sausage. It's different. It has more taste and more appetizing. Sausage inside is normal. Overall, quite a good dish.

Clam Chowder with a dinner roll - RM6.90

He says: Hahha.. Pretty good =) A lot of 'liau' inside!

She says: Oooh. Who doesn't love soup? I love ittt. Clam chowder. There's so many things in that bowl I tell you. Clams, potatoes and I have no idea what else. It's little sweet and a bit spicy feeling in the end. Not a bad clam chowder.

Dessert is Orange Sorbet (small) - RM5.90 and Pineapple Sorbet (big) - RM7.90

This product is imported all the way from Africa, and they are all made with real fruits.

He says: Hahah! I like this one a lot. The orange one is pretty good and the pineapple is even better! I'll go back for the coconut sorbet real soon!

She says: What I love about these sorbets are it tasted exactly like a real fruit, in an icy form. The orange and pineapple (as you can see in the photo above) is real! Love the smell the moment I tore that plastic open! SUPER LOVE THIS ONE!.

Next Stop at 1st Avenue Mall, Penang

Location: 182, Jalan Magazine, 10300, Georgetown, Penang

Price: Reasonable

Ratings:
His rating: 8.7/10

Her rating: 8.5/10

Famous Seafood at Floating Restaurant at Bukit Tambun, Penang

SPECIAL GUEST! SPECIAL GUEST! SPECIAL PRETTY DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS GUEST!

Yess. Whenever need to travel to eat good food at places like Tambun, we've gotta go with a bunch of our lovely friends! More people, more happiness! 

We have been planning this for quite a while now since it's pretty difficult to get everyone on this amazing seafood-trip! We left Penang quite early in the evening so that we wouldn't ba caught in the jam and if not mistaken, it was a public holiday the day after. I think.. 

So yeah.. so many seafood makan place in Tambun right and as usual, we all couldn't decided. We are all very polite and nice so the word "CINCAI LA" or ÄNYTHING LA" is always heard whenever we are all together!

Since we food bloggers and no one else wants to decide which one to go to, we both decided we would bring them to this place. Some of them also have been here so here it is! :) 

Oh ya. There were in total 10 of us! Just nice to fit a round table. And one more thing, do wear long pants if you do not want to be friendly to the blood-suckers..

Everyone, meet the hot chick, Sharon Leow. 

You can't see the restaurant by the roadside, so you've gotta drive slowly when you are at the road leading to it. Once you're in the restaurant, you'll see that the place is huge! Surrounded with water and their very own fish-farm. 

Appetizer has got to be this: HELICOPTER shell seafood (RM12)

He says: I kinda enjoyed digging out this creature hiding inside the 'helicopter'. Hahaha. Tasted normal but it compliments with the chilli sauce nicely.

She says: Quite fresh. The treasure inside quite easy to be dug out.

Sharon says: They were just an 'okay.'

Typical-mush-have: KANGKUNG SAMBAL BELACAN (RM10)

He says: The ratio of belacan in there is definitely more than the sambal! But its okay overall.

She says: Quite a standard kangkung belachan.

Sharon says: You can never go wrong with kangkung. I've liked mine to have a little more spicy and less of that belacan in there though.

STEAMED SIAKAP IN LAKSA SAUCE (RM40)

He says: My first time trying this kind of dish! It is spicy, sweet and sour. All in one!

She says: Really tasted like laksa. The sauce is very unique. I have seen/eaten steamed fish with laksa sauce before so yeah, this one quite tasty.

Sharon says: This was probably an added variety among the array of other dishes. I'd say a good difference from the conventional Teochew-based steamed fish. I've tasted better ones though, but nonetheless the combination of sweet, salty, and sour complemented the overall taste of the fish and turned out to be a cohesive dish, nonetheless.

STIR-FRY BRUSSEL SPROUTS aka "chai tahn" (RM10)

He says: Usually stir-fry brussel sprouts. The thing is "chai tahn" always taste so good to me. Haha. The crunchiness! 

She says: I know its just a stir fry vege, but this one very yummy! So yummy we wanted to order serving number two but no more d.

Sharon says: With the right amount of crunch in texture, and proper seasoning; this was a good dish, overall. No arguments here!

CHILLI MEATY CRAB aka "bak chim" (RM44)

He says: Not a big fan of crab. So hard to eat! Have to peel/crack/peel the shell all. Grrrr.. haha. Anyways, this one is not bad.. A bit too sweet though..

She says: CRAB! MUST HAVE AT A SEAFOOD MAKAN PLACE! The sauce is okay, nothing very special to shout about! Still, fingers licking good though!

Sharon says: Crab never did interest me. The sauce could've been much thicker with a more robust flavor. There was ideally no punch to it, the kind of punch you'd get from other chili crab on the island. Did not have the chance to eat the meat, but by the looks of it, there was not much.

DEEP-FRIED CALAMARI/SOTONG (RM15)

He says: How good or bad could deep fried calamari go?

She says: Very addictive! After pop one into my mouth, and I find myself keep popping more. Love this.

Sharon says: Batter was well-seasoned with just the right touch of salt and pepper. Squids were also fresh and size-wise, easy to chew. Definitely one of those things you'd pop in your mouth every now and then with all the other dishes going on.

STEAMED CLAMS WITH RICE WINE (RM12)

He says: Weird taste. Not going back there for that. =S

She says: Steamed clams. Hmmm.. This one I think not many people will know how to enjoy.. I don't really like it..

Sharon says: As much as I totally get the whole flavor combo this dish's got going on, - a little chinese parsley, ginger and a dash of rice wine - it certainly didn't do much justice. The rice wine was much more than there should've been and totally rid off any hint of good clam flavor. Yes, it was that overwhelming. Forget clam flavor, the clams weren't fresh either.

STEAMED MANTOU (RM10) we ordered about 15 pieces

He says: Its a bit hard despite it is freshly steamed.

She says: IT WAS SERVED HOT! SO YAY!

Sharon says: I LOVE MANTOU! There's just no way you can critically evaluate mantou and all the goodness it has blessed us so graciously with. NO WAY. Lol

SPICY CERITHIDEA OBTUSA aka balitong (RM12)

He says: My favourite! Yums.. The sauce was awesome..

She says: Not only this is super yummy with the way they cook it (Kam Heong), but it was so much fun sucking it with our buddies! Love it!

Sharon says: This was something tedious to eat, really! Take my hats off to those who eat these crawlies so quickly. I was lucky I even got one out! The curry base was a little too spicy for my taste, though.

STEAMED BABY OCTOPUS aka "tu boh sui" (RM12)

He says: Just okay.. quite fresh though..

She says: Normal, but the fried garlics on top make it very appetizing!

Sharon says: Close to being raw, it was just a flat 'okay' for my taste buds. Nothing to rave about.

DEEP-FRIED NESTUM PRAWNS (RM30)

He says: Arggghh.. Gotta peel again. Overall, the nestum was not bad.. 

She says: Fresh, crispy and crunchy. Delicious!

Sharon says: I consider prawns to be delicious only when they're ones I don't bother peeling before devouring them. The prawns were definitely reasonable in size. The way it was fried with the nestum could've definitely tasted better. Maybe a little more curry leaves would've done the trick.

STIR-FRY NOODLE aka "char mee tiau" (RM10)

He says: A bit too dry and I could not really taste anything except flour. Teehee.

She says: Okay okay only for me.

Sharon says: There's nothing like pan-tossed noodles with good frying oil and a good combination of egg, leeks, chicken pieces and whatnot. Fried to perfection, those noodles weren't the slightest bit tough and weren't drowned in oil unlike many we've all possbily come across with.

FRIED ICE-CREAM (RM3 per piece)

He says: Thumbs up!

She says: BEST DESSERT EVER after seafood feast. *sings* You're hot then you're cold..

Sharon says: Probably the most ideal way to end any dinner: something sweet; something savoury. Some genius must've thought "Why not both?" and invented such a sweet and salty concoction. Here you've got the best of both worlds: chocolate ice cream and fried bread. No one should ever have to complain again.

Famous Seafood at Floating Restaurant at Bukit Tambun, Penang

Location: Lot 2400, Jalan Bukit Tambun, 14110 Simpang Ampat.

Direction: The restaurant will be on your right when you are driving towards the end of Bukit Tambun. Turn right when you saw a huge factory look like building on your right

Price: Reasonably cheap

Ratings:
His rating: 8.5/10
Her rating: 8/10
Sharon's rating: 6.5/10