Via-Pre Tavern on Habour

 
Via-Pre…. Is an authentic Italian Restaurant that is talked of the town right now. Whoever asked what to go for dinner, for farewell, for lunch, or for gathering. This is definitely the place that I would recommend. All the foods are imported, even their chefs are from overseas, and at least I could spot a few of the good looking Italian folks!

   
You know you will just get pretty annoying when you know your other half has been to this new place for couple of times, and none of these you were in the dining opportunity. When you know at times you gotta make use of your Ace and demand for one. Well… it wasn’t a bad idea if you demand a good dinner on your anniversary, right? In fact, recommended this to one of my colleague, and he texted me while dining, and commented, the food is absolutely thumb up for its quality!

Sometimes a food review doesn’t have to write a lot about its food but to share its picture and its presentation of the food. Of course, this little corner main objective is to write down that is something I didn’t want to forget when I age. You will never know what will happen when you’re old, whether your kids will be with you or overseas, or you’ll be in the old folks home and making new friends. Thus, the blog does serve it purpose of writing the day to day journal.

I believe I have written a few of my anniversary’s dining out experience… can never forget our favourite place, Feringghi Grill in Rasa Sayang, Hard Rock Café in Hard Rock Resort, Vintage Bulgaria Restaurant, etc. Each year, we’ll have something to try out eventhough Ferringhi Grill is our all time favourite place, and a stay in Hard Rock was to celebrate the 10^th Year Anniversary, Vintage Bulgaria was a last minute place for dinner cuz, we both took it for granted for not making any reservation in Ferringhi Grill.

 

This year, we opted for Via-Pre because this is something that reminds me of Peppeno where it used to be in Golden Sands Resort. It was another authentic Italian restaurant that could find in Penang Island. Since Golden Sands Resort was closed down for renovation, I believe they have made away the restaurant for others.  For a regular like anyone would definitely miss those hot from the oven Pizza, Hand Made Pasta, and other dishes.

  
Via-Pre… do not have a spectacular dining area, but, it came with a simple place with a few chairs and tables. A bar counter that cater for all sorts of wines, and a table that place all the imported food like olive, pasta, anchovies, etc.  I’ve been searching for Parma Ham for a longer period since I know how to cook, it’s not easy to find it in Penang, am sure it’s easy obtain in Kuala Lumpur. Parma Ham is something that I know that has marinated for a long period of time and slices the meat as thin as a piece of tissue paper. Some will eat with cheese, all types of cheese, some will eat with rock melon. Think I’ll opt for rock melon cuz, it gives me a refreshing taste, sweet plus salty taste.

Heard so much about their most expensive pasta, that’s Aglio Olio Seafood Spaghetti which costs RM78 per plate. Many will say what is that so special, Aglio Olio is only needed olive oil and garlic and stir fry the pasta that’s all. Well, what costs the expensive noodle is all the seafood that’s on the plate, you can find big fresh scallops, prawns, mussels, squids, octopus, etc…

Next… thin slice of pork meat wrap with ham. Well, this dish is not in their menu, it was a special dish for that day. It was something special, but the meat was too hard, perhaps it was over cooked.

 
Minestrone Soup literally call Big Soup, is a thick soup of Italian origin made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes (source: Wikipedia).

It’s always good to end with a good dessert, eventhough you do not have enough room anymore in your stomach. Ever since Bakerzin has ceased its operation in Penang, I can’t find any good Tiramisu till I found it here in Via-Pre. I could taste a strong coffee and liquor in it, and the aroma of the dessert is so strong. How can I decline such a good offer, isn’t it?

Sachertorte … a long time cake that I want to try all these while. Though I know it’s not that difficult to make, however, it gives me an impression that is something should not be missed in your life time. I guess it has his history, it’s invented from a Vienna chef Franz Sacher in 1832.

While my eyes are on these desserts, but I also found some other desserts catching my attention, I could see Ricotta Cheese Cake, Apple Pie, Lemon Pie, Black Forest, etc… I think I will come back for more!!

Other Review

Life Without Boundaries

Chowhound

Love to Eat

I Come, I See, I Hunt and I Chiak

Merrittslau.com

© Love Me Self ©

悠游之鱼

Ameblo.Jp

Address & Contact Number

5 Weld Quay

Georgetown

10300 Penang

Tel: +604-2619 800

Fax: +604-2630 560

Email: info@via-pre.com

Note: Bistro/Lounge will be opening in end Jun’12

阿裕鹵麵

 
May 28 is a special day for both of us. A day that we made our vow and also a day that my brother-in-law was born. The wife and I made an appointment to meet up for breakfast and chit-chat. Sometimes, is good to have such close tie within the family. Since my in-law don’t really fancy American breakfast, hubby and I would have to blend along their preference.

This is the place that we both have never got a chance to try, well… all sort of reasons and excuses, either parking lot not sufficient or this is just not for that day breakfast. Since, this initiated by my sister-in-law and we’ll just follow.

 

A shop that is only selling Lor Mee, specialist into Lor Mee and operates by husband and wife… apart from Lor Mee, you can also find other side dishes like Vegetarian Otak Otak, Nasi Lemak, etc. The place is clean, and spacious, few small tables and a couple of big tables that cater for a big group.

 
Noticed this Lor Mee is slightly ticker compared to those that I’d tried along the years. And the Chinese five spices powder did not over power the soup and it makes the bowl of noodle has its special aroma. The vinegar minced garlic is honestly fragrant and yet not sour, with this added into the bowl of noodle and a teaspoon of homemade chili that would definitely give it a kick!

It’s worth a try if you ever come across this area, do swing by and hop into for a bowl. Well, at times finding excuses like insufficient of parking lot that really needs to give a break on it!

Other Review

Chow Hound

Address & Contact Number

Kafe Fong Sheng

阿裕鹵麵

6 Lorong Selamat

10400 Penang

Note: Near junction with Burmah Road, to be exact next to Kurnia Insurance building

Business hour:

7.30am to 2.30pm (Sun to Fri), closed on Sat

Price List

Small RM3.00

Big RM3.50

Additional Noodle RM3.80

Additional Side Dishes RM5.00

Otak-Otak RM2.40

Yau Mak Vegetables RM2.00 / RM3.00

Sushi Zento Japanese Restaurant 膳户

When this piece of land was covered up and constructing, which is now named Precinct 10 in Tanjong Tokong, hubby and I think that this is gonna be another talk of the town place in Penang. True enough, we could see many eating outlet down there. Sushi Zento is one of them… and so far, the only Japanese restaurant that serves pork meat.

Seriously it’s hard to find Japanese food that is serving pork. And not many people aware that Japanese pork is different from the local type and even the Spanish type (Parma Ham). Anyway, I was even told this is actually owned by Azuma’s management too.

I personally do not visit any new restaurant when they newly open, first of all, it is absolutely chaos when comes to serving and even the food lining up for the kitchen. Since I’ve encountered many times of disappointment, I rather wait till the operation is fully mature enough before I step foot into it.

Sushi Zento is located at that eye catching area, big sign board, huge dining place, full glass panel that is over looking the car park area and the surrounding. Honestly, that’s a pretty good design. Inside the restaurant, as usual, the sushi area is full of those chefs that are preparing their food, a conveyer belt that is conveying the food for customers, just like any other fast food chain like Sakae Sushi or even Sushi King.

Because of this was highly recommended by a colleague of mine, and it was a spontaneous dining out kind of thing, thus, this place was just came to our mind just like that. Well, it didn’t disappoint me much, perhaps it gives me more opportunity to visit them more.

 

Komitama To Bacon Salada (Fresh salad, flavoured soft boiled egg and crispy bacon with Wafu dressing, RM18). I can even find some pork lard in the salad, it was absolutely yummy!!

 

Buta Amiyaka (Grilled slice pork with Amiyaki Sauce, RM19)

 

Nininku Chahan (Garlic Fried Rice, RM5), absolutely fragrant!

 

Charsu Chahan (Roasted pork belly Fried Rice, RM10), this is our Chinese “Siu Yok” Fried Rice.

 

I was tempted to try their Torikawa (Chicken Skin, RM6) Grill, but then I know if I order this… am sure my better half will surely lecture me. Anyway, ended up we have Shitake (Mushroom, RM4).

 

And, Negima (Chicken & Leek, RM8).

Other Review

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Love Myself

Address & Contact Number

Sushi Zento Japanese Restaurant 膳户

10-A-11 & 1s, Precinct 10

Jalan Tanjung Tokong

Tanjung Tokong

10470 Penang

Tel: +604-899 1725

Business Hour:

Monday to Thursday

11.30am to 3pm (Lunch)

6pm to 10.30pm (Dinner)

11.30am to 10.30pm (Friday to Sunday and Public Holidays)

Home Cooked Noodle Soup

When you are leaving nothing in the fridge to prepare for a meal.... You will tend to be creative. Agree?  Even though that leaves you basically nothing to cook but you ought to crack your head to think of something. Right?

When comes to Friday, you wouldn't want to go anywhere but home.... Know why, the traffic from Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone to the Penang Bridge, honestly its killing. If you are driving a manual car.... You will want to go for shopping, before heading back home. For me, I didn't even want to go anywhere but home. Thank God, it’s an against traffic flow, thus, it’s not too bad, however, some time to get stuck in the traffic is also required. I wonder why are they not building a 4 lanes or 5 lanes of road?

So, a simple meal for such day can be really easy at times to pass your Friday night. What I made was a simple noodle soup with minced meat.

 

Ingredients

2 cups of water

1 cube of chicken stock

2 stalks of spring onions, but I had about 10 stalks

Approximately 250g minced meat

2 teaspoon Oyster sauce

2 eggs

Method

1.    Boil 2 cups of water

2.    Once it boils, add the 1 cube of chicken stock, and let it dissolve

3.    While waiting for it to dissolve, wash and cut the spring onions to 1.5inches in size

4.    Marinate the minced meat with 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce, for about 20minutes

5.    Add in the minced meat per 1 person’s serving

6.    Keep boiling till the meat is cooked

7.    At the same time, boil a pot of water cook the vermicelli per instruction

8.    Scoop out and pour in the soup and the minced meat

9.    Optional is to add in a poach egg per your liking

10. Garnish some spring onions that makes a bowl of noodle colourful

Enjoy! 

Clarke Street Koay Teow Th'ng

I came to know about this Koay Teow Th’ng stall from Food Paradise. All because this is definitely an unique one to me, cuz, no Koay Teow Th’ng in Penang giving so many meat balls or fish balls too. At least for this, is giving 4 different types of balls and one of those which is my all time favourite too, the Pork Tendon Meat Ball. Not many could take on this because of its aroma, but personally I like it because it has the ginger taste and smell too.

And I only find this in Ipoh, it’s hard to find it in Penang, when I came across this, I just can’t help myself for not patronizing them almost every week.

In fact, almost every weekend after a hike in Penang Hill, a group of us will sure visit this. Though the surrounding is not as hygiene as you think… but that doesn’t put many people off, some even could just wait there for a vacant table.

Before I drafted this post, I got to know the history of this stall, and many called this as Ah Boy Koay Teow Th’ng. It was established in year 1977 and it’s now operated by the young chaps and occasionally the old ones will come to help.

Soup base is sweet, at least my taste bud tells me that it’s sweet and I believe it is cooked with many ingredients like chicken bones, chicken meats and so on. Having a bowl of Koay Teow Th’ng, you just can’t omit the lard oil, cuz, that basically make the entire bowl of Koay Teow Th’ng a star! Well, at least it blinks your eyes and give you a buzz in your mind before you start off a day.

I’ve tried the Koh Loh type (dried type, with dark soya sauce). Still find the soup base is a better choice. I could see some customers will order a plate of chicken and bean sprout. And garnished with some spring onions, and some fried garlic. Hmmmm…. This is making me yearning for a bowl now.

The stall is open daily except Tuesday (only got to know last Tuesday, 1^st May), and it opens from 7am to 2pm. But lately I could see by 11am to 11.30am… the stall owner is clearing the tables and chairs.  So, try your luck!

Other Review

hApPy HaPpY

Food Paradise

Gourmet Garden

Tau Yiu Bak (Soy Sauce Braise Pork Belly, 醬油燜肉)

Honestly this is the most fastest way and easiest way to prepare dinner for the weekdays! And it’s best to have it over night too, cuz, the ingredients are soaking into the sauce for 24 hours, surely make it fragrant and tasty.

Honestly preparing dinner on weekdays is killing, time spending is way unexpected or even I should say not able to forecast. But, we still got to eat, right? No matter how tough, I got to pick up something. Eating out though food is nice, however the true fact is your wallet is getting thinner and thinner. Cooking could actually polish your cooking skills too.

Mom never cooked this dish when we were young… I guess she didn’t like the cinnamon smells and the Chinese spices smell too. But, this dish ought to have these mentioned ingredients.

Many of us have our ways of cooking this dish, some needs to pan fry the meat before braise, some will have to blanch it first and so on. Some would tell you need to braise for at least minimumly an hour, but, for my case, time is the factor, I’ll turn everything into high speed like high flame and so on, get butcher to cut the exact size for me, things like that.

By the way, has anyone watched “A Simple Life” (桃姐) by Andy Lau and Dennie Yip? Though I have not, but roughly knows the story line… sometimes looking at it when someone is old is good to keep some good memories and even jot down whatever things that we want to remember, a very good example is recipes, places that you’ve visited before, food that you’d tried before, things that you’ve done before. That’s why it’s good to keep a journal, or a diary of your own. Seriously, no one would guarantee what will happen when we are old.

Am I over negative over aging matters?? Or I am just taking this place to trash out whatever that keep inside me for a long time? Anyway, no time to figure that out neither do I have the time to re-think about it. Perhaps, one day, some time… when I have my Mac Book Air with me, and a cup of brew coffee… sitting down at the road, enjoying the wind breeze, blah blah blah…

Anyway… too much of grumpy, let’s enjoy what we have for now.

 

Ingredients

500g Pork Belly

2 Eggs – hardboiled

1 cup of water

Marinate

½ tsp 5 Spice Powder

½ tsp Pepper

½ tsp Salt

1 tbsp Sugar

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

2 pcs Star Anise

1 pc Cinnamon

100g Garlic

Methods

1. Boil a pot of hot water and boil 2 eggs for about 20 minutes

2. Cut the pork belly about an inch in size and rinse

3. Marinate the meat with the marinate ingredients. And let it rest for 20 minutes to 30 minutes time

4. While marinate the meat, rinse the egg with cold water, for easy peeling the shell.

5. Once marinated, dump everything into a pot and boil for about 45minutes, and turn down the fire and let is simmer 30minutes.

5. Add in the eggs and let is simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Adapted from Nyonyachef

Tua Pui Curry Mee 大肥咖哩麵

 
While I was drafting the Tua Pui Curry Mee post in Mandarin, I got stuck … just do not know how to continue it. Ended up I will have to write in English instead of Mandarin. In fact, there are many posts in this blog have written in Mandarin, some how some where, I got stuck… the brain is just not functioning well enough to tweet some Mandarin characters. I guess that’s shame on me whom educated in Chinese media.  No matter how hard I tried… it’s some how stopped some where; not to mention my English isn’t that great either. Sad sad sad sad… that could imagine, education system is very important during our childhood days.

Heard about this curry mee stall for a long long time, it has featured in many books, magazines and even blogs. The stall has been into business for 3 generations, and it’s now managed by the grand-daughter. The owner believes in making the soup with traditional recipes that their grandfather has passed it on to them. If it’s not because of their house has scheduled to dismantle, I truly believe they will be there for long as long as they could.

Their soup base is definitely different from others, it has an unique taste. It was our first time trying this out, we were honestly fascinating to see they garnished the noodle with mint leafs. They have other side dishes like chicken feet, curry chicken, and many other more. It’s similar to the one in Raja Uda Curry Mee, but compared to it, I guess the one over in Mainland has more variety choices.

Curry Mee will not be perfect without the bloody stuff like cockles, blood, long beans and so on. Not to forget their home made chili, and the special soup base. Why would I elaborate more of it… we should be drooling over with these photos right?

Enjoy!!

 

Address & Contact Number

No. 23, Lebuh Kimerley

10100 Penang

Tel: +6016-400 7748

Business Hour: 9.00am to 5.30pm (off Wed)