Everything is just Different, at Gala House Restaurant & Cafe

Owing a promise to Elaine, but we're no longer able to realise it as the Pirate's Tavern has closed down permanently. Wandering around and we need some food to fill up our hunger urgently, we've decided to try out the Gala House Restaurant & Cafe that is located nearby. If you're coming from the direction of the Cititel Hotel and entering the one-way road of Muntri Street, the Gala House is the 2nd house on your left.

The menu is quite interesting as it's combining the Asian flavours into the Western Cuisine. The more attractive element is the special and unique naming for some of the food and beverages. For examples, we've taken the Orang Kaya Coffee, Dalmatian 101 and Cran-Danny Cooler. They're basically the chocolate brandy affogato, vanilla latte that's topped with chocolate chips while the Mai-Tai alike cooler is actually the mixture of orange juice, lime juice, pineapple juice cranberry juice and sprite. You're tempted to try out the drink just for its name, aren't you?

Before moving to the main courses, Su has decided to try out the Gala's Roasted Tomato Soup that is claimed to be the grand nanny's recipe. The soup is quite thick, rich with tomatoes and it's definitely delicious. Phui Yee's friend has taken the Chicken Martini whereby it's a deep fried chicken breast with melted Mozzarella that is served together with a sauce of Martini Bianco and tomato reduction. The chicken meat is tender and I like the special sauce that really contains the taste of the Martini. It's neither too sweet nor bitter.

A friendly service that has been provided by the waitress, Elaine and Su are allowed to order the Spaghetti Aglio E Olio that is customised with additional beef bacon. The garlic, olive oil and dried chili have been sauteed perfectly except that the spaghetti is not salty enough. Phui Yee and I have taken the Pesto Linguine and Gala's Rendang Spaghetti respectively. Both of the pasta are very tasty. The pesto sauce or the homemade basil paste is very refreshing. My appetite is stimulated by the nice aroma of the Chicken Rendang. The dish tastes alike the dried version of Penang Laksa Lemak yet it's marvellous!

Ending our meal, we've ordered the Jack Daniel's and also the Bailey's Stout Cakes. The layers of cake that is covered with the Jack Daniel's Whiskey and Chocolate is very thick and smooth. We've enjoyed the richness of chocolate that is neither too sweet nor bitter. The Bailey's Stout Cake has a white topping that contains caramel. It tastes special but this is somehow not my piece of cake.

Surprisingly that this small cafe is producing such a delicious meal. It's a great innovation that how the chef has combined the Asians into the Western cuisine. The price is reasonable with the quality of food, we like it.

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You need a Moustache for the Houze!

Located at Campbell Street, the Moustache Houze is there to serve desserts and drinks to the customers. This small cafe is within the region of heritage trail in Penang and it's a cozy place that you can sit down for a short relaxation after the tiredness of walking around under the hot sunny days in Malaysia.

I'm here on my curiosity to try out another cafe in Penang. The cafes are blooming here, to cater the needs and new cultures of the locals and foreigners that are looking for leisure in slowly pace. Attila and I have ordered the Earl Grey Tea and the Kenya AA Syphon Coffee. The transparent glass for the tea is printed with a moustache that looks very cute, I guess plenty of people has already the idea to capture a picture with the moustache. My cup of coffee is served in a white cup that has a gold line. It looks elegant but both the aroma and the taste is not strong and it's too thin. For me, it's just not thick enough to "kick start" my day!

We've shared the Real Durian Musang Crepe Cake, the Mixed Berries Red Velvet Cake and the Chocolate Cookies Puff. The layers of crepe are filled with sufficient Durian and cream that you're not only seeing the fibres but also able to smell the aroma and taste the deliciousness of this "King of the Fruit". Please eat it quickly while it's still cold or else, it'll be too molten! I normally dislike the dark red colour and the powdery taste of cake but being separated into 3 layers that are stacked with cheese and mixed berries, the saltiness and sourness have made up my favourite Red Velvet Cake so far. Their so-called "Not to be Missed" Cookies Puff is a porous bread that is filled with ice-cream that you can choose from Green Tea, Vanilla or Chocolate. I don't really think that this dessert is special as the taste is considered only as ordinary and I as well dislike the rough puffy skin.

The ambient is quite peaceful and I like the ample space that has made me feeling very free and relax. Despite they don't have the best coffee or cake that I'll think of on my 1st thought, but it's still a cafe that I'll visit for a relaxing afternoon.