Dragon9ine... Lunch, Dinner & Supper!

Attracted by the pictures about the Dragon9ine九龍餐廳 from a friend, I've decided to try out this restaurant that is located at Bellisa Row in Penang. 九龍 also means 'Kowloon', so they're somehow serving Hong Kong style cuisine here. I guess the restaurant has been operating for a long time? Because of its old menu. The house if fully packed during lunch time that we've been waiting for quite some time for our orders.

Our 1st order to arrive is the Steamed Bun with Butter Cream港式奶皇包. The yellowish buns seem so appetizing. Tearing the bun apart, look at how much the yellowish butter cream is flowing inside the bun! However, I dislike the rough texture of the cream inside my mouth and I'll also prefer if the dough is softer. Next appetizer is the Deep Fried Wonton油炸鲜虾云吞. The wonton is very crispy and the inner ingredient is the mixture of prawn meat and pork that has been blended together. The prawn meat is creating a tender and chewy texture while I myself prefer to have some chopped prawn meat inside.

We've shared the Egg Noodles with Wonton鲜虾云吞全蛋面 as well. I guess it's because of the egg inside the noodle that the noodles are clotted to each other? The seasoning is a slimy soy-based soup, sufficient saltiness except that I miss to have dark soy sauce. Additionally, we've ordered the Braised Pork Belly with White Fungus白木耳烩猪腩肉 and Broccoli with Chinese Black Mushroom香菇炒西兰花. I'm totally surprised by the thick fat of the pork belly. Talking about the pork belly, I dislike the vinegar that is not spread evenly over the meat. Secondly, with such thick fat and lean meat, I'm expecting that the pork belly has been boiled till the sauce is absorbed completely to create the softness and tenderness as well. But disappointed to say, the taste is not in the meat and the pork belly tastes so chewy. About the broccoli, I guess this is the dish that we're totally giving up because the mushroom tastes sour. Is the mushroom expired?

I've to say that the decorations in the restaurant are very attractive but the dishes here are just not appealing. I've repeated for 3x yet my drink is not served at the end of meal. Even though the waiter is apologizing for the slow and bad service, somehow this is not a good reason to operate a restaurant. I'm seeing a lot of customers walking out from the restaurant with angry and pissed faces...

A Mediterranean Journey into Agua

Tapas, Bar and also Restaurante... We're exploring a Mediterranean journey into Agua that is located at Straits Quay. We're just searching and we've decided to stop by Agua for our tea break. From its concept and decoration, I'm wondering if this is a suitable place for a tea break?!!

The restaurant is very tidy, clean and elegant; just a perfect environment for a fine dining. I guess that is partly the reason that we don't see any customers there during our tea break. I'm just walking around to capture some pictures while waiting for my food and apparently this is a nice place for a gathering with families or friends. I myself really enjoy the quiet and cozy ambient.

Attila has ordered the Agua Platter that is served with Hummus, Chopped Tomatoes with Onions and Pickled Olives. According to Attila, Hummus is a type of dipping sauce and I think the taste is a little bit alike mixture of nuts? Agua Platter is actually a meat platter with the combination of Salami, Ham and Cheese. The thinly sliced meat together with the dipping sauces, simple yet marvellous. The side order is the Turkish bread that has been spread with a layer of tomato seeds and olive oil. The bread is very soft and this is the 1st time that I'm impressed that tomato seeds can be such useful!
(Source from Wikipedia: Hummus (a transliteration of the Arabic: حمّص‎; also spelled hamos, hommos, hommus, homos, houmous, hummos, hummous, or humus) is a Levantine Arab dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is a popular food throughout the Middle East and elsewhere.)

I've ordered the Fried Squid Rings, nothing much that I can comment about but I really like the Tartar sauce that has made a good dipping sauce. The taste is just nice with sufficient saltiness to accomplish the crispy squid rings.

Lastly, I've decided to try the Lemon Meringue Pie as my dessert. The center layer of the lemon inside the pie is a little bit sweet while the whitish top is tasteless. I'm guessing that the whitish top is made from the egg white? The taste of the pie is somehow not meeting my expectation.

In overall, we're quite satisfied with our 'tea break' here. The environment and the food are just nice for us to enjoy a relaxing time here.

Satay by Ah' Basri at D'Piazza Mall!

Attila and I are searching somewhere to have our lunch and finally we've decided to try the Ah' Basri Asian Satay at D'Piazza Mall. I'm somehow surprise as the price for each sticks of Satay is charged at minimum RM1.50 and reaching up to maximum RM2.50, quite expensive!

The Satay ranges from meat till seafood that comes in various flavours. Attila and I have chosen chicken, deer, beef, squid and prawn in original flavour while I've also asked for the Tandoori Chicken Satay. The meat and seafood here are very fresh and the grilling time is just accurate to keep the flesh tender and juicy. Additionally, I've ordered the Rice Cube that is locally known as Nasi Himpit. In other words, it means the rice that has been compacted. Come with the Rice Cube and Satay is the Grounded Peanut sauce and Sweet Chili sauce respectively. I like the roughly grounded peanut in the sauce but I'll prefer if it's spicier. I don't really like Sweet Chili sauce but it goes quite well with the Satay.

Well, looking at the size of the Satay, I guess the price is worthwhile after all!

Shabu Shabu... at Tsurukame, Queensbay!

Shabu Shabu, a type of Japanese hot pot or is familiarly to be known as steamboat. The specialty about Shabu Shabu is the thinly sliced meat or vegetable and then usually being served together with dipping sauces. Gathering with Su and Elaine, we've decided to dine at Tsurukame Shabu Shabu鶴亀 that is located at 3rd floor of Queensbay Mall, in front of the Queens Food Market.

Shabu Shabu is alike our oriental steamboat that I can choose to have either Tomyam, Kimchi, Miso or Clear soup base in our hot pot. All the various ingredients are available on the conveyor belt. As this is a buffet style, it somehow takes quite some time to reach our preferred pork or scallop. Besides, there've also been some pre-cooked dishes that we can eat while waiting for the soup to boil, such as curry chicken or Fried Omelette.

Honestly speaking, I don't find any specialty about Shabu Shabu as I myself prefer the Oriental Chinese Steamboat that is more delicious that I've tasted before...

Searching for Pork Knuckle at Nibong Tebal!

We've heard enough stories about Pork Knuckle in Nirong Tebal; How famous it is, how delicious it is... And thus, we've decided to check it out ourselves. The Pork Knuckle is at Swee Garden瑞園海鮮飯店 that is located at the town centre of Nibong Tebal, behind the Maybank.

The Pork Knuckle is fried to give its crispy skin yet with a soft and tender flesh. However, I'm not so impressed by the Pork Knuckle here because the skin is not as crispy as some that I've tasted before and the most important is the taste itself. Somehow, the saltiness is not sufficient to enhance the deliciousness of the Pork Knuckle, especially the meat.

It's a good try for us to taste the Pork Knuckle here but it's just not as tasty as the one that I want...