Christmas gathering+Butchie's LAST farewell @ Papa Pizza

Butchie's leaving on the 18th of Dec....awwwww.......sadddddd.....:( *sobs*

Didn't get much chance to hang out with this guy but know that he is someone with a big heart and also a big appetite...hahaha:)

But he's cautious as well in his eating, as Marita(my mentor through whom I knew him says:)

I was trying to get him to go the Christmas Day celebration (carnival-styled...organized by the Catholic Churches' community in Penang....cool huh:) on Sunday night; 17th Dec 2006 but he was having some tummy discomfort issues and furthermore he wanted to pack.

So, I suggested that we do one more gathering cum be-earlieth Christmas celebration before he leaves for home:)

And we were thinking of where is the ideal place for the gathering....I suggested TGIF in Queensbay Mall and Butchie mentioned that he went there the last Friday.....bummer.

Then he went on and on about this Papa Pizza place which he liked and used to frequent in Tanjung Tokong....I took it that he liked Italian food and wanted to suggest a few other places.And he just kept on mentioning Papa's that I finally relented and said, "Okay, since this is your final gathering anyway...."

So, it was set....Tuesday night; Papa Pizza at 7.30p.m for those who come after work and inclusive of the traffic jam wait:p

I have never been there before but I roughly know where the place is since they mentioned about Copthorne Hotel and the Toy Museum. You know, when you pass by that Hotel and also the museum and you are driving on the left side of the road, you will notice on your left that there is this row of houses which were converted into restaurants. If you see a Korean Kimchi Restaurant, this Papa Pizza place was just next to it.

Anyway, so I carpooled with SM, since he was from that side of the island anyway and we reached there by 7 where Butchie and Rico were already there.....now he thought the event was at 7pm since I told him I'd be there by 7 but I actually sent out the invitation; stating and HIGHLIGHTING the time to be at 7.30p.m.....hahaha....he took the wrong cue (actually it was his fault for not reading his email).....and he blamed it that he had to return his laptop on that same day and was unable to access his Outlook calendar anymore....sighhh...Butchie and his excuses:p

I am always annoyingly punctual anyway, everyone knows that and thus I was there half an hour earlier. Furthermore, I was the so-called organizer and I hate to be late...but Butchie was there like; at freaking 6.30p.m.....

He must LOVE that place:p

So, he had ordered the pizzas...bad bad Butchie.....where are the manners? (Just kidding:P)

They had an extensive menu and a wide selection of pizzas; in fact, even more than Pizza Hut, Domino's, Shakeys and all those pizza outlets alike out there. The pizzas were prized at RM20.20.....and Butchie was like telling me that each time he came here with Logen, Scooby and his wife, they ordered one each and they can finish them.....*salutes*

Their favourites are Hot Chick, Meat Lover - yeah, they name their pizzas in a cute and funny way:)

So, while they were busy looking through the menus, Butchie prompted me to take pictures as he knows I love those photo-taking and also for my blogging *winks*

The environment in the pizza place....

No, these are not available here - as Butchie told me (and Logen after that)....it's actually an advertisement placed by this Ritz cakeshop which is in Tanjung Tokong...those shops opposite Island Plaza. Hmmmm...smart way of catching people's attention for desserts and cakes:P

That's Butchie...he's also preparing his camera to take pictures of the food.....hahaha....and then he realized that why does he need to take picture of the food.....hahaha....the disease is spreading:P

This is Hot Chick I think......

Since I am non-meat lover, I had the pick of the non-meat pizza and I chose a seafood one (WITHOUT crabsticks).....I chose the Under The Sea...which had tuna, pineapple, etc etc.

In short, these were all the pizzas we ordered....and I really cannot remember which is which....Butchie, can you remember them?:p

This was my Iced Lemon Tea....wonder why they had to separate the sugar or taste enhancer in a separate little jug? Can't they just mix it? SM mentioned it was probably to suit different individual's preference......ohhhhhhhh:P

Butchie's man and macho drink....hahaha...Coke:p

Our Pizzas.....hmmmmm.....

Let me try this:

1. This was the Beef pizza....what was the name again? Mama something? (I am checking from the time on the photographs....coz I remembered the order and the sequence in which they arrived:)

2. My Under the Sea....the seafood pizza.....tasted not bad....

3. Another beef pizza....you cow eaters....cruelty to the Moo kind....poor cows....grrrrrr....

4. Was this the Hot Chick or the Luxury Hawaiian? I can't remember....it doesn't matter....they are meat eaters....carnivores...and ferocious ones too....

5. I think this was the Papa Show Off (another chicken pizza)....man, these meat eaters.....

Hmmmm...I can't say much about the other pizzas but from I tasted, the pizzas here are better than those famous pizza chains......their bread was quite thin and it was actually more on the toppings and the ingredients which stole the show:)

Not bad for a pizza place....despite my infrequency and non-preference for fast food and pizza/pastas, I must say this is a good place:)

The environment was not bad as well.....

Richard is here!!

Tabasco sauce; from USA you know:p...Logen wondered why was I taking pictures of small bottle of Tabasco sauce...hahaha:p

Look at my food pictures....(copycat...:p)

Florence soon arrived and then Ian, who came after cycling and Logen was sure to make him sit far away if he hadn't shower:p Ian mentioned he had showered; but somehow he was still sweating profusely when he arrived...anyway, he sat on the opposite site; next to Keh Shin and they ordered more pizzas......

I think it was a total of 7 pizzas that night....for like...9 people??? It was not me...it was them!!!:p

I didn't take pictures of the other 2 pizzas....I think one was another re-order of Hot Chick and I missed out on the Luxurian Hawaiian....

After that, it was dessert time....yeah, there's still room for dessert.

Me, SM and Scooby made a pass.....Scooby had a pretty good reason for that...haha, no sugar after 7pm:p

Why not no smoking after 7?hahahaha...

Everyone was pretty cooperative with me taking pics of their desserts before they eat since Butchie told them I wanted these for my food blog...hahaha *awww...shy*

Logen then told me to approach the restaurant and tell them that I am doing a review for their restaurant and try to get some free pizzas...hahaha....smart guy:)

These were their desserts:

Oreo Cheese - Butchie and Rico both had this...sorry for the blurry pic:(

Ian asked what was this about and they started to describe that it was Chocolate/Oreo Cake with cheese or Cheese cake with Oreo...hahaha, and it doesn't matter.

Anyway, this is definitely the latter; Cheese cake with toppings of Oreo:)

Keh Shin's Tiramisu....she liked it:)

Ian's waffles....smelt nice...in fact the aroma while they were cooking it already filled the whole restaurant.....and it looked the most interesting of the lot....hehehe....still disappointed it came out blurry:(

Logen's double scoop ice-cream.....

Florence's dessert- forgot the name:p

Everyone had a great fill and then the bill came; abotu RM199++.....wowwww....almost RM200 just for pizzas.....:O

However, it was pretty much it since there were like 7 pizzas....and also beers and desserts...I think it's pretty reasonable...although SM thinks it's a bit pricey for pizzas......sighhh, Penangites are too cautious with the prices:p

To my embarassment, Butchie foot the bill and refused our payment.

Thanks Butchie!!!

We had some group pics which are in his camera...he will send that next year...make that fast!!! I want them here on my blog:)

Gave him a quick hug and bade him farewell for his trip home the next day; which is today at 10.30a.m.

Thanks guys for coming over....it was definitely a fun and full gathering...hahaha:)

Butchie....stay in touch back in the Philippines...I know you have the time.....house-husband*winks*

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

CUTE alert: Bento's to die for

I got these pics from a friend who forwarded the email to us.

Again, disclaimer note that I, Angelstar@PickyEater did not steal or copy these images from any websites.....and am just sharing pics which I got from another friend.

If you are uncomfortable or if these pics rightfully belong to you, just drop me a note and I will remove it.

There's so many of them...and seriously, these are super creative and simply adorable...I don't think anyone can have the heart to eat them...ruining the cute images...hahaha..I know i won't do it.....:p

By the way, bentos are typical packed meals - what you pack for your lunch or for any meal....in Chinese you call them "pian tang". In English, we just call them packed lunch:p

Bentos are usually home-made; prepared and usually put in a plastic container or tupperware for the person meant. It is a faze in Japan and Korea and Taiwan as well...and now they have come up with such a creative way to do so:p

They are mostly made from the typical type of ingredients used in Japanese style food....seaweed, sausages, nuggets, etc....there's so many pics here.....wanna play a guessing game?Tell me what do you think are in those bentos......

1. Cats are made of seaweed and typical sushi

Bottom: Tomatoes, lettuce, some potatoes and my guess; some nuggets:p

2. Ham and rice

3. SOooo adorable....

Hai Boey Seafood

Went to this place in Gertak Sanggul for seafood....just a spur of a thought at the moment to have seafood on Sunday evening:)

I have read about this place previously in a couple of blogs and there has been a mixed reviews...some praised and some criticized....usual; a matter of preference:)

But the thing that most of them said was that this place was actually pretty famous and established its name in the seafood world.

Hmmmm.....so we decided to give it a try....initially I mentioned Jumbo Seafood Village but it will take another 3km....so we decided to just try this out although I also had second thoughts and wanted to play safe and go back to our usual seafood haunt in Teluk Kumbar which we passed by along the way.....Good Friend Seafood:)

Anyway, we are here and that's that.....and similar to most of the seafood restaurants here in Penang, they are located near the sea and also built on the sands.

Pretty good view and the first thing I noticed when I was here was the Reserved sign on most of the tables....which got me to believe that this place must be indeed famous or good to have so many reservations.

We quickly settled down; ordered herbal tea.....

Then the lady came over to take our orders...and man, this lady was pretty aggressive in recommending their items.

She first mentioned fish; which we ordered...cooked in their signature style....their trademark dish. I had a hard time to choose between the grouper and also the black promfret; in which I posted the question back to the lady who said most will go for the grouper.

Fine...since I kinda liked grouper anyway:)

Then she recommended crabs...and I was tempted to ask her whether the shells are removed:p

You see, PickyEater has this penchant and reservation when it comes to eating crabs as I do not know and dislike to remove the shells...pretty troublesome if you ask me.

So usually, Daddy or Mummy will help me out with that...yaya, I am spoilt BRAT:p

I was pretty happy when I was in Shanghai as most of the time, the restaurants there serve you with the shells removed...and I am serious, even the prawns had their shells removed....

I am so with Shanghai hehehehe......

Anyway, we made a pass on crabs...then she asked us whether we want to try our aligator's tail and my eyes almost popped out. She mentioned it was fresh and just arrived that day but my friend was laughing so hard and sensed my discomfort and just told her to skip that.

I was choking inside...WHAT kind of place is this that serves such cruel, heartless and exotic dish????!!!!

Never mind that it was featured in the newspapers before and also its nutritional value.....if you want PickyEater to try that out.....you must be out of your mind or you can do it...over my dead body....seriously....

Then she mentioned prawns and again, we ordered their signature style.....

Then we wanted one more dish; some greens despite her endless effort to get us to order lobsters, shells, etc.

Nah...we settled for a plate of stir-fry vegetables and waited patiently for our food to arrive.

She wanted us to order more and we told her; there's only 2 of us - 3 dishes would suffice and besides, how can we finish so much food with 1 and a half person....hahaha.....:)

First to arrive was the vegetables; the Stir-fry Yau Mak....a skewered type of vegetables but pretty crunchy and juicy:) I am not sure of the English name of this vegetable though...will find out...

It was little oily but oklar...nothing significant of spectacular about this dish.

Remember, I am here to taste their speciality since this is supposed to be one famous seafood restaurant....although we didn't order much but we can't really finish them anyway, so why waste food...LOL:p

Ooo ya, while I was busy taking pics, I noticed one guy sitting at a table across me who brought a Panasonic Lumix and was also taking pics...probably another food blogger:p

Next was the prawns; cooked in their signature style. Hmmmm...this was truly disappointing; I think even the presentation didn't interest you....it was just slightly fried prawns with some minced garlic. Prawns tasted a bit hard and not really nice....really very disappointed...

Rating: 2/5

Then their signature style steamed fish arrived...they actually put it in a claypot and frankly, there's nothing special about it; it just tasted like normal steamed fish to me. Oh, I should mention that the grouper was slightly overcooked....I think so far, the only person who knows how to steam grouper and garoupa at the right temperature and keeping the texture soft and delicate which perfectly suits my taste buds is my one and only MUMMY!!!~

She deserves a mention here as I felt that all these chefs out there should feel ashamed of themselves that they do not know the culinary art of steamed fish and moreover fish with delicate flesh such as grouper and garoupa......sighhhhhh.

As such, much as I love steamed fish, I am usually skeptical to order them when I dine out.

And remember, I am one picky eater and since my favourite is fish, I am definitely very particular about fish. In fact, most of my colleagues actually start to refer to me as a fish expert...hahaha...a food reviewer:)

Spread of all our ordered food...

Despite that, we still finished our food and when the bill came; it was about RM54.60 which was quite pricey considering the serving portion.

However, after close observation, the high price actually came from fish....it was RM32...and it was a small fish; about 400gm so I guess it costs roughly about RM8/100gm which should be reasonable (fish experts says:p ) as grouper are usually quite pricey.

The vege only costs RM6 and the prawns; Rm12 for 5 medium sized prawns.

Revolution of the Baby World...

Went for quick drink in the afternoon...to one of our favourite place:)

Hmmm...found that they changed the menu....yippee......and it looks way much better:)

Also, I noticed most of their prices have decreased dramatically....hahaha.....obviously in the items I select most of the time.

I love the iced smoothies here...and they have reduced like half of what they used to charge...which was like RM8.50 per drink and now it's like RM4.90....hmmmm, I wonder why the change....

My friend reminded me that previously they got us to fill in a survey form and got our feedbacks....ahhhh, now I remember. We deduced that probably majority were intimidated by the prices charged for the stuffs here and the also the serving portion. I don't think people really enjoy paying exorbitant prices for baby food.....and furthermore, this place serves more of snacks and leisure food....so, the prices may not appeal to most; and they need to remember that this is furthermore, Penang island...or rather Frugal and Cost-saving people:p

Nevertheless, I was very happy with the cost reduction and they also added some new items....some ice-shaved desserts which if you notice and have been reading my blog, will know I kinda like these:)

I couldn't decide and at the same time, I need my dose of the fruit smoothie...the Honey Dew Ice Blended...too thirsty and craved for it since the day before.

So, we ordered my favourite drink and also this Kiwi Ice Dessert...not bad...they were pretty generous with the Kiwi fruit...and I'd say it's much more worth it compared to the other places I tried it out so far:)

Enjoying my drink:)

Oh ya, as we were enjoying our drinks, the lady boss (she is quite young and pretty:) walked past and saw us....she said hi to us...(she does know us due to our frequent visits and treats us well:)

Ooooo....Christmassy mood:)

Japanese Lunch.....

For lunch today; we decided to finally try out Japanese food after going on about it for some time now...

I also found out that this little Pearl of Orient has quite a number of Jap restaurants - indicating their inclination towards this cuisine.

I remembered that during my 21st birthday, I was treated to Sushi King by a friend whom I am really thankful and also with my bestie in Mid Valley.

Okay, after much discussion, we went for Jap food...LOL and partly also because I found a couple of food bloggers who seem to have this soft side for this culinary that I wanted to try it out despite knowing that there will be nothing much on the menu for me except the fishy stuffs such as salmon, etc.

We went to this restaurant here in Pulau Tikus; actually Burmah Road - Furusato; next to highly popular Penang Bee Hooi coffee shop.

It looks interesting and I saw they had a couple of seafood item promotions before and wanted to try it out since then.

We stood at the main entrance for a while; trying to browse through and find interesting items on the menu...hhaha...particularly food for me lar:p

We finally went in and was greeted by very friendly staff.....in fact, it looked pretty cosy as well.

They had 2 sections; the sit down section and the normal table setting.

I chose the table setting; yeah...it is actually more Japaneses to choose the sit down section but there were only 3 tables and 2 were already occupied....so I want to kind of sit in somewhere else...furthermore, there was this table in that sit down area which kept looking at me weirdly.

Maybe because I was taking pics....then I decided to keep it a low profile...and turned off the flash while taking my pics...haha....*looks down* :p

Nice interior and cosy environment.....they even have a reading section which was located pretty near where I sat...but most of them were Jap magazines...bummer:p

This is where they displayed those bottles and wine jugs....bro, anything that intrigue you?:p

Now comes to the ordering part....hmmm, the waiter, I must say, was one of the BEST that I had ever met. And you gotta believe PickyEater when I say so....he was super friendly and also courteous that I really must mention him here and personally would like to award him for his BEST manners.

He made us felt more comfortable and not weird when we placed our orders...(you know some waiters give you the LOOK when you order too few items, non-expensive items, confused on what to order, etc). Well, this guy definitely did not do any of those....he is super friendly...

Somehow, he made the first impression that it is worth it to even if the food was lousy:p

First class service...sometimes, I just prefer to have people who treat you with respect and you know the Customers first, Customers are always right kind of policy......we get this in classy restaurants..which is why you pay a little more than usual.

Kudos and I believe that those people in service line should take him as a role model and also definitely, take classes from him...hahaha....

See, I am talking too much about this waiter when I am supposed to talk about the food....hehehe.

We wanted to try out the value lunch sets which they displayed on the menu outside...some sort of promotion whereby they have lunch set with rice, drink, desserts, soup for only RM9.90.

Pretty cheap right?

However, too bad they only have it on weekdays.....hmmm, restaurants are getting smarter too:p

So, we flipped through the menu and we ordered the Shioyaki lunch set. (Oooo...he was very patient in explaining the items on the menu and also in attending our queries and indecisiveness....hehe:)

Then we ordered an additional yasai...which was a vegetable dish....practically stir fry of a combination of vegetables such as bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage and onions. I tried this once with my good friend who treated me on his birthday...haha...Pamalite...or is it Kensington?Hehehe....he brought me to Nippon Yataimura which was also along the same row but sorry lar; I didn't take any pics at that time:p

Anyway, the thing I remembered about this dish was that they sprinkled those spring onions which was freshly fried and sort of "squirmed" on top of the other vegetables.

The reason was those condiments were rather soft and was heated at too high a temperature...thus, when you place them, they sort of move in a worm-like manner...geli-fying.

And I still remember this Kensington actually teased me about it...hahaha.....naughty:p

This was the green tea...Ocha....which was served the minute we sat down (prior to our orders)

Waited for a while and then finally our food arrived....

Shioyaki Lunch Set.....costs about RM23 and contains a piece of salmon, rice, miso soup, some kimchi/soury vege and also desserts.....cool hor....these jellies look tempting.

The salmon tasted bland and tough as well....but definitely not as oily as the ones I used to try. After a few bites, you kinda get accustomed and also like it...PickyEater likes it:)

The miso soup is normal...and I like the soury vege thingy...hehehe:p

The jellies for dessert was also nice...yumzz

This was the yasai - the stir fry vegetables...and yes, they have the same squirming effect....goshhh:p Nothing spectaculer....just less oily than Yataimura:)

Finished our food.....

The total bill came up to about RM34.01.......quite reasonable for Jap food.....

We enjoyed the friendliness of the people here.....if you do want to try out Japanese food...you can try this place out:)

So...no more bugging me to go for Jap food unless I feel like it again...hehehe *grins cheekily*