Hillview Hakka Restaurant

Located along the road connecting Relau to Paya Terubong, there is this miniature mock version of the Penang Bridge and after a short drive, you will come to a turning on your left which has Malay cafes and also a point to view the scenery.


If you continue to drive up the steep road past the Malay cafes after you have turned into that point, you will be greeted by a Hakka cafe/restaurant on the hill top.
The road leading further will lead you to a Spa house or something like that.

This hillview restaurant offers recreational activities such as prawn-fishing, besides the breath-taking view of the island from one perspective.




What do you do then if you are not here for the spa or massage or the prawn-fishing activity?
Well, you try their food, cooked ala Hakka style (not sure whether that's true)


The stir-fried mixed vegetables offer an assortment of veggies that I like, and the best part is, they used my two favorite cauliflowers and broccoli for this dish.

Throw in some button mushrooms, corn and medium-sized prawns and even cuttlefish, this is a simple start which tasted nice and it cost RM7; pretty reasonable, I would say!


This was a recommended dish by the boss; as the beancurd were homemade and it was their specialty dish too.
They called it "Gwai Fei Tau Foo" (directly translated as Precious/Honorable Lady's Beancurd) - RM10

The beancurd is normal; nothing much that vary from the usual 'homemade' beancurd they always recommend you in restaurants.


The sauce was plain; and the accompanying vegetables and mock abalone slices was a generous addition to the dish.
I like the simple taste of this dish; although I can't say it's very special though!


Finally, this is also another fish recommended by the boss; called 'Ngo Wa' (anyone can enlighten me on the English name for this fish?)
He recommended the fish to be steamed with plain soy sauce as it was very fresh, and I agreed (Steamed fish is always the best anyway!)


The flesh was smooth and delicate; though still lacks in the smoothness compared to catfish or even the marble goby.
However, I must say the boss is right; the fish was indeed very fresh!

I enjoyed this fish (maybe my mummy has cooked it before, but I couldn't remember)
For such a fresh fish, it costs RM30 (still find it pricey too)

Rice is served in a pot, where you can help yourselves to your heart's content


Total bill was about RM50++; partly due to the fish as I find the other dishes quite reasonable.
The view here is not too bad, you get to see the greeneries of Penang.

Bravo Italian food

I have been inactive from my blog for a while; due to Internet connection and also my ergonomic issues with my hand (not to mention the workload) that I have lost track of the restaurants/food buzz.

Bravo Italia was blogged by most of the floggers here and I stumbled upon this little Italian cafe upon my arrival in Penang after a 3-hours ride from KL with my friend.
A quick glance and I noticed that it had a banner with www.penangtuapui.com endorsed on it; it made me recall that I have read about the reviews from the floggers.
I was even wondering whether this was a restaurant owned by PenangTuaPui themselves?
Anyone can enlighten me on that?

I was keen to try the Italian food despite my non-tolerance for cheesy stuffs.
Stepping into the cafe and I was greeted by a dimly lit environment and the la-la Italian songs=)
I noticed that most of their tables contained the map of Italy inset.
I was just wondering whether this map is supposed to be in English or Italy for I noticed a few spelling mistakes in the name of the places =P

I hope you bear with me on the names of the dishes which we have ordered as it has been a month since I was there and given my state after the 3-hour journey, I was not that perky and furthermore, it was already approaching my bedtime hours.
In short, I couldn't remember the names of the dishes I ordered (*Embarassed smile*)

For starters, we had Bruschetta (this one I could remember)

It was bread with hard crust garnished with cheese and tomatoes on top.

My friend commented that Bella Italia served a better version of this Italian starter.
I personally felt this tasted rather normal as well, but not much complaint, at least it was edible!:)

My friend had the Spaghetti (couldn't remember the name of this)

Again, this was on the average but not too bad, he didn't complain anyhow.


I ordered a grilled fish which came with an interesting sourish sauce ( I told you I couldn't remember the name)

This was not too bad; although I would not say it's above average.
After all, I am quite picky with my food

The fish was lightly grilled but I felt it was not to perfection. They could do better in this. The gravy was not too consistent in the texture; I could taste very thick gravy on one side and another bite would probably be slightly diluted.


We didn't have any desserts; maybe I will be back for another round to try out the other dishes.
I noticed they have lots of fish; that's one thing I like about Italian food =)
By the way, one of their fish dish actually has a spelling mistake on their description; Pan-Seared instead of Pan-Sealed (as stated in the menu).

They might want to work on that; don't want customers to wonder how do you seal the fish!

Antique Edelweiss Cafe

Named after the song made famous by the evergreen Sound of Music, Edelweiss Cafe brings to my mind the thoughts of greeneries and mountaineous valleys, excluding the appearance of a nun apprentice singing:)

Another cafe which took adavantage of the unique heritage pre-war shophouses, Edelweiss Cafe is definitely nothing resembling whatever I have pictured or as depicted in the award-winning movie soundtrack.


In fact, it was unique in its own sense; with the exquisite Baba and Nyonya Style exterior and an interior filled with thick oak furniture and dark colors which contrasts against the blazing sun out there.



I was particularly intrigued by all the antiques displayed; these are priceless these days and the environment just seem to transport you back to the past and I half-expected some black and white scenes and a Baba or a Nyonya to walk through those doors and sit down on the chairs, chattering in their language.


I have an imaginative mind, I do:)

They have two dining areas; you could choose to dine in the normal dining area within the cafe or you could choose to sit in the open space which they call the air-well or the Garden.
I chose the conventional dining - not particularly keen with the sun and the mosquitoes (if there are any), LOL!


They have set lunches on their menus; which I am so sorry that I couldn't remember anymore as it has been a month since I was last there.
I was probably one of the last flogger who made my way there too; following the buzz of the big bloggers gathering there last year (which I missed:( )

Iced Lemon Tea to cool the senses amidst the scorching hot sun out there.

The bartender was so considerate as to make it less sweet and even explained that some customers may not like too sweet.
We can add in the sweet solution according to our taste as the bottle is just placed on each table.
That was an indeed considerate thought; especially for me, since I am not someone with such a sweet tooth! How I wish all the other cafes/restaurants would follow in this pursuit as well!

For this set, it comes with the pumpkin soup with buttered bread

Golden in color, the pumpkin soup was not too rich nor creamy and it was a little plain, nothing special about the soup.

Garden salad was slightly below my expectations as well; despite my love for fresh and crunchy vegetables.

The lettuces were slightly dull; and some of it even tasted bitter.
Not so appetizing to start my meal with, I would say.

The main courses:
This was the spaghetti with pork

Honestly, it tasted bland and I think from the pictures alone, it didn't look that enticing either.
The texture of the pasta was also slightly soggy and the gravy did not do a good job to add to the taste of the pasta.

Grilled fish

This was equally as disappointing; I find the taste really bland and the fish did not even have the succulent taste in it.
Not appetizing for me, definitely.

I was quite disappointed with the food here; despite all the environment I have raved about.
I guess it is more to a taste bud difference issue, since I couldn't find the appetite factor over here in this unique little cafe.




Furthermore, I even find the prices slightly on the steep side but then again, as they say, one man's meat is another's ......

Location: Armenian Street

Fuzing Fusion Food @ Louis Cafe

Adding to the line of new fusion cafes is Louis Cafe, which recently started their operations in their little cafe along Argyll Road.
Prior to my visit, they have also invited a bunch of Penang floggers for a review and I have made a mental note since then to pay this interesting cafe a visit (thanks to all the wonderful floggers for sharing their views).

Louis Cafe is a quaint little cafe which used one of the pre-war shophouses in the heart of Georgetown to introduce their culinary skills.

They have tastefully decorated their cafe with a light and simple touch to transport you to a dimension around the globe with their pictures of all the amazing architectures in the world.
At the same time,their tables are pinned down with red and white checkered tablecloths which just reminds you of the Italian dining.



The brightly lit windows from the shining sun just brings a cheerful atmosphere into the cafe, and furthermore, the cafe is after all, brand new with its fresh coat of paint and a eager image.



Glancing through their menu reveals not an extensive but varied enough selection of fusion food; offering from salads to pasta and main courses from chicken to beef and seafood/fish. They have the usual range of juices and beverages and their special desserts even include bird's nest and snow jelly!
All the more reason for me to come back, haha, personally!:)

As with other cafes (they need to stay competitive anyway), they also offer you a selected range of daily set lunches/dinners at only RM18.90++ per set inclusive of soup, drink, main course and free flow of ice-cream.

Somehow, this just reminds me of Mizi Bistro, but their sets are actually wider in range compared to Louis.

Iced lemon tea is such a refreshing drink in this hot hot hot weather (did anyone notice how hot it has been in Penang after that downpour on Saturday morning?)


There is a also a side story to my glass of iced lemon tea.
After a few sips, I noticed a black insect (dead, of course) afloat on the ice cubes in the glass. I motioned for the waiter who came immediately and I showed him.
He apologized and without so much a question, he just took the glass right away to the bar.
I noticed they actually started making another glass of iced lemon tea.
When the waiter brought me my drink, he still apologized.

That was something that I was truly impressed with; EXCELLENT customer service:)
No question, and attentive to customer's needs, something that you get what you paid for.

Our dinner rolls came, fluffy and soft buns

Attached with the takeaway butter and two butter knives


Creamy pumpkin soup with roasted almond flakes on top

I am a non-pumpkin lover, but the soup was really rich and tantalizing to your taste buds.
A small sip I took but it was more than enough as I could really taste and sense the golden pumpkin which had such a strong scent.
It was nice; with the golden pumpkin aroma nicely blended to make this soup, it was really appetizing.


Come the mushroom soup

Again, I am no soup person but I read the menu that this soup contains three types of mushroom and is actually their specialty soup.
A spoon of the soup, and I can tell you, this is one of the best mushroom soup I have tasted so far (I don't know about the rest of you; since this is only true for me:)
Similar to the pumpkin soup, the mushroom soup was truly blended with the inclusion of the fresh mushrooms (you could taste and bite the tiny bits of the mushroom), and the soup was thick and not too creamy as some were.
It was delicious; it was like a bowl of cereal; only with mushrooms.
Thumbs up from pickyeater!:)

Spaghetti Arabiatta

Main course with a spicy exterior and loads of mushrooms.
The gravy looks really thick; and there are bits of tomatoes tasted in the gravy.


The spaghetti was cooked to sheer perfection; with the springy texture of the spaghetti and the gravy complimented it very well with a very very light tinge of sourish spiciness.
The mushrooms were generous and it was definitely an appetizing dish; also one of the nicest spaghetti tasted (even in comparison to some Italian restaurants around here!)

Black Pepper Fish was simple in presentation

The gravy was again, thick and pepper-y!
The fish fillet was pan fried and it was not oily!
I find the fish fillet rather burnt at the bottom side; which I suspected due to the small amount of oil they used.


However, I must say that they managed to maintain the fresh and juicy taste of the fish fillet, which is not too dry/hard nor too juicy that it feels sickening after a while.
It was thinly battered and pan fried with haste before serving with the gravy.

Only suggestion, they should probably serve the vegetables plainly boiled/steamed instead of adding with butter:(

Desserts was indicated as free flow of ice-cream from their Nestle ice-cream counter at the back of the shop.
However, the waiters were so kind as to serve us the first round of ice-cream which was also the only round for us anyway;)

This is another scenario I observed, the waiter scooped the first scoop and another guy (most probably the owner and the iced lemon tea guy - read above), walked and offered him another dessert plate; and took away the first scoop.
I think it was because it was not a perfectly moulded scoop; as I noticed the ice-cream guy took some time to scoop.
Wow, talk about customer perfectionist! :)
Impressive.

A choice of blueberry ice cream scoop

And chocolate chip ice-cream...


Perfectly round?

Overall, I must say I was not disappointed by the food served here and defintely their service is excellent!
Thumbs up from PickyEater and my only hope is that their quality will maintain and not deteriorate like the others on my next visit.

Of course, there will be a next visit for me... *grins*