Famous Ban Cheng Kueh @ Kimberley Street

Ban Cheng Kueh; or a form of Chinese pancake is a favorite snack for breakfast or even in-between meals throughout the day.
One of the best stalls in Penang (or so as reputed) is located along Kimberley Street; one of the busy streets in the jostling town area.

This stall has brought back some old memories as I remembered how my daddy told me about this stall and bought a piece of Ban Cheng Kueh back then.


They are reputed to be famous for their brown sugar version of the pancake


However, be ready though, as I find the owner of the stall i.e. the maker of the Ban Cheng Kueh (the man) is not friendly.
In fact, one word to describe him? Rude

He was not really friendly to his customers and was questioning/answering his aloof customers in such an arrogant manner.
I almost walked away from the stall when I heard him snapping at my friend!

The wife, on the other hand, was much nicer and she was polite and courteous to the customers, as she slowly reaffirmed your order prior to wrapping them with banana leaves


There are two versions of the pancake; the thicker flour version or the crispy one.
Of course, in Penang, the most preferred and more famous one is definitely the crispy version


Brown sugar as the contents


Make sure that you do not request for them to put into the plastic bag while it's hot if you don't intend to eat it immediately.
The crispy pancake should be left on the rack to cool for a while before being wrapped to avoid it becoming soggy later on.
The soft and soggy version is definitely not a delight!

I do hope the man will change his attitude, otherwise, no matter famous or not, he will just turn away tourists (local and foreign alike).
I know I am not one for the fame alone; the attitude counts.

Looks like it's time these famous hawkers take up a lesson or two in manners and courtesy!

Buffet Lunch @ The Place 007

The Place 007 is a bistro-restaurant located along the Pulau Tikus road heading towards the police station.
I have always seen it as a bistro until I saw their banner on their buffet lunch at dinner along the road.

There are two shoplots; the left is the bistro whereas the shop on the right is the restaurant.
For the buffet, make sure you head towards the right shop lot.

Expect to see a dark-lit restaurant (and I really meant dark, not just dimly lit)





The buffet runs from noon to 2.30pm; with the last order being placed at 2pm.
This is the type of buffet where you order as much as you want from the menu and then gorge on it.
It's pretty sickening for people who can't eat much...I think I prefer the normal line buffets =)


Lunch is priced at RM35 per pax and you can order from the wide selection of appetizers, salads, finger bites, pasta, pizza, main course of fish/steak/chicken/pork, and there's also soups and desserts.
The Place serves more of an Italian fusion type of cuisine.




I was kinda worried as I am not one who can take much of food and it's always a waste to bring me to buffets, as they all always say.
Buffets are always a great option to varieties and not having to choose what to eat. However, make sure you can stomach them all, as in having a capacity of an unlimited reservoir to make it all worth it (as in Malaysian's mind)

To me, I just like a small bite of each and not stuff myself silly. I don't continue once I am full...otherwise, the end results could be hazardous to my own health.


Creamy cheese mussels

The first served was not too bad; and I think they are quite reasonable and wise with the portion.
Well, sometimes it's not the quantity that matters, but the quality right?


Scallops with cheese (I call it scallop thermidor..LOL!)


The scallops used were of the lower grade and price; and therefore, there's not much to expect from this.

Fried Calamari


Lamb


Salmon steak in apple teriyaki sauce



Mixed Salad

Dressing for salad


Spaghetti with lobster


Abalone


Mini tuna tarts



BBQ Fish


Tonno pizza


Grape juice and ice lemon tea

All the juices were too sweet..diabetic!

Mixed fruits platter


Santan pudding


Mango pudding


Overall, I find the food on the average quality and I got slightly sick after the buffet...think I just can't take too much food....

Worth it or not?
You can judge from the portion, taste wise, just average...as I say

(안녕하세요 Ahn Nyeong Hah Se Yo) DaoRae BBQ!~

Hail the Land of Kimchi which has long ago docked by our coast and built homes and restaurants here in our very own paradise land.

We have seen no end of Korean restaurants promoting Korean BBQ sets and their authentic Korean food; and we even have Korean villages in Ampang.
Apart from that, I am definitely confident to say that Malaysians are no strangers to the Korean culture after all those hours of soaking in the language and love hugs in front of their TV following the korean drama craze after the soaring popularity of Winter Sonata.

So, what is another new restaurant going to do to the already Korean-obsessed/worshipping community here?

DaoRae is the latest addition to the line of Korean BBQ restaurants in Penang, and they are located in Bayan Point; next to a bank and facing the high flyover to Sg Dua/Sg Ara and facing Krystal Point.

The warmth of the friendly greeting was immediately felt when I walked into the restaurant where all the staff (including the BIG Boss, who is a Korean himself) stood at the door, greeting us.
(Ah, the special attention you get when you're there early)

The interior, was designed to cater for BBQ environment and since it was new, there is this whiff of fresh paint in the air.
Overall, it was really neat and the dining area is really comfortable; and each customer is ensured their own privacy at their table.



Long story short, main point is the food.
One point is, I am sure everyone knows, Korean food are not exactly cheap and this is even more so since they offer exquisite fine and authentic Korean cuisine (even the Chef is flown in from Korea!)
Their name has been established in Malaysia sometime ago, following the success of their outlets in USJ Taipan.

Minimum spending here is from RM17 onwards for a bowl of noodles/rice and for the BBQ set, be prepared to spend RM70 and above.

For starters, do not be suprised by the 'more-than-10' appetizers they serve immediately after the waiter has taken your order











I almost felt stuffed after I've sampled the appetizers and regretted that I've ordered a main.
Anyway, we didn't go for the BBQ because I am not really much for meat and the scent of burnt pork/beef in my hair and clothes.
Don't be disappointed just yet; for I had the chance to introduce other side dishes which you can try when you are out of the mood for BBQ and just want a bite of Korean.

Bi Bim Bap (RM19)

Basically this is literally translated as Stone Bowl Rice.
The bowl reminds me of mortar; which we used to grind our chili to make paste/sambal.
This is one of the homey meal Koreans take pride in; where they serve rice topped with a few types of vegetables; which usually included sliced carrots, mushrooms, bean sprouts,crab sticks, seaweed and minced meat and a touch of a sunny side up right smack in the middle of the bowl.
The bowl keeps the rice at the bottom warm.

You need to stir everything up and mix them with the rice to get that Bibimbap taste!
The waiter was kind to explain the process when he served us this; not in Korean, but in his own native language. Anyhow, he was really courteous and attentive to our needs during our entire dining experience there.

We were also served soups when our mains were served


A hot bowl of noodles with seafood in soup (RM17)

The bowls used to serve are huge; I gulped when I saw the bowl placed in front of me.
I am sure some must be wondering, how good can a bowl of noodles in soup which is basically sick food taste?
Actually, they used a superior stock and the soup had a rather tasty (though tad bit salty) flavor with the clams and prawns used in the soup.
To be frank, the clams exuded such an overwhelming 'fishy-seafood' smell to the soup that it definitely attested to this being seafood-based.
The noodles used were mee-suah-like and were however, tad more soaked which ended up soggy. Not that it's bad, it depends on your preference.

I silently curse my friend who ordered an extra side dish to stuff ourselves silly but praised him after taking a bite of this; as he had been kind enough to recommend a good dish.

Korean Rice Cakes (RM30)

Although we were joking about how much we are paying for basic chee-cheong-fun dish, it was nevertheless flavorful with the spicy-sweet and sourish texture lent by the kimchi in the cooking process

Look at all the food on our table!


We tried, we did, and we couldn't finish ALL of it


The total price was RM78++ but the dining experience and the food was of authentic Korean style and taste that I must say it's worth your time/money spent.