Zealand Cafe, Gurney Drive by Leng

You might have noticed this restaurant when you drive along Gurney Drive by its distinctive name, Zealand Cafe. I am not sure of the reason why it's not called New Zealand Cafe when the Chinese name (新西蘭) suggests that it is named after the country. Nevertheless it is quite a memorable name.

The waitress who took our order is very knowledgeable of the food they serve and recommended us dishes which not only complimented each other well but also made it a well rounded meal made up of tofu, chicken and lots of vegetables.

Clockwide from the top: Yam rice (RM2 per bowl), stir fried vegetables (RM8), Vietnamese chicken (RM9), Bean curd with pork mince (RM8)

We opted for yam rice instead of plain white rice to spice up our meal and it was totally delicious! Yam rice is usually served with Bah Kut Teh (Pork Bones Herbal Soup) which Zealand Cafe is also famous for. We requested a medium bowl of just the Bah Kut Teh soup to go with our meal which they gave to us without charge! In this very commercialised era, very few of the newer establishments would do that for customers, for even a tiny piece of wet towel would set us back RM2.

My scores (out of 5):

Taste: 4

Environment: 3 (open air, no air conditioning but you do get seaview!)

Service: 4

Price: 4

Parking: 4 (plenty along Gurney Drive)

Address: 62 Gurney Drive, 10250 Penang.

Tel: 012 - 473 8877