Hui Lau Shan (许留山), Hong Kong by Gneb

I was going through my Hong Kong vacation photo album and found these colourful pictures of Hui Lau Shan’s desserts. They definitely bring back good memories.

Hui Lau Shan is a Hong Kong dessert chain (specializing in mango puddings) and you can find them all around Hong Kong. Hui Lau Shan is very popular especially amongst youngsters and tourists (like me), so there’s usually a long queue in front of the shops. The shops are typically small (hence crowded), well mind you, what shop is not crowded in Hong Kong?

The mango puddings are so colourful and refreshing!

This is mango flavoured jelly with mango slices in it, topped with mango flavoured syrup.

This is mango freeze with glutinous balls (tong yuen) in it. The “tong yuen”, when eaten with the mango freeze, are simply smashing!

The big bowl is mango ice cream with glutinous balls and mango slices. The star shaped bowl is yam and red bean jelly.

Strawberry freeze with strawberry slices.

So, Hui Lau Shan is definitely a “must go” whenever I’m in Hong Kong. I just wish that Hui Lau Shan would come to our shores one day.

My scores (out of 5):

Taste: 5

Environment: 4

Service: 3 (busy but generally friendly staff)

Price: 4

Address: You can find them in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territoties.

Pen Mutiara Curry House, Penang by Gneb

For those working in the Penang Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone, having lunch at “Perikanan” is nothing new and would most probably have done this at least once in their career life in the FTZ.

I was agape with surprise seeing how much the restaurant has changed (it must have been more than 5 years since I last went to the place), when I was there recently for our department lunch. It’s now called Pen Mutiara Curry House (how posh) and it has a beautiful building to house it (rather than some sheds when I last visited).

Pen Mutiara’s interior is definitely comparable to that of a hotel lobby’s, with the stairs right in the middle of the restaurant and a grand piano below it played by a pianist.

There’s also a garden right beside of the restaurant with decent landscapes. You could have your lunch at the same enjoy the beautiful view outside through the French windows, while the pianist is playing and serenading all the way. This will surely give you the needed break from all your work stress.

We ordered the packaged menu that includes the following dishes, plus free flow of lime and sour plum juice.

You’ve got to try the sambal belachan and you’ll definitely ask for more!

Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce

The lovely crunchy and tangy kerabu

Stir Fried Kailan – I think this tastes better than a lot of the Chinese chu char’s.

Deep Fried Calamari – this was a bit cold when it was served. I was expecting it to be hot and fresh. So, this was a bit of a let down..

Omelet with Minced Chicken Filling – This reminds me so much of Nasi Pattaya :)

Prawn “Masak Merah” – The sweet and spicy sauce complements the fresh prawns so well.

Then…viola…the piece de resistance - Curry Fish Head! The dish is served in a huge claypot and it’s become the signature dish of the Pen Mutiara Curry House. I’m not a big fan of fish head (I frown at the sight of people eating the eye balls!), so I only had the curry which was very tasty and spicy (as in full of spices).

Last but not least, the dishes will never be complete without the steaming rice.

There’s also fruit plate after the meal.

In conjunction with the Ramadan, Pen Mutiara will definitely be a good choice for Buka Puasa.

My scores (out of 5):

Taste: 4
Environment: 4
Service: 4
Price: 3 (Sorry, we expensed this to the department, so I wouldn’t know)
Parking: 4 (A lot of people park outside of the Wisma Nelayan’s compound, but there are actually lots of parking lots behind the restaurant inside of the Wisma Nelayan’s compound. You just need to drive into the compound and there will be people who will direct you to the right place to park)
Address: Wisma Nelayan, Pelabuhan LKIM Batu Maung, 11960 Bayan Lepas, Penang.
Tel: 604 - 3101759

Lao Sher Tea House, Penang by Gneb

I have been told that Lao Sher Tea House, apart from selling tea leaves, also serves excellent Thai food. So, I decided to check it out last weekend.

Lao Sher Tea House is located in Burma Road. It is directly opposite the Public Specialist Centre and it’s one of the old houses that have been turned into shop houses.

Lao Sher Tea House would have to be one of the most elusive restaurants that I’ve known of, as it’s only been advertised as a tea house rather than a restaurant. From outside, one could also hardly tell that it’s actually a restaurant inside.

Lao Sher Tea House has a Chinese rustic interior. It’s almost like that seen in Kung Fu movies. The front part of the building is used as a tea house and you can see many regulars here for the tea. The restaurant is at the back of the building and hear this, it only has 6 tables!! So, be there very early as the place gets full quickly! (You’ve been warned!)

The tea house has a collection of Chinese tea pots and tea leaves for sale.

While in a tea house, one thing you shouldn’t miss is the tea…

The owner recommends this passion fruit juice which is lovely and refreshing!

Lao Sher serves mostly Thai food. So, Thai food is what we ordered then.

One thing to note though, the service can be very slow when there are many people. I had to wait for approximately 45 min before all the food was served! Mind you, they only have 1 cook – an old lady cooking diligently in the old fashioned kitchen (I peeked through the wooden door of the kitchen and saw what was going on inside). So, you’ve been warned again!

Thai Basil Leaves Omelet (RM6) – This is perfect! I like omelets which are fried to the perfect right extent. The aroma is just irresistible.

Tom Yum Prawns (RM15) – This is also great. There must be about 8 medium prawns in the soup, all very fresh and juicy. The soup is so delicious too.

Chicken in Thai Sauce (RM10) – Scrumptious! The Thai salad on top is very appetizing. The sauce is lovely and the chicken is crispy. What a perfect combination of ingredients.

All in all, great food plus reasonable price, minus the waiting time.

My scores (out of 5):

Taste: 5

Environment: 3

Service: 1 (They really need to improve on customer’s waiting time)

Price: 4 (I think it’s quite good for the quality you get)

Parking: 3 (You’ll be lucky if you could find a space in front of the tea house. Otherwise, you’ll have to park in front of the office blocks nearby)

Address: 217-H, Burma Road, 10350, Penang, Malaysia

Tel: 604-2273139

Nan Yang Chinese Cuisine, Penang by Gneb

I came across Nan Yang Chinese Cuisine few years back when I was in the historic Armenien Street for the yearly Chinese New Year Cultural Show. Since then, I have been back there for their traditional Min Nan / Hokkien dishes a few times.

Last week, my friends and I were at Nan Yang Chinese Cuisine again for lunch. It’s such a nostalgic feeling being in Armenien Street, under the afternoon sun. Everything feels just so “retro”.

Nan Yang Chinese Cuisine plays such a complementary role in Armenien Street, in reflecting the old time Penang charm. The restaurant is such an attraction in this area that many tourists actually stop to take a few pictures.

We actually ordered a lot for lunch. I remember having to skip dinner that night..

Xia Men Spring Rolls [RM12] – This is quite special, but I don’t think you get much taste out of it though. I guess it’s all due to the vegetables filling, which is a bit bland. There’s also some meat floss in the filling too.

Bak Wan (Meatballs) [RM10] – I quite like them. The texture is nice and tender. There’s also no strong 5 spices powder smell like in some Chinese meat dishes.

Oh Jien (Fried Oyster Omelet) [RM8] – Honestly speaking, I’ve tasted better fried oyster omelet elsewhere, so I don’t really like this as much (but this is just me).

Tao Chiam (Fried Flat Noodles) [RM5.50] – This is a special type of flat noodles that is found mostly in Min Nan / Hokkien dishes. You don’t get this kind of noodles in many places and hence I cherish them every time I eat them. So, yeah, it was ok.

Tung Hoon (Fried Fine Vermicelli) [RM5] – This is one of my favourite Hokkien dishes, so I’d say it is acceptable. However, I’ve also tried better ones elsewhere.

My scores (out of 5):
Taste: 2

Environment: 4 (Nostalgic and very charming. It’d been better if they could repaint the walls as the paint is starting to peel off and becoming an eye sore)

Service: 3 (Acceptable)

Price: 3 (Acceptable since this is a tourists’ spot)

Parking: 4 (Parking lots available along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling and Armenien Street)

Address: 86 & 86A, Armenien Street, 10200, Penang
Tel: 04-2616618
Website: nanyangchinesecuisine.blogspot.com
Others: closes on Monday

ToTo Vietnamese Restaurant, Western Australia by Gneb

If you are in Perth, I’d recommend you to ToTo Vietnamese Restaurant, located in Albany Highway.

ToTo is apparently very popular among the people in Perth, so you’ll have to go early or you’ll have to wait for a table. This is definitely not good, especially when you are hungry and have to watch the rest of the people eat the lovely food.

The food is so good that I actually went there twice during my recent trip to Perth. Trust me, it’s all worth it!

This comes before the main course as in many Vietnamese and Thai restaurants. It’s kind of like an appetizer to whet your appetite for more delicious food.

Vietnamese Paper Rolls – These are so authentic. The vegetables are so fresh and there are actually shrimps in the filling, 3 of them to be precise! The sauce is also so tasty that you can actually have it on its own.

Fried Chicken – These are so lovely. They’re so crunchy outside and juicy inside. They taste a bit like our Belacan (Shrimp Paste) Fried Chicken.

Sweet and Sour Prawns – The dressing is very appetizing and you should really try the pickled cabbage. I’m not a big fan of pickles, but I love this.

Broken Rice – This is definitely a fulfilling and complete meal. It comes with rice and 4 little portions of side dishes (shredded egg, fried egg, “meatloaf” looking thingy and BBQ pork). To top it all, the fish sauce is just fabulous! This is basically what I had for dinner every night when I was working in the US last time.

Beef Pho – How could you miss this in a Vietnamese restaurant? The soup is tasty and although I’m not into the internal organs, the beef slices are lovely nonetheless.

Minced Pork with Rice – I didn’t try this as I was really from all the food I mentioned above. My friend’s verdict – this is great!

It’s certainly a must visit in Perth, I’d say. I’m starting to drool as I see the pictures. I’m not sure if there’s any Vietnamese Restaurant in Penang that serves Broken Rice. Anyone can tell me?

My scores (out of 5):
Taste: 5 (No doubt)
Environment: 4 (Comfortable but I wish they had bigger shop space to cater for more customers)
Service: 3 (Friendly but could be friendlier)
Price: 3 (Acceptable for the quality of the food you get)
Parking: 4 (Available right in front of the restaurant and plenty along the road beside the restaurant)
Address: 873 – 875 Albany Highway, East Victoria Park, WA 6101
Tel: 93552388
Others: It closes every Monday