Xuan Xin Restaurant, Gurney Plaza by GNEB

I’m sure many of you would have seen Xuan Xin Restaurant before when you went to Gurney Plaza. It’s located on the 5th floor of the new wing. Just in case you don’t know where it is, the pictures below should ring a bell. It looks kind of posh and pricey from outside. Well, it was also my dinner venue for last Sunday evening, by courtesy of my brother-in-law (who was kind enough to take us out for dinner). That saved me from having to figure out where to have dinner last weekend 


Does this look familiar now?


Does this ring a bell now?

As I mentioned, the place kind of gives people an impression that it is a posh and pricey place. As you enter, the waiters and waitresses will yell out Welcome to you, like in some Japanese restaurants which have become a nuisance after a while. The new waitress who served us was a bit “blur blur” (unclear of what to do) and had to check with us 3 to 4 times just to confirm she had jotted down our orders correctly. Chinese tea was refillable, but it took the waitresses a while to fill up for us. I also noticed that she had to brew a whole new pot of tea every time she filled up for the customers. Hot and fresh the tea might be, wouldn’t that be rather inconvenient and inefficient? There must be a better way to do that.

The food was scrumptious. We ordered Stir Fried Kai Lan with Garlic; Sauteed Garoupe Fillet with Preserved Vege (kiam chai); Sliced French Style Smoked Duck + Dumplings; Yang Chow Fried Rice; Deep Fried Garlic Spare Rib; 3 bowls of Boiled Garoupe Bone Soup and Sauteed Prawn with Salted Egg Yolk (in case you wonder, there were 5 of us). I loved the Deep Fried Garlic Spare Rib, it was burning hot and succulent. The Sliced French Style Smoked Duck + Dumplings were very nice too. It was a bit like eating suckling pig and dumpling where you’ll have to sandwich the slices of duck meats in between the dumplings. Oh I miss that so much. I also liked the Boiled Garoupe Bone Soup which reminds me of the Fish Steamboat (Hu Lor) at Starview Restaurant. I’m still burping the Garlic Spare Rib as I write this…


Stir Fried Kai Lan with Garlic (RM11.80)


Sauteed Garoupe Fillet with Preserved Vege (RM16)


Sliced French Style Smoked Duck + Dumplings (RM12). Highly recommended!


Yang Chow Fried Rice (RM11.80)


Deep Fried Garlic Spare Rib (RM16)- Love them!!


Boiled Garoupe Bone Soup (RM7 per bowl)


Sauteed Prawn with Salted Egg Yolk (RM25)

The price was very reasonable indeed - all the above (plus 5 Chinese Teas, towels, snacks, govt tax and service charge) for RM125.70.

My Scores:
Taste: ☺☺☺☺☺
Environment: ☺☺☺☺ (nice view if you sit by the window)
Service: ☺☺ (a bit “blur blur”, still new I guess)
Price: ☺☺☺☺ (value for money)
Parking: ☺☺☺ (Gurney Plaza car park)
Address: Gurney Plaza new wing 5th floor
Website: http://xuanxinrestaurant.com/

Nice and Crispy by GNEB

I’m so hooked on this!

I bought this can of Cheong Hoong BBQ Fish Flavour crisps this afternoon at New World Park and I’m so addicted to it now.

As I watch the late night movie on HBO now, I just can’t stop eating and I swear I can finish the whole lot soon…


Wicked!


Wicked! Simply wicked!


Nice and crispy!


At 2pm today….


At 10pm tonight….nearly all gone..

Friendly Tea House, Pulau Tikus Market by GNEB

As I mentioned, I’ll go for my usual weekend-driving-around-looking-for-new-hangout-places-routine every weekend. This evening, I was at Friendly Tea House, Moulmein Road.

Now, Moulmein Road is what I’d call a “well known yet unknown” road for many Penangites. Many Penangites would’ve passed the road at least once or twice before, but do not know the name. It’s just right behind the Pulau Tikus wet market, right in front of the car park. Now, many of you will go: “Ahhh….that’s called Moulmein Road, is it?” That’s also the road that turns chock-a-block every Sunday morning, where people will stop their cars by the roadside (some in the middle of the road) and wait for their wives or mothers who are doing their marketing at the renowned Penang’s “rich men’s wet market”.

Friendly Tea House is one of the many residences-turned-shop-houses along the road. Many people do not know that it serves food and would’ve thought that this is a shop that sells tea leaves.



















Now you know…

It’s a down to earth restaurant cum tea house that serves mostly Teow Chew dishes. According to the lady who served us, they serve good steamboat, fried noodles and curry as well.



















The humble interior of the restaurant



















The business card

Friendly Tea House really lives up to its name. The lady who served us was very friendly and would passionately recommend and explain to us their famous dishes. She’d also check on us from time to time to see if the food was ok for us.

We ordered Stir Fried Runner Beans with Anchovies, Teow Chew Steamed Skate Fish and Lor Bak. All of them were fantastic! The food portion was actually more than enough for 2 people.



















Stir Fried Runner Beans with Anchovies (RM8) – This is so special and delicious. I don’t really like runner beans usually, but I loved this..



















Teow Chew Steamed Skate Fish (RM15) – lots of pickled vegetables (kiam chai), yummy!!



















Lor Bak (RM5) – there’s yam in the filling which tastes really good.

All the above, plus 2 bowls of rice and 2 drinks (Coke and herbal tea) only cost RM34.65. This is like “Chu Char” price in an air-conditioned and serene environment (and definitely no “Chu Char” smell on your clothes!).

A definite worth all the while must try.

My Scores:
Taste: ☺☺☺☺☺ (my pictures above say a thousand words)
Environment: ☺☺(humble but comfortable)
Service: ☺☺☺☺☺ (well, the shop’s name says it all)
Price: ☺☺☺☺☺ (worth it)
Parking: ☺☺☺☺☺ (plenty parking spaces beside the road and the big market car park is just right opposite)
Address: 58, Moulmein Road, 10350, Penang
Tel: 604-2263126
Website: NA
Other: Closes on Sunday (what a shame..)

SI TIGUN CAFE by LENG

Instead of having our usual weekend catch up at the coffee chains, today we decided to try out somewhere different, hence we were at Si Tigun Cafe on Nagore Road, next to New World Park. It is situated along a stretch of beautifully preserved pre-war buildings.

Whenever I see tiramisu (RM7.50) on the menu, the other cakes will automatically become second choice! haha... I'm glad we went for this, it tastes as good as it looks. The alcohol in the cake packs a punch too! Goes so well with a cup of strong Turkish coffee (RM4.50).

I'd come back here to try out their different types of coffees and cakes. Overall, it's a nice & relaxing place to hang out. Nothing pretentious, prices are reasonable and just somewhere nice to spend an afternoon.

Here are more pics that I took today....

My Scores:

Taste: ☺☺☺

Environment: ☺☺☺

Service: ☺☺☺☺ (waitress was friendly and explained to us the origins of Turkish coffee)

Price: ☺☺☺

Parking: ☺☺☺☺ (parking spaces available right in front of the cafe)

Address: 15-17 Nagore Road, Penang.

Website: http://www.sitigun.com/

Others: NA

THANK YOU STANDARD CHARTERED by GNEB

I was very surprised when Pos Laju called me up last Saturday and told me that there was something for me. I suspected that to be some traffic summonses as I’ve always gotten them through Pos Laju in the past. The guy on the phone asked me if I would be at home later that day so that he could deliver the parcel to me. I was actually praying at a temple then and was struggling to hold my i-phone and the incense at the same time, so I told the guy to deliver the item this week instead, just to cut the conversation short.

The parcel finally came on Monday and I could feel the weight of the item inside was definitely much heavier than some summonses or unsolicited credit cards. As I unwrapped the parcel, I was only too surprised to have seen what I was seeing – it’s a black square box labeled Emporio Armani!! Who is it from? Who could that be?



















I was so surprised the moment I unwrapped the parcel and saw this.

I couldn’t wait to open the box and I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that it was an Emporio Armani wrist watch inside! The leather strap smelled so good of the fresh smell of leather. I put it on my left wrist in not time!



















This is the box…isn’t it amazing?

The smell of leather….hmmm…I tell you…




















With certificates and all…

It was then I discovered that there was actually an envelope labeled Standard Chartered in the parcel. I read the letter and apparently, I was one of the 3000 Standard Chartered platinum credit card users who have won the Emporio Armani watch, for spending more than RM8,000 within the first 6 months (Huh? Did I spend that much??). Regardless, it cheered my day up a lot. I just couldn’t wait to wear it to work the next day.





















Finally, on my wrist!

Thanks a lot Standard Chartered, for being so kind and generous :)