The Pearl of the Orient II: The Journey Around
... continued from previous post ...
Woke up to this:
(Mum on the phone)
"Do you have a hairdryer?"
"Sudah habis."
(1 hour later)
"Are the hairdryers available yet?"
"Actually we don't have any."
($#@|@^%&*^&<%*:<*}?&^%)
This is the kind of service one gets for MYR110. I wonder if this was the case when I asked for an extra bed the night before. Even our doors had to be opened using the hotel's master key since the keys were "misplaced". Oh well. We checked out and had our breakfast at Restoran Shiang Hai, at Wisma Red Rock. Kinda a shock for me-- self-service dim sum. Get the food yourself. Refill the tea yourself. Average fare. The only thing worth praising is the char siew bao and the steamed pork ribs (love the fragrant rice wine gravy).
Our food tour started at 11:00am on Saturday at Restoran Chopper Board, Gurney Plaza. Met the rest of the foodies there, around 45 of 'em with our tour guide, Vic Shuang. A TV host on Astro and an ex-singer. But his face doesn't ring a bell for me. Loves to do a fake laugh. "Ha Ha". To short syllables. "Ha Ha". But he did give me a fake compliment that I look like an Astro Talent Competition contestant (or perhaps he meant reject), so ok la.... boleh diterima. :P. We had Chopper Signature Soup (thick szechuan style soup with fried meehon), Black Pepper Chicken Rice (thumbs up), Stewed Lamb Rice (thumbs up), Cuttlefish Noodles (spaghetti in prawn paste, eeee), Sweet and Sour Fish Rice, Soda and Nutmeg Juice (must try!), Nutmeg Juice, Soda and Mango Yoghurt, Sago Pudding in Gula Melaka and Biko Moi (diabetis-inducing black sesame tong sui).
From there on, we drove to the Tropical Spice Garden, somewhere past Batu Ferringhi. Had a guided tour. Took lots of pics there. The most interesting thing I learnt there is that Tongkat Ali is called Ali's Umbrella-- Ella Ella Eh Eh Eh. :P. Had another refreshing cup of nutmeg juice at a quaint little cafe overlooking the sea. Next was a visit to a nearby orchard where we had rojak buah and fresh fruits. We didn't bother to look around as we were still drained from the Spice Garden (the relentless Penang sun!). Since we were being crabby, Vic brought us to Balik Pulau for Assam Laksa. Sold out. So we tried to find another shop on foot and that was closed. Was quite pissed. Ended up having Char Kuey Teow again, but this time it ony cost MYR2.40. The stall was mounted with a charcoal stove that has a hand-powered propellor. So interesting.
The "highlight" of the trip was the seafood dinner at Restoran Hai Boey, Teluk Gadong. A make-shift restaurant right by the beach. Had dinner with a fantastic sunset view. Started with Wasabi Yee Sang (didn't taste a speck of wasabi), followed by Stir-fried Lala (fresh and large), Claypot Pomfret (interestingly steamed with a layer of chicken fat, but I wasn't impressive in terms of taste), Hor Fun with Large Prawns, Sea Cucumber with Beancurd and Broccoli (thick, succulent sea cucumber!), Steamed Whole Crabs (had to remove the gills, eeeee. Also not impressive) and Sea Cucumber in Soya Bean. The end. Come to of it, we hardly ate MYR60 worth of food. o.O.
... to be continued ...
Woke up to this:
(Mum on the phone)
"Do you have a hairdryer?"
"Sudah habis."
(1 hour later)
"Are the hairdryers available yet?"
"Actually we don't have any."
($#@|@^%&*^&<%*:<*}?&^%)
This is the kind of service one gets for MYR110. I wonder if this was the case when I asked for an extra bed the night before. Even our doors had to be opened using the hotel's master key since the keys were "misplaced". Oh well. We checked out and had our breakfast at Restoran Shiang Hai, at Wisma Red Rock. Kinda a shock for me-- self-service dim sum. Get the food yourself. Refill the tea yourself. Average fare. The only thing worth praising is the char siew bao and the steamed pork ribs (love the fragrant rice wine gravy).
Our food tour started at 11:00am on Saturday at Restoran Chopper Board, Gurney Plaza. Met the rest of the foodies there, around 45 of 'em with our tour guide, Vic Shuang. A TV host on Astro and an ex-singer. But his face doesn't ring a bell for me. Loves to do a fake laugh. "Ha Ha". To short syllables. "Ha Ha". But he did give me a fake compliment that I look like an Astro Talent Competition contestant (or perhaps he meant reject), so ok la.... boleh diterima. :P. We had Chopper Signature Soup (thick szechuan style soup with fried meehon), Black Pepper Chicken Rice (thumbs up), Stewed Lamb Rice (thumbs up), Cuttlefish Noodles (spaghetti in prawn paste, eeee), Sweet and Sour Fish Rice, Soda and Nutmeg Juice (must try!), Nutmeg Juice, Soda and Mango Yoghurt, Sago Pudding in Gula Melaka and Biko Moi (diabetis-inducing black sesame tong sui).
From there on, we drove to the Tropical Spice Garden, somewhere past Batu Ferringhi. Had a guided tour. Took lots of pics there. The most interesting thing I learnt there is that Tongkat Ali is called Ali's Umbrella-- Ella Ella Eh Eh Eh. :P. Had another refreshing cup of nutmeg juice at a quaint little cafe overlooking the sea. Next was a visit to a nearby orchard where we had rojak buah and fresh fruits. We didn't bother to look around as we were still drained from the Spice Garden (the relentless Penang sun!). Since we were being crabby, Vic brought us to Balik Pulau for Assam Laksa. Sold out. So we tried to find another shop on foot and that was closed. Was quite pissed. Ended up having Char Kuey Teow again, but this time it ony cost MYR2.40. The stall was mounted with a charcoal stove that has a hand-powered propellor. So interesting.
The "highlight" of the trip was the seafood dinner at Restoran Hai Boey, Teluk Gadong. A make-shift restaurant right by the beach. Had dinner with a fantastic sunset view. Started with Wasabi Yee Sang (didn't taste a speck of wasabi), followed by Stir-fried Lala (fresh and large), Claypot Pomfret (interestingly steamed with a layer of chicken fat, but I wasn't impressive in terms of taste), Hor Fun with Large Prawns, Sea Cucumber with Beancurd and Broccoli (thick, succulent sea cucumber!), Steamed Whole Crabs (had to remove the gills, eeeee. Also not impressive) and Sea Cucumber in Soya Bean. The end. Come to of it, we hardly ate MYR60 worth of food. o.O.
... to be continued ...
Comments
and the places i'd sign up to go on school trips over and over again (just to ponteng kelas!)
hope u liked penang!
I have never been to Restoran Hai Boey at Telok Gadong..errm...not sure where this place is.
Reading your previous post, that dinghy hotel...apatu...Grand Paradise or whatever...is that the one across the road from Red Rock? The way you described the linen....ewwww...it reminded me of the hotels I stayed in Hanoi...the sheets stank and got summore....aiyerrr....
Next time, wanna go on a food trail, try not to go during festive seasons. It would be super crowded and the food quality is somehow affected too.
And also, the best street food is not in Gurney Drive.