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February 28, 2014

Korean Cafe Gil . Ivory Plaza



Now most of my friends and colleagues have a rage on the Korean drama - You Who Come From the Star, even male colleague also ask around where can he get the drama from. On this moment, I seem to be wanted as I'm one of the source for this drama (my sister is the main source, I'm just a co-source, laugh). Something I suffer from Korean drama and TV shows is when they show the eating scene, gosh, the food really luring my tastebuds to the max and it always make me crave for Korean food for no time. 
Try to hunt new Korean restaurant (other than the one I always go) within Penang is quite challenging as here do not have much variety like KL. Lucky me came across a food blog and discover a new Korean cafe with the name Gil that located at Ivory Plaza. 
Oh yeah, most of the Korean restaurant served pork as they provided BBQ service; since here do not have BBQ service, the owner change a little bit on their menu and make it halal! You can see lots of USM students come here lepak after their class. That's their handmade menu which wrapped in fabric, it's quite surprising that they actually serve variety of food, so many to choose from! The highlight over here is they do not charge 16% extra for service charge and government tax, it's just great.
I don't really recognize Korean pop stars if I didn't watch Running Man, the TV show really help them a lot to be more famous and gain more fans. Gil is a cozy cafe which make me feel like home and they have only limited seating, make sure you come earlier if you come in a group. Those polaroid photos always remind me that my baby 7s is rotten in home, I should bring back its life. 
Date Tea (left) and Plum Tea (right) . RM5.50
Heart their handmade coaster that served together with cold drink, those tea are just normal, they have hot beverage as well. 
Ddukbokgi . RM8.50
We ordered those food that can be seen in most of the dramas, the first one would be ddukbokgi - spicy rice cake, here they cook the rice cake with fishbar and vegetables. I'm quite regard on the taste of ddukbokgi whenever I go as I had the best ddukbokgi during univiersity life which cook by friend's mum. I started to forget the taste, but in Gil I think I get the taste back, it's quite similar with the one I had, but I think it will be better if they can make it spicier. I want to go Korea for their original ddukbkgi!! 
Dolsot Bibimbap . RM9.50
Next would be their dolsot bibimbap. I know about bibimbap during secondary school when I watched Full House; where Song Hye-Kyo pour all the dishes and rice (left over from last night) into a rice bowl and mixed with chili paste, seeing her eating the self-make bibimbap with a big spoon really make me drool. Chili paste is a soul in this dish as you can have different vegetables/meats in bibimbap but the taste would be based on the the chili paste. After-all, their chilli paste is not spicy enough, you can pour as many as you like (chili paste bottle is given together with this dish).
Gimchi Jjigyeo . RM9.50
Lastly would be Kimchi Soup! My all time favorite, love the way they served gimchi jjigyeo here as they serve the pot of pan just like what you can see from dramas. So Korean isn't it? For their kimchi soup, you can choose to have it with chicken or tuna, I chose the formal one. The soup is up to my liking, you can finish it all because there is no MSG added in their food. Something I should mention over here, their kimchi that come with every main course is awesome, it's not too sour or spicy, I can just finish them all without putting them into the soup. LOL


Location
2-1-1, Ivory Plaza Halaman Bukit Gambir, 11700 Penang.

Business Hours
11.30am - 10pm, Closed on Sunday

Contact Number
014-9074123

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I started to get back my enthusiasm towards craft.




February 24, 2014

Moustache Houze . Penang



Here comes another cafe we visited on the same day after we we had a nice bagel over here; was actually went to RedBox before came here lah. It's another cafe that I didn't visit right after their opening few months back with the same reason as the previous one; I always passed by this area and mumbled to myself that I'll definitely pay a visit some day. I stepped in the cafe right before this visit, but then it was so crowded that I couldn't manage to get myself a seat. Lesson learnt: not to visit new cafes during weekends. 
Moustache has become a popular prop when it comes to take photograph with pals, and I think this is why the owner will open a cafe call Moustache Houze and they provide a lot of props with moustache shape for you to take your selfie with friends. 
It was quite empty during the time we visited the cafe, only 1-2 tables were occupied; once we seated, more and more people came in for dessert or tea, I always have a thought that I can bring customers to shops/restaurants whenever I was there, laugh! The cafe is divided into three floors, if you like to have your own private time with your friends, you may consider the 1st floor where you can occupy one room for your group if you spend more than RM80, each room with different moustache painting. Or you can just go to 2nd floor for guesthouse liked seating which provide bean bag! If you just come here for a stop, simply want to taste their coffee, or come in small group, then ground floor will be more appropriate for you. 
Chocolate Ice Cubed with Milk . RM12.90
My sister's choice. She always likes to order signature drinks in the cafe, so before reached the cafe, she actually did some homework and she know what to order in a blink of eyes. Other than chocolate ice cubed, they also have espresso ice cubed, depend on your liking. If you don't like these, you can choose to have fruit ice cubed with soda that can chill you out during a broiling day. The milk served is hot and once you pour it into the cup then you will have chocolate milk for your beverage. 
Iced Minty Cocoberry . RM10.90 (roughly)
I spent quite some time to decide what to drink, keep asking the barista which beverage should I have and he intro me the seasonal drink, only applicable during Christmas period. The name actually sound pretty, it's actually a mixture of espresso, mint and some berries flavor. The taste end up quite weird (maybe I started to get hangover due to the caffeine), not to my liking btw; for people who love espresso that much, you may try it.
Caramel Almond Crepe Cake . RM10.90
Luckily they are selling crepe cake, if not I won't share with my sister. Whenever I hang out with my sister and parents, they will happily share the cakes while I'm sitting there chewing other snacks by my own. Can't help, I don't really like sponge cakes unless the sweetness is up to my liking, I'm hard to please I know. This caramel almond crepe cake is quite normal, maybe I always prefer vanilla french crepe cake more, original rocks!


Location
No. 24, Lebuh Campbell, 10100 Georgetown, Penang.

Business Hours
12pm - 12am (Daily)

Contact Number
04-2622228

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I'm only choosy on sweet-tooth.




February 23, 2014

The Mugshot Cafe . Penang



Another back dated post where my sister finally found some free time to explore little cafes with me; we visited 2 cafes in a row and I had too much coffee, ended up I lost my appetite for dinner and quit coffee for more than one month. Too much of caffeine will kill me for sure, laugh. Our first cafe of that day was The Mugshot Cafe which is opened almost a year now, only paid my visit recently as my sister wanted me to visit here with her instead of other people. Now, my sister has become my new partner in crime to hunt little cafes, provided she has free time for me. She never gain weight with so much food she intake, me the one look like a giant beside her. Sigh
The Mugshot Cafe is located at Chulia Street, so parking will be a big problem, you may just park far-er and walk over here, sometimes you can find some tiny thing that amaze you along your path. It's a good spot for breakfast since they did not provide heavy but healthy breakfast and you can have a sip of cuppa before your work or before you start your daily activities. They mostly provide table for two at the entrance, if you come with a big gang, try to look for a bigger table behind where you can see a mug shot stage there. 
Didn't really walk around the cafe as there were quite crowded the day we went, not much space for you to move around. The polaroid shots that hang on the wall is awesome and I found our CM Lim Guan Eng also had his mugshot taken with charge: FREEDOM. 
This make me think of the scene I saw during my trip to Vietnam. Vietnamese who open a small cafe likes to have little chair and table arrange facing the road instead of putting them inside the shop, diners also facing the road during their dine-in, I found it quite weird.
Mocha (RM12) . Latte (RM10)
My sister will only order Mocha, her first choice wherever she go; as for me I just try to pick something different from her and ended up with Latte. The coffee is quite mild with strong bitterness from the cocoa, I put quite a number of brown sugar but the bitter taste is still there, the nature of Latte I think. I should go for fruit juice next time. 
Bagel Muffin with Bacon & Egg (left) . RM10
My sister's choice. A slice of bacon was wrapped around the egg with mayo drizzled on top; you might think that it's quite hard to munch the bagel, no worry, just press the bagel to make the bacon flat and chew on it. I had a bite on it and it's really taste good, I think this is a must-try bagel for those who visit this cafe. The bun (for hers and mine) didn't toasted well that day, you can see the char-sign on the bun. The over-toasted on the bun make the bun become harder than it was. 

Bagel Muffin with Cream Cheese & Smoked Salmon (right) . RM10
You know me, I'll always go for salmon provided they have it on menu, but this didn't fancy me a lot because the strong cream cheese taste actually cover the smoked salmon taste. To be frank, I was quite disappointed on this bagel, should have just order the same one with my sister. Yet, my sister say it's okay for this bagel (but she still loves hers one more), so it's up to you to decide which is better.
Yogurt with Walnuts & Raisins . RM10
Apart from bagels, they also provide their handmade yogurt with toppings that you hardly find outside the cafe, we have walnuts and raisins. Our choice of yogurt did not come with honey/gula Melaka that can complements the tartness of the yogurt, it's quite sour every bites we had, that's why we must eat the yogurt together with walnuts or raisins to neutralize it. I think it's quite hard to finish it by your own as it's quite thick, so if you want to order their yogurt, find some friends to share with you!


Location
302, Chulia Street, 10200 Georgetown, Penang.

Business Hours
8am - 12pm (Daily)

Contact Number
012-4056276 (Jesse) or 016-4825501 (Tristan)

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Thanks to my boss for appreciate me that much, I'll try my best to contribute more.




February 16, 2014

Made In Penang Interactive Museum . 美因檳廊



Most of the people travel to Penang with the main purpose of finding good street food and some attractions which well-known by most tourists; you have one more place to visit now - Made In Penang Interactive Museum (美因檳廊). I went there months ago right after Jayne came and visited me in Penang, should went there earlier with her, feel quite regret for not going there earlier. Sign
Since we went there few weeks after their opening, we got to enjoy the promotion on their entrance fee (I paid only RM5 lol), I'll list down the price at the end of this post. Love how their entrance ticket looks like, it comes with a QR code, do keep the ticket with you as you will be needing it when you found their interactive kiosk. I'm not going to post how it works, I'll leave it for you to discover. 
This is the first part - miniature for local trades and Weld Quay. Hold your gasp when you see the miniature of Weld Quay which show you the 19th Penang Jetty Diorama (Behn Meyer Building), it is so amazing they can made things like that. Right after the miniature area, you will move to their interactive kiosks where your entrance ticket will show you some magic. The most exciting part will be their Trick Art Gallery, where more than 20 paintings are waiting for you, I'll only share some over here. 
Ignore some of my funny face, it's hard to pose here when others are seeing you and waiting for their turn to take the some shots with the paintings, very gan cheong (means nervous in English) you know. Try not to go there during peak season (public holidays) as those paintings are quite near to each other, and it's quite hard for you to take photos in the crowd. I saw some new paintings are up from social network, I think I should pay another visit, but I don't think they have promotion for entrance fee anymore. 
Before you exit, you will be heading through a mini theater providing a video presentation of Penang story (in English and Mandarin version), you can decide to stay and watch or not. It's quite impressive that they make the story in 3-D effect, I think we spent around 2 hours++ inside the Made In Penang Interactive Museum, it's quite worth for you to pay a visit. 


Location
No. 3, Weld Quay, 10300 Georgetown, Penang.

Entrance Fee
Tourists (non MyKad holder) : RM30
Malaysian (adult) : RM15
Malaysian (kids/student) : RM10

Operating Hours
9am - 6pm (Daily)

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Bought a casing for my iPad mini, finally. 




February 9, 2014

Brekkie . Roti Bean Cafe



It's been awhile for me to introduce new cafes in my island, the last one I posted here was during November; I did not stop unveiling new cafes these 3 months, in fact I visited a lot of new cafes with friends and family. It's just the time matter that I didn't post here, you can still see how active I am in hunting new cafe if you follow my instagram (follow my instagram @stimfishchong). Few months back, I've been to Roti Bean Cafe for my brekkie which located at Lorong Chulia; lot of cafes blooming over here btw. 
There is no signboard for the cafe, but you will know it's the right cafe once you see the colorful bikes parked neatly in front of the cafe. 
We was the first customer there, shown up sharp at 9am. Heart the laid-back ambiance, a great place to enjoy your hearty brekkie or even brunch, it's a small cafe and the main seating is located at 1st floor, there is only 5 to 6 tables if not mistaken. However I don't think this cafe is suitable for the elderly as the stairs is quite steep, it's already quite hard for young people like us. 
Simply shot something once we placed our order, they actually used iPad to take our order and with that for billing as well. Maybe the cafe is still new when we paid our visit that time, their menu is pretty limited so we didn't took long time to decide what to order (actually we google before we reached, the power of network!); now they have renew their menu to include more variant of breakfast.
RB Signature Soya Milk . RM4
Good brekkie must pair with healthy drink, so we had the signature soya milk (soya milk was the only beverage provided in the menu afterall). Soya milk cost only RM3, top-up another RM1 you can get their signature soya milk, why not go to the best? The only difference between the original one and the signature soya milk is the additional of Horlicks flavor which make the latter one richer and sweeter. The sweetness is still to my liking until the last few sips, it became too sweet for me. Oops, my bare feet! Yup, you need to leave your shoes at ground floor before you went up here.  
Egg Benedict with Smoked Turkey Bacon . RM10
Egg Benedict is not something usual you can find in Penang, I had some outside the island, that's why I was quite excited to try Roti Bean's Egg Benedict. It's like an art when they serve the brekkie to us, I would say it's like an open sandwich! Lettuce, 2 pieces of smoked turkey bacon, poached egg (doused with Hollandaise Sauce) was placed on top of white bread which spread with butter. Overall it's quite good, but I prefer smokier turkey ham and fluffier bread. 
Egg Benedict with Smoked Salmon . RM11
Mine! Similar to the top one, but there's no lettuce between the smoked salmon and bread, those is taken out and placed aside. I always feel food topped with salmon will be the best food, a little bit too bias but who care, I really love salmon what! Laugh. This Egg Benedict is to my liking compare to the one I had in Red Tomato, Langkawi, the one with too much steamed spinach on top; here they only sprinkle some dried herbs. This bread is fluffy enough, so I recommend this to you all for your first time to try Egg Benedict. 
Before I put them all in my mouth, I cut the bread into half and the yolk is runny, the great moment to capture some photos for that scene, lol. The perfect poached egg for Egg Benedict, you should kick start your day with great brekkie over here. 


Location
No. 5, Lorong Chulia, 10200 Georgetown, Penang.

Business Hours
9am - 5pm (kitchen closed at 3pm), closed on Tuesday

Contact Number
04-2613719

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Hope I don't get the Monday blue tomorrow, after rest for 5 days.




February 7, 2014

art is rubbish / rubbish is art



If you are Penangites, you should know who is Ernest Zacharevic, he is the one who started to beautify our island, at the heritage area. I know this post come a little bit too late as his solo show - Art is Rubbish / Rubbish is Art at Hin Company Bus Depot left only one week; but I think most of the people should have pay a visit already. I went on the first day, which I think I shouldn't (but I'm glad I went there on the opening) because you need to wait for your turn to take those arts. Ended up I went to visit it again one week after the opening.
The opening show is open to public at 8.30pm, best friends of his or reporters were invited to his private party at 6pm. When we were waiting outside, you can see that those reporters rush in and out to take photo of the crowds; the next day when I read the news, I saw my face (to be exact, only my head) on the newspaper, lol. I saw real person run out from the drawing and shown up on that night, they take photos with their drawing while we take photo on them with their drawing. Quite funny btw. I upload some of his arts over here, if you wanna see all, please go to Him Company Bus Depot, this show is until 14th February.
This is not his art work, but I found this is quite 'art', so I take a shot on this. What do you think?
Many people wanted to take photos with him on the first day but he rejected as if he take one, all of us will run to him and take non-stop. On my second visit, I managed to get one photo with him! My life is complete, laugh out loud


Location
Hin Company Bus Depot, Jalan Gurdwara, Georgetown, Penang.

Opening Hours
12pm - 8pm (Until 14th February)

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