Sakae Sushi @ Queensbay Mall, Penang.

If you are finding Japanese food in which the price won't make you jump out of your skin, Sakae Sushi is perhaps the ideal choice.
Sakae serves more authentic Japanese food if compared with Sushi King.
Besides, the prices are quite fair and i will never go back to Sushi King after encountering with Sakae.

The service crew there was very well-trained.
We have asked for two glasses of cold water and they were served in a blink of an eye.
The place is large and can accommodate a large number of customers and yet the service efficiency is so high, unlike Sakae Sushi at Gurney Plaza.
There were waiters walking here and there, on standby to offer their service.

To utilise vouchers that i own, my other half and i did the maths, minimising our expenditure.
We have shared some Sushi before we went for our main courses.
This Spicy Salmon Hand Roll cost us RM1.90 only.
Some Sushi rice, spicy salmon and vegetables were stuffed inside the seaweed cone.
From the aspect of taste, i would say that it was only so-so.
The seaweed was very springy and chewy.
I prefer simple Spicy Salmon Sushi which shares the same price tag.



We tried our luck, trying out some special Sushi there which we have never had and it turned out to be a good bet.
Our selections were the Sakae Blossom and Soft Shell Crab Sushi which both are priced at RM5.90.
The soft shell crab were crispy and warm, but it tasted plain when i ate it alone.
There was some cheese and Sushi rice beneath it, enveloping by bits of unidentified vegetables.
The vegetables offered a sandy texture and it tasted bitter.
Just consume the crab along with the rice and cheese, you will be amazed.



Speaking of the Sakae Blossom, it tasted very special.
Fresh salmon was used to wrap the salmon roe, also known as Ikura.
The thin slice of salmon was very fresh and i could feel the popping of Ikura inside of my mouth, giving out a sweet liquid.
Thumbs up for both the appearance and deliciousness!



Kimuchi Ramen (RM12.90) is one of the recommendations in their menu.
The orangish nuclear spicy and sour soup was pretty mouthwatering.
The portion was alright and the Ramen was quite smooth and firm.
Slices of deep fried chicken the soup were given.
The chicken fillets were still very solid although they were already dipped in the soup when the ramen was served.
It will be fantastic to have the Ramen in cold weather.




In accordance with their menu, Chicken Shiogayaki Donburi (RM12.90) is one of Sakae's best sellers.
The taste of gravy was identical to 豆浆鱼, i am not sure if this is the correct name.
You will have to stir the rice and gravy or else it will be a little salty.
Overall, it was yummy but i did not adore it as i don't sense any Japanese food style element in it.
Like i said, it was similar to something i had everyday during my childhood.


Address : 2F-49 Queensbay Mall
Contact no. : 604-6430015
Fax no. : 604-6430016

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Darren Invades Kampar!

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
This is one of the facts of life that can't be defied.
First of all, congratulations to my brother who wore a mortar board and stepped onto the stage in front of hundreds of others dressed in identical caps last weekend.
Such honorable moment must be spectated.
My family and i traveled all way down from Penang to the capital of our country and in between, we drop by at Kampar to settle some graduation suit issues and of course, to have our lunch!
With my brother's previous 2 years living experience in Kampar, we managed to try out the finest local food there.
And, Sin Yong Kee was my brother's recommendation.
I have no idea how to travel there, all i know is that it is located in the new town.



Some of the food there may look alike with Penang ones but the tastes are different.
Surprisingly, some of them are even better than those we could find here.
This was what i have never seen in Penang.
If you are a vegetarian, this may be right up your alley.
I saw a mountain of minced vegetables, bean curds, peanuts and fritters which completely blanket the white rice beneath them.
The taste was pretty special and out of my expectation, it was yummy.
I could feel the sweetness of the curds and vegetables which occur simultaneously.
The hard and buttery peanuts created a special texture.
You will never know your next bite will be soft or hard or even chewy.
A bowl of green soup was served along.
It was like the diluted and not spicy version of green curry.
All of us except my brother felt that its taste was strange and yucky.
We were supposed to mix the green liquid with the whole thing.
According to my brother, it is known as 擂茶 (RM4.00) by the locals.
It is believed that it may cure flu, aid in releasing body heat.



Next, it was the Dry Curry Mee with Lean Pork which was priced at RM4.00.
The mee there was totally nonidentical to those in Penang.
It is more like rice noodle, thicker and has a larger diameter.
From the aspect of taste, it is smoother and i felt that those used in Penang contain more preservatives.
Speaking of this curry mee, the curry was not spicy but it was saturated.
The combination of the mee and the heavy curry taste was awesome.
Besides, a generous amount of lean pork was served.


If i am not mistaken, this dish is given the name 炒蛤糕 and 糕 simply means Kway Teow in Kampar.
This is the Kampar version of Char Kway Teow.
It only cost RM4 and the quantity was large.
Furthermore, an impressive number of prawns and clams were given.
Moderate scorch burning smell smoked the dark brown coloured Kway Teow and Mee.
The sambal was not a great add on but the Kway Teow was delectable.
Who says Penang is the only place who has tasty Char Kway Teow?
But still, Penang has the best one.



Guess what?
This Claypot Chicken Rice has only a price tag of RM4.
Where the heck you could find such cheap price in Penang?
Unfortunately, it was a little bit salty and the taste was just so-so.



The nasi lemak there was recommended by my brother.
I took some white rice, an egg, a piece of chicken and some sambal ikan bilis.
That totaled up my bill to RM5 which is reasonable.
The main highlight of the dish was the spicy gravy.
The aroma was trapped in the curry and once it fused with your taste buds, you could feel the blasting of the spices.



The Sizzling Hot Plate Noodle (RM3.80) was fine, got nothing special except the mee.
I really like the texture of the fatter mee there.



We were do disappointed of this Rojak (RM4.00).
The dressing was supposed to be very thick and toffee-like in texture.
Sadly, the sauce was so watery and tasted very plain.
In addition, the price was not cheap though.
The fruits were not fresh and the only yummy thing was the fritters.



No specific name was given for this porridge (RM4.00) as it did not only contain fish, but also fish balls, crab sticks etc.
The taste of this thick, starchy thingy was normal good.
There was nothing special to be emphasised on.


Last but not least, it was the Dry Pan Mee (RM4.00) which looks and tastes similar to Penang ones.
I don't know what was the black thing on the top of the mee but i am sure that it was edible.
The gravy was very concentrated and you might get thirsty easily after consuming it.
Overall, the taste was okay.

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5-Course Lunch at Santorini Cafe @ Burma Road, Penang.

Seriously, i never know the existence of this cafe as it is shadowed by the biggest pet shop in South East Asia, Chew Tian Yang Aquarium twenty four seven.
The first time i have heard its name was via Ezivoucher which is a specialist group in publishing promising money-saving deals for Malaysians.
During that period, Santorini Cafe and Ezivoucher were cooperating, launching an offer.
I was deeply attracted to the sweet and extraordinary name, Santorini and since the offer was unimaginably worth it, i bought my other half and myself a voucher each.

Santorini is actually a volcanic island situated in the southern Aegean Sea and it is one of the two only locations in Europe to feature a hot desert climate.
Besides, the island is pretty famous for its breath-taking sceneries and that may explain why and how the owner named the cafe, possible?
Santorini cafe is just next to the Chew Tian Yang Aquarium and Little Cottage along Burma Road.
Customers are allowed to park at the cafe compound and for those who park their rides at the aquarium or New World Park car park, kindly show your parking ticket in order to get a refund of RM1.
In a single bill, at most 2 parking tickets will be refunded.

The exterior and interior design are based on the bright sky and the blue sea.
However, the cafe is floored with brown-coloured classic floor tiles with floral pattern on them.
The cafe does have a relaxing ambiance and serves scrumptious food.
My other half told me that if i need inspiration in blogging, this is the perfect place for you.
Did you spot me in one of the pictures below?










For voucher usage, an appointment must be made a day earlier.
Guess what? My other half and i enjoyed our 5-course lunch at a bargain price of only RM8.
We kicked off with the appetizer, homemade potato salad.
They really got the potatoes cooked very well.
The steamed unskinned sweet potatoes were so soft until i could crush them with my tongue.
Japanese mayonnaise was topped onto the potatoes in order to create a slightly sourly sweet taste.




There were two beverage options, unsweetened coffee or tea.
I have got no comment regarding the drinks.


Here came our fresh mushroom soup which warmed up our stomach.
This soup was not-so-creamy but it was thick.
It was so delectable and it may be compared to Mizi's.
But it could be better if the flavour is more intense.



The service crew got our stuffs served right when we want them.
They were quite observant huh?
Finally, our main courses were served.
I have asked for chicken while my other half's choice was fish.
First, we will look into her selection.
A piece of grilled fish fillet was served along with salad and fries.
I have no idea what the orangish sauce above the fillet was but it tasted acerbic.
The fish was superbly grilled, crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside.
The only thing i disliked is the excessive sauce which 'lemonized' the fish, making it tasted sour.
However, the whole combination was out of the ordinary and the taste was still acceptable.



My piece of grilled chicken was topped with a reddish sauce which i could not identify it.
The sauce was spicy and my other half claimed that it is Tom Yam sauce.
Well, taste is the only thing matters.
From the bottom of my heart, the chef could be a grill master.
My piece of chicken was simply a masterpiece.
Grilled chicken with Tom Yam or whatever spicy sauce, i have never tried that before.
It was extremely special and of course it was mouth-watering!



At last, our desserts were here.
Scoop of rainbow ice cream reminded me of my childhood.
They should at least wrinkle chocolate rice on the ice cream.
But with such cheap price, what do you expect?


Totally out of my expectation, the food was very distinct in its own way.
I did not take a clear look at menu, i just sat down, provide my voucher code and i was done.
Hence, i am not able to upload information regarding the prices.
The only thing that i knew is that they do offer set lunch at a i-don't-know price.
Anyway, they do own a blog, please don't hesitate to contact them for any enquiry, click here!
You may also pay their facebook page a visit.

Address : 94, Burma Road, 10500Penang.

Contact no: 04 - 2292776 OR 016-4416039

Operation Hours: Tuesday to Sunday (11.00am - 3.00pm | 5.00pm - 10.30pm)

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