Hot Bowl Nyonya Delights @ Abu Siti Lane, Penang.

Here is the question: Have you ever heard of White Curry Mee?
Hot Bowl Nyonya Delights gained its reputation for its very unique White Curry Mee.
Just because of this specialty, the owner of Hot Bowl not only appeared in numerous local newspapers but was also featured in 8TV Ho Chak programme.
'No pain no gain', Hot Bowl began as a pushcart business at Rangoon Road before moving into a comfortable air conditioned multifans-equipped shoplot which is situated almost at end of the Abu Siti Lane.
Abu Siti Lane is a one-way road located just next to Red Rock Hotel, Macalister Road.
Their lipstick red signboard can be seen from far away and the parking spaces there are quite limited.

I have never eaten Curry Mee in a cool air conditioned surrounding in my life before and i broke the record today.
Other than their signature White Curry Mee and steamed chicken, they do also sell Vinegar Prok Trotter (RM8.00 onwards), Fish Head Curry (RM20.00 onwards), Spice Dumplings (RM4.50), Special Dumplings (RM0.80), Spice Loh Bank (RM1.80), Otak-otak (RM2.40), Yam Cake (RM2.00), Chai Kuih (RM2 for 3 pieces) as well as assorted fritters and pastries (RM0.60 each).
Besides, homemade spicy paste and cooking ingredients such as light soy sauce are being exhibited for sale.
The open kitchen enabled me to spectate the process of cooking White Curry Mee, but what's more i got to snap and share it with my dear readers.

The homemade Organic Soya Bean (RM1.60) was alright but not the so-called homemade Winter Melon (RM1.40) which was overly sweet until i have to dilute it with some plain water.

Here comes the major character of the day, the famous White Curry Mee (RM3.50 small / RM4.50 big) which appeared and tasted completely just like ordinary Curry Mee subtracting chili.
You know what? I used to have Curry Mee this way when i was young, when i can't tolerate spicy food.
The white soup was full of thick coconut milk aroma and it tasted pretty sweet as it was based on chicken soup.
Besides that, you could add in chili paste which is made from dried shrimps, dried chili, tumeric and ten other spices as much as you want for your desired spiciness but do take note that the chili paste is pretty spicy.
The White Curry Mee will then lose its white apperance and will now look exactly like normal Penang local red hot Curry Mee.
In my case, after adding the chili, the Curry Mee was simply awesome.
You can also go for add ons like prawns (RM2.00) and crab sticks, fish balls, meat balls (RM1.00).
It was overpriced as you can see in the picture below, no prawn was given in my RM3.50 bowl of White Curry Mee.
After all, i still prefer Sungai Pinang Curry Mee.

Apart from White Curry Mee, Hot Bowl is also popular for its Deboned Steamed Chicken (RM5 small / 9 medium / 16 half-chicken).
The smooth tender flavoursome chicken was topped with spring onions and coriander as well as being bathed with sesame oil plus soy sauce.
I saw the staff sending a few steamed whole chickens into the fridge, i guess it was to ensure that the chicken remains smooth and tender.
The gravy was too salty even i ordered a plate of rice to go with the gravy.
Still, the spotlight was on the chicken.

The prices stated above are nett prices.

Address:
16-A, Lorong Abu Siti,
10400 Penang.
[google map]

Operation hours:
8am - 3pm, Closed on Mondays

Contact no.:
04 - 2273168

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Face to Face Noodles House @ Penang Times Square, Penang.

Great news for noodle lovers: Now you can enjoy your bowl of hot noodles in a cool hygienic air conditioned surrounding.
Yes, you don't have to worry that you might get your shirt collar stained by sweat.
Face to Face Noodles House has officially extended their business by opening their 16th outlet at Penang Times Square, a couple of shoplots away from Kocha Taiwanese Delight (台湾古早味).
Although Face to Face is a two-storey restaurant, it only has a total of 17 tables counting in outdoor ones if i am not mistaken.

The great grandfather of the founder of Face to Face Noodle House who was born in China learnt to make noodle traditionally in Hong Kong before moving to Dalat Oya, Sarawak where he started his own noodle store and where he localized Mee Kolok.
Besides, as you can see, the founder creatively came up with different varieties of Pan Mee which complement with different types of homemade chili and sambal provided to fit different customer's palate.
You may also choose your preferred type of noodles for certain dishes.
The last page of the menu even shows you the way to savour every mouthful of their speciality, Hot & Spicy Pan Mee.

The Jasmine Tea (RM2.60) was how it supposed to be, not sweet at all, great!

Regarding the Chef's Special Fried Dumpling (RM6), there was nothing special but only 5 pieces of crispy golden dumpling and sweet Thai Chili sauce.
The dough enveloping generous amount of minced meat and some greens was fried to an awesome crisp, yummy!

Well, ordering the Chef's Special Pan Mee (RM6.90) was a great shot.
It came with a large amount of clear soup, minced meat, meatballs, veges as well as fried fish cakes.
Noodles wise, it was flawless no matter in terms of firmness, smoothness or even chewiness.
The hot sweet soup was simply amazing with an appetite stimulating function.
I personally found that chili flakes went well with the soup.

A small bowl of clear soup which was identical to the Chef's Special Pan Mee one was served along with the Traditional Sarawak Noodles (RM6.90) a.k.a Mee Kolok which is one of the chef's recommendation and the restaurant's top seller.
8 pieces of carbonara (char siew), a couple of meatballs and some minced meat were sitting on a mountain of fine thin yellow noodles.
Out of my expectation, it turned out to be very good from the aspect of taste as well as texture.
The spotlight was on the noodles which were crinkly and springy.
They were indeed pretty dry but you could add in spoons of the soup to moisten them.
The whole combination was perfect even without any condiment.

Last but not least, it was the House Speciality Hot & Spicy Pan Mee (RM6.90) which is also chef's recommendation as well as one of the top sellers.
There were a lot of ikan bilis, minced meat and half-boiled egg while beneath them located the noodles.
Without adding any condiment, the noodles themselves were delish accompanied by a superlative moist al dente texture.
For your information, the proper way to savour this thing is adding in some chili flakes or chili padi or sambal, you call it and stir everything together but please make sure you only add in appropriate spicy condiment or else you will suffer.
The spices, meat, ikan bilis, egg and the noodles altogether formed a perfect union, producing such ultimate lip-smacking good dish.
However, i found that the excessive amount of ikan bilis given backfired, resulted in making the whole thing boring.

They are now offering a reward card in which you stand a chance to redeem a beverage, dessert and even noodles (only valid at Penang Times Square outlet).
With every purchase of RM10 and above in one single receipt, you will be rewarded with one stamp.
Just collect your stamps and you could drink or eat for free!

The prices mentioned above are tax-included!

Address:
77-G-7, Penang Times Square,
Jalan Dato Keramat, 10150 Penang.

Operation hours:
11.30am - 9.30pm

Contact no.:
04 - 2262285

Website:
[click here]

Facebook:
[click here]

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Revisiting Delicious Cafe @ Straits Quay, Penang.

The opening of Penang's first ever Delicious Cafe at Straits Quay turns out to be amazingly successful with a stunningly rich supply of clients.
You see, large crowds and long waiting list are normal, even on weekdays.
In this particular review, i am squeezing in my past three revisitings which all ended up happy and satisfied, click here for my previous review.
The pleasant dining experiences gave me the driving force to complete this review as fast as i could.

First, i will talk about the Spicy Seafood Spaghettini with Coriander (RM24.90) which came in a reasonable portion along with squids, shrimps and a wedge of lemon.
A strong olive oil aroma immediately rushed into my nose and with the acidic lemon juice as well as herbal coriander, the aroma was even better and more intense to my liking.
The very thin spaghetti with chili flakes sprinkled all over it was cooked to al dente and it was moderately spicy with strong hints of olive oil and seafood taste.
Besides the perfect combination formed, i must also emphasise on the freshness of the seafoods especially the squids which had a gummy and rubbery chewing gum-like texture.

If i am to recommend you something, the Classic Reuben with Pastrami, Sauerkraut and Melted Cheese (RM24.90) will definitely be my choice.
A reuben sandwich is a hot sandwich of layered meat, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese, with a dressing while pastrami is a popular delicatessen meat usually made from highly seasoned smoked steamed beef after being brined and partly dried.
As you can see, five/six wonderful smoked beef slices were aligned and then sandwiched between fine toasties which had deposits of melted cheese and sauerkraut beneath them before being served along with garden salad.
The warm scent of cheese plus the tender smoked corned beef was in my nose all the time and every bite left me longing for more.
With saltiness from the freaking delicious beef, distinctive sour flavour from the sauerkraut and tanginess from the cheese, the reuben was like an awesome piece of heaven, fantastic!

Next, it was the Seriously DELIcious Cheeseburger served with Shoestring Fries (RM24.90).
Kind of an arrogant name for an ordinary burger dish, don't you think?
It was highly recommended by the restaurant staff and to find out whether it is that delicious, i got myself one.
The round and puffed burger bun which was aromatic with a big sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds looked small when it held an extremely huge, thick piece of tender, juicy cheese covered ground beef patty and toppings such as sauerkraut and lettuce.
For your information, the tall cheeseburger was served along with some fries, garden salad and an unknown red sauce which tasted like Bolognese sauce.
The combination was awesome and it undoubtedly lives up to its name.

Last but not least, i am going to introduce you the Classic Beef Lasagne (RM19.90) which also included a bowl of garden salad.
The layering of lasagna, minced beef and cheese was very well accomplished as the whole thing turned out to be firm and compact, unlike the one i had at Mizi Bistro.
A thick layer of oven-baked cheese enveloped the lasagne while a thick red Bolognese sauce was poured onto it.
To be honest, the sweet Bolognese sauce had nothing special but the lasagna was perfectly cooked to a soft, firm, smooth texture and the amount of beef given was pretty generous.
The flavours just exploded in my mouth and i savoured them mouthful by mouthful, nice!

Alright, it is time for some desserts.
I found the Tiramisu in a Glass (RM12.90) rather disappointing, not to say bad but it could absolutely be way better.
The sponge cake was overly soft until it had a exact creamy-like texture and the coffee flavour was pretty mild as the wine flavour was over powering in which i did not adore that although the cocoa powder and chocolate chips went very well with the whole thing.
If these issues are fixed, here born a tiramisu masterpiece.

From my observation, Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Sauce & Vanilla Ice Cream (RM11.90) is one of the restaurant's best selling desserts.
The Brownie had a light crisp on the outside and was dense, moist on the inside but not that chocolately, not that chewy with the availability of chopped walnuts inside the cake.
Speaking of the big scoop of white vanilla ice cream, it was smooth, rich and most importantly, cold enough.
I was like in heaven when i was having a spoonful of Brownie with some ice cream and warm, thick chocolate sauce.
Damn, i want one right now!

Every extra penny truly deserves its value.
If you are looking for a place which serves good food as well as has a calm, exquisite ambiance, DELIcious Cafe is the ideal choice.
No doubt, I see the it as one of the best restaurants in Penang till date.

Address :
3C-G-3 & 3A, Ground Floor, Straits Quay.

Operation hours :
10 am to 12 am [weekdays]
9 am to 12 am [weekends & public holidays]

Contact no. :
04 - 8998555

Facebook:
[click here]

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