Good Food Friday : Sushi Mentai Elit Avenue, Penang

Japanese Food, Sushi, Sashimi, Salmon - Yes! I'd say yes to these any time. As part of my Good Food Friday series, I'm recommending Sushi Mentai! I was there about 7:15 P.M on a Friday. It wasn't too crowded at first and it filled up pretty quickly around 7:30 P.M. so I'd suggest going earlier than 7:15 P.M. if you want to avoid the dinner crowd. The waiter took drink orders awhile after we were seated. We ordered hot tea. It's not green tea. It is brown tea. The tea was a little too bland for our liking. I prefer my tea thicker.

Now, let's get to the main topic here, the food. We tried a few types of sushi, a salmon roll and soba soup with seaweed. The salmon rolls are made up of raw salmon, cucumber slices and crabstick wrapped with Vietnamese rice paper. This is a must try. I found this to be really delicious. 

Salmon Rolls - Sushi Mentai Special

There is a variety of sushi here. There is the typical conveyor belt with sushi going around and you can also order sushi from the menu. We had 6 red plates and 2 yellow plates of sushi. Here are some pictures to tempt you. I didn't get all of them. I liked the scallop sushi and inari ebiko sushi. 

Hotate Mentai

Fresh scallop sushi with mentai sauce. Recommended.

Inari Ebiko

 This is the typical sushi but it is delicious. Recommended.

Inari

Let's not forget the soba. It wasn't the best I've ever had. I would stick to the sushi and the rolls when I come here again. Also, I might try the 'don' as I've yet to try that.

soba with seaweed

The Good :I'd recommend the sushi and the rolls. I loved the salmon roll. Yes, love. You have to try it. The ingredients on the sushi are fresh. 

The Not-so-good : I wish they'd offer green tea like sushi king or at least thicker brown tea. Also, one of the sushi we ordered never came. 

The verdict : TRY! And I would definitely go there again soon. 

Address : 3 Elit Avenue, 1, Jalan Mayang Pasir, Bandar Bayan Baru, 11950 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia

Good Food Friday : Ssambap Korean Restaurant, Krystal Point, Penang

My favourite lunch place! I always leave this place feeling satisfied and happy! They've a good lunch menu for RM19.90++ (RM23.20 including tax and all). This set includes choice of 1 meat dish (barbecue), side dishes (refillable), rice, soup and choice of 1 drink (coke or green tea).

I've had the lunch set a few times and have tried the fried pork, grilled pork belly and bulgogi. If you're here with friends, you can order different types and share so all of you get to try all 3 types.

The types of sides dishes vary. Each time, they will serve 9 types. The 5 times I was here, they served kimchi (cabbage), brocolli, fishcake, anchovies, beansprouts and the potato salad. They other side dishes vary. There's seaweed, sausages, celery, pickled radish, and kimchi(cucumber) which I remember eating.

 I usually order the stir-fry pork now that I've tried all 3 types of meat they offer for the set meal. It is always well cooked and tasty. The sauce is really absorbed by the meat. The hot plate keeps it warm throughout the meal. I like wrapping this in the lettuce leaves with some kimchi and a slice of garlic. The garlic they give is really good, spicy like chilli.

The grilled pork belly is good too. That would taste best with the sauces and garlic provided, wrapped in lettuce leaves with some kimchi. I prefer the stir fried pork as there is more "kick" to the taste. I tried some bulgogi too but the smell was too strong for me to handle. I prefer beef with as little smell as possible.

The soup should be bean paste soup. It's really taste! There's vegetable slices in it. There used to be some clams the first two times I was there but I've not seen clams in the soup lately. Rice is normal, nothing to shout about. And the hot green tea which I prefer, over coca cola, when eating korean food.

Lunch at Ssambap always makes me happy and satisfied. The set might be a tad too much for smaller eaters. Smaller eaters can always opt for something else on the menu and try some of the meat those with bigger appetites order. 

To those who want to try Ssambap, it is at the Krystal Suites Block, at the Dominos side. They also have a branch at all seasons place. 

Pulau Tikus, Penang, Malaysia

I've been living in this area for more than 10 years. What to eat? How to get around? What to see? 

5 must try foods in Pulau Tikus

1) Bee Hooi O'Chien (Fried Osyter)

2) Bee Hooi Chicken Porridge

3) Mee Goreng (at the stall at the corner shop opposite the polic station)

4) Roti Canai (Mohd Raffee at night) 

5) Laksa (corner coffee shop opposite Penang Chinese Girls High School)

How to get around?

Take the Pulau Tikus Loop bus. This is a free shuttle which starts at Jalan Kelawei between Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon. It's really convenient for Pulau Tikus folks and tourists staying in the G-Hotel..If you time it right, you can take this bus around Pulau Tikus to get to all the shops in the 5 must try foods list in Pulau Tikus.The Pulau Tikus Loop bus passes by Adventist and Gleneagles Hospitals so it's convenient if you're here for healthcare purposes as well.

See the rapid bus parked here? This is the Pulau Tikus Loop bus. 

I took a panaroma short of the the area where the bus is parked so you'd have a better idea. I would say it's nearer to G-Hotel Kelawei and Gurney Paragon than to Gurney Plaza.

Zoom in to the bus. Free Pulau Tikus Loop is displayed on the side of the bus. 

 The 'Pulau Tikus Loop' words actually loops on the display on the side of the bus. You'd still be able to see clearly that it is the Pulau Tikus Loop bus though. And FREE is displayed at the front, back and side of the bus. Other Rapid Penang busses going through Pulau Tikus have numbers displayed.

'FREE' shown on the back of the bus. Yes, there are free-bus rides in Penang!

What to see?

Other than Pokestops, the temples on Burmah Lane actually has beautiful designs, worthy of a visit and also if you're into photography or architecture, these temples are a must see. In the mornings, the peaks of these temples' roofs look beautiful against the blue sky and white clouds when the weather is good.

The Pulau Tikus area may not be as tourist-y as the town area but it's not less interesting. If you're visitng Penang and are staying at G-Hotel or any other hotel along Gurney Drive, you might want to consider trying the Pulau Tikus loop. Start from Gurney Paragon(next to G-hotel), you can take the bus and alight opposite Island Plaza. Cross over to Island Plaza, continue walking down the road and you'd arrive at Straits Quay. Come back to the bus stop to take the Pulau Tikus Loop bus, and alight once the bus passes the Penang Chinese Girls High School traffic lights. Cross the road to the Laksa coffee shop. After eating, take the bus again and loop back to Gurney Paragon. 

Drop a comment below or email me if you need more information about what to see in Pulau Tikus. I'll be glad to help if I can. I'll be posting pictures soon. Hopefully I'll manage to find time to take pictures of the bus stops and the coffee shops with the 5 must try foods to help you recognize them better. 

Good Food Friday : Restaurant Waka Waka

If you're thinking of where to eat, try Waka Waka at Sungai Ara.

Food Type : African Style (I guess)
Variety : Limited (mostly chicken)
Price : $$
Drinks Orders : Not Compulsory
Air-Conditioning : Yes
Parking : Lots of parking lots around the shoplots where the restaurant is located.

On the day I was here, there was a whiteboard at the entrance beside the door, with Lunch and Tea Break Promotion. You can always take a look at this for promotions to help you decide if you'd like to eat here.

Waka Waka Lunch and Tea Break Promotion

This restaurant has a nice environment. The design is minimalistic and the colours are pleasing to the eyes. I came in here planning to buy the food and "takeaway" to eat at home. I changed my mind when I stepped into the restaurant.  There is a "green wall" with flowers and the other walls have a geometrical pattern which is pleasing to the eyes. 

After ordering, the first thing served was the milkshake. It was thick and milky Just like how a milkshake should be. The cup has the words Waka Waka and It's time for Africa. Yup! So the restaurant has an African theme. 

Waka Waka Milkshake

Grilled chicken with salad and rice. This was supposed to be eaten with the super spicy chilli. I did not take a liking to the chicken. It was a bit red at the bone too. The outer layer of meat was tender but nothing outstanding here.

Now the burger is a different story altogether. It was made perfectly. The meat was tender and juicy. Amazing. I really recommend trying the burger if you come to this restaurant. It may not have been life changing, like how in-and-out burger was for me but yummylicious all the same. 

I definitely preferred the burger to chicken set. The burger was filling and tasty. I could have done without the fries but the fries were fried right too and I enjoyed eating them. I was really full after the meal. 

Then came dessert. Dessert was good though it looks normal in the picture. I guess they could make it look tastier with a different method of serving. It's a real chocolate lava cake. I recommend this! Even though my tummy was filled with burger and fries, I could somehow find room for the dessert. 

Location : Sungai Ara, Penang

Address : 2D-1 Tingkat Kenari 6, Sungai Ara, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang

Link to google maps : https://goo.gl/maps/QWJamqu2tHz

Opening hours : 11AM - 9:30PM Daily (closed on Wednesdays)

Waka Waka

Have you tried the food at Waka Waka? What's your verdict?