penang: eden seafood village

went to batu ferringhi in penang, which is their famous beach area. for more local fare we initially decided to eat at long beach food center. upon arrival we realized it was too crowded and smelly, not good for freshly bathe tourists who plan to go to hard rock afterwards.

so i've decided to eat at eden seafood village, which i've read reviews and recommendations of. eden village is like a dampa restaurant. the prices of the dishes are based on the weight of the seafood, particularly fish and shellfish. other food items have fixed prices. so here are the stuff we got.

steamed red tilapia (1.15kg @ 51.75 RM), honestly, we got this one because it was the cheapest hehe. we knew we'd burn more money afterwards so we were a bit cautious on how much we're gonna order. you can never really go wrong with a simple steamed fish unless the seafood is not fresh. this one is definitely fresh, it was jumping out of the basket when the aunti took it from the tank.

baked white prawn (RM52.50) - what could go wrong with with some cheesy baked shrimps? however, wish that the shrimps were more meaty.

squid dry chilli (RM32) - a common method of cooking is with dried chilli, loads of them. this one is peppery and buttery. really good and perfect with rice. the squid was really tender.

beancurd claypot with minced chicken (RM20) - i'd rather call this mapo tofu because it tastes and looks like it. i was expecting the real beancurd claypot. this was good we all loved it, being tofu lovers that we are. but it was kinda oily.

hand pulled noodles in xo sauce (RM20) - a recommendation since it's supposed to be a special. however, i find nothing special about this. the noodles are not springy nearly soggy, so i don't know how this one is hand pulled. they didn't scrimped on the ingredients though so that's a plus. the flavor, nothing really spectacular very low key. but this was a huge plate/serving of noodles.

overall, it was great meal. no misses or utterly disappointing dish. costs roughly 40RM per person. i reckon this is relatively expensive for malaysia prices. but this is a touristy place with cultural shows during dinner time which we were able to see, not that it was impressive. but still food was good, the place might need to get renovations to be more updated.

eden seafood village

batu ferringhi

penang, malaysia

penang: tho yuen

was able to spend a long weekend in penang last week. i am not sure if they call penang the food capital of malaysia. but everyone would just rave about penang food. they said you get the best of every malaysian dish in penang well maybe not all especially when it comes to bak kut teh which is best had in klang and the cendol best had in melaka.

anyway, we arrived in penang after lunch time so consequently we were starving. i've got my penang lonely planet guide and had the must try places already tagged. decided to eat at tho yuen, a chinese resto which is walking distance from the place we were staying at.

here's the food we got.

dumpling soup, the auntie decided for us, she even decided how many pieces we get. it's not like they have a fixed size for orders i guess. the stuffing the traditional pork stuffing i know - with water chestnuts. perfect for our grumbling tummies.

roasted chicken - initially wanted steamed chicken but they ran out of it. flavorful, tender and perfectly cooked.




crispy noodles - they've got a variety of noodles. we opted for this. it was good. the noodles are thin, crispy and flavorful. better devour this immediately when served so you can appreciate the crispy texture.

all of these plus rice and chinese tea costs around 72RM, shared among 7 people (yeah the servings were huge) it was a good meal. ok, maybe because we were hungry. but really, the place was packed at 2PM. can you believe that? anyway, you might consider this when out in penang.

tho yuen

jalan campbell

penang

miele guide

let's see how i fare based on the miele guide.

Malaysia's Top 5 restaurants 2009/2010:

1. Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, Kuala Lumpur - should probably try this place when i go shopping
2. Senses Restaurant, Kuala Lumpur
3. Neroteca, Kuala Lumpur - i'll eat here when i get the panini craving next door to my friend's place
4. Frangipani Restaurant & Bar, Kuala Lumpur
5. El Cerdo, Kuala Lumpur - eaten here
   

Philippines Top 5 restaurants 2009/2010:

1. Antonio's, Cavite (No. 17 in Asia's Top 20) - not impressed
2. Aubergine, Manila (No. 18 in Asia's Top 20) - loved it!!! this is the best for me.
3. Mamou, Manila - tried it loved the breads, the steak was yummy and i heart the truffle pasta
4. Abe, Manila - eaten here
5. Sala Restaurant, Manila - have yet to try this i already ate at sala bistro :)

kl: sushi zanmai

fruit of my japanese craving....a trip to the gardens to eat at another japanese resto which i've read good reviews of. as far as i know, sushi zanmai is also managed by the group who owns rakuzen, so i was pretty complacent with this place.

we got chuka wakame, seasoned seaweed (RM3.80), has this refreshing flavor of the sea slightly salty with a hint of sesame which was just perfect.

sanshoku hana salmon (RM9.80) got great reviews. salmon with shrimp roe, wasabi flying fish roe and black caviar. what can i say? the salmon was extremely fresh. had this melt in your mouth texture.

softshell crab maki (RM6) is softshell crab becoming a japanese staple for me? i really don't know. this one has skinny crabs hehe i'm sure that's not the proper word to describe it. given the choice i would choose sugi anytime, but for the price? i think it's worth it.

as if these rolls were not enough, we got the stamina roll (RM12.8) too. omelette sushi roll topped with eel. unagi i heart. another jap staple for me. this one is so filling and so worth your buck.

for more carbs =), we also got yakisoba. topped with bonito shavings, i also liked this one. probably the best yakisoba i've tried by far. the small serving goes for RM8.80.

and of course i had to pair these up with a great drink. if i remember it correctly this is a honeydew green tea shake =)

good food, great ambiance...no wonder you'd often see a long queue outside.




sushi zanmai
midvalley the gardens
kuala lumpur