LightHouse Coffee's Coffee Appreciation Session

During August, I was lucky to be invited to join a coffee appreciation session that was organized by Foodsion Magazine and Lighthouse Coffee. At first I did not know what to expect from this other than trying out different type of coffees but I guess end of the day, became a little bit wiser about the types of coffee, ways to prepare a cuppa and of course, the different styles of drinks that we normally have. So do read on if you are a coffee person.

Lattes. You will see more or how this was done soon

Hard Rock Hotel Penang

Was really lucky that this year I got a chance to stay at Hard Rock Hotel in Penang for a night. For those that has not been to Hard Rock Hotel or their famous Cafe's, well this is a small glimpse of what you can experience. Everything about the hotel focuses around music genre and not just "Rock"! 

When you arrive, instantly you will see many music themes abound and if you are a Beatle's fan, then this place is as if its a mini shrine! Do read on.

You are greeted by the bronze statue of the Beatle's if you are at the pool side!

Thai Food Restaurant, Penang

I have seen many restaurants with fancy names and all, but I think this one beats every single one of it. The restaurant is called Thai Food Restaurant! Yes, so as to confused people everytime we want to have some Thai food, then we say lets go for Thai Food and they will say yeah, where, Thai Food, ya, so which place, Thai Food, you get the drift!

So here at Batu Lanchang, near where the famous foodcourt and wet market, there is a new Thai Restaurant that just opened and without ado, do check out their yummilicous food. I was really lucky I guess to be invited to this review right before their official opening!

The exterior of the restaurant. Nothing too fancy here

Street Grill Burger, Sungai Pinang, Penang

There is so many reviews lately about burgers and burgers! I guess it goes to show why McD's and practically every fast food chain have a burger on their menu. Burgers are just such a joy to eat, especially when you get one that has good quality meat in it. Thus I was initially surprised when I got a call to try out some burgers at a small little van parked by the roadside next to the Ocean View apartments. The guys here operate Street Grill where they have a selection of grilled burger goodies just waiting to be had!

Do read on to find out more!

The small van/truck that is parked by the road side next to Ocean View apartments. If you don't know where Ocean View is, its near where the Burger King outlet is in Penang.

 All their patties are homemade and you will notice that for their chicken burger, they actually use full pieces of chicken thigh meat. For the normal size, you will get the upper thigh and for a special, you will get a whole leg.

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Jesselton Point for Island Hopping

At Sabah, there is a jetty known as Jesselton Point where it is the gateway to many island hopping adventures. I think you can get many packages from the tour guides here and they are more than happy to work out a plan. We had a group about 30 pax and ended up going island hopping to Pulau Sapi and Mamutik. Sapi Island is definitely bigger with more amenities but its also because of this that the waters surrounding the island is also not in as good condition. Mamutik on the other hand has better water, lots more fish as well as corals. Do check out some photos. And sorry I don't have an underwater camera so don't expect coral pictures from me. 

Archway to the jetty

Interesting street art on the way to the jetty

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Tuaran Mee and Laksa at Yee Fung

In Sabah, our guide told us that the local noodle here called Tuaran Mee is very famous and very delicious and thus, I made it a point to try it out. So what exactly is Tuaran Mee? Well, we found a coffee shop called Kedai Kopi Yee Fung located along Gaya Street and stopped for their Tuaran Mee. Tuaran Mee is a local version of wan tan mee and I was truly disappointed with it. Sorry Sabah folks, unless this was a bad example but the noodles were soft and not tender at all. The dumplings were also small and save for the BBQ pork, its not special at all. Luckily for me, I ordered the Laksa too! Read on

Tuaran Mee or Noodle

The laksa on the other hand that is available at Yee Fung was good. Its like curry mee in Penang with a lemak or coconut milk base soup. You get lots of bits of chicken and some prawns too. Mind you, food in Sabah is not cheap. The Tuaran Mee and Laksa each costs RM5 per bowl.

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Pasar Besar & Gaya Sunday Market

Being the adventurous me and hoping to get a feel of the local market, I made my way to the biggest market in KK (I think its the biggest) which is the Pasar Besar. This market is located right next to the fish market and the handicraft market. Its really convenient as its located nearby and right at the town. Many stalls selling all sort of items but the Sabah Vegetable remained elusive. I just didn't spot it at any of the stalls that were open.

I was too early as many stalls still yet to open at 6am

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Frozen Seafood & Night Markets

Now Sabah is known for its seafood and its very popular for visitors to bring some frozen seafood home with them. I was no different and did the same. There are quite a few shops selling frozen seafood in the town and on average, its cheaper than the shop at the airport for the more average type of fish. What I mean by average are the garoupa's such as the stone or 7 star or red ones. After surveying many shops, in town, the price is about RM40-45 per kg but for the more exotic fish, such as the sow mei and lou shu pan, these are from RM110-120 per kg. The standard packing that they provide is able to last about 12 hours and if you use the styrofoam packing, it will last 24 hours which should be able to last any flight home!

Thats me with 2 huge frozen lobsters! The one in my left hand was about 3kg! Huge! I can't believe I did not take photos of the frozen fishes! I did buy a frozen Sow Mei which I have already eaten! The flesh was just so soft and sweet and even though the fish was small, it was good. But if eating at the restaurant for RM350-400 per kg live, I think its over priced! I would instead go for the giant ones where they slice up the fish for you. There is one restaurant where my friend told me the fish was going for about RM220-250 per kg. Next time I will try it.

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Fisherman Village Seafood Market Restaurant

As this was a company trip that was organized, the travel company actually arranged for a dinner at one of the tourist restaurants as I would like to call it and its non other than the famous Kampung Nelayan Fisherman Village Seafood Market Restaurant. I had heard of this place before and was hoping for some really awesome seafood. What makes this place popular is the fact that they also have a traditional dance performance in the night where its like a cultural show to showcase the traditions of Sabah! But I was to be disappointed as the food was sub standard. Sorry but I do like my food and performances is always second in some cases. What I did notice is probably that the package we got was of a lower price one and thus we got not as great food. Thus if you plan to come here, be prepared to get slaughtered!

The colorful neon signboard

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Horizon Hotel

This was the hotel which I stayed at while visiting KK. Its a relatively new hotel called Horizon Hotel and its located pretty much in the middle of the town. Its a 10 minutes walk to most attractions like the Filipino Market, Handicraft Center, Gaya Sunday market and many more. Thus not a bad choice. The rooms were still new but my only gripe is that they only supply each room with 1 key card which you need to access the lifts. The on hand staff would assist to get you to the floor but its just such a hassle needing to get their assistance each time especially if there is more than 1 person sharing the room. Anyway, they have pretty good amenities like gym, pool and restaurants thus I'm not sure if they are 4 or 5 stars. Another thing would be the internet connection. The rooms has internet free via a cable but not wireless. For wireless, you need to loan a router from their reception and its a first come first serve as they have limited units available. In this modern age, I would guess everyone was expecting wireless internet for every room (phones can't use a cable anyway). Thus, other than some of the items lacking, its a comfortable hotel. Do check out some photos!

How it looks. Its the grey building block in the middle of town!

The in house cafe! Able to fit over 80 people at one time. A nice comfortable setting for all