MIRAKU Japanese Restaurant @ G Hotel Penang

Miraku Japanese Restaurant has been around since the opening of G Hotel and surprisingly, till now, I have never had a meal here before. I guess it was the perception that it was a very expensive and exclusive restaurant that caused me to didn't really pay much attention to it before.
But boy is my thought about this restaurant different now. It seems that this restaurant is a favorite food joint for the many Japanese living in Penang and its head chef here is also proudly from Japan! The restaurant is located on the first floor of G Hotel and its open for both lunch and dinner time. They have a wide variety for their menu and for lunch, there is a good and affordable choice for bento sets. Here one can opt to sit at the counter where the live action by the chef can be observed or the many more private tatami styled rooms (there are 5 in total) or just casually at the many dining tables.
So do check out my humble experience here and hopefully you will have an enjoyable experience there as well.

The very simple and elegant designed facade

A sneak peak of whats in store!

Family Time at Gurney Paragon Mall Penang

The month of March is really an exciting one for me as I'm now starting to get blogging again and this blog entry was of my outing with my family to Gurney Paragon Mall! This is our first outing with our newest family member and I have to say, he behaved very well on this very first trip of ours.

Thanks to Gurney Paragon Mall and some of their merchants, I got to explore and learnt more about these places than I previously envisioned. It was really interesting as I never knew there were such a variety of merchants here when I always assumed that everything here is just expensive and high end.

So to start off, we had lunch at Morganfields, where they are famous for their fall off the bone sticky ribs! This is a non Halal restaurant but for oink oink lovers, you will love their ribs!

As we approached, my wife commented on their choice of design using lots of old planks and it make it have that homely country feel.

 As it was Sunday, it was pretty packed so we were seated outside (there is air conditioning inside), but fret not, as Gurney Paragon is located along Gurney Drive, it was really breezy and cooling! Natural aircon!
First up its time to order a cuppa, wife had a hot chocolate!

Sensational Sakura @ Swez Brasserie, Eastin Hotel Penang

What a month it will be this March 2014 at Swez Brasserie of Eastin Hotel as they are bringing in HAPA Masterchef (Asian) - Chef Ricky Hui Eng Keong all the way from Eastin Hotel Petaling Jaya to showcase some fine Japanese cuisine, for their Sensational Sakura theme this month.

Chef Ricky Hui is a multiple award winner and has a host of experience serving many important people and dignitaries from around the world. Based at Eyuzu Japanese Cuisine Restaurant located at Eastin PJ, its not everyday such a high calibre chef makes his way up North for a month to showcase his delicacies. Thus, for those Japanese cuisine fans, head over to Eastin Penang now! Do check out the mouth watering sampling that was prepared, and I have to say, some I find it really yummilicous!

As always, there are some perks to using a credit card and getting a discount is what counts.

The lucky users of Maybank, Standard Chartered, CIMB, Citibank and Mastercard Worldwide credit card members are entitled to a 15% discount as well! So check it out.

Lunch: Monday-Friday

(12noon-2.30pm)

RM50++ Adult, RM25++ Child

Hi Tea: Saturday-Sunday 

(12-4.00pm)

RM68++ Adult, RM34++ Child

Semi Buffet Dinner: Sunday-Tuesday, Thursday 

(6.30pm-10.00pm)

From RM50++ per person 

When I saw these dolls, it really reminded me of some authentic Japanese music

Pirate Seafood Night @ Eastin Hotel Penang 2014

I can't imagine a better way to start 2014 than to splurge on a buffet dinner! And what a way for Eastin Penang to kick it off by bringing their Pirate Seafood Night on every Saturday for the year (subject to changes). Now I have been to many buffets touting to have great seafood and all but either the food is lacking or it comes at a high price.

I'm glad to say that this promotion at Eastion Hotel Penang is probably one I would say is the best seafood buffet deal I have had thus far in Penang. No kidding! Now, barring that the serve something spectacularly special on this launch night, but if they keep it up, I'm sure they will win many fans over with their very good spread of seafood choices as well as a very decent price.

Now below is the pricing for this buffet :

Every Saturday 6.30pm-10.00pm

Price : RM80++ - Adults, RM48++ - Child

Does that deal look enticing? Well, if I were a diner, thinking to splurge RM80++ on a meal I would surely think twice, unless of course I know what to expect. I guess thats why I blog about these things, so patrons to these outlets can have a rough knowledge what sort of deal they will get.

So here goes!

This is the cold seafood spread on ice. This is probably the focus area where you should target first as some of the items here are limited

Are you able to spot some of the goodies?

Moku Moku DIY Mushroom Growing Kit ~ Fantastic Experience Growing your Own Mushroom

Slightly more than a month ago, I got the honour to try out the Moku Moku DIY Mushroom Growing Kit http://mokumoku.my which is the brainchild of the duo Mervin Low and Sean Chai. They started their mushroom farm in a small town called Lukut which is near Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. Now I'm sure many are able to procure fresh mushrooms from your local market or even most super markets, but can it get even fresher than say grown on your balcony? 

With the goal to provide consumers with the best mushroom growing kit, Moku Moku takes painstaking effort to provide a quality package where all the growing materials are organic and natural and one can have great mushrooms.

To me, the biggest advantage to this is not so much of being able to grow mushroom, but its the experience of seeing the mushrooms start to pin, and then finally fruit! Its really amazing and since I have my six year old, this is probably one event that she truly enjoyed. 

And the best part is, everything is so convenient. Just head to their website http://mokumoku.my and place and order online, and once all is done, they will courier the mushroom kit to your doorstep. The price is very affordable for such an experience, and if you do plan to save, combine a purchase with your friends or colleagues as the more you buy, the bigger the discount as well as saving on the shipping fees.

Without ado, do read and check out the photos here. Lots of photos but it shows my very enjoyable experience and would like to thank Moku Moku for the opportunity to try out their growing kit. PS, one is suppose to be able to get the kit to fruit at least twice but mine still has not after the first one. Fret not, Im still not giving up on it and will continue to try!

This is how the end results look like!!

Aussie Tucker at Eastin Hotel Penang ~ January 2014 Promotion

With 2014 just around the corner, Eastin Hotel Penang is already prepping up their menu and January 2014 will bring us their Aussie Tucker's menu which gets its inspiration from the country down under :)

With a slightly revamped menu, the coming month will be something to look forward as one will get to savour some Aussie delights which is not always the norm. Well frankly, don't think I have actually seen a fully Aussie themed restaurant menu in Penang so this might be a good thing.

As always, there are some perks to using a credit card and getting a discount is what counts.

The lucky users of Maybank, Standard Chartered, CIMB, Citibank and Mastercard Worldwide credit card members are entitled to a 15% discount as well! So check it out.

Lunch: Monday-Friday (except 31 Jan 2014)

(12noon-2.30pm)

RM50++ Adult, RM25++ Child

Hi Tea: Saturday-Sunday 

(12-4.00pm)

RM68++ Adult, RM34++ Child

Semi Buffet Dinner: Sunday-Tuesday, Thursday (except 31 Jan 2014)

(6.30pm-10.00pm)

From RM50++ per person 

For those that follow my blog, you will note that the prices has gone up slightly and I guess this is what we all call inflation. Sigh, not a good sign but I guess in order to maintain the quality of the food, there really isn't much choice. Do read on to see what I think about this Aussie Tucker promotion for January 2014!

The spread for the Aussie Tucker Promo. Don't worry, I don't think thats a read cow skull :p

The chefs presenting their culinary creations

Gartien 2014 Chinese New Year Limited Edition Available end of December 2013!

Its just less than 2 months to Chinese New Year 2014 and in conjunction with the celebrations, Gartien has just launched their limited edition CNY packaging pack and you need to act fast to get your hands on them!

According to Gartien, they are only able to make about 1000 "Auspicious Gift Sets" available for pre-order now.

Only 250 sets are available weekly (Total 4 weeks) - UPDATE : The Limited CNY package is SOLDOUT!

Week 1: 30th Dec 2013- 5th Jan 2014

Week 2: 6th Jan 2013- 12th Jan 2014

Week 3: 13th Jan 2013- 19th Jan 2014

Week 4: 20th Jan 2013- 26th Jan 2014

Pre-order now until 31 Dec 2013 and enjoy Special Promotion at RM38 per box

Walk in: RM45 per box (Now until 26th Jan 2014 - last day for collection before CNY)

BONUS: Buy 10 boxes free 1 box or free delivery (Eg. For every 10 boxes ordered, you can either opt for another box of pineapple cakes FREE if you collect them yourself or get your postage WAIVED if you are residing within Peninsular Malaysia.)

Name: GARTIEN @ 小田佳園

Address: 68, Lorong Macalister, 10400 Penang, Malaysia.

Contact: 604-229 0068

Website: www.gartien.com

Email: info@gartien.com

FaceBook: www.fb.gartien.com/

Business Hours: 10.00am-5.00pm (weekdays), 9.00am-6.00pm (weekends)

GPS: 5.416195, 100.328433

This is the very attractive packaging

 Even the individual packaging is unique!

Foodpanda now expanded to Johor Bahru!

Being one of the premiere food delivery providers in Malaysia, serving 5 major cities of Klang Valley, Penang, Ipoh, Malacca and now Johor Bahru, Foodpanda continues to seek to bring quality food to your doorsteps all via the convenience of the Internet.

Foodpanda.my is the local portal for this company which now operates in over 30 countries in Asia and Europe. In Malaysia, Foodpanda has over 300 merchants/restaurants and includes big names like Chatime, Starbucks, Pappa Rich and many more! For Johor Bahru, they now have 17 restaurants and the number continues to grow. The fact that we can now have Starbucks or Chatime delivered to your doorstep makes calling out for a teabreak so much more interesting. 

Another bonus is that for their new service launch in Johor Bahru, delivery charges are free for a limited time. Also, for my readers here, if you are a new user to Foodpanda, then use this coupon code : FP@Lifeisgood and you will receive RM10 voucher with a minimum spend of RM10 on your order! This is good till 4th Dec 2014! So if you hurry, thats RM10 for you to try out Foodpanda.my in Johor Bahru since delivery is now free! Don't miss this.

Now back to the restaurants in Johor Bahru. There is even local favorites like Chakra Restaurant whcih has a good choice of Tandoori cuisine and the variety is very good. One can choose from their choice of soups and appetizers, and then move on their mains or go with some Tandoori Starters! They also have a good selection of meats and seafood dishes which will go really well with their Naan breads. Oh did I mention they have over 10 types of baked breads and the best part is that their prices are very reasonable too.

Besides Chakra Restaurant, there is another local favorite in Shahrzad Restaurant which serves up middle eastern flavors. Here, one will be able to get starters like Hummus which is not found commonly in local restaurants. I really like their salads which is not like the typical western styled ones and its very affordably priced! Their mains are something that will put a smile to those that like a real Briyani rice such as with chicken or lamb! They also specialize in Kebab's and have meats and seafood varieties. Something unique which I have not had but been in their menu is the Saffron Fish Kebab. The thought of a fish being grilled with saffron sounds really yummy to me.

Crumbs Frozen Yogurt Review~ Gurney Paragon Mall

Located opposite Sam's Grocer, on the lower ground floor of Gurney Paragon, right next to the escalator, there is a franchise Frozen Yogurt stall from Hong Kong which is called Crumbs! Its such a coincidence that the place is opened by my friends cousin, and more coincidentally the franchisee here is also my wife's secondary school mate! I was like, wow, this truly is a small world, and after further chatting, thats how it was decided that we will have a small invite for some bloggers to try out their frozen yogurts.

So what exactly is available at Crumbs? Well, they specialize in Frozen Yogurt, Bottle Desserts and also Homemade Scones. Yeap, its all light and healthy, as the yogurt is low fat and all natural. Do read on to see how it taste like and what I think of it.

Location:

Lot LG P1(A) & P1(B), Gurney Paragon Mall, 163D, Persiaran Gurney

10250 Penang, Malaysia

Contact Info: +60 11-1444 8823

Business Hours: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm

Email: crumbspg@hotmail.com

Website: http://www.crumbs.com.my

The color scheme is a bright yellow and its easily spotted. Crumbs with its stars!

As from the sign above, its clear that they have 3 sizes for their frozen yogurt. 

Kiddie Cup @ RM7.90 is about 120gm in weight and comes with 1 topping 

Regular Size @ RM11.00 is about 180gm in weight and comes with 1 topping

Large Size @ RM12.90 is about 250gm in weight and comes with 2 toppings

Did I mention that they have over 20 types of toppings to choose from and some of their most popular are their homemade toppings which consist of the Meringue, House Crumbs and the very delicious Mochi! The flavor of the mochi varies depending what was made that day.

Heaven Gate ~ Noah's Wine Dine Dinner Invited Review

After having had a prior review at Heaven Gate, we were invited again to sample their wine pairing dinner which was titled Noah Wine Dine Dinner which is priced at RM138++ that comes with 1 glass of house wine or RM188++ where you will get all 4 wine pairing.

This special menu is only available with bookings of 10 pax and is not available on a walk in basis as the restaurant wants to ensure that the ingredients are all freshly prepared and it will be too rush to prepare this impromptu. Well it would seem that 10 pax might be hard to come by but at least its a good option to have.

For a person like me who doesn't drink alot, 4 glasses of wine might sound alot but the fact is, this is a wine pairing dinner where the wine is match to the food and you don't really have to gulp down the whole glass. Just take some sips, swirl it in the mouth abit and have the food. The taste of the wine, whether its sweet, mellow, fruity or nutty helps to accentuate the taste of the food and this is what matters.

So hope you will read on to find out what I think about this Noah's Dinner menu and for those who had tried it, leave a message or comment too!

Do you know your cutleries? The forks and spoons on the dining table? Well, a simple rule of thumb, just use the cutlery furthest away from the plate and move inwards. Thats it, very simple right, but always be gentle and if a piece of meat is too tough to handle, just skip it rather than embarrassing yourself, or you can always ask the staff to help you with it ya!

 So to start the dinner, soup is served and its Cream of Pumpkin soup which helps to get the appetite going. Its serve with a slice of toasted garlic bread which goes very well with the slightly sweet and creamy soup