Running Out of Lunch/Dinner Venues? Try Penang Swimming Club

 At the 14th Level of Penang Swimming Club, there is a restaurant.

It is not super great but it is a good place to have a quick and decent bite.

The staff is friendly, but the trainees can be a little blur ...

It's ok.

The supervisor cum manager cum PR person Miss Jennifer is SUPERB!

Super helpful if you run out of ideas of what to eat.

 Soft shell crab with salted eggs, Hokkien Char, Brinjal pot with salted fish, spring roll ...

Foodie's Choice:

Patong Fish Curry

Claypot Fish Head braised with Yam

Both the above is a must order :-)

Spring roll is pretty good too ...

 One take home tip, Western food here is so-so ...

Foodie normally just go for the Chinese food here.

However, if you have a craving for Western food and is happy with sub-standard Western food then you can go ahead.

Dessert - Banana fritters with ice cream is super yummy, also another MUST order!

This is not a super duper must go place but if you have ran out of ideas, it is a rather nice place to go for a meal ... chit chat ... have a glass of wine ... relax ...

If you are not a member of the club, grab a friend who is and force your friend to buy you dinner or lunch !

Happy Weekend :-)

Best Koay Chap with Worst Tong Sui (Dessert)

If you never had Koay Chap in your life, this is the best in Penang, you should try this one to make it a memorable first.
The stall only starts in the evening, the older ladies in charge of taking your orders may not be very friendly but it's ok, cause the food is good ... so we have to bear with it.
That said, they are super efficient, fast and hardly get your orders wrong.

Plenty of places to sit.  This stall, which used to be by the roadside, has now bought up a shop lot of their own.  Although they are still by the road, they now have proper seating for their customers.

Standard order is RM 6 per bowl.
Very good value for money considering the amount of goodies they put inside. If you are not someone who is into spare parts, you can ask for just duck meat and koay ie the starchy carbs :-)

 Don't forget to request for the ever tasty chili sauce, if you love it, you can ask for more with no extra charge... 

New seating area is nice and clean

Now we come to the Major Rip Off !

 The shop lot owned by the Koay Chap stall is placed next to a dessert stall.

The minimum price for the dessert is RM2.50.

Do NOT let the girls pressure you to order the dessert, unless you really want to order.

You are not required to order a drink as the stall belongs to Koay Chap stall ie. you could order other drinks from any stall or shop along Kimberley street and not specifically this one.

The dessert is super diluted, tasteless and overpriced 

 Foodie will NOT like this one ...

All along Kimberley Street you will see lots of street food. One of them will be Economy Fried Bee Hoon.  A few of these stalls selling the same stuff.
The taste is rather standard.
You could buy a packet and eat at the Koay Chap place, they are ok with it.

There is also a nice Koay Teow Thing stall opposite the Koay Chap stall, Char Koay Teow (not great) and a Chee Cheong Fun (very nice)/

 All in all Kimberley Street has plenty to offer.

The ambience here is different for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Have fun exploring street food at Kimberley Street.

NO SMILE, No Photos - It's French!

Another one HITS the No Go List !
La France Cafe & Restaurant
For exact venue and opening hours, see links below
http://cafe-la-france.com/Cuisine.html

http://www.timeout.com/penang/food-and-restaurants/venue/Western/title/La-France-Cafe-and-Restaurant

 Used to be one of the hawker food stall at Northern Beach Cafe, they have undergone an upgrade to this new venue.

Food is ok, coffee (freshly brewed) is good, ambience is nice and cosy ...

BUT

 very sorry to say service was WITHOUT a SMILE

this French guy just won't smile!

Ok nothing against NOT smiling ...
the set lunch menu is super not flexible, no offense but if it is gonna be fixed like that, all Foodie can say is Good Luck
Set A - Pasta with drink, Set B and Set C is mains with dessert...
err... what if we don't want dessert ?
Reply by French Guy :  If you don't want dessert with the set, you just don't eat it then
Foodie *Faints*
I was told this guy is the boss ... No comments

The pasta ordered was average - ok
and then ...
why no more photos ...
NOT allowed to take photos !
even the food you have ordered not allowed to take photos... I don 't remember going to French restaurants in Paris and not being allowed to take photos!
ok enough said ...
after all it is French, French, French 
no more photos ...
unable to continue this post ...
if you want a good laugh, no harm giving it a try here, 
Coffee is GOOD of course not at the Penang Street Food price!
By the way, if you a filthy rich, maybe you could try giving a RM100 tip,
maybe the French Guy will give you a smile...


Good Luck !!!


What others feel :
http://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Restaurant_Review-g298303-d2271630-Reviews-La_France_Cafe_and_Restaurant-Georgetown_Penang_Island_Penang.html

http://www.awesomepenang.com/home/jacgy-cynthia-11-another-great-place-in-georgetown-la-france-cafe-restaurant/

Best Beef Koay Teow @ 2828 Cafe

Food Rating            :    5 stars

Kopi O Rating         :    3.5 stars

Value for Money     :    4 stars

Ambience               :    Crowded

Lunch Only

Don't arrive too early, soup is sweeter around 1pm 

Closed on Mondays

We are back into the Street Food of Penang write ups after all the celebration and and indulging in the expensive foods.
This place is a gem if you are a Beef Lover.
The soup is not sugar sweet like some stalls, it is 'beef sweet' if you get what I mean.
Foodie's Choice -
Dried Koay Teow and Noodle separately served with the Beef Soup on the side

Don't forget to order this Ambrah Sour Plum Drink
Goes super well with the Beef Noodle
If you can't live without your local coffee, the coffee served here is not too bad , although it is a little on the strong side :-)

If you are not a beef lover, there is an economy rice stall here, which is ok , but a little on the expensive side

Your have a choice of small, medium and large.

This is 'D Man' behind the yummy beef noodles
Mr Tiger is his name

Here's another link on this stall, with better photos:
http://www.stevengoh.com/2009/10/05/penang-famous-beef-koay-teow-2828-cafe-perak-road/