Dragon9ine 九龍餐廳 @ Bellisa Row Pulau Tikus Penang

*Ceased operation.

Looking for Cantonese inspired cooking? Try lunch, dinner and supper here! It's about Chinese fusion cuisine, mostly Cantonese. For Cantonese cuisine, many cooking methods are used. The most favored ones being steaming and stir-frying, also shallow frying, double boiling, braising, and deep frying. Hmm... now I feel like heating up the wok for some cooking now. Hehehe...

The interior of the restaurant. I can use one word to describe - VIBRANT. Very colorful.






The restaurant uses the Chinese Opera masks as its main decoration.




Crayons provided for you to write and draw on the mask. Designing own paper table runner.




Princess happily sketching on the mask. "Pre-wedding photo viewing day - 18/5/2011"




If you have not tried double boiled soup, you can try some here, they have quite some variety. We tried the seaweed and bazhen double boiled soup, both also taste good. Chinese herbal tea and iced coffee also not bad.




Here's my Marmite Chicken set lunch.




And his Braised Pork Belly set lunch.




One drawback of dining here is the limited parking space. If you go during office hours/weekday, normally you cannot get the metered car park lot in front of the shops. We parked at the car park behind Bellisa Row, charged RM3.50/hour for the first hour or part of it! Subsequent hour or part of it is another RM3/hour... @_@~


My Rank: 3.5/5 (double boiled soup worth a try)

Address:
368-1-5 & 368-1-6
Bellisa Row, Jalan Burma
10350 Penang

Tel: 04-229 4099

Business hours:
Monday- Sunday: 11:00am-11:00pm

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dragon9ine-Lunch-Dinner-Supper/133700593332707

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Taiwan Bull 台湾公牛 Queensbay Mall

This is one of the restaurants that I used to dine in at Queensbay Mall. First review on it but not the first visit though. First visit - being attracted by the name - Taiwan Bull, sounds cute. Then found the beef noodle not bad, but some people find the soup a bit sour, but I still like it. Then the Stone Rice is also a good choice. Other than these two I'm not that interested in the other choices, same as for the beverages.




This round I tried the Mango Frozie, but it's only so so... maybe because I compare it against the mango expert Hui Lau Shan.




Detox tea. 洛神花茶.




Milk tea with pearl.




There was a promotion from Ezivoucher of More than just BEEF! 53% off 6 types of signature Taiwanese Noodles & Rice selection at only RM5.80 @ Taiwan Bull (Queensbay Mall). So I bought the vouchers and tried out these...

Crispy Pork Noodle Soup. I think the taste will be much better if the pork fillet is separated but not dipped in the soup.




Crispy Chicken Egg Rice. This one not bad too.




Fish Fillet Curry Rice. Curry is mild and not the spicy type. It's more like Japanese curry.




Ta daaa~~ My favorite order! Beef noodle.




And Beef Kushiyaki Stone Rice! Love this the most.




My Rank: 3/5 (still prefers the beef noodle and stone rice as usual)

Address:
LG - 45 & 46, Queensbay Mall,
Persiaran Bayan Indah,
Bayan Lepas, 11900 Penang, Malaysia.

Tel: 604-6440090

Business hour: 10 am -10.00 pm

Website: http://www.taiwanbull.com/
E- mail: twbull@hotmail.com

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The Princess Wedding Diaries - Pre-wedding photo teasers

Teasers... our pre-wedding potraits~

Overall the effect was superb. Thanks Kenneth and Beron for the photography, Hui Lee and Stefvy for the make-up and hair-do.




Spent 5 hours to filter out pre-filtered 300+ perfect shots down to 52 for only the best of the best. Phew... that's really a tough job! Why not getting more? Hmm.... I'll leave it for the post-wedding honeymoon shoot in Maldives of course. Having the perfect moments captured on a rainy day which then turned sunny in the late afternoon, I'm already more than satisfied and blessed. The sky turned from gloomy to clear blue, with patches of white clouds then. =)






Some of the few screenshots taken from the desktop. All original without editing. These are not the best shots yet... I always want to save the best things for last. Will reveal the series after all is ready. :P

So how do you like our wedding photos? How many stars? 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5? (*v*)

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Penang Hill Cable Car - the new funicular train service

My first official article for VisitPenang.gov.my! A brief article about the new Penang Hill cable car service. Original article here!

The new Penang Hill funicular train service has been opened to the public from April 25 after the upgrading. Before the upgrade, the total journey uphill takes about half an hour, with passengers changing cars at the mid-point station. The train may stop at other intermediate stations upon request. Unlike the previous train service, today, the new train does not require passengers to change trains half way up. Passengers will have non-stop service in air conditioned Swiss-made coaches.

The Penang Hill railway has been operating since 1923, providing 87 years of service until today. In 1977 new cars were provided, before the most recent upgrade starting February 2010. New cars were purchased to increase the passenger capacity as well as the speed of the train. Today it is capable of carrying up to 100 passengers at one go, and the train runs every half hour from 6.30am to 9pm daily.

Fare:
For Malaysian:
Adult: RM 8 per adult
Children: RM 4 (age 7-12) per child
Senior Citizen: RM 4 per person
Monthly Pass: RM 24 (for resident on the hill)
Disabled Person Free (with OKU card)

For Foreign Tourists:
Adult: RM 30 per adult
Children: RM 15 (age 7-12) per child

Credit:

Article by Cheryl Tan

Photos by Nikko Tan

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Bee Won Korean Restaurant @ Royal Hotel Penang

*Ceased operation at Royal Hotel but you can enjoy more varieties at even lower price at their 2 outlets at Gurney paragon 5f Just food & Times Square 1f Food Gallery - BEEWON KOREAN FOOD.

It was mummy's birthday~ We celebrated at Bee Won Korean Restaurant located at Royal Hotel Penang. Here they offer authentic Korean food with varieties dishes. This place recalls my splendid memories in Korea, just look at all the decorations, you'll feel like you're already in South Korea!




The meal started off with servings of ban chan (side dishes). Most common ones are Kimchi and Shi Guem Chi (seasoned spinach). I personally like the Yang Nyum GGo Mak (seasoned cockles) very much. One thing that I like about having Korean cuisine is ban chan, always replenish-able.




What we ordered....
Chapjae/Japchae - Glass noodles accompanied with a variety of vegetables and beef in a slightly-sweet garlic sauce. A stand-alone dish in its own right, also be eaten as banchan.
Samgyetang/samkyetang - A whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice and boiled in a broth of Korean ginseng, dried seeded jujube fruits, garlic, and ginger.
Pajeon - A pancake-like dish made from a batter of eggs, flour, rice flour, green onions and other additional ingredients depending on the variety. Beef, pork, kimchi, shellfish and other seafood are mostly used.
Bulgogi - Bul means "fire", gogi means "meat" in Korean, which refers to the cooking technique, over an open flame.




Another of my favorite - Bibimbap. It means "mixed meal." Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either cold or hot. For visual appeal, the vegetables are often placed so that adjacent colors complement each other.




Family meal. =) And we had a personal waiter serving us.




Distributing Samgyetang into 4 servings.




Complimentary cordial drinks from Vicky.




Here's a perfect shot with Vicky onni. I get special discount dining here. So who wants to come again with me?



Bee Won has 5 VIP rooms with one room equipped with Karaoke systems and all that are for free of charge. You can do your bookings earlier in case you have special functions which requires privacy. Oh ya, remember to bring your parking ticket along, Bee Won's diners get free parking for the first hour.

** Promotion!! Now you get to enjoy lunch special at only RM18.90 per person (Daily 11.30am - 2.30pm, except Sunday). What is available in the menu - Kim Chi Stew, Soybean Paste Stew, Spicy Soft Tofu, Bibimbap, Grilled Fish.


My Rank: 4/5

Address:
Bee Won Korean Restaurant
3rd floor Royal Hotel Penang
3, Jalan Larut, 10050 Penang

Tel: 04-2277535

Business hour:
Mon - Sat: 11:30 am - 11:30 pm

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The Princess Wedding Diaries - 12th May 2011

Belated post of my wedding diary. Should be dated 12th May when published.

We had our pre-wed shooting on 12th May. This was the second rescheduled session as the first one clashed with my US trip, while the second one clashed with 'cheng beng' month (parents nagged and forced to change date). I didn't snap any photos with my camera as I decided to leave every piece of the artwork to our wedding photographer Kenneth. If you follow my blog, you would know that we signed up our wedding package with Aspial Wedding. I salute our personal team of photographer, make-up artists and their assistants on the day of shooting, you guys/girls are gorgeous! Everything is worth paying for, at least I get the service and concept of how I like it to be through the day~

Days before the photo shooting we were down with flu, and my complexion was really really bad... Hectic month with imbalance working hours versus personal stuff, and it's true that if you plan to move into new house before wedding, it's a super duper heavy task! We're still busy with the minor renovations and installation at our new place up to today... And my friends always tease me for arranging things one shot in a year - new house, registration, wedding, honeymoon... At times we're really tired but at the same time having fun too! Aza Aza!!

Now we couldn't wait to view the photos on 18th May. I wonder how would the effect be... of great combination of photographer/make-up/hair-do/scenery, and of course the great couple. =P

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GeorgeTown White Coffee @ Komtar Walk, Penang

Princess Cheryl's thought of the day:- This is a scheduled post. I'm sorry that I've not been spending much time for the updates. Been eating a lot but just no time to update.. What to do.. so little time but I need to rush for so many things.. shifting house, wedding stuff, work, blah blah blah... and I need to say I have to reject one food review invitation, sorry Jacgy.. But stay tune, more food review coming up! Gosh... since when I become a flogger?

George Town Penang was formally inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2008. The origin of setting up this restaurant was in conjunction with the celebration of this recognition, as derived by the founder. The first outlet was of course in Penang, and they have 6 outlets around Peninsula Malaysia today.




The Komtar Walk outlet. Comfortable ambience with soft music and cozy environment. Good place for chilling out after shopping done at Pacific Komtar or Prangin Mall. ;)




Here you can find almost all the traditional famous Penang hawker foods as well as their regionally grown white coffee. You get the chance to try out some supreme local delights.




B01 GeorgeTown White Coffee and B08 GeorgeTown White Milk Tea.




R03 GeorgeTown Curry Chicken with Rice.
Plain rice served with a bowl of curry chicken with potatoes, cucumber and tomato.




R04 GeorgeTown Curry Special with Rice (Long Bean, Cockles & Prawn).
Curry combination of prawns, long bean, cockles, bean curd, and egg plant served with plain rice and cucumber.




R06 Teochew Porridge Set.
A bowl of plain rice porridge served with fried dace, salted egg, pickled lettuce, crispy anchovies and peanuts.




For more of the menu, you can browse through their copy in the website.


My Rank: 3/5

Address:
Lot 8, Komtar Walk,
10000 Georgetown Penang.
For other outlets, refer here.

Tel : 604 - 261 6699
Fax : 604 - 261 8699

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

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Full of Beans Straits Quay Penang - Handcrafted Specialty Coffee and Syphon Coffee

Ahem... what's new in Straits Quay? Charlie Brown Cafe? Yup. What else? There are plenty of places to try out coffee and to be lucky enough, I found another one which got my attention as soon as I came out from the car park yesterday. FULL OF BEANS, a cafe selling Handcrafted Specialty Coffee!

Full of Beans is a place for the coffee aficionados. Here you will find coffee beans, equipment and accessories for everything to do with coffee. They even supply handmade coffees and speciality cakes for you to sit and savour.




I think you know a bit about Syphon coffee （賽風咖啡） right? It's getting popular in Penang now, especially after Coffee Lane was opened. Now you have another place to enjoy syphon coffee in Penang.

A vacuum coffee maker brews coffee using two chambers where vapor pressure and vacuum produce coffee which is clean, crisp, rich, and smooth compared to other brewing methods. This type of coffee maker is also known as vac pot, siphon or syphon coffee maker, and was invented by Loeff of Berlin in the 1830s. These devices have since been used for more than a century in many parts of the world. Design and composition of the vacuum coffee maker varies. The chamber material is borosilicate glass (pyrex), metal, or plastic, and the filter can be either a glass rod or a screen made of metal, cloth, paper, or nylon.

Would you care to have a cup of coffee with me?




The menu. So many types of coffee to choose from. Yesterday was their first day of business, so the shop offered a promotional rate of RM18 nett per person coffee tasting, and you get to taste 3 types of coffee brewed from coffee beans from different continents:-
(1) Mocha from Ethiopia
(2) Mandheling from Indonesia
(3) Columbia from South America




Normal price is from RM8.50 per cup, but now you get to taste 3 types at only RM18!! If you happen to read my post before 2nd May 2011, you still have a few hours to enjoy 3 types of coffee at this rate because they offered only 3 days for this coffee tasting package (30Apr-2May). Do you like the feel of my collaged photos?




I approached one of the owners while enjoying the coffee with my family there, getting him to introduce more in depth story of their coffee. (First step towards professional journalism as I am going to start contributing to VisitPenang publications soon. Hurrah~)

Okay, some stories of Full of Beans to share here... Majority of the coffee beans are imported from Taiwan, they have francise there. The coffee beans are freshly ground, and the aroma... WHOA!!! I felt like in heaven for an hour throughout the tasting session. A little tipsy after trying out the 3 types of coffee actually. I think caffeine can make one drunk too... We got more than just the order, like 6... including cold sips offered by the boss.

What is the principle behind the syphon brewing method?

The principle of a vacuum coffee maker is to heat water in the lower vessel of the brewer until expansion forces the contents through a narrow tube into an upper vessel containing coffee grounds. When the lower vessel has more or less emptied itself and enough time has elapsed, the heat is removed and the resulting vacuum will draw the brewed coffee through a strainer back into the lower chamber from which it can be decanted. The device must usually be taken apart to pour out the coffee.

Syphon coffee apparatus. Similar to the apparatus used in science lab during our schooling time - Bunsen burner and glass flasks.




One of the specialty recommended - Iced Drip Coffee. The aroma and taste is very very strong. The top carafe is filled with ice cubes, and the total time of processing is about 8 hours, depending on how fast the ice cubes melt. Yes, definitely you need the long soak to get every bit of the best out, and I understand from some little research on cold drip coffee, it actually has less caffeine and less acidity. and the caffeine of ice drop coffee is 4x more than normal brew coffee for theirs, that's why it's so strong. (Thanks for the info Jeannie Lee.)




Macarons served together with coffee. Perfect blend of sweet and bitter.




The staffs busy preparing coffee. The seating is still very limited at the moment, I think the max person they can fit in is 20 at the moment, but the new coffee tables and chairs are coming soon. Now you can also choose to sit right in front of the counter and have very close look at how they brew the coffee. Live demonstration, it's interesting!




Great moments with family through the long weekend.




Syphon coffee tasting is a total different experience, unlike how you have your cup of coffee at Starbucks or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. You need patience; and some leisure time. In order to get the most luxury of out of your taste buds when tasting 3 types of difference coffee beans in one visit itself, remember to take a few sips of water during the interval of servings. Else you mix up all the flavor, and spoil the taste.



We'll definitely be back. Despite the longer waiting time to get the coffee brewed, we are very much satisfied with the taste, and also the environment. Perfect even without sugar. We just lurve the original coffee as it is.




My Rank: 4/5 (improvement needed: more tables and chairs please)

Address:
3A-1-6,
Straits Quay Marina Mall,
Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang 3,
10470 Tanjong Bungah, Penang

Tel: 0164119066

Email: thebeanmerchant@hotmail.com

Business hours: 10am-10pm

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/FULL-of-BEAN/173396872705941

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