Doli Kuew Teow

Last weekend hubby AK and I decided to visit his Mom who is staying 80km away from us. You see we did not visit her on her birthday because it was a working day, so last Saturday we packed all the presents, bought lots of durian ( her favourite and mine too) and went to visit her. Coincidentally AK's other brother was also there. So it became like a family gathering with lots of tea, durians and rojaks. Later that night mom in law suggested that we go out for dinner in this new restaurant in Taiping. Being a small town, Taiping does not have many restaurant to boast, so the locals were a little excited when this new Malay restaurant opened a few months ago. It is called Doli restaurant, located near Tupai opposite the new Taiping Polyclinic. According to mom in law their special dish is Fried Kuey Teow and it is individually prepared for customers. There was 12 of us and one of Ak's aunt had gone earlier to book a place for all of us. Everyone ordered the Fried Kuey Teow, except for AK and Sofi, they had Chicken Rice. My son MS had Curry Mee and I ordered an extra plate of Mee Rebus (Noodles in spicy Sweet potato and prawn gravy) just to taste. The Kuey Teow was very nice with lots of shrimps and vegetables. A little salty for me though. The Chicken Rice was unique because instead of the usual boiled roasted chicken this was chicken roasted and served with peanut sauce. Very nice. Ms enjoyed his Curry Mee. Since MS is the biggest food critic around I was surprised that he ate his noodle quietly. Later he acknowledged that the noodle was very good. The Mee Rebus was also good. But Ak did not like the strong dried shrimp smell from the gravy. But then you have to be a through and through Penangite to savor the taste of Mee Rebus and I give them the Thumbs UP! The restaurant also serve a variety of fruit juice. You have to come early though in the weekend because the place will be full. The picture above is only of CUrry Mee and Mee Rebus. I actually forgot to take picture of the Fried Kuey Teow but will do so another time. Restaurant Doli will be opening their new branch in Taman Tun in Kuala Lumpur soon according to the Proprietor.

Chicken Bryani in Tajudeen HusseinPenang

Today, I was feeling a little lazy to cook. Moreover Hubby Ak had work in Penang, and was around for breakfast. By the time I cleared up it was already late in the morning. Then Sofi had some problem with her school work. I had to sit down and guide her which again took an hour. By this time, the cleaner who comes weekly to clean my house came. So I taught of just buying food from town for lunch. There is this shop in Little India Penang which sells excellent Bryani. You can find chicken cooked in various style, mutton masala, turkey masala,an assortment of vegetables, chutneys and dalcha. The food will be available for lunch as early as 11 am. Most of the time there will be a huge crowd waiting outside the shop. If you go there say, at 2pm, chances are you will return empty handed. Everything will be sold out by then. Ramadhan month, when all Muslims around the world fasts, is another time when this place wil be crowded.Anyway Ak just came back with lunch. I can smell the wonderful aroma of chicken Bryani in the air as I'm typing at my computer.For today AK bought chicken Bryani, spicy Chicken Masala, Mutton Kurma, Chicken Dalcha, pineapple salad and their trademark coconut chutney! MMM..mmm... I guess thats all for now, my stomach is growling and I can feel the gastric juices reacting to the smell of this wonderful food. By the way the name of this restaurant is Tajudeen Hussein, located in Market Street, Penang.

South Indian Restaurant

The other day we wanted to eat something light for dinner.So we headed for some Thosai with sambar or lentil gravy. One of the most famous South Indian Restaurant in Penang is Ananada Bhavan located in little India. This is your usual Kopitiam kind of place where they have air cond and non air-cond area.

Ak and I ordered plain dosa/thosai, while Sofi ordered her favourite Ghee paper thosai. Shak ordered Kottu Paratha which is somewhat like a pancake chopped and fried with spices, vegetables and eggs. MS ordered the famous prawn fried rice though you can say it is not a typical Indian dish.

The food here is very good especially the thosai varieties which comes with various chutneys and piping hot sambar. The kotthu paratha was excellent. the spices was well blended and did not leave any bitter after taste. This dish also comes with fresh yogurt chutney. The prawn fried rice, is one of the best we have tasted. Basmathi rice is cooked in high heat with fresh vegetables, prawns,and eggs.

For drinks I as usual ordered fresh milk Bru coffee, Shak and her father had Nescafe, MS ordered fresh mango Lassi and Sofi had milk tea. We had been here many times and we always go back with satisfaction. Ananda Bhavan has another branch located in Gurney Drive which caters mostly for tourist. My children prefer this place for their ambiance. I don't mind either because the place is clean, and airy near the sea but only slightly more expensive than the one in town. Happy eating

Chillin Out

Last Sunday we decided to eat out. I think my family and I are probably the only ones who had not eaten in Chili's. Not that we don't want to but because of personal choice. But anyway after listening to all those "Have you tried their Chicken Tacos..?" or " Wow you must try the Chicken Fajitas..mmm..mmm", I finally bowed down to pressure and decided to give Chili's a try. In Penang there's only one outlet and that is in Gurney Plaza which is 30 minutes drive from my house. When we reached Chili's, we were told that it will take least half an hour before we can be seated. My kids who are quite adventurous when it comes to food did not mind the long drive and the longer wait. After about 35 minutes, we were taken to our seats. My son ordered Fajitas Quesadillas, my eldest daughter wanted Chicken Tacos and my hubby ordered Chicken crispers. My youngest who is nine years old ate for free. Hers was Kids Hot dogs with fries. Me... I ordered nothing. I was told that the portions are big, and the food looked too rich that I decided to share with my daughter. (You can say I'm the picky one of the lot.)For drinks we all had fruit juices. The food came after awhile and I was amazed at the portion. It was quite big. Then we started to eat. I honestly can say that we have eaten better food. What a let down!! The chicken taco was tasteless. The chicken filling was bland and the vegetable salad was not so fresh. Next the chicken crispers. The chicken was oozing with oil and the fries that came with it looked burned. My son's Fajitas Quesadillas was the only one that tasted okay. But the black bean rice that came with was uggh!! Finally the free kids meal. The sausage was hard and the bun was dry !! I don't know what is the hooohaa about this place. I don't think its only me who thinks the food was not good. My whole family felt dissapointed. Thank God I did not order anything. First time in history nobody wanted to eat the fries. Usually the french fries will be the first to finish but here, we just left them on the plate. Anyway this is my experience. If any of you want to eat here I have no comments. Maybe Chili's might want to change their recipe and hire people who don't burn the fries. Happy eating...