TAO - Authentic Asian Cuisine

I was skeptical of TAO on my first visit. I read about a lot of unpleasant thing about them prior to my visit. Surprisingly, it turned out not bad at all. Apparently they have two sessions for dinner - one at 5.30 and the other at 8.15 pm. We arrived at 7 pm and was told we had to leave by 8.15 pm if we were to sit inside. After getting assurance on the timeliness of their service, we agreed to leave at 8.15pm!

The a-la carte prices are way way sky high and it's cheaper to go with the Eat All you Can Eat buffet at only RM 45 ++.


Tuna Tataki (A la carte - RM 15) - Soaked tuna fish soaked in vinegar, sesame seeds, seaweed and benito shavings. This dish is simply superb and we had 2 servings of it!


Steamed Unagi - hmm...I did not sampled this dish but according to my other half, it's only so - so and the dish came with a lot of cabbage! I ain't see no unagi!


Motoyaki Scallop (Ala carte - RM 20) hhmm...what shall I say about this dish??it's uumm...ok i guess but we ordered 4 servings of it! The sauce on the scallops tasted slightly like thousand island and some of the scallops were odd shaped - weird!


Crabmeat with cheese (Alacarte - RM 10) This is also an interesting dish..when they waitress placed it on our table, the basket is so big but it has only 4 miserable pieces of 'crabmeat' with cheese. I saw/tasted no crabmeat and the cheese is cream cheese. Tasted abit weird though..another so - so dish.



I have no idea what this dish is called but it was recommended by the waitress. She told us, the fish is full of eggs! The dish came with 3 fish and the more I ate it..I felt so guilty! The fish is really literally filled with millions of unhatched eggs and it made me feel like a murderer! Anyhow, the fish is a little fishy.. but those that enjoy fish eggs..this is the dish for YOU!


It's not possible to have Japanese food without sashimi and the Deluxe Sashimi (Alacarte - RM 35) - Only I ate the sashimi and I ordered 2 plates. it comes with 2 slices of salmon, tuna, octopus and some other fish! not bad but after my second plate I hit my limit of raw fish - this is very surprising.


Yakitori (Ala carte - RM 10) - This Japanese satay is not the nicest I've eaten and there were peices of chicken skin! This yakitori loose hands down to Tori-Q of Singapore


Kushi Yaki (Ala carte - Rm 12) - This is seafood satay and it has squid, fish and bell peppers! Another so - so dish


Spider Rolls aka Soft shell crab sushi! - This dish is quite nice but I must say comparatively with the other dishes, there are a lot of rice involved - I think it's supposed to make you full quickly.


General chicken (Alacarte - RM 12) Initially we think we didn't ordered this dish but we were glad it came coz it's by far the best chicken dish here! I don't know what sauce it is but it's kinda sweet and we ordered 2 servings - we just couldn't help ourselves!


Schezuan Spicy & Sour Soup ( Alacarte - RM 6) - This is the dish not to order next time..it's not spicy nor sour and I think the Oriental Soup from Campbell is way better!

Other than the dishes above, we did have grilled salmon, grilled saba(butter fish), Taiwanese Mantis Prawns (deep fried with peanuts and sauce) The grilled fish and mantis prawns are great but I forgot to kae a pic coz it was too good!!hhehehe


There is also free dessert, Ice Cream or dessert of the day. When I asked what type of ice cream, the waitress simply answerd honey dew sago - what the....is it possible?!?! i thought she heard wrongly. Anyways I ordered and I ate 2 scoops in the end. It was refreshing and yummy

All in all, I would go back to Tao with more friends coz I have yet to sample more food!!

Best Soft Serve

I cannot believe it, I finally found the best soft serve on this planet in PJ. I used to think McDonald's soft serve is the best till I discovered....IKEA. The soft serve is only RM 1 nett! It comes on a sugar cone that is all crunchy and fragrant. You can actually taste the vanilla flavour and the creamy texture of it! Sorry I don't have a picture coz I was rushing against time and the ice cream is darn good and finished - just like that! Now when I'm back in Penang - returning to McDonald's soft serve....I crave for IKEA's!!They are just sooooo gooooodddd.... IKEA: When are you coming to Penang!!! I love your furniture, Ice Cream and Swedish Meatballs!!

Temperance??

Tis post ain't food related but...I have always been a fan of tarot cards and other astrological things. When I saw the website on tarot card readings, I simply couldn't resist. My cards is...rather..hmmmm...confusing...

You are Temperance

Time. Ages. Transformation. Involuntary change

Temperance is another card of aspiration, but also of much change. It often
represents complex situations. Positively, you can harmonize contrary
forces.

Temperance is, on a surface level, about "tempering." The original pouring from cup to cup might have been about cutting wine with water. So this is a card about moderation. There is, however, another angle to the card, that of merging seemingly impossible opposites. Sagittarius, the centaur, merges beast and man into a unique creature. And then there is the bow and arrow, one moving, one stationary, working together to point the way. Temperance may be, at first glance, a warning for you to "temper" your behavior, to cut your wine with water. But it may also be a reminder to that seemingly irreconcilable opposites may not be irreconcilable at all. Belief that fiery red and watery blue cannot be merged may be the only thing standing in the way of blending the two. Change the belief, measure out each with care, and you can create otherworldly violet.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Cheap Nasi Melayu in Pulau Tikus

You can find this "pakcik" parked at the junction of Burma Road's inner road or in front of Burmah House. At approximately 12.30 pm on weekdays, his van will be surrounded with people of all races and age! I tell you the food is yummy and the price is reasonable - at times I wonder how he survives..the prices are real low!

Above, bendi, beef rendang, kerabu and rice - only RM 1.80...It's cheaper than a bowl of noodle and even has red meat!!
On Fridays, there usually he cooks Nasi Tomato but you gotta be early to be able to eat it! I shall miss "pakcik's" food..coz I no longer work in Pulau Tikus...If "pakcik" parks near the junction, beside him will a "ah pek" selling deep fried cempedak, sweet potato with "tnee hueh" and yam...at only RM 0.50 per piece. This "ah pek" is very funny and very "chin chai" aka generous and flexible.. His goods are crispy and irresistible!

Mee Sotong aka 'Indian Fried Mee"

The famous Mee Sotong or otherwise known as 'Kelenah Mee' (in hokkien) aka Indian Fried Mee in Old Esplanade is none other than Hameed Pat Mee Sotong! The price ranges from RM 3.50 to RM 5.00. Bear in mind that there is a long wait before your food is served.

I normally order the 'beehoon goreng' aka fried vermicelli. I love the spiciness and the generous amount of sotong' or squid they give!
To wash the food down, the refreshing COCONUT SHAKE at only RM 2.00 is recommended!

It's basically coconut juice with vanilla ice cream

ZingDo

Recently, I keep hearing people saying that Korean fast food chain in Gurney Plaza, Penang (Breeks original location) is 'yucks'. On the other hand got people say not bad 'lar'. So, I decided to give it a try. After much deliberation and asking the cashier on what is nice, I chose BiBim Bap Garlic Chicken Bulgogi Meal that comes with Kimchi soup - RM 10.90

Eating the food for the very first time, I found it a bit bland so i added the unusual chili sauce that was provided. It tasted better. In a nutshell, Bing Bing Bang BiBim Bap Garlic Chicken Bulgogi Meal is just Korean "Sar Poh Fan". The Kimchi soup was the best coz it had a kick and ooomph to it!
My other half ordered the Hotplate Beef Bulgogi set that comes with soup and short grain (Japanese) rice - RM 13.90. The meat comes raw so bring out the chef in you and play with food!!

ZingDo is under the same group of companies with Breeks and Soul Garden! Personally, I find ZingDo so so and I don't like the amount of cucumbers in the food..it overpowers the taste of other things!
I prefer Pepper Lunch in Singapore and best of all, no cucumber and it's yummier but more expensive.


Pepper Lunch

Italiannies

Italiannies: Pasta, Pizza & Vino...The cheapest way on public transport to The Curve is to take the Ikea shuttle bus from the opposite side of Kelana Jaya LRT station... However, a cab would do just fine and the cost is RM 12 to get there.

The best way to enjoy Italiannese is to bring friends and a big appetite! NO KIDDING!!
We got carried away when 4 of us ordered Spagetti & Meatballs, Lagsana A La Ravina, Chicken Parmagiana and Spinach and Artichoke Formaggio - the waiter stopped us and lucky thing he did! In the end we downsize to only Spagetti Meatballs and Lasagna A La Ravina!

While waiting for our meal, we were served fresh bread, 'Ciabatta' with olive oil and vinegar. Best of all, it is F.O.C!!! The bread is so fragrant with herbs and I've never tasted such good, plain bread in my entire life!



Behold the size of the meatballs!! They are nearly as big as my clenched fist! I tell you, the meatballs are so deliciously yummilicious!! On our way out, there was a couple that ordered the Classic Carbonara and Risotto - I salute them!!
Italiannese is by far the best Italian restaurant in terms of quality, quantity and price! When are you guys coming to Penang??? I'll be your regular customer!!

Solid Rock Cafe

This eatery serves good and worth for money food! Their 4 course set lunch (A) are priced at RM 12.90++ and set lunch (B) are priced at RM 23.90++. The choice of Main course from the set lunch (A) are Fried chicken, pan fried fish or foot long sausage with sauce of your choice (mango, calamansi, bbq, black pepper and 'rempah' sauce. On the other hand, the main course choice for menu B is 3 peices of lamb (choice of mint, bbq or black pepper sauce) or Pasta (couldn't remember the choices they have)



The serving for soup of the day is huge with half a toasted garlic bun. The soup is not too creamy and it's home cooked unlike some places where they serve soup from the can! The garlic bread was not too 'garlicky' or too buttery..just nice.



I had the fish with mango sauce. I love to try unusual things which I may regret later. However, I didn't regret this time! The sauce was a pleasant surprise to be tasty and not too much mango taste but it's loaded with vinegar. It tasted good but the more I ate, it became too sourish! By the way, the fish is not dory..I felt that it was sea bass (I forgot to ask).



Dessert was pleasant as well. We got warm butter cake with mixed fruits with a drizzle of strawberry sauce. Mine has an extra half coz my colleague dumped it to my plate before I could say STOP!

Drinks is the usual coffee, tea, ice lemon tea, peach tea and mango juice. Overall the service is good and I give this place 2 thumbs up! I hope people would support them coz we were the only people in the shop other than another table! We also had a pleasant surprise when we paid the bill, the lady told us, the next time we dine, RM 12.00 would be deducted from our bill! (6 of us ate there, so i suppose they give RM 2 discount for every paying person). The shop name is SOLID ROCK CAFE at 11-A LINTANG BURMA, 10350 PENANG. It's situated at the row of shop houses behind Pulau Tikus's Bee Cheng Hiang

Welcome to the life of the not rich and clueless gal

I'm just a simple girl who is very down to earth, silly, crazy and lazy who loves food. Wasted my life in a place busting my ass off but it was all not worth it. I'm finally leaving for a greener pasture but I am starting to miss my job..*sob*sob*. I appear to be innocent to some people bu I am not. My looks deceive people and I am not the type of girl that whines about nothing but I am still a girl that needs pampering once in awhile!