Street Food Festival: As Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang are still under CMCO, it will be difficult for us to enjoy Malaysia popular street food. Instead of going out, now TIGER Beer brings this popular street food right to your home with the TIGER STREET FOOD Virtual Festival which was launched on 6th November 2020 at 11am and will be opened from 11am to 9pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the end of November 2020.
With this TIGER STREET FOOD VIRTUAL FESTIVAL 2020, besides being able to order your favourite street foods from the computer or mobile phone, you will also be in for special promotion for TIGER Beer as well. the Tiger Street Food Virtual Festival is much more than simply a home delivery service – it recreates the full experience of a food festival in a completely digital world.
TIGER STREET FOOD Virtual Festival 2020 BY TIGER BEER
Weekend Hi-Tea Buffet: With the MCO still in operation, there are not many choices for a buffet at hotels. Recently Pullman Bangsar started its' weekend hi-tea buffet offering with a stringent SOP procedure to enable its guest to enjoy many of its delicious fares.
The Weekend Hi-Tea buffet that Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar offers is a culinary collection experience which is the Penang Street Food & Dim Sum Hi-Tea Buffet, blending the lines between journey and nourishment by combining gastronomic ventures with pacifying stays at the brand’s luxury portfolio of hotels.
Weekend Hi-Tea @ Pullman Bangsar Kuala Lumpur - Penang Street Food And Chinese Dim Sum Hi-Tea
Our third destination for the SuperStar Libra Cruise is to Penang (Day 4)
Picture Courtesy of Penang Port
The SuperStar Libra reach the Penang Island at 8am and the ship was berthed at Penang Port (Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal). Strategically located next to the Penang town, there are so many things you can see and do which is within walking distance or you can call a car sharing apps like Grab and Uber to send you to some of the other attraction Penang has to offer; like Penang Hill, Snake Temple or the Batu Ferringhi Beach.
But if you are on a budget, you can see also see part of Penang without spending a dime; seriously. You just take a short walk to the Feri Terminal Bus Station where you can board the Penang CAT FREE Shuttle Bus.
The Hop OnFree Central Area Transit (CAT) ply the route between Weld Quay Jetty and Komtar on a 15-minute intervals from 6 am-12 midnight. See the above map for reference of its point.
Exploring the grounds of the UNESCO World Heritage City has never been this convenient with the 19 CAT stops in between all the famous heritage landmarks of Penang! You can climb onboard the CAT bus and explore all the wonderful heritage sites of Penang. You can take a tour of the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, Fort Cornwallis, Penang War Memorial, City Hall, Penang Supreme Court Building, Cathedral of the Assumption, Penang State Museum, Goddess of Mercy Temple, The Pinang Peranakan Mansion, Church Street Pier, Mahamariamman Temple, Khoo Kongsi, Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion, Francis Light's grave and many more heritage sites!
Since i have been to Penang many times over, site seeing is not in my list this round. Before boarding the Penang CAT Free Shuttle Bus, we decided to pay a visit to the popular tourist attraction of Chew Jetty. The Chew Jetty is just a minute walks from the Feri Terminal Bus Station.
One of the unique features about Chew Jetty is the entire village is built on stilts above the sea; so you won't be surprised to see the sea below your feet when the tide is up.
At this village, you can see some of the houses have been converted to commercial outlet; selling from souvenirs item to food and etc.
One of the popular food here at Chew Jetty; is the Big Bowl Noodle.
Our first stop of the FREE CAT Shuttle is at Komtar. For anyone going to Penang, you can;t missed out on tasting some of the popular Penang street food. This round I will taste out a few famous fare; starting with the famed Char Kway Teow, the signature Nasi Kandar and the famous Penang Cendol.
For this trip, since I am moving around the Penang CAT Free Shuttle Bus route, I decided to taste out some of these famous eateries within walking distance of each of these stop along the route. My first pit stop is at Lorong Selamat (less than a 10-minute walk from the Komtar bus stop) which is famed for the Penang style Char Kway Teow. For direction, view the map below.
Laden with fried pork lard, it makes the noodle with an extra punch. Here the Char Kway Teow is cooked with Chinese Sausage, Cockles and Prawns. Other Penang favourite dishes that are served at this coffee shop includes the Loh Bak, Sotong Kang Kong, Fried Oyster and more.
After the meal, we decided to stroll around the Komtar area where there is an attraction called The TOP @Komtar. There is much attraction here that you can do like the Rainbow Sky-Walk, 7D Discovery Motion Theatre and more.
After the short visit at Komtar, I decided to quench my thirst with a cendol drink from the Penang Road Famous Cendol. It is just a short walk from Komtar. For direction, view the map below.
This place is packed and there is a queue lining by the cart with a lot of tourist for this famed cendol, but don;t be fooled as there are a number of shops carrying the same name; so it is best to see our photo for the right one.
Price RM2.90. You can also try out the other Penang food at this coffee-shop Assam Laksa, Fried Oyster, Popiah and Char Kway Teow too.
As I was walking to my next food destination; I pass by the Pasar Chow Rasta. You can easily buy a few of the popular Penang snack from here.
This market is also very popular for its preserved fruits.
Since I am doing a walking tour and would like to taste out another famous Penang dish, I decided to try the Line Clear Nasi Kandar as it is within walking distance from the Penang Komtar and also have a bus stop for the Penang CAT Free Shuttle bus service to take me back to the port. For direction, view the map below.
Line Clear Nasi Kandar is one of the earliest Nasi Kandar vendors in Penang. Again, don't be fooled by the signboard as there is 2 shop with the same name. The original one is in the lane beside the shop; you should not missed it as there is a queue lining there.
You can choose your favourite dishes like fried chicken, beef, squid, prawns and the famed fish head curry.
As I am on my own, calling a fish head is too much for one person, so I decided for an order of squid, beef and vegetables with a combination of curry sauces (RM17.10). This mixture is what makes the Nasi Kandar unique; as the multitude of flavours from each of the curries is intertwined with each other.
For those that love cafe hopping; can try out this 2 popular cafe; the first of which is the Awesome Canteen which has a rustic charming interior of the olden days shop house which is in 1950's era; which serves cakes, coffee and cafe food.
or you can walk across the street to the China House - Penang Longest Cafe.
serving artisan coffee and an array of cakes and dessert that makes a sweet tooth drool.
Why this is Penang Longest Cafe: You can take a walk of more than 2 minutes from front to end. In between there are many seating areas for you to spend time in each which its unique charm. This is my last pit-stop as it was time to head back to the ship.
Continuing on our Penang holiday, we took a short drive and soon arrived at the Majestic Macalister Mansion Penang for our second night Penang Holiday to enjoy more Penang Food.
Macalister Mansion Address:
228 Macalister Road,
10400 George Town, Penang
It was like we are in the midst to turning back time with the Victorian style mansion that will be hosting us for our night stay.
A stunner in so many ways, this concept venue with a keen focus on dashing design is set inside a refurbished 1900s colonial-style mansion, with a facade of white Greek revival pillars, intricate trellises and a giant bust of Sir Macalister.
Macalister Mansion – a five-star boutique hotel, with an illustrious fine-dining restaurant, cafe, a cozy wine lounge and cigar den which shout out the best money can buy – is a subtle tribute to Penang’s rich colonial past.
Living Room Macalister Mansion is a perfect place to have Afternoon Tea especially for ladies that likes to take a nice picture as the decor in this All Day Dining Restaurant at Macalister Mansion will transform one to the Victorian style Afternoon tea setting.
Living Room @Macalister Mansion Address
228 Macalister Road,
10400 George Town, Penang
With the nice decor, having the Afternoon Tea at the Living Room will set you in the mood for a nice afternoon setting.
There are wall stencils of cats, clocks and a fireplace, hanging greens and square tile floors, and chairs in every conceivable material (wood, plastic, metal etc.), colour and shape.
Deck with Victorian style tables and finely crafted settee, it makes one wonder of the charms of the colonial era.
What makes our 8 Course Chef Tasting Set Dinner Menu Dining Room @ Macalister Mansion Penang (Malaysia Tatler's Best Restaurant for 2013 and 2014) special is that you do not need to worry what's for dinner, you are game on to experience the multitude of surprised dishes that the Chef has in store for us.
Dining Room @ Macalister Mansion Penang Address
228, Jalan Macalister, George Town,
11400 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
The decor is pure colonial couture with all-white furniture accented by a giant faux white tree in the centre of the room, exudes a full elegant, classy and romantic ambiance.
The kitchen at the Dining Room is headed by Chef Johnson Wong (who was trained in a Michelin-starred restaurant) and his menu of modern contemporary cuisine that favored local produce (which changes every two months) is just so tasty and his humble, friendly manner makes the meal a relaxed one.
As mention earlier, the only menu available is a 4-course dinner where patrons can choose from. Other than that you don't expect pages of dishes to choose from but for us tonight, we are here to taste out the 8 Course Chef Tasting Menu. The menu according to Chef will only be revealed at the end of the dinner. This concept of Chef Tasting Menu is quite popular in oversea especially so in Japan (Omakase - Chef Choice).
To celebrate the completion of my son 'O' levels exam recently, we plan to take a leisure Penang holiday with the family and decided to check out 2 very popular hotel in Penang island. Our first day of our stay is at the popular Hotel Equatorial Penang.
This hotel is one of the first 5 Star hotel in Penang. Set 77 m above sea level, Hotel Equatorial Penang offers a 360 degrees panoramic and scenic view of Bukit Jambul and is located strategically to the Penang International Airport, the two Penang Bridges, and the bustling hub of Bayan Lepas which is just a short drive away. It is also a 20-minute drive from the UNESCO certified heritage city of George Town.
Hotel Equatorial Penang Lobby
Upon arrival at the Hotel Lobby for our 3 Days 2 Nights Penang holiday, we were greeted with a voluminous, airy and natural lit lobby, where you will be amazed by the architecture design of this 26 years old Hotel that was refurbished recently.
Night View From Hotel Equatorial Penang
The Hotel Equatorial Penang has many facilities for its guest among them is a fully-equipped fitness centre, massage and spa facilities, indoor squash, outdoor tennis among the many facilities that we will be checking out later.
During our stay at the hotel, we decided to check out Kampachi Japanese Restaurant @ Hotel Equatorial Penang which is a very popular Japanese Restaurant in Penang especially for their weekend buffet promotion.
Kampachi Japanese Restaurant @ Hotel Equatorial Penang Address
Lower Ground Floor Hotel Equatorial Penang
1 Jalan Bukit Jambul , Bayan Lepas, 11900 Penang, Malaysia
The Kampachi Weekend Buffet offers a wide variety of Japanese dishes from fresh seafood, Sashimi to the special Teppanyaki and also the other popular Japanese cuisines which are served during the weekend buffet.
As we enter the restaurant it is almost filled to the brim, a testament to the popularity of this restaurant to the Penang folks.
The first not to be missed dish is the Sashimi as there is a wide variety which includes the crowd favourite Salmon and Tuna which is prepared by Chef Cheah.
