Delicious Cafe, Straits Quay Penang
I have written two bad reviews of Bella Marino and Charlie Brown cafes in Straits Quay. So, I was a little apprehensive of going to another cafe again because I do not look forward to rant about bad foods again. I had been to Delicious Cafe in KL and am glad when I heard it is coming to Penang.
However, I never find time to drop by until today. I was there for lunch with my two sons. The place is rather crowded and I have only an hour of lunch. So, stress is maximum as I have an appointment at 2 pm and I have to finish before that.
In this circumstances, I am extra edgy, demanding and critical. However, Delicious Cafe pleased me and phew…there is no bad review this time.
Service was prompt, pleasant and efficient. They offered water which many food outlets are charging. For example, Secret Recipe charges plain water which I think is cut-throat. After all, how is one going to swallow a slice of cake without some water to wash it down?
I ordered the duck confit spaghettini while my little boy ordered the Mac & Cheese from the kid’s menu. My eldest son had the beef waghyu pie.
My boy who is a big eater cannot finish the mac & cheese because it is really creamy. One doesn’t find good ole mac & cheese like Delicious anymore because many outlets tend to scrimp on the cheese and cream to make a decent mac & cheese. If you are a small eater, do try it. It comes with a tiny bowl of cucumber and carrot sticks too.
I have no complaint about my pasta because I love duck. I like the simplicity and the flavourful sun dried tomatoes. They are generous with the sun dried tomatoes unlike other outlets which put what looks like tomatoes skin only.
As for the pie, I think a reduction of the pickled shallots or whatever that is will be good as the flavour is too strong and sort of kills the beef natural gamey taste. My eldest son picked out all the carrots and I think there are way too many carrots in there too. The menu is Beef and Mushroom pies but I do not see many mushrooms in there, which is a pity as the mushroom will go well with beef.
Now the desserts…
My eyes were attracted to the Red Velvet Cake simply because it is red. Taste wise, I do not have much to say as I have never eaten a red velvet cake before. It is rather dry and doesn’t have much flavours, except for the creamy cheese on top.
As for the cupcakes, it looks pretty and is buttery. There are plenty of cakes at the counter and I will try them another time. Is there any recommended cake from Delicious Cafe?
Bali, Indonesia – One of top ten islands to visit before you die
Penang and Bali are two islands mentioned in Yahoo Travel as the top ten islands to visit before you die. I have read so much about Bali. I had been to several islands in Thailand like Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta, Koh Samui, Phi Phi and more. I had read and heard so much about Bali.
So, in my imagination, Bali has to be a class above those islands in Thailand. Maybe it is my own fault for weaving such magical feel about the island that I was expecting paradise on earth. That’s why I insisted to fly to Bali though my hubby was suggesting Vietnam.
I booked tickets through AirAsia and it wasn’t that cheap either as the ticket per person is about RM700 plus as I booked about a week ahead only. It is low season in Bali so the hotels were rather cheap. I booked the hotels through Agoda because AirAsia is actually rather expensive.
We landed in Bali and immediately, the grumpy and stuck up immigration gave me a bad impression of the island. There were no clear signs or personnels to direct us. So, most of us from the flight were actually queuing at the counter where the foreigners were applying for longer stay visa.
Then, the stuffy immigration officer insisted my 8 years old son to approach the counter ‘one by one’. My poor kid is too short to show his face so he had to leap and jump. I wasn’t allowed to go beyond the yellow line to accompany him. Like doh…what can a mom and a child do at that immigration counter?
TAXI
The airport is at Ngurah Rai and it is just minutes away from Kuta where my hotel is. Taxi fares are cheap in Bali. Take only the dark blue or light blue taxis, coupons which you can buy from the airport counter. They use the meter so you do not have to worry of being fleeced. That night, we also took a taxi around Kuta and beyond and it doesn’t cost us much either.
RENT A DRIVER AND CAR
Do not attempt to drive in Kuta or anywhere in Bali. The roads are horrible with narrow roads, bad roadsigns, nightmare motorbikes and even kids barely 10 years old riding bikes without helmets with pillion riders, huge potholes and bad, bad, chaotic jam. Then, there seems to be no traffic law when you get to a junction because everyone is rushing to cross to the other side. Motorbikers are fearless and will not slow down for your car.
Bali traffic is so different from Thailand. We had driven in Thailand up to Phuket and we never encounter such nailbiting rides before. So, the safest is to hire a driver who will drive you around in 7-seaters SUV. We hired one for only Rupiah450,000 or about RM170 only. He drove us around, take us wherever we want for 12 hours. Petrol and parking on him. However, we paid for his meals.
BALI MAIN ATTRACTIONS
Without doubt, the temples are the main attractions. The temples are beautiful but frankly, there is only so much you can see. The altars where the Balinese Hindus pray are out of bound from tourists. After the first day, I have enough of black, hairy roof pagodas.
I asked the driver what are those black hairy roofing. He said these are some grass.
The scene in Bali is totally unique. There are family temples build from bricks and these are like little forbidden cities. So, these clusters of houses and one temple are all over Bali.
When you talk about Bali, you think of white sandy beaches. Yes, the beaches are kilometres long, as far as the eyes can see. However, the beaches along Kuta is not for swimming as the waves are very high. I do not know about Nusa Dua as we didn’t go there since I read that it is for the rich mat sallehs (Europeans, Australians, Americans) so I suppose we couldn’t afford it.
Spices sold at Bedegul. Vanilla beans are cheap.
Bali is actually not very big but travelling time is long because of the bad roads and the horrific jam. We headed for Ubud where the paddy fields are. Before that, we visited the Bedegul area where it is much more cooling and there are a couple of nice lakes and temples.
There is another lake where the volcano is but my children protested about another day of travelling. They do not fancy a 12-hour tour of lakes, car, temples and more cars. So, we stay put in Ubud for two days.
BALINESE FOODS
Bakso is beef balls in soup with glass noodles
Our driver and even one taxi driver warned us about eating at the small stalls. Our driver, Henry said he watched on TV about ‘bad meats used by these roadside stalls’. So, we were fearful of eating any warong meals. In a way, it sort of robbed off our adventure of travelling as we dare not sample local foods too much.
If I remember, this is some ayam bertutu or whatever
The staple meals in Bali is chicken dishes served with sambal, vege and tempe. They have ayam bertutu, ayam taliwang and etc which is like ayam penyet sold here. They are delicious. So are the sate kambeng and nasi padang.
Nasi Padang which we can find locally in Malaysia
Talking about nasi padang, we were probably fleeced because we went to this Nasi Padang place where they brought out so many cold dishes. We had them returned and picked only what we want. The stall owner said, ‘Tak apa, makan dulu, kalau tak habis, tak kira’. Hmmm…I wonder how clean is their foods then?
There are other good foods but they are a bit over-rated in my opinion. It is not cheap either as each meals cost us about RM120 and above. And we are talking about regular pork and duck only, not some fancy seafoods.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT BALI
Dogs. They have some banner about preventing rabies and they had probably shot many dogs dead. However, there are still dogs around. One night, as I was walking back to my hotel alone, I was freaked out by the number of dogs hanging around.
Monkeys. I was told that in Uluwatu which is at another part of Bali, they have a place with huge, fierce and fearsome monkeys. I didn’t want to go. I myself am afraid of being attack by them, how to protect my kids? My friend who went there before told me their tour guide told them one cannot even wear spectacles or the monkeys will snatch that away.
Then, there is the monkey forest. I didn’t go in as well though it was within walking distance from my hotel. My hubby told me the monkeys are sacred so they are probably tame. I told my hubby maybe the monkeys know I am not a Hindu so they will attack me. LOL.
And this is one thing I like about Bali
The 3-legged Rhino drink in orange flavour. The Balinese call it the Jeruk flavour. I drank a few cans and my piss smells funny. Really funny. Like chemicals smell. I wonder what they put in there? Hmm…
In summary, if you are a Muslim, I will have to caution you about haram-halal foods because you just never know what is what. I dare not buy any food stuffs back for my colleagues because you never know what is what. I came back from Bali empty handed, with only 3 bars of Balinese natural soaps. This is like the most economical trip because I am always crazy for souvenirs and local handicrafts.
The much talkabout Bebek Bengil from Ubud Bali
When I was in Bali, there were two things that I must eat. One is the Babi Guling Ibu Oka which I found to be so-so only. The other one is the Bebek Bengil which is also found in Ubud Bali. Like most foods in Bali, this is not halal too. In fact, I think our Muslim friends will find it hard get any certified halal foods in Bali.
When I was in Bali, we stayed for one night in Kuta which is located near the beach and two nights in Ubud which is at the northern side. Ubud’s weather is cooling and it is generally a paddy fields, forest and villages place.
Bebek Bengil means Dirty Ducks. According to the story, when they open a restaurant there, they do not know what to name it and a flock of ducks walked in and dirtied their floor with duck prints. So, it is called Bebek Bengil.
I love the atmosphere at Bebek Bengil. We were there for dinner and the sun was setting. I didn’t bring my camera along and took all these photos with my iPhone. It gets dark really fast in Bali and by 5.30 pm, the place is depressingly dark.
We ordered a few dishes, both western and ducks. The bebek bengil is their speciality. It is duck steamed till tender and then, deep fried till crispy. The price for half a duck is about RM24 which is rather reasonable. I believe these are free range ducks as there are plenty of ducks running around the paddy fields in Bali.
As with most Bali’s dishes, rice is always served with a platter of several small dishes like the sambal, kerabu onions and the long beans.
There are many duck dishes but some have be to pre-ordered. My sons ordered duck fried rice and another the pasta.
Bebek Bengil is an upper class dining place with nice desserts and cocktails. This coconut pie caught my eyes and I ordered one slice. It is about RM12. My son ordered a banana pie with icecream.
The banana pie comes with orange compote and it is absolutely heavenly.
The Bebek Bengil is definitely a nice place to visit if you are in Bali. It is in Ubud and not very hard to find. Just ask, and Ubud seems to have only one road so you won’t miss it. Bebek Bengil is one of the few places that I love in Bali.
As for the Babi Guling Ibu Oka, I still find the charm missing as all the rice and meat were cut and ready to be served. It is like a soup kitchen where everyone is immediately given a plate and expected to finish and scram so that others can take our place. But for Bebek Bengil, it is one place where you want to stay longer and enjoy. That is if you can stand the mozzie bites. 
Healthy, quick tea time snack – Pearl Corn
My children love corn but pearl corn is not easily found at stalls. Pearl Corn is different from the normal corn because it is so sweet, have bigger kernels and can be eaten fresh. It is call pearl corn because of the white kernels.
Nowadays, most wet markets sell fresh pearl corn which comes from Cameron Highlands. It is more expensive than regular corn but it is worth the money.
We just had steamed pearl corn. The kids wanted them with butter and a bit of salt so the good mommy steamed it over a pot of boiling water and slather salt and butter on the three cobs. You can also pop the corn into the microwave and put it on high for about 2-3 minutes to cook it.
Of course, you need to peel off the outer layers which are the leaves and the corn silk or the hairy stuffs and then, wash the cobs clean before steaming. It is good to give to children steamed corn instead of fresh ones because we never know what bacteria sticks to them. Steaming will be safer for them.
So, do the ‘buka sarong, nampak bulu, buka bulu nampak biji, buka biji, nampak batang’ ritual, ok? Kekekeke
Kopi what? Kopitan. Kopi tiam? Kopitan!
The name Kopitan makes me rubbed my eyes because I thought I read wrongly. I thought it is Kopitiam. But no, the place is call Kopitan. Maybe a mish-mash of Kapitan Kopitiam?
Seriously, I am beginning to get tired of all the kopikats of Old Town kopitiam. But surprising, Kopitan located at Logan Heritage, the corner of Beach Street and Union Street is not bad at all. Ok, maybe it is because my friends and I were hungry and we were not happy at all with Lighthouse Coffee.
You see, we went to Lighthouse Coffee to have some bitch-chats. You know…a get together to talk about politics, news and people. Mostly people. But the Lighthouse not only have no hot cooked foods (as in pastas), the only guy there was so blur. So, we walked out after coffee and headed to Kopitan.
I was telling my friends who are reporters, “It is their big loss because they failed to impress this food blog diva and totally disappointed you two (who are big names reporters). ”
My tomyam beehoon is good, with large prawns and tastes just right. It is not expensive either, I think only around RM6.90. (my coffee at Lighthouse was RM9.50, drat! And it doesnt even taste coffee but some strawberry soda)
This plate of black pepper stir fried noodle is good as well. Nothing special but nothing to complain. Service was quick, waiters very friendly too.
The other friend was initially not very impressed with her plate of fish and chips but the fish turned out not dry and not bad at all too.
This ketayap pleased both of us who like sweet stuffs. There are other desserts but unfortunately, I was too full to sample it.
For drinks, I ordered the longan drink which is only RM2.90 if I am not mistaken and it is loaded with lots of dried longan.
Kopitan is certainly a good, economical place to hangout because they have a wide variety of foods which include the common ‘roti dan telor setengah masak’. I will definitely pop by again if I am in the area. BTW, the outlet of Old Town White Coffee at Whiteaways, which is the building next to Logan is also very comfortable to hang out.
If you haven’t been to that area, do check it out. Subway is also there. But give Lighthouse a miss, because the guy was so blurry and clueless, he didn’t deliver the moist walnut cake that my friend ordered and we laughed that the guy has left her dry.
