Coffee Lane - "A place where Coffee is Freshly Ground, Freshly Brewed and Freshly Served..."

Coffee Lane is a rather new establishment in Penang which specializes in syphon brewed gourmet coffee. Quite a number of food bloggers have written about the place and since hubs is a coffee lover, we decided to pop in to Coffee Lane one Saturday afternoon after lunch.

I immediately fell in love with the place which retains the original rustic feel of the pre-war building and the contrasting green painted wall. The place is air-conditioned with slow paced music playing in the background so it was quite relaxing.

We ordered the Special Brews (RM10 - RM15) - Peaberry Lintong and Mandheling as recommended by shop owner and coffee enthusiast Terry Beh. The Peaberry brew is supposedly just a bit sour and bitter with a fruity after taste.

We were told by Terry that the Special Brews are made of special roasted beans which are fresher. It was written on the menu that these brews use beans from the 4th day of roasting to the 5th week, of which period you can taste the full flavours and characters of the beans.

P/S: Normally the fruit of the coffee plant develops as two halves of a bean within a single cherry, but sometimes only one of the two seeds gets fertilized so there is nothing to flatten it. This oval (or pea-shaped) bean is known as Peaberry. Typically around 5% of all coffee beans harvested are of this form. Read more about the Peaberry bean at Wikipedia here.

Terry in action

Aromatic freshly brewed coffee

I have to agree that the Peaberry coffee was quite outstanding, more concentrated and all-rounded with a subtle fruity taste. The Mandleling coffee though also quite good, somehow paled in comparison with the Peaberry.

House special home made "Ti Ah Kuoi" (RM3)

The "Ti Ah Kuoi" is a must try at Coffee Lane. I loved the chewy texture and consistency of the "Ti Ah Kuoi" and the accompanying fragrant gula melaka syrup.

Syphon Coffee Apparatus

P/S: Ask Terry about his prized possession of the world's most expensive coffee beans, the Kopi Luwak and I am quite sure he will be more than happy to show them to you. Terry is selling those at RM50 per cup.

Coffee Lane Entrance

Coffee Lane
10-B, King Street, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +604-2610625
"A place where Coffee is Freshly Ground, Freshly Brewed and Freshly Served..."

Swens Cartoon Birthday Cakes

If you have read my previous post on Swens Homemade Cakes, Swens has been the loyal baker that I normally go to for birthday cakes.

Quite recently in March, Swens was tasked to whip up a cake with the favourite cartoon character of my dear nephew Shawn i.e. Barney, the purple dinosaur. We asked him to replicate a previous Barney cake which he featured on his blog and what he did was to take a step further to improvise it. The end result was simply beyond our expectations and I was very pleased with it.

P/S: Watch this space for a post on Shawn's birthday party at the Hardwicke House soon

Happy 1st Birthday Shawn!

Swens came to mind again when my friend ST was planning for her son Ryan's 5th birthday party at home. Ryan's favourite cartoon hero is Ben 10 (Alien Force) and his mommy didn't have to think twice to get a Ben 10 cake for him.

Happy 5th Birthday Ryan!

Swens Homemade Cake
10-G-2 Jalan Lintang Sungai Pinang
Taman Sin Chor Chit Apartment
10150 Penang
Handphone: 012-426 2298 / 012-4142290
E-mail: swenscake@gmail.com
http://swenscake.blogspot.com/

Sumptuous Lunch at Maple Palace Restaurant

If you saw from my previous post, I had a good Mother's Day lunch at the new Maple Palace restaurant. I had the opportunity to go back to the restaurant again recently for a department lunch.

Four Seasons Platter

The Four Seasons platter was rather unique with what I think were barbecued chicken drummets sprinkled with white and black sesame, dumpling, scallop with dried prawns and stir fried venison. I also liked the unconventional presentation of the platter.

Sharks Fin Soup with Crab Meat, Fish Maw and Sea Cucumber

Though guilty I may feel for consuming sharks fin, I have to say the soup tasted good. The flavours of the fish maw and sea cucumber were fully immersed in the soup.

Stuffed Boneless Chicken with Prawn Paste coated with Almond Flakes

The way the chicken was prepared was also unconventional with prawn paste, seaweed and almond flakes.

Steamed Garoupa Teowchew Style

Abalone with Mushroom, Fish Maw and Brocolli

This dish was laden with mushrooms, brocolli and three pieces of abalone which were cut into smaller pieces for sharing.

Seafood Noodle

I liked the texture of the noodle which was chewy and done al-dente.

Salted Egg Prawn

The total bill came to RM1,070+ for 14 pax inclusive of a Chilled Mango Sago with Pomelo dessert.

The Maple Palace restaurant is ideal for entertaining guests and organizing team meals with its rather elegant decor and cozy ambiance.

Maple Palace Restaurant
(Supervisor: Ms Khaw)
47, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Penang, Malaysia
04-2279690
Website: maplepalace.com

U Soya - Penang Famous Soya Milk and Tau Fu Fah

U-Soya (Ultimate Soya) specializes in home made soya milk and tau fu fah (soya custard). They serve pure soya milk freshly grinded from Canadian Class A non-genetically modified organic beans (GMO) with no added preservatives, thickening agents, flavouring, fluor, cow's milk etc.

They also serve a variety of toppings with their tau fu fah e.g. almond, red bean paste, lotus paste, peanut, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, longan, honey etc. One special topping that stands out is the Shangai Salted which is the savoury version of the tau fu fah.

Other items on the menu are soya milk with leong fan, red bean soya ice blended, herbal jelly, light snacks e.g. a variety of breads, nasi lemak, char mee hoon, niah kuih etc. Their unique Fruiti Soya Ice Blended is fresh soya milk blended with fresh fruits e.g. apple, kiwi, mango, tomato, carrot and orange.

White / Brown / Ginger Sugar

U-Soya Special Multi Grain Tau Fu Fah (with chocolate sauce, sunflower seeds and almonds)

I love their special cold tau fu fah with topping. The tau fu fah is prepacked in individual boxes and chilled thus can be kept longer and will not be watery.

Orange Soya Ice Blended (RM3.50)

This soya milk and tau fu fah shop is probably one of its kind in Penang and we both fallen in love with the cold tau fu fah with multi grains and chocolate sauce. I personally feel that it is a healthy option for dessert and tastes really good too.

2-G-9 Pekaka Square, Lebuh Pekaka 1
Sungai Dua, 11700 Gelugor Penang
Tel: 012-408 6604
Monday to Friday: 11 am to 10 pm
Sat / Sun / Public Holiday: 9 am to 7 pm
Wi Fi available

Hai Boey Seafood Restaurant Teluk Kumbar

Our friend Siri from Singapore was in town so we took her to Hai Boey Seafood Restaurant at Teluk Kumbar.

I am quite sure Hai Boey needs no introduction. It is one of the more famous seafood establishments in Teluk Kumbar / Gertak Sanggul.

Famous Claypot Fish

Stir Fried Brussel Sprouts

House Special Steamed Prawns with Garlic

"Ba Li Tong"

Stir Fried Vermicelli

Deep Fried Brinjal with Meat

Stir Fried 'Mee Tiao'

Salted Egg Crab

The total bill came to RM167 for 5 pax, including drinks. As usual, the seafood was fresh and tasty and the service prompt and good.

Hai Boey Seafood
29, Mk-9, Pasir Belanda, Teluk Kumbar, 11920 Penang, Malaysia.
Phone: 013-4881114, 019-4791114
Opens daily 5.30pm - 11pm

Mother's Day Lunch at the new Maple Palace Restaurant (Maple Gold Club)

Maple Gold Recreation Club

The Maple Gold Recretion Club at Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah has a facelift after having gone through quite extensive renovation recently. The club used to house the Maple Gold Restaurant which has since ceased operation and replaced by another Chinese restaurant, Maple Palace.

Maple Palace Entrance

I was told that the owner of Maple Palace used to own the Jade Blossom Restaurant at Kristal Point but has since relinquished his share at the restaurant. It explains why the decor of Maple Palace has some resemblance to Jade Blossom.

The decor is tasteful and quite grand, which is a welcomed addition to the Chinese cuisine dining scene in Penang.

Maple Palace tagline is "Serving the Finest Chinese Cuisine in Town". They specialize in Chinese and Cantonese dishes blended with local flavours.

Roasted Crispy Chicken (Half)

Indonesian Prawns with Mantao

Braised Seafood Beancurd in Claypot

Stir Fried String Beans

Steamed Fish with Hot Bean Sauce and Lotus Leaf

Deep Fried Spring Rolls

Mantou

Soup

The total bill came to around RM260 for 9 pax. We liked the ambiance of the restaurant and service was quite prompt perhaps also because we were early. It was the Saturday before Mother's Day and the restaurant was enjoying brisk business during lunch hours. I feel the restaurant is ideal for throwing private birthday or company functions if you want a Chinese restaurant setting. Overall, food was good except the deep fried spring roll skin which was a tad too dry.

Happy Mothers Day, mom. We love you heaps! xoxo
P/S: Watch this space for my future post on the RM1000+ feast I had at the Maple Palace Restaurant

Maple Palace Restaurant
(Supervisor: Ms Khaw)
47, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Penang, Malaysia
04-2279690
Website: maplepalace.com