Lunch @ Ye Olde Penang Coffee Shop & Cakes @ China House

Sorry folks I couldn't remember the name of the old coffee shop my dad took us during his lunch break. Was one of those rare occasions when the whole family went to the apparent CBD in Penang to lunch with pops. Above is the fried rice. Not bad, but not that great either.

You get the usual mix of prawns and spring onions.

We were here mostly for the highly acclaimed roti babi. 

Yes,you heard right. Pork bread. Hahaha. Looks like the traditional chun pheah, but it actually tastes more like a french toast with minced pork stuffing. Quite nice, to be honest. 

Lam Mee. My family finished this within minutes. Reminded me of the same dish we get back home in Sitiawan. The gravy was so fragrant you can't help but slurp it off your plate. Plenty of chicken slices and veggies in there as well.

China House. I've heard many rave reviews about the place from Mom and friends and we finally came here for dessert. My dad had his mandatory 'after lunch' cappucino.

Of course we indulged in a couple of sweet treats. What would the world be like without cakes?

Above is the chocolate cake. Sinful to the last bite.

Italian cake. I loved this one, because of all the walnuts and cream cheese. Much like a carrot cake, but less dense. Mom didn't like this one though. Strange.

And the highlight of the three: tiramisu. Layers and layers of heaven. A must-try from China House. Need I say more?

Brownies at home.

My very own brownie stack! 

Made by Mom, she's simply amazing.

Especially when it comes to pleasing my sweet tooth!

Why does everything always taste better with vanilla ice cream?

Delicious Cafe @ Straits Quay - Part II

How could anybody say no to Delicious? The afternoon tea was really good, we couldn't resist going back to try the rest of their food. This time round, we went for dinner. Bring it on, Delicious.

First off, soup. Mom ordered the Wild Mushroom soup. As you can see, the consistency of the soup was pretty thick, great if you like your soup rich and creamy. Tasted home made, definitely not your regular soup in a can. 

Next, the Gado-gado. This Indonesian specialty  is prepared to perfection here at Delicious, I could even remember how much I loved it the first time around two years ago! The highlight of the dish is their peanut sauce, wonderfully served in a ginger flower bud (or bunga kantan in Malay), it would have been every satay lover's dream. At first I was amazed at the huge portions of not only the sauce, but also the vegetables (including bean sprouts, long beans, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, potatoes), taupok, egg and emping (Indonesian crackers, which were extremely crispy). In the end, we managed to finish almost everything, even the sauce!

My little sister's Grilled Chicken Burger. Came with turkey bacon. Just look at the size of that thing. Beats a Big Mac any day.

Next up: their star dish, the Duck Confit, with potato, mushrooms and sauerkraut. 

Paired with the mustard cream sauce, it is definitely a must try. At least that's what I gather from my dad's super clean plate. 

And then we proceed on to desserts. Exhibit A: the White Chocolate Tart (the real deal this time!) Literally heaven on a plate, a layer of white chocolate shavings sits atop this charming treat. The tart was a bit too huge though, even when the three of us shared. We were probably too full on mains by then. 

Exhibit B: Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding. Aw, as much as I love bread and butter pudding this was utterly disappointing. The crust was hard, as in difficult to cut and even more difficult to chew. The pudding itself was on the dry side, but that's where the custard sauce comes in.

Last dessert: Banana Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce. I'm a sucker for banana desserts, so this definitely goes on my Yummy list. Together with the sauce, it's still not overly sweet, perfect if you're watching your weight. Plus, it's not one of those desserts that'll make you feel sick after the first three bites.

After sampling this trio of desserts, we all agreed that the banoffee pie still reigns supreme at Delicious. A little something to take note though; try to make a reservation beforehand so you don't have to wait 20 minutes for a table. Like what we did. Yes, I know 20 minutes isn't that long, but it's always better to get a table right when you step in, instead of having a staring competition with the cake display. :P

Coffee Bean @ Island Plaza

On weekdays, lunches are late and short. We don't really have that many options when it comes to places to grab a quick bite. Today, we chose Coffee Bean at Island, since we literally live 5 minutes away. Plus, aren't gourmet sandwiches the best?

Check out my sister's yummy Double Patty sandwich with ciabatta bread. 

Mom and I shared a Turkey with Melted Cheese sandwich with pita bread. The sandwich was surprisingly really good, inside you get a couple of layers of turkey ham, sliced thinly. I also love the side salad they serve, especially the sweetish dressing. On a side note, they don't always have all the breads available, like the Panini or the Foccacia, which kind of ticked me off a little. There were only pita and ciabatta on the day we visited. I mean, come on. Y U NO restock?

Ah, dessert. Couldn't resist, what with those lovely cakes staring right at me through the display. 

Had the Red Velvet Cake. Not as good as it looked. First off, it was as hard as a walnut. Besides that, the cake was dry and lacked the 'oomph' factor that most cakes have. How disappointing, Coffee Bean. 

Opera Cake @ Ritz Bakery, Prima Tanjung

Mom was feeling pretty happy yesterday and gave me the liberty of choosing a whole cake from Ritz. It's definitely one of the best sensations one can get, seriously. Felt like a little kid choosing the cutest puppy from the pet store. 

I was stumped. Didn't know which to choose and ended up asking the lady at the counter. I don't like cheesecakes and mousse-filled cakes are a no-no, so that cut down the options left. Opera cake seemed to be the best choice.

Ooh la la. Not too sweet, this is what you call a good, wait no scratch that, GREAT coffee table cake. Layers and layers of who knows what but to be honest I don't really care what's the 'what' as long as it's good and makes my tummy happy. I'm also pretty sure I tasted some coffee in there. Coffee + chocolate = BOOMZ.

Cakes @ Cedele, Raffles City

Yum. Carrot cake is my comfort food. Given a choice, I would definitely eat carrot cake every day. Seriously. This was as heavenly as it looked. Topped with a thick layer of oh so glorious cream cheese, and smothered with lots and lots of walnuts. This one's a keeper.

OMG HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND NOT DROOL?

And our second cake. Chocolate Banana Espresso. Just as great as the carrot. Looked too indulgent or 'jelak' at first glance, but it turned out to be a pretty light cake. The chocolate sponge was complemented nicely with a layer of sweet banana. That's cereal on the top, by the way. Nice touch, but I wouldn't call it the highlight of the cake. Aha.

Hong Kong Food Part II : Starbucks

OK, I know this is not exactly what you call your typical Hong Kong style food, but hey, Starbucks anywhere is just too hard to resist, for me anyway. Plus, they always have different stuff overseas!

Dropped by for a tea break on the first day. Immediate thought upon entering : order the cakes which aren't available in Penang! And that is what we did. Above was the Butterscotch Vanilla cake. Overly sweet, better share this with someone (or someones) to avoid getting that sugar overdose.

Check out the huge heap of caramel crunchies on top! Well, it's really nothing more than your average butter sponge topped with loads of cream and caramel. 

Forgot the fancy name of this chocolate cake. Had many layers, not bad according to the sisters. Looked a little too rich for me, though.

Cakes, anyone?

My mom's friend makes one heck of an Apple Torte. I love the ground almonds in the cake, making it taste more like a pie than a cake. The apples on top are just as nice, not overly sweet like those cafe-type cakes. Slightly browned, though it gives the crust an amazing crisp texture. Once you dig in, the cake simply melts in your mouth, almost like sugee actually. Very filling, one slice is enough as the cake is quite dense. Almost 3 inches in height, I think. (Forgot to take a picture of a cake slice, my bad!)  If there's anyone in Penang who would like to give it a try,  just drop me a private message and I'll send you the contact details. :)

Ooh. What's in the box?

Proud to announce that I've finally had my first taste of Mille Crepe. :D And it was AMAZING. It's actually a cake made up of many, many layers of thin crepes or pancakes, all folded on top of each other. To top it all off, heavenly cream in between the layers, forming a crepe sandwich, sort of. 

The first and probably, the best.

All thanks to Humble Beginnings. Link here.

Designer Cupcakes?

Oh.

My.

Cuppacake!

Forget diets. These little sugary delights will happify you before you can say 'cuppawhat?'

Website has plenty of eye candy to stare at too.

Cake Craze @ Starbucks.

  

Ipanema. 

Me and my mom absolutely lurrve this. 

Our 'must eat!' cake, the one you must throw your diet away for.

 

Just look at all those layers!

Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate...

 

Behold, the Tiramisu.

This one is just BOOMZ. With a Z. 

Oh yeah, the little sis can finish this in 1 minute.

Black Forest. 

Not as good as the previous two, a little dry and sour but still better than those store bought cakes.

Speaking of, aren't they all? :)

Cupcake Craze

Made a batch of the fairy cakes (featured earlier) and covered them in chocolate icing. Good responses so far. Tada!

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Choc Orange Cupcakes

Mom tried this recipe a few days ago and turned out to be a hit. Disclaimer : The size of the cakes become pretty small though, as the hazelnut weighs down the mixture and shrinks them in the process.

Ingredients
60g semi sweet milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tsp orange rind, finely grated
2/3 cup orange juice
90g butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup self-raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup almond meal/hazelnut meal
1. Preheat oven 175°C.
2. Place chocolate, orange rind and juice in small saucepan.
3. Stir till melted and smooth.
4. Beat butter, sugar and eggs in mixer bowl till light and fluffy.
5. Sift flour and cocoa into butter mix. Add almond meal and chocolate mix.
6. Mix well till just combined. Fill cases till 1/2 full.
7. Bake for 25 mins.
Makes 12 cakes