Recently I had a trip to Penang because of my university held a field trip that required me to be there on-site, in addition, to relive the old memories of mine, visited Penang 10 years ago. Penang is well-known for its local delicacies, quaint architectures and photogenic views as well as packed with diverse culture that you may learn one or two!

I'm thankful enough that my university hosted this trip to Penang last week despite many other tasks need to be done.

Due to time constraint, allowed me to summarized this post for you on what I 'personally' think about Penang, as a whole.

1. Its different.

I'm not saying that Penang is extremely "different" because it is on the island that makes it so special but because it is really a unique place where you can feel the aura, packed full of historic culture that still live within until today. I felt safe (for now), compared to other states that I have been before and you can see more tourists compared to locals. The ratio of tourists to locals give you the feel that as if you are in another world.

 Locals said that living standard is horrible these days compared to the old days, so you won't be able to see them around so often :p...

 2. Yummy Yum!

 For those of you who don't know, I repeat myself here, YOU SHOULD NOT MISSED OUT PENANG'S DELICACIES, as they are the best, mainly because they are cheap, big in portion, fresh and delicious. Research showed that foreign tourists spent most of their time and money on local delicacies because they are valued for money and they taste better than any other food :P 

Long story short, you should go for Char Kuey Teow(picture below), most common suggested dish for beginners, which literally means fried noodles with bean sprouts and fresh big prawns.

Apart from the above, I have not cover all the delicacies in Penang due to the limitation of time. Fret not, food are easily available everywhere as you move.
So, keep on moving.

 Not to mention that, there are many indie-cafes in Penang island nowadays that served coffee, cakes and tea. A new trend that may possibly override the traditional food and drinks?

3. Photogenic Penang

Conclusion

-Going for a food trip or as a overall, Penang is the best by far (in my opinion). Reason behind my judgement is because Penang has many kinds of food to offer as they are authentic, delicious, fresh and affordable. 

-Apart from the tourist spot George Town, there are many other places that are worth visiting such as Batu Ferringhi, Butterworth and many more.

-Accommodations and night-life pubs/clubs are readily available.

-Transportation in Penang is never a problem with the aid of transportation rental or smart-phone application such as GrabCar or Uber, to hire personal driver. 

-People like you and me, this island has ample of places to take pictures on.

Taman Paramount gets better and better over the years in terms of delicacies. Some of you might know Taman Paramount are well known for its XO Fish Head noodle, 'pan mee', Nasi Lemak Bumbung and so on. On top of that, there are many contemporary indie cafes are making their way to serve the local community here !

One of the best recent example would be KAKIGŌRI, a Japanese shaved ice cream - that is currently in-trend where many people would drive 100 miles away just for a bowl of KAKIGŌRI's premium delicious taste of Japanese shaved ice cream.

Even after a month or so, the queue still remains ridiculously long. What contributes to the long queue and the moderate waiting time to get a bowl of their premium shaved ice cream?

Check out below.

Interior wise, pretty simple - nothing to shout about. Most Instagramers would love to take advantage over the simple interior for their food photography purposes. 

What attracted me the most in KAKIGŌRI is that this is completely self-service, probably adapting the Japanese culture, "clean as you go". You pick up your order from a unique looking shelves and  return the bowl once you are done with it at the designated place.

Avocado @ RM 18

This bowl of Japanese shaved ice cream has layered with avocado blend sprinkled with pistachio nuts and comes with Mizu Shingen Mochi at the side. The taste of the avocado is truly authentic, fresh and healthy. However, because avocado is healthy, it taste quite bland after some time later - not recommended for those who are craving for unique or noticeable flavors. Mizu Shingen Mochi (Raindrop cake) complements well with this avocado shaved ice cream.

Tiramisu @ RM16

To those who are a fan of coffee and chocolate should try this sinful bowl of shaved ice cream that has coffee espuma and Valrhona chocolate. I would recommend ordering this without deceiving you because it taste really delicious. Savor the coffee flavored shaved ice cream while biting Valrhona chocolate.

Hojicha @ RM 17

 Me recommending you an accommodation to check-in and stay? No - not in this post, as I will be reviewing one new hidden gem restaurant in the heart of Petaling Street Kuala Lumpur in which I had just paid them a visit recently.

 Yes, I know I'm slow when it comes to catch-up of new restaurant, cafe or whatsoever and I also considered that I have no match against Time Out KL or eatdrinkkl blog. Nonetheless, Chocha Foodstore has been operating weeks ago, under Mah Lian Hotel disguise. I was attracted by their restaurant concept of preserving the existing interior environment that had utilized in the past and their ideal of delivering casual, comfort and unique food to the diners based on fresh local ingredients, makes it even more attractive and a spot to die for.

Yes, the entire sensation is pretty calming as you step into the doors of the old shop, occupied with furnitures, old-classic props and floras that made you feel like home. Somewhat, it express the vibes of the oldie oriental that you can no longer experience elsewhere unless you replicate it based on this concept.

Kerabu Mango Slaw @ RM 15

A plate filled with green mango, cabbage slaw, fish sauce, chilipadi, peanut, lime juice and dried shrimps. The flavor is vibrant and the heat is there that it won't hurt your mouth. The onion slice, peanuts and chives helps to elevate the aroma of the dishes.

Aglio Olio with Duck Breast @ RM 22.

Homemade noodle, spiced duck confit, garlic confit, thai basil and lemongrass.

Honestly, the homemade noodle was mediocre as it just simply taste like the ordinary yellow noodle where you can obtain from the Chinese hawker stall. All in all, the other ingredients such as spiced duck confit and the garnishes helps to improve the taste of this dish.

Ulam Stew Barley Rice @ RM 28 

A bowl of ulam pesto, shaved salted egg, crispy dried shrimps, sauteed fresh squids.

This dish stands out among the rest of the items that I ordered mainly because the flavor of the overall dish itself was perfect and unique. Ulam pesto was just nice (not  too overpowering from the herbs) when it infused with the barley rice and perfect synergy with the rest of the ingredients such as sauteed dried squids and shaved salted egg.

Cold Brew Tea - Gold Rush @ RM 16.00

There's no way you can withstand hot weather except cold stuff like this. I had this bottle of Hojo's original blended tea, using natural farming black tea from Yunnan mixed with natural flowers and spices. Despite its brewing method, it managed to give me sweet fruity aroma such as dried peach or mango and mellow taste.

Note: Hojo is a Japanese tea brand that specialized in premium Japanese tea, Taiwanese tea and Chinese tea. The store can be found in Mid Valley shopping mall.

Personal verdict

Ulam stew barley rice is the best dish by far and the cold brew tea is great. Loving the environment, as it reminds me of Merchant's Lane (few steps away). Would like to drop-by again in the future to try their hot brew tea and other food item.

 From a distant, I noticed that there were many people queuing up at the display panel of the shop, abusively and very demanding for their egg tarts to be pack quickly. The owner and the shop assistants were busy accommodating their customers' requests, trying their best to deliver their freshly baked creamy egg tarts away.

 I wasn't so sure why there are many people crazy about Bunn Choon 品泉's pastries until I step in closer to read at their wall hall of fame. It was proven that their creamy custard egg tart and other flaky pastries are amazing because of the owner's craftsmanship. The reason of why his egg tarts were famous and delicious its due to the use of pork lard that enhanced the flavor of the crust, making it more favorable. 

(Not sure if Bunn Choon 品泉 also apply pork lard into the rest of his flaky pastries, but, according to my knownledge, Bunn Choon 品泉 claimed that their items are not certified Halal.)

Their famous egg tart now comes with three variations such as charcoal egg tart, green tea egg tart and the classic egg tart. Otherwise, there are many other pastries awaits you.

So, I bought back all kinds of egg tarts and a few delicious pastries that Bunn Choon has to offered. The items are charcoal egg tart, green tea egg tart, classic egg tart, almond egg tart, pineapple tart and kaya roll. All of these below, only cost me about RM 17.

After sampling all of them, the kaya roll appeared to be most delicious than any of their pastries. The kaya roll was the best in my personal opinion because it is very flaky and moist, unlike any other stores that produces them.

 I have no comments on the tarts as they taste similar compared to other stores, however, the only significance is the Green Tea Egg Tart, which gives you green tea flavour as you chew it. Same goes to the almond tart and the pineapple tart, nothing much to express about it.

Personal Verdict
Traditional Chinese pastries such as egg tart has stepped up their game. Might as well drop-by and try right? Besides, government project of rising up many LRT stops has help citizen to travel from one place to another place easily... Oh dont forget about the KAYA ROLL ! Amazing!

Bunn Choon 品泉

153, Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, 50000.

Tel: 012-254 7625

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