Sushi Zanmai @ Gurney Paragon

 

Sushi Zanmai has finally reached the shores of Penang island. I remember first eating at this outlet in The Gardens Mall, midvalley, KL. That was way back in 2011/2012 I think. So, now it has opened it's first outlet in Gurney Paragon :)

It's abit small compared to other outlets. And the whole chain of food outlet under the SuperSushi brand opened next to each other here at Gurney Paragon. There's Sushi Zanmai, Rakuramen, and Pasta Zanmai on the same floor, situated next to each other, side by side. Oh, not forgetting the Hokkaido Ice cream too!! (well, that's another post altogether)

This post will be about Sushi Zanmai alone :)

Before I begin, may I just say that the line queuing to get a table to Sushi Zanmai was a crazy 30-45min wait. The queue was THAT long!! And there were crazy amounts of people just willing to queue to get in. Yes, I was one of those crazy people... :)) I went there on 1st August.

And even days after their opening special ended, the lines of people waiting to eat at Sushi Zanmai was still as long...talk about good business!

Nice ambiance in the restaurant.
Loved the circle booths, which we sat in! Super comfortable, and it gives good privacy.

Here's the menu... well, part of it...

Drinks

See the top left hand corner? I never knew there were so many was to prepare green tea drinks... *feeling excited*

Their opening offer was this plate of salmon. Five thick slices of raw salmon for RM8.80 (N.P 10.50) The salmon was so fresh and tasty! It simply felt like gelatine in your mouth... just melting.. aaaaa :)

 I ordered this salad too. It's a combination of raw salmon, avocado and fish roe, topped with radish and lettuce. RM7.80 I found the portion size was smaller than expected.

 

Chawanmushi. But theirs was a bit special. In it had brown mushrooms, and a WHOLE prawn, and fish cakes. The usual chawanmushi-s that I've tasted so far, didn't have a whole prawn. And it was NOT a miserablely small prawn. RM4.90 Super worth it :))

 

Next-up was spicy unagi maki. Very good!!! RM12.90 I like the sweetness of the unagi in the center and the crunchy-ness of the fried crabstick on top. The mayo/sauce that came with it just sealed the deal on this dish. YUM!

So here's the overview of what we ordered...

 

I'll be posting about Pasta Zanmai and Rakuzen in my following posts... stay tuned!

OldTown Kopitiam @E-gate

OldTown White Coffee Kopitiam has introduced a new menu for the month of Ramadhan this year. It's called the MyDulang set. And in my opinion, it's really worth it!

 

The main dish comes with rice (nasi kunyit) , two chicken screwers (satay) in peanut sauce, keropok lekor, rendang chicken/beef, cucumber and shredded omelette, cooked long beans, and kangkung sambal hae bee.

 

All this is served in a 'dulang' rattan basket - so creative!

 

The set comes with a drink and dessert.

 

The drink is a choice of hot/cold teh tarik or coffee.

The dessert is ice kacang with rose syrup/gula Melaka.

 

All choices are super super yummy!

 

 

The sets come in Individual MyDulang set costing RM16.90 and Family MyDulang set costing RM39.90

In my experience, the individual set is enough for 2 persons. But, if you're a big eater, then perhaps the individual sets feeds just one. hehe....

But, seriously, this deal is worth the money, since they offer a nice combination of local delicacies in a single Dulang :)

Try it for yourself. Hurry before the promotion runs out...

Sephora @ Gurney Paragon

Gurney Paragon finally open in Penang on the 23 July 2013! Amongst the many many shops that they bring is Sephora. Sephora has so many beauty products. Shelves and shelves of make-up, nail polish, and perfume to choose from. So exciting!

WooHoo!

My very first purchase from Sephora is this.

Lipstick from NYX

I simply love this shade of pink. So Sweet!

 

I got it in this shade simply called LSS636 Gardenia

It only cost me RM19

 

and it says cruelty free on the label.

 

And it's made in Taiwan

 

Check out NYX other beauty products here http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/

 

I've just put it on once and so far so good...

I'm not into beauty products as much, and I don't wear make-up daily; just the occasional formal functions, weddings, etc.

 

I just can't believe that Sephora is finally in Malaysia. I think (correct me if i'm wrong) that Penang has Sephora's second outlet in the whole of Malaysia! The first being in near Pavillion KL. Way the go Penang!! Woo Hoo!!

 

 

Macalister Mansion ~ Dining Room

I recently had the opportunity to visit Macalister Mansion's Dining Room restaurant. It's suppose to be Penang's fine dining French restaurant. Thus my very enthusiasm to find out how the food is, there.

They only serve dinner... hence the same of the restaurant.

I went there last month and it was for a work function

Here's what we had.

For starters, they served mini croissants with tuna and caviar, a dinner roll and treats.

 

 

Drinks was mango juice or was it orange juice... and plain water :)

 

The first course was the salad.. This was so interesting. Even the presentation of the dish was so elegant.
It was raw salmon, with raspberry jelly at the bottom shaped like a red moon. It came with the tossed salad encircled in a ring of cracker. I liked this very much!

 

 

 

Second course was the seafood soup. It was supposed to be ?seabass soup with crab...Before it reached our table, I could smell this as it was coming out of the kitchen. It certainly smelled like Hokkien Mee... that prawn-ny! This was the least favourite of mine. It came with croutons and in the top right corner of the soup bowl (pic), it's the crab meat in cream. 

This is the palate cleanser. Mango sorbet.

Next off is the Main Course. Cod fish!!

 This was a generously thick piece of cod fish! It was tasty and simply delicious! It was topped off with caviar.

As you can see, I clearly cleaned off my plate! hehehe

Then it was time for desserts...
An edible bowl made of chocolate, filled with ice-cream, caramel crisp, nuts, and edible flowers... You have to eat it with a bit of everything to taste the completeness of the dessert. I was blown away with the presentation :))

Lastly, they served petit four... comprising of the famour macaroon, a fruit tart, chocolate, and a biscuit with fruit. Simple and effective...

 

 

 

I was so so happy that night. The dinner was simply divine... hahaha...
 

Gold Choice lifestyle cafe @ Bayan Baru

 

 Bayan baru area is now packed with new eateries and restaurants. One such new area is at One Precinct.

 It's something like Oldtown Kopitiam... being named after their own brand of coffee mix. Gold Choice also has its own brand of coffee.

The food they offer is a mixture of local cuisine and western.

Here's what we ordered.

Noodles with beef and a sunny side up.

 Rice with beef... with a sunny side up too...

And here's the best of it all... French toast served with kaya! Delicious!!!

My usual 'yin yang' drink :)

Winter warmers @ All Seasons

Winter warmers is expanding... or has expanded. Their latest new outlet is at All Seasons in farlim.

 

As it's another outlet, well the menu remains the same...

The only thing I realised was that for members, they don't have the member's promotion on the usual Tuesdays or Thursdays ... bummer... Well, that was in the beginning.. now that I've checked their website at www.winterwarmers.net, the all seasons outlet is listed to offer the promotions... yay

 

 Camomile tea... in a pot..

 

My usual order... the fruit punch...

 

and my favourite main course... chicken croissant

 

Most importantly, I love love love their pasta salad side dish!

Just wished they'd have it on the menu for me to order as ala chart!

So, if ever any of you at winterwarmers happen to read my blog, please take note... hehe

This is the teriyaki chicken with rice

 

Twelve Cups - Coffee, Mille Crepe, Juice

It's been a long while since the sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S series ended. And one of the many things the sitcom started besides the huge amount of loyal fans is the love for coffee houses and cafes to hang-out with your besties.

Such crazy and fashion has spread everywhere and Malaysia has not been spared. ~Thankfully :)
So now, we in Penang also see a trend of new and cool hang-out cafes and coffee houses.

The twelve cups is one such place.

 They combine 2 most frequently yearned food... coffee + millie crepe ... YUM!

 This was back in April this year that I first tried out their millie crepe...

 I think it's called the tiramisu? or Peanut butter chocolate... ...I forget... either way, it was delicious!!

 

All good things come with an equally good price... These cakes cost about RM10-13 per piece...

Still, it was worth it :)