Yyu Yuan Restaurant - Tanjung Bungah, Penang

Short short off-topic: Happy 100th birthday to my grandma! I don't actually know what her name is cos I only ever call her "ah-poh." Way to go perfect grandson! Anyway my grandma is damn strong for a 100-year old. Can walk can talk can hear can eat can sing!


Anyway we're in Penang, and we actually try out a new(ish) restaurant in Tanjung Bungah - Restoran Yyu Yuan. Don't have the address, but it's in a row of shophouses along Jalan Tanjung Bungah, I guess somewhat around the Penang Swimming Club.

Starting off the dinner is their four seasons. Just about average - the food is nice but not spectacular.


Shark-fin soup is also a bit average. It's got an interesting taste - not as bland as normal shark-fin soup, but it's also a tad bit too starchy for my tastes.


The herbal chicken is pretty good taste-wise, and the chicken is nicely infused with all the herbs. However the breast meat is surprisingly dry.


Steamed Fish. Forgot what kind of fish it was, hehe. Fish was fresh and was steamed quite well, too!


Curried fish slices was again, only average.


Mixed vegetable with (fake) abalone slices. Or should I say mushroom slices. Nothing spectacular about the dish.


Prawns ~ wasn't really blown away by this dish either. The prawns themselves were quite fresh, and the cooking style/taste isn't half bad.


Finally, the 'stomach filler' noodles. Starchy, unimpressive.


There was also a dessert - a kind of honeydew chunks in a sago pudding-like cold base. All this for about MYR300.00 per table of 10 people, means that the dinner was actually very very reasonably priced. Yes, I've mentioned that the dishes aren't special, but at this price range it's a pretty decent/solid price/quality ratio.

Conveyor Belt sushi - Sakae Sushi (Queensbay Mall outlet)

いらっしゃいませ～ (irasshaimase) is what most waiters/waitresses are supposed to greet you at the door at Japanese restaurants/eateries. Huge majority of them butcher the pronounciation like mad though, hehe, but that's a rant for another day.

The darling and I are big fans of Japanese food - sushi in particular. We drop by Sakae Sushi in Queensbay Mall, Penang, for a quick tea-time sushi snack.


Conveyor belt! I'm not exactly sure what the percentage of conveyor belt sushi actually gets eaten, but it has to be pretty low.


Ok, I know Sakae has been around a long time but for whatever reason this was my first trip - and my sisters call me out for being a bit sakai for being supremely amused by the high-tech ordering system. Everything on the menu is on the LCD screen, and you 'shop' for whatever food you want to eat.


Green tea is of the teabag variety which kind of sucks (cos you can't really get that many cups before it becomes too watery).


Anyway, crabmeat and avocado salad is a disappointment - comes with crabstick instead of real crab meat. And the choice of vegetables - lots of cabbage, carrots and brocolli - aren't really to my tastes. Prefer more 'leafy' vegetables in my salads.


Salmon Sushi is very cheap - MYR1.90 for two is cheaper than pretty much everywhere. You get what you pay for though - the fish is sliced very thinly.


I can't remember what this is called, but it's nice. Price is more premium though, at MYR5.90.


Overall, I find Sakae Sushi to be just only "OK." It's a little above the crappy fast-food sushi joints like Sushi King (which I will never willingly step foot into unless the meal is free). If you want quick sushi fix and don't care much about quality, it's a good place to eat at, but I'd rather just wait for 8pm and take advantage of the 20% discount off sushi you get at Jusco.

Photo Spam: Penang Road Trip - Hawker Food

Third post in the Photo Spam series! Took a trip back to Penang for Grandma's 100th birthday. Here's photo spam of some of the hawker food we ate!

Jalan Pasar Laksa in Air Itam:




Apom Manis Telor (name of shop ... Rasa Rasa Penang? Also in Air Itam)


40 sen each


Air Itam Mee Mamak.


Mee Goreng:


Mee Rebus:


Hokkien Mee (Penang Prawn Mee):


Wantan Mee:


Duck Egg Char Koay Teow (opposite Air Itam police station):


Returned to Kay-El with a big ulcer in my lip from all the heaty (but delicious) Penang food! Proper restaurant reviews will come in future posts.

Legend's Claypot Briyani House - Taman Sri Serdang

Going through my 50-odd posts so far, there's a distinct lack of Indian-style restaurant reviews - which will be remedied by today's review of Legend's Claypot Briyani House!

Initial impressions are good, as the place is clean, inviting and brightly-lit. Overall a very welcoming feel.


So we sit and have Mango Lassi (a yoghurt-based drink. See wikipedia for more info). Price is pretty similar to other places at about $5.00 per glass, but unfortunately the Lassi is quite watery and a bit bland.


Eldest sister has regular briyani with fried chicken. It's OK - the portions are quite big and the briyani is fragrant.


Obviously we also *have* to try the claypot briyani - we go for kambing (mutton). The mutton is mixed into the briyani before being cooked/re-heated in the claypot, which makes the entire dish fragrant and quite tasty. However there is also a pretty strong aroma/taste of burnt/singed rice, which could be a plus or minus point for you. Portion is a bit odd - a bit too much for all but the hungriest of eaters, but not quite enough for two. Priced at around MYR15.00 it's not cheap, either.


Dad & mum share the Curry Fish Head - at a rate of MYR5.00 per 100gm, this miserable head cost $45. There's hardly any meat on the head, the fish itself isn't very fresh, and the restaurant is so stingy with the 'extras' (something like 3 pieces of ladies' fingers and that's it). The curry is delicious though, if a bit on the salty side, so we end up tapau-ing a big bag of curry for home cooking.


Overall, the food is OK - but I'd say it is a bit overpriced. Can be a tad bit hard to find, too, if you're not from the area, but that shouldn't be a problem in the current age of GPS'es.


Legend's Claypot Briyani House
No.225, Jalan 18/23,
Taman Sri serdang,
43300 Seri Kembangan,
Selangor.