Malaysia Food Blog - Koh Samui restaurant

Location: Ipoh, Perak

Being from a different generation, choosing a dining place to celebrate my father's birthday has always been a tough choice for me. When he suggested Thai cuisine for his 58th birthday celebration, it got me thinking: where can I find a good Thai cuisine spot in Ipoh? Fortunately, he was the driver and he suggested Koh Samui, so there we went for his birthday celebration at the expense of my money...

Koh Samui has 2 branches in Ipoh, and one of them is located right across Kinta City, otherwise known as Jusco to the locals. Ipoh may be known for its food, but famous Thai cuisine is rare here, with this restaurant being one of them. In case if you ever wonder what the name means, try browsing 'Koh Samui' in Google and it will return the name of an island off the east coast of Thailand, known as one of the tourist destinations in Thailand.

The restaurant greeted its visitors with an interior reminiscent of traditional Thai architecture. Wood was the main element here, with wooden chairs and wooden ceiling reinforcing this concept. Green was chosen as the main color, and it looked soothing under beams of yellow light shining from the ceiling, offering a feel that you are dining under the setting sun.

Cheesy Bites Dip-licious from Pizza Hut

This picture was taken when I went to visit Pizza Hut to celebrate the year 2010. Cheesy Bites Dip-licipious was the rush then, and I tried this under pressure from my girlfriend... I did not regret it though, and as a cheese lover, this is the perfect dish for me!

Cheesy Bites Dip-licious, with a bowl of mouth-watering melted cheese

There were enough cheese to go around, as the bulbous crusts surrounding the pizza were actually filled with melted cheese, and if you did not have enough, there was a separate bowl of melted cheese for you to dip into before gobbling it down.

An advertisement from Youtube may serve to refresh your memory if you do not remember how the cheesy it can be.

Malaysia Food Blog - Eastin Hotel - The Lobby Lounge

Location: Bayan Lepas, Penang Isle


Setting up Eastin Hotel next to Queensbay Mall and so near to the Free Industrial Zone in Bayan Lepas could not be a more strategic choice. With multitudes of multinational companies located in the neighbourhood, scores of foreign representatives can be expected to drop by the neighbouhood every month. As it is these companies' culture to have dinners and teambuilding activities, and with it being in the vicinity, a budgetary lunch in this hotel would be an irresistable offer. As such, it has always intrigued me what such a hotel can offer to one's palate.

A seminar by one of my company's supplier lent me the oppurtunity to try out their buffet lunch in the Lobby Lounge. The lounge area greets visitors with a tall ceiling and a spacious layout, along with two parallel rows of dishes. Combine this with sparse decorations and a white motif, and you get a sense of freedom and peace of mind. I seldom attribute this sense to buffet areas, which I somehow expect to be tumultous and rowdy, with throngs of hungry diners grabbing for the last bit from the dish.

Malaysia Food Blog - Bali-bali Cafe - curry mee

Location: Sungai Dua (near USM), Penang Isle

Being from Ipoh, the taste and ingredients of curry mee in Penang, and even the way it is served, is definitely a new for me. As it was voted as the number 5 must-eat hawker food when one visits Penang (Visit Penang website), you can hardly find a spot which does not have a stall dedicated to this spicy dish. When a new curry mee stall was set up in the food spot I frequented, I thought: just another curry mee...

What surprised me was that, for a stall so ordinary and so less mentioned (try Google it...), it does serve with an extraordinary taste. In my years in Penang, I sampled numerous curry mees and this is still one of my favourite.

Malaysia Food Blog - Harvest In café

Location: Georgetown, Penang Isle

A birthday celebration a while back with one of my colleague introduced me to this wondrous café hidden in Jalan Irrawady. This small café has chosen a simple black and white as its motif, which is present from its decorations to its waiters and waitresses; the boss herself chose white as her uniform, which stands in stark contrast against the waiters and waitresses' black.

The celebration was only possible by arriving early, as it was fully packed within minutes, which goes to show how popular the place is. Although I do not remember what I ordered then, I do remember that the food was nice and that price was quite reasonable.

One sunny afternoon with nowhere in mind, my housemate and the two of us wandered into this same spot. She had heard of it from us, and would very much like to try this food haven for herself to verify whether it is as good as we said.