A Chinese-style lunch with mom and dad at Foong Yean Chinese restaurant @ Jalan Tengah, Penang.

Here's what we had. I definitely recommend this humble, no-frills Chinese restaurant for small, family dinners!

Seaweed and egg soup

Stir fried tofu, mushrooms, chicken chunks and prawn

Soy steamed fish

Scallops with brocolli, corn, mushroom and carrots

Aubergine and prawns

Very good ratings from all of us! We loved it. Price is cheap too!

It was delightful! I haven't had good Chinese food in a while. This certainly quenches my cravings!

Shot some photos of the beautifully decorated interior.
Very, very Middle Eastern yet extremely contemporary.yes

I loved the play of lights, perfect usage of wide spaces and their stained glass decor!

Greek Salad.
It had a generous helping of tomato, cucumber, capsicum, olives and creamy feta cheese.

Chilli Potato.
Fried Potato Cubes with Coriander, Tomato and Garlic. Very flavourful and mildly spicy!

Baba Ganoush. Eggplant Dip with tomato, onion and olive oil served with bread.
I wanted to try this non-creamy and coarse version but I didn’t exactly like the texture of this although I enjoyed its smokiness and flavour!
Opt for the creamy version if you can! It’ll be heaps more delicious.

Hummus.
It was topped with Sauteed Sliced Lamb.
This one takes the cake! Perfect consistency and the lamb slices made it all the more tastier!

Shish Kebab was good!
Shish Tawook and Lamb Cubes with Saffron Rice was even better. I just love Saffron Rice!

After lots of catching up, chit-chatting and talking about almost everything under the sun, we felt like having a sweet accompaniment to our otherwise savoury dinner. Yup, you can probably see where this is going.

THIS CALLS FOR DESSERT!

Caramel Cream. It wasn’t at all cloyingly sweet but more of a mildy sweet, creamy touch!

I could have plates and plates of it and still yearn for more.

Baklava. This is a traditional middle eastern finger pastry filled with nuts.

My buddies seemed to like it, but I was yet to acquire its sweet, sticky, chewy texture.

After some four hours of hanging out, the night was exactly what I had in mind, to say the least. yes

We had shortlisted a few places to check out but I was glad we chose this one instead.

I was aiming for something casual; a night of relaxation, wonderful conversations, comfy seats, good company, delicious food and bountiful shisha flavour and In House, Publika befitted my night perfectly.

The waiters were relatively friendly and our shisha charcoals were changed regularly too. Entertainment-wise, the television channels projected onto the big screen was good enough. Why need any more entertainment when you’re with good company, eh?

Looking around made me soon realize that I haven't stepped into Pizza Hut for quite a while.

Today's entry will be quite a nostalgic one. The interior of the Pizza Hut outlet brought me fond memories of all the Pizza Huts I've dined in when I was growing up

What does Pizza Hut make you think of? Pizza, right? but today, I'm going to share ONLY Pizza Hut's signature side-dishes and not the pizza instead.

Favorites Platter
A delightful platter of all-time favourites. A combo of Toasted Chicken & Cheese Rolls, Criss-cut fries

and New Orleans Drumettes that's lip smacking tasty complete with carrots and cucumber sticks with Cool Lime Dip.

The rolls are awesome, no joke right there!

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

Succulent prawns and roasted Shitake mushrooms tossed with red capsicums, fried garlic and roasted onions.

Garnished wish fresh parsley and chilli flakes.

I'm always a fan of Aglio Olio pasta so yes, I approve of this!

Meatballs Bolognaise Spaghetti

Meatballs, minced meat and roasted onions simmered in tomato sauce and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Tempura Prawn Garlic Rice

Aromatic garlic rice served with roasted onions, fried garlic, chicken loaf, crabsticks, silced mushrooms,

diced red capsicums and tempura king prawns.

The tempura prawns were gone within a split of a second. What? Don't look at me! *whistles*

Imagine eating your favorite choices of food in the dark, or just with your eyes closed. Easy, you say.

Now, imagine yourself NOT KNOWING what food has been served to you… while eating it in the dark.

You can't see your fork & spoon. You have no idea where your drinks are.

You smell something delicious, but can't quite discern what the food on your plate is.

Is it soup? Could the main course be chicken? Pasta, maybe?

This might be ice-cream. Or is this a potato? Wait, was that pastry I just ate?



Not so easy anymore, is it? Yeah, I thought so .

On the exterior, it looks just like any other restaurant but the interior comes with a twist – blanketed in total darkness.



Upon stepping foot into the dining area, I was required to deposit my gadgets and basically anything that lights up, into a safety deposit box.

I felt so odd being away from my iPhone as this means I am unable to post live updates to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook nor take any photos! Yeah, the social media fanatic in me cries in vain.

But I relented, as having any light in my possession will defeat the purpose of this dining in the dark concept.

As I walked in, I was led by a visually impaired guide who had me put my hand on his shoulder (ala human train).

I knew exactly what 'the blind leading the blind' felt like at that very point.

So my guide successfully led me to my seat – don't ask me how he did it. I wanna know just as much LOL

I sat down and all I could feel was the rounded edges of my table and my cushioned chair.

Cautiously, I ran my hands all over the table for that glass of water in question, lest I knock it over by accident.

As though having my careful movements well figured out, the waiter personally passed me that glass by hand.



The surprise menu fit for fine dining was thoughtfully designed and carefully prepared so that it was bite-sized with no knives required (lest we cut ourselves!).

The four course meal didn't only consist of four meals.

Each course came with at least three to four varying types/flavours that gave my palate a wonderful experience and my mind an exciting challenge trying to recognize what I'm eating!

It was so fun trying to identify and debate what was on our plates together based entirely ONLY on the smell, the taste and the texture of the food.

Definitely no awkward silence during dinner – a plus point!

I experienced a heightened sensation, powered by my tastebuds alone.

Wow, now that's a first!



I wish I had photos of the food to show you, like all my other food/restaurant reviews.

But alas, no gadgets were allowed inside! Besides, I wouldn't want to SHOW YOU what you won't be able to see, right? Definitely not going to spoil the enlightening experience for you. wink



The optic nerve is overridden, giving way to your other senses to take over.

Every sound, every movement, every taste, every breath is an adventure!

After dinner, I left the dining area feeling more than satiated.

The food was delicious! Apart from the whole new adventure I've just experienced first-hand, the food came in an excellent variety and the portion was just right. yes



A restaurant in total darkness. A completely new sensory experience. Go on.. try it! I dare you to.

DINING in the DARK KL, the very first of such restaurant in Malaysia.

Whenever it comes to recommendations, I often get asked by my dearest readers, friends and family the golden question of them all -

"Jess, what's the best place to have a fancy, classy dinner ah?"



To be honest, the list I can come up with, would be an endless one. (Malaysia is awesome like that!)

But if you narrow it down to Asian cuisines in Penang, only ONE will always remain on the top of my list.

Before I begin, let me share a little bit of trivia to those who thirst for its background story.enlightened

CHIN’S first opened in London back in 1987 by a Malaysian entrepreneur, Mr. Dave Chin. This classy Asian eatery took England’s Food & Beverage scene by storm, winning two highly coveted and prestigious awards – ‘Best Restaurant of The Year’ by What’s On in London Magazine and ‘The Best Chinese Restaurant in UK’ by Stores Magazine, USA.

On this blazing trail of collective accolades, CHIN’S Restaurant was recognized as “Best of the Best” by Good life Magazine, UK.

Upon setting foot into CHIN'S, the first thing that greets its patrons is a large and rather unique, psychedelic framed modern art mounted onto the indigo wall. This is something you don't see very often - especially in Chinese restaurants!

Then again, CHIN'S never fails to surprise, does it?

The modern art depicting artistric portraiture of iconic figures placed behind traditional Chinese furniture

of solid wood and gold trimmings make a delightful and cosy patio for guests to sit before or after meals

Walking past the patio, I entered the main dining venue of CHIN'S.

I was taken aback at how elaborately stunning the interior was! surprise It was not only extremely classy, but it came with a modern twist as well. Apart from being well-lit with chandeliers, various forms of contemporary art hung from the walls and ceilings.


Thanks to CHIN'S, I was fortunate enough to be reserved a table directly adjacent to the sea and night sky, despite it being in full capacity. They seem to know my fondness towards picturesque views while dining. smiley

Even the spotlights were specially adjusted for me (to take nice photos)! How thoughtful.

I began to realize that every table had intricate settings - which included a hand-painted ceramic plate each too.

Paying attention to the fine artwork by hand-painted artisans, I could decipher that each artwork had an emotion within and a story to tell. Below is a compilation of some of my favorites!

Decor and interior aside, I know you are dying to know how good the food at CHIN'S are.

They knew I didn't exactly fancy anything too sweet and especially nothing too spicy, so they hand-picked a menu that would suit my taste best.

I am usually not a picky eater, but who doesn't like having their preferences catered to?

They made me feel so welcome with their simple, thoughtful gestures and friendly demanour, and I could see how every customer in the restaurant was attentively paid attention to.

This makes CHIN'S stand out even more, with their impeccable customer service.

Fairy Blossom tea (comes with free refills!)

This delightful herbal tea was served piping hot, was smoky and had a light floral aftertaste to it.

You gotta admit – it looks pretty too! This is a perfect alternative to some of the more commercial types of teabags/teapots/tea leaves that we see in repetition everywhere.

Four Seasons Appetizer

This platter was served with four mini dishes.

From L-R: Gele Mountain Chicken, Citrus Winter Melon, Prawn on Toast and Spinach with Pinenut & Mustard.



Gele Mountain Chicken

This came in chicken chunks with peanuts.

The chicken was tender, flavourful and presented in an (edible) miniature crispy basket.



Citrus Winter Melon

As I wasn't a fan of winter melons, I was rather hesistant. But to my surprise, I loved it surprise

The winter melon came in tiny cubes and each mouthful was burst of citrus wonder.

This dish is served cold and it tastes just like sweet tangerines!



Prawn on Toast

This crispy toasted pastry is laden with sesame seeds and shredded prawn meat.

It is also a tad spicy from the prawn paste and XO Sauce. I loved its smoked, burnt after-taste!



Spinach with Pinenut & Mustard.

I liked how the spinach leaves were presented so adorably. devil

It was neatly stacked up in a tiny pile with the pinenuts!

This dish was slightly sourish and spicy to open one's appetite for the next meal; serving the purpose of an appetizer altogether.

Golden Needle Mushroom



This was one of my strong favorites. Deep-fried to crispy goodness, these little ones were irresistable to ever stop digging in for more. I liked how it was tassled with thinly sliced onions and spring onions too. yes

Comfort food, I must say The kind that you wish would come was bottomless (much like Nachos!) with your beer.

Szechuan Flame Codfish Soup


This dish made a grand entrance towards my table.

THIS. BOWL. IS. ON. FIRE!! It was was accompanied with flaming charcoals encircling the bowl.

The soup was hot and had a spicy as well as a slight sourish tang to it. Inside, lay tiny bits of winter melon, chilli slices, pickled chilli and of course, codfish fillets.

I liked how this instantaneously warms up my tummy and cleared my nasals with its hearty, warm piquancy.

Aromatic Crispy Duck
The taste was mind-blowing! yes The flavour of the crisp, yet tender shredded duck slices was bold and the accompaniment of the duck sauce, cucumber and spring onion complemented this dish so well.

Red Lantern Chinese Cabbage

Just like the Garlic Cucumber, this was also a very simple looking dish that exceeded my expectations.

These slices of cabbage were cooked until soft, warm and had this unique twang of sweet and spicyness, as this dish was cooked with chilies and whole garlic cloves. This is arguably one of my favorite dishes here!

Double Flavored Freshwater Fish

There's an obvious reason why this dish was given its name.

It comes in two very contrasting parts of flavour and garnishing.

Left : Hot & Spicy side | Right : Pickled and Garlic side

This recipe originated from the Hunan province!

This dish was comes in the variant of a very popular freshwater fish, the Patin Fish or also known as the Iridescent Shark Catfish.

Despite having two very opposing tastes, both flavours jive together very well with my palate. The juicy fish broth taste was distinct in both sides of the fish, and this dish is usually best eaten along with steamed rice.

The two flavours were very strong contenders in being my favorite, but if I had to choose between them, I liked the left one best!

Beef Tenderloin in Mustard and Garlic

I've always had an eye for aesthetics so I've gotta say, this one takes the cake for the most beautiful food presentation, hands down!

This medium well chunky beef cubes were mighty succulent, bursting with flavour and tender-soft, unlike plenty of beef I've eaten elsewhere where you'd bothersomely chew and chew to no end but just refuses to disintegrate. -___-"

Sesame Black Bean with Crispy Pudding



We have finally come to the desserts. Sweet tooths, rejoice! devil

I would say that this savory dessert is most apt for those who dislike anythin too sweet. The pudding, although deep fried, was not oily but crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; flowing with custard the moment you sink your teeth into it. yesVery carefully made, CHIN'S!

The sesame black bean ice-cream is also self-made by them, mind you. It had a vanilla base but a recognizable sesame after-taste.

Maltose Toffee Apple Banana Fruits

As if one dessert wasn't already enough, CHIN'S pampered me with one more epic, gravity-defying dessert! heart

This dessert had to be eaten with extra care, for each fruit is coated with extremely hot toffee at boiling point. You would be writing a deathwish if you put one directly into your mouth immediately after this dish arrives! surprise

Which, is why CHIN'S practices caution and had a waitress conduct the very interesting cool-down method for me.
This dessert is leaning towards the sweeter side but hey, after the scrumptious feast, I could go for something sweet to wrap up my evening.

Once you get past the hard, crunchy toffee bite, your tastebuds are treated to a warm, fruity taste of apple or banana (depending which one you ate!) An excellent alternative to how you would usually eat fruits!