Five27 @ Straits Quay

Had a girls' night out here on Thursday night where we ordered some of Five27's signature Nordic-inspired dishes but were not really impressed.

First up, we were served complimentary baked bread with flavored butter.

This was very good as the bread was soft and naturally sweet, along with the nicely flavored butter complementing it well.

We wanted to fully enjoy our girls' night out with some form of alcohol/liquor, and asked one of the girl staff if it is still Happy Hour, but was given a blunt "I don't know". So I looked at her and asked "Well can you go and find out?" Then only the girl went and asked and told us Happy Hour had ended. After much deliberation, we ended up choosing the Cornellana House Red wine that was recommended by another slightly more experienced staff. Strange enough, we were only informed about "Ladies' Night" when we were paying our bill hence the wine cost us RM 57 instead of RM 75

Then our supposedly 'real food' came

Lightly Salt Cured Salmon (RM 45)
This was served in a honey and dill mustard sauce

I think the biggest mistake made with this dish was the sheer size of the plate that it was served on. It made the salmon fillet looked real small (it was not big to start with) and the most important honey dill and mustard sauce was too scattered that it was hard for us to ensure we had our salmon with it when we eat it.

Nonetheless, all 3 of us agreed that this was one of the best Salmon we had. It was very nicely cooked and just nice when it came to our tongues.When we cut it open, we could still see the Salmon layers clearly and each mouthful was equally flavorful and evenly cooked, maintaining its flavour. We tasted some sweetness to the salmon, but not sure where those sweetness came from, considering that this was salt cured.

This salmon dish was served with baby potatoes and balsamic caramelized onion on the side, this was something not very usual but did not wow us. The taste was just normal.

Then came the Slow Cooked Lamb (RM 48) which was served with mojo rojo sauce (mixed sauces), creamed potato and artichoke, citrus apple salad.

When this dish came we were amused by the red artichoke and thought it was 'sambal' :) The tenderness of the lamb was no doubt a pleasure, however the taste had paled in comparison with its texture. The bed of potato was not too bad and the red artichoke definitely gave a unique 'twist' to this dish.

Finally our last main course came : Shitake Mushroom Lasagna (RM 36)

The presentation looked good, however the actual taste did not reflect the same. The filo pastry was fairly hard and overly chewy in texture, and the truffle taste was too overpowering at the same time.

After working half way through our 3 main courses, we felt the food to fall short on our belly, so we decided to go for one of the item listed under "Chef Recommendations" - Trio of Handsome Sausages (Lamb, Pork and Beef) (RM 40) 

We made a request to only have 1 Lamb and 2 Pork sausages but was given response that the trio sausages 'come in one single pack' (in other words not customizable), so we went on with it as I could have the beef sausage while my 2 pals can have the Lamb and Pork.When the dish came we asked the staff which one was the Beef but none of them could tell, not even after they asked the supposedly chef (or Sous Chef) to come out and identify. This was really terrible as it is a simple sign that none of their people even 'know' the food they were serving to the customers. I had to end up trying out a bit of all 3 of the sausages just to tell which one was the beef.

All the sausages did not taste good at all, despite the fact that they were prettily decorated with flower petals (which I thought was weird). The only consolation to this dish was the Garlic Aioli and also the potato salad which was nice and had a sense of crunchiness with the presence of nuts.   Our total bill came up to RM262.15 - which was super expensive and not value for money considering the quality and portion of the food as well as the service provided.   In all, we could conclude that only the complimentary bread and the Lightly Salt Sured Salmon were worthwhile indulging here at Five27. Hopefully Five27 can further improve on the level of knowledge within the staff/chef to know their food or their service offerings when responding to customer questions.

Invited Review : Healthy Eating Workshop @ That Little Wine Bar

I was enticed to participate in this workshop as the invitation sounded too good to be missed. Imagine : How much do we know and understand about the food that we put into our mouths day in and out? 

This workshop was hosted by none other than Chef Tommes, the owner and Chef of That Little Wine Bar and Irrawaddy Fine Foods. I must say it was a very informative and enjoyable 2 hours plus that I had in a long time.

To start off, Chef Tommes was punctual in starting the workshop, something that I too am quite particular of (time). Tommes then proceeded to hit the punchline of "What is considered food and what does food mean to us?"

Throughout the workshop, Chef shared with us about how our body manages the food we eat, how to select fresh ingredients, what are good food and how to make them or where to get them.

We learnt how our body reacts to Sugar, Salt and Fat. For example, the reason we get addicted to food is because of the Salt (NaCl) content, not Sugar actually. However, sweetness is the one triggering happiness.

Why do people get diabetic? That's due to prolonged effect of Insulin pump over-working and ends up giving up its ability to get Glucose out of the blood stream to places the body needs it. As we all know, too much sugar results in Obesity because excess Sugar becomes Fat.  

If diabetic folks were to go on a 3 weeks diet consuming raw vegetables with minimum amount of carbohydrate, they will actually become diabetic-free after which! Which makes us wonder what carbohydrate can do, and why we should keep an eye on its intake.

Everything with starch contains sugar and sugar gives us energy. Glucose or Fructose (from fruits), on the other hand, also gives us sugar, but it goes into the blood stream much faster and in turn exits from the blood stream much faster compared to Sugar as well. 

Many people may also have a perception that they will be able to slim down or lose weight by skipping breakfast, which is a completely wrong theory. The only effect that skipping breakfast will take is GAINING weight. So remember peeps! Always have a good and healthy breakfast every morning!

Chef also shared with us that our body can only digest either Magnesium or Calcium at any one time. The best time to be consuming Magnesium is during early morning as a kick-start to our brain. Good sources of Magnesium include green vegetables like Broccoli. Calcium, on the other hand, can ideally be consumed before bedtime as it helps to make us feel tired for a better sleep. 

Sometimes, we love to patronize Seafood Restaurants and choose the fish right from the tank itself to be assured of its freshness - however such fresh fishes often than not still contain protein which are harder for our body to digest. The protein from a decomposed fish are easier for our body to digest so we are actually better off to get our protein from fishes bought from wet markets.

Speaking of fish, Tommes continued to share about the higher fat content contained in deep sea fishes such as Tuna, Cod (black, white, silver) and Salmon; whereas local fishes are warm mater fishes which contain lesser amount of fat; naturally due to the warm water that they inhabit in not requiring too much fat to keep them warm.

As for shopping for food in Supermarket, the rule of thumb is to always go for those with more 'humble' packaging instead of those 'loud' ones, and avoid those containing artificial sweetening. 

Tommes also answered some questions raised by the participants e.g. how to tell if an egg is still good for consumption? The older an egg gets, the more air gets inside the egg so we can easily tell if a egg had gone bad - just try to put it inside a bowl of water - if it floats on top of it, please chuck it in the bin as it had gone bad. 

Another guide on oil is that the less taste it has - the better the oil is, e.g. grape seed oil. If we were to opt for vegetable oil - go for those which is derived from one type of vegetable, instead of many different vegetables.

Chef prepared a couple of Real Food for us to sample and enjoy:-

Strawberry Marmalade on Home-made Bread

Strawberry marmalde was thick and the only sweetness stemmed from the strawberries themselves. The bread looked plain but tasted light - simple delights

Oat Cookies

These babies were simply marvelous - flavorful yet original - goodness assured.

Glutton-free Sausages

 
These sausages were not overly springy but had good tastes to them. Most importantly, they are healthy version to the ones easily found in the market today.

Chef Tommes in action (no, he's not part of the food served :P)

Fresh O.J. (Orange Juice) - sugar-free

Only one word to describe - Refreshing.

The workshop session ended with a very good Food for Thought from Chef Tommes: Always eat following the rule of Sustenance vs. Enjoyment. We should follow a good ratio of eating for Sustenance and splurge once in a while on eating for Enjoyment.
 

Invited Review : Edgecumbe Retreat

I'm not a big fan of organic food probably due to lack of understanding and how it can be 'fusionized' to be food which are not only appetizing but also tasty.

Because of this curiosity, an invitation by GourmetGarden and Edgecumbe Retreat came at the right timing, and it was well worth the trip as an eye-opener to the delicious organic delicacies as well as the informative elaboration on organic food.

The cafe which is hosted on the ground floor of the retreat was quiet, clean and serene. There's even a little outdoor corner with an air well where hanging plants can be seen. I suppose one can dine here if they wish?

We had continuous flow of Momo Oolong (RM 12.50 by pot) as our beverage to accompany our meal. Momo Oolong is a blend of Japanese white peach with Taiwanese Pouchong accented with pink rose petals. A sip of it proved that the tea was very fragrant and smooth indeed.

First up - we had an appetizer named Mushroom Salad (RM 18.90) which is a salad consisting of organically grown vegetables like cherry tomatoes and zucchini topped with warm yuzu seasoned mushrooms. Do note, however, that the portion illustrated here is just 1/3 of the original portion that you will be getting when you order this dish. I really liked the warm yuzu sauce as it not only was not salty, it also had a good naturally sweetened aftertaste.

Another appetizer which was the infamous local delicacy - Rojak (RM 8) was served. At the first glance, we could almost be fooled that this is just another local rojak affair, but we were pleasantly surprised at how juicy and crunchy the fruits were, and the intriguing home made organic rojak paste that is made from seaweed paste and organic groundnuts. There are up to 3 types of seaweed used to make the paste and Cayenne pepper was incorporated as well to give the paste a little 'fire'. I thoroughly enjoyed this simple yet flavorful and fresh rojak.
From the entrée menu, we had one of their homemade organic bun - Pandan bun (RM 10.50 for choices of 3) that was stuffed with natural Burdock floss. The bun was airy light in texture and aptly matched with the super crunchy Burdock floss which tastes almost like the texture of pork floss, minus the pork taste. Apart from pandan bun, Edgecumbe Cafe offers Matcha and Red Bean bun as well as Blue Flower bun as well, so do check with them for the availability.

Next up, we had another simple dish Popiah (RM 8.90) from the entrée menu, which may look ordinary but tastes fabulous. The Popiah is made of stir-fried turnip and wrapped with rice crepe, then served with organic sweet chilli sauce. Although the components of the popiah looks really basic, but the sweetness of the turnip really stands out amongst the crunchy vegetable; not forgetting the thin yet soft rice crepe holds them well. This popiah can be easily enjoyed with the organic chilli sauce to give it some 'oomph', or can be enjoyed as-is, which is equally tasty.
After all the appetizers and entree, we were served a main of Fish Claypot Noodle (RM 23.90), which was a pot full of goodness in its own right when we found out the ingredients used! First up, brown rice vermicilli was used, and deep sea Grouper fish was chosen for its size and texture. The fish soup was double boiled so we could imagine how nutritious this dish would be. For soup dish lovers, this is a must try indeed, I totally enjoyed the sweetness of the soup, the freshness of the fish and all the accompanying organic vegetables.

And that's not all, they even serve a totally ass-kicking 'concoction' for us to fully enjoy this fish noodle with - spring onions, shredded ginger and chilli in soy sauce. I kid you not, this baby is hot but is a match made in heaven with this fish noodle. Once again, you can enjoy the noodles on its own or have them with this concoction.

After such a hearty noodle main dish, we were toned down with a pleasant Pumpkin Kuih which is specially made for us to sample. It was a flavorful kuih that is light in texture and it was topped with the familiar Burdock floss once again, which, by the way, we could not get enough of :) This is like an alternative pumpkin version of Yam kuih but I reckon this is better.

Just when we thought we'd seen (or rather tasted) it all, we were served with a dessert I do not mind having seconds of - Berries Yogurt Sorbet! I was really excited and the taste did not disappoint me at all. This home made sorbet is made with berries (obviously) and soy-based yogurt, which is lactose-free and is suitable for those who are lactose-intolerant. This was definitely one good non-milk sorbet. I truly enjoyed every little spoonfuls of it, right up to the last drop.

We had a tour of Edgecumbe Retreat afterwhich and learnt that they not only have a nice cafe, the retreat houses a spa on the upper floor, which provides hair, manicure, pedicure, body massage, foot reflexology services all under one roof as well. The hair salon is the only salon that is authorized to use Simply Organic products.

Apart from cafe and spa, Edgecumbe Retreat retails Organic products as well since they are the true ambassadors of organic food and living. Many types of organic products can be found under this roof:-

What's more to say about this place? I'm already planning my next trip there with my friends to sample even more of their organic food varieties :D Now who wants to tag along?

Edgecumbe Retreat
Spa . Beauty . Cafe
64 Edgecumbe Lane
10250 Penang
Operating Hours : 11am - 8pm
Closed on Sundays

****** Please call for reservation and enquiry for daily specials ******

Invited Review : Cheers Restaurant & Bierhaus

Cheers is one of the newer establishments bearing the concept of not only a restaurant, it is also a hang out place for people to have a drink, or even play some pool and darts.


One can opt to hang out at the al fresco area external to the establishment; or enjoy a drink at the bar or at the high tables on the ground floor; or have a quieter ambiance upstairs to enjoy a nice meal.


First up, we were served with a piping hot Homemade Mushroom Soup (RM 9.80) which comes with complimentary Garlic Bread. I love a good bowl of mushroom goodness with some twists of drizzled cream as well as surprising bits of what seemed to me like sautéed mushroom slices. The garlic bread was crunchy and is a perfect match to the homemade mushroom soup.



We were then served with a Cheers Fisherman Sensation (RM 29.80) which consists of 2 types of fish - dory and seabass; prawns, mussel as well as chuka idako (seasoned baby octopus).


According to the chef, 2 types of fish were included in this dish to provide a variety in terms of texture and taste and I thought this was pretty neat. The cheese baked mussels were good sized; and the prawns fresh. I didn't sample the infamous chuka idako but it did not look too bad to me. A fragrant garlic butter sauce was used in this dish and it blended all the seafood well. We can find a good portion of mash potatoes to finish this dish off too.

The next main course was Cheers Seafood Chicken (RM 31.80).


This was a pretty evident fusion dish indeed, as it comprised of baked chicken chop that was then topped with seafood and cheese, then finally finished with mandarin orange sauce. I'm always a skeptic when it comes to orange sauce in any of my food; but the version served here did not come across weird at all. This is the perfect dish for those who can't really make up their mind whether to have a pure chicken or seafood dish and do not mind some good ol' baked cheese. We were also pretty surprised to find some purple mash which is made up of Japanese sweet potatoes. Nice touch, considering the contrast in colour and lightness in texture compared with normal potatoes.

Next up - we had Cheers Burger Special (RM 21.80) which may appear to be a normal double decker burger served with french fries and coleslaw; but one of the patty is made of pork; and the other seafood. The seafood patty is made up of salmon, scallop, mussel and prawn which gave it a really good, chewy texture; whereas the pork patty was equally flavorful. It's seriously a good burger if you were to ask me, as everything else like the bread, melted cheese and salad complemented the patties well. The only thing we need to get over was how to eat it :)


The last 2 main courses were hard core pork dishes, the first one being Cheers BBQ Ribs (RM 29.80).


We learnt from the chef that the ribs were marinated with their homemade BBQ sauce overnight then slow-baked using conventional oven for 6-7 hours; which results in a flavorful, well-infused rib racks. The meat fell off the bone easily and was a pleasure to enjoy. Though the BBQ sauce was normal to me; the texture and juiciness of the ribs made up for it just fine. In this dish, we could also observe the use of Japanese sweet potato mash once again which gave it a good colour combination alongside the ribs and vegetable sides.

Last but not least, the German-influenced dish of Cheers Knuckles for 1 (RM 29.80) was served. Compared to the version I tried here before, I was glad to see some improvement of the knuckles served properly in whole pieces; the skin super crispy and crunchy yet the meat within tender; and most importantly, the beer-reduced sauce was served separately. Another fusion element we found in this dish was the side of Thai salsa which gave it a different twist to this otherwise pure German dish.


In all, I felt the signature dishes were good and worth trying; of course provided if they were prepared with the same amount of passion and sincerity in delivering a consistent taste.

Cheers Restaurant and Bierhaus
3X, Jalan Pantai Molek,
Tanjung Tokong 10470 Penang
Telephone : +604 8999 757