[Travel Penang] Brunch at Kwason and Lunch at Hwating Before We Say, Till Next Time

It has been such a fun time catching up with childhood friends and schoolmates. Thank you girls, for being a part of my life.

We decided to visit a cafe nearby, and so we walked for about minutes there.

so cute

interesting

eclectic decor

Got myself a mentaiko shio pan and a salted caramel latte to try.

salted caramel latte and mentaiko shio pan

oozing with melted butter

The shio pan was firmer than expected and the surprise was the melted butter inside. 

raspberry beignet

do you like cream?

Not sure why the cream inside the beignet is not as dark coloured as the topping. Hmm.

classics

I think Shan was rather surprised that we're actually doing lunch after all the coffee and croissants!

Hwa Ting

lor bak

chicken feet

Hehe, we didn't order a lot. Just some dishes to try try.

char kway teow

The char kway teow here had plenty of beansprouts which I liked. Crunchy and adds that distinct 'rawness' to the plate.

curry mee with roast pork

The curry mee here uses egg noodles. Ate it together with a bit of mint leaf, taopok, roast pork and a mouthful of noodles. So good.

cendol with coconut ice-cream, and tau huay

Kwason Boulangerie (Georgetown)

Address: 255, Lebuh Pantai, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Website: https://www.instagram.com/kwason_boulangerie_georgetown/

Business Hours:

Closed on Tue.

Mon, Wed-Fri: 8:30 am–5 pm

Sat-Sun: 8:30 am–6 pm

Hwa Ting Restaurant

Address: 37, Lebuh Melayu, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Website: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089822445982&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Business Hours:

Closed on Wed.

Mon-Tue, Thu - Fri: 11 am–9 pm

Sat-Sun: 10:30 am–9 pm

[Ala-Carte Buffet] Dinner at Tunglok Seafood @ Park Regis

Four of us decided to dine there on a whim. Thanks Wendy for making the reservation! If you're driving then can park at the Park Regis Hotel and get the carpark coupon from the restaurant.

our table

There were two ala-carte buffet packages available; Seafood Buffet menu (Adult: $43.80++) or Deluxe Seafood Buffet menu (Adult: $59.80++). Minimum 2 pax for the buffet and we were in a party of 4. Drinks are not included, and take note that for Chinese tea order at $3 per head, a minimum of 2 pax is required.

Took a brief look at both the buffet menu and the Deluxe menu had 6 single-serve items while the other menu had 3 single-serve items. We opted for the Seafood Buffet menu.

Staff was friendly and brought out the QR code for the table to scan and order for the buffet. Unsure of the portion size, we ordered a few plates to try.

crab meatball (五香蟹枣)

Hmm, crab meatball was smallish and the temperature was lukewarm. Probably these had been left out for quite a while? We did order another round of these later, and its color was visibly darker and the temperature was better.

salmon sashimi (三文鱼刺身)

Salmon sashimi was satisfying, and we had another plate of these.

The jellyfish appetiser was one of my favourite dish here. I think I ate half a bowl!

chilled jellyfish in pomelo sauce (柚子酱凉拌海蜇)

prawn paste chicken (虾酱鸡翅)

Prawn paste chicken wings were decent with its meat still juicy. If you have stomach space, do try the Hot and Sour Soup (酸辣汤). Tangy, spicy and whets the appetite.

The special items (single-serve) arrived 30 minutes into the meal. Fish maw soup was one per pax, scallop was one piece per pax and chili crab is one crab per table.

Braised Shark’s Fin with Fish Maw (红烧鱼鳔翅) - one serving per pax

Steamed Scallop with Garlic and Vermicelli (蒜蓉粉丝蒸扇贝) - one serving per pax

TungLok Chilli Crab with Deep-fried ‘Man Tou’ (辣椒螃蟹伴馒头) - one serving per table

When the staff brought out the Chili Crab, he was saying that this is the "重头戏" or main highlight of the buffet. Keke.

additional photo for the chili crab

The fish maw soup was good with plenty of julienned mushrooms and fish maw. Added black vinegar and pepper for extra kick. The scallop was smallish and the chili crab sauce was good.

tools to eat the chili crab

I was feeling full after the soup. Hahaa.

chicken yakitori (日式串烧鸡)

The chicken yakitori was surprisingly tender. However, I'd prefer if it was grilled slightly longer.

Stir-fried Fish Fillet in Black Bean Sauce (豉汁炒鱼片)

Stir-fried Young Cabbage with Garlic (蒜蓉炒奶白豆苗)

I'm usually a fan of nai bai (milk cabbage) but the version here was the healthier choice. Crunchy vegetable with very little oil and not strongly seasoned. 

Spicy Clam Meat with French Bean (香辣贝肉四季豆)

The french bean dish went in the opposite direction of the young cabbage. I liked the plump french beans but the clam meat probably need a bowl of white rice to go with it.

Smoked Duck Breast with ‘Mala’ Sauce (老干妈烟鸭胸肉)

The smoked duck breast dish, I think the sauce translation may not be accurate as 'lao gan ma' sauce was more of savoury fragrant than 'mala'.

We ordered all the available dessert in the ala-carte buffet menu to try.

Ice-cream Puff (雪糕夹心酥)

Red Bean Soup with Glutinous Rice (红豆紫米露)

Staff was accurate when she informed that the ice-cream puff was currently still frozen. Had to wait for awhile to let the frozen ice-cream soften. We were worried if the red bean soup with glutinous rice would be too 'heavy' after the buffet. Actually no, since there was more 'soup' than the ingredients.

Chilled Herbal Jelly with Honey (养颜龟苓膏)

Chilled Coconut Jelly with Osmanthus Flower (椰汁桂花冻)

close up shot of the osmanthus jelly

The coconut osmanthus jelly dessert, I liked because the osmanthus taste is not too overpowering. Tasted more of coconut pudding instead.

Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball coated with Peanut Crumbs (擂沙汤圆)

The sesame glutinous rice ball was mochi-soft and served warm. Yummy and not too sweet.

Thank you Mien Ta for the treat, and Eric and Wendy for sharing the calories too!

TungLok Seafood (Park Regis by Prince Singapore)

Address: 23 Merchant Rd, Level 1, Singapore 058268

Website: https://www.tunglokseafood.com/en/home

Business Hours:

Monday - Saturday:

Lunch: 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM (Last order: 2:30 PM)

Dinner: 6:00 PM - 10:30 PM (Last order: 10:00 PM)

Sunday & Public Holidays:

Lunch: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Last order: 2:30 PM)

Dinner: 6:00 PM - 10:30 PM (Last order: 10:00 PM) 

[Ala-Carte Buffet] Saturday Lunch @ Famous Treasure Capitol

It was a rather quiet Saturday noon, and Siew Li suggested for ala-carte buffet and everyone else agreed so it was a rather impromptu decision for the change in venue and without any reservations.

Staff said that the ala-carte buffet promo is popular and usually the place would be crowded especially weekends so I guess we were lucky that day!

ala-carte buffet menu

Take note that the snacks on the table and wet towels are chargeable. Staff would enquire on the drinks once you are seated. We opted for pu-erh (can choose from tie guan yin, chrysanthemum, jasmine or pu-eh). Chinese tea (served in a pot for the table) is chargeable at $3++ per pax.

boiled peanuts

cherry tomatoes with preserved plums

There is an order chit to input the dishes that the table wants for the ala-carte buffet, and each serving of the all-you-can-eat dishes is said to be good for 3-4 pax portions. 

There is also a one-time limited fish dish and as we were in a group of 8, we could order up to 2 whole fish for the table. We chose steamed tilapia and deep fried seabass.

roasted crispy pork belly (8 slices per serving)

crystal chicken (half)

The ordered dishes were served up pretty quickly. The thinly sliced pork belly had crispy crackling and enjoyable with the mustard dip. Would be nicer if it is slightly fattier. Crystal chicken was flavourful but rather smallish.

deep-fried seabass with superior soya sauce (1 time order)

Staff asked if we wanted to snap a photo of the fish first before he portioned it out for us. Oops, perhaps we been taking one photo too many. 

steamed tilapia with bean sauce

I liked the steamed tilapia more than the deep-fried seabass. Tilapia was perfectly steamed with its flesh remaining tender and moist.

stir-fried romaine lettuce with fermented shrimp paste in claypot

wok-fried squid with chinchalok and ladies finger

I liked that the dishes were generally tasty yet not too overpowering so one could still enjoy the dishes on its own.

While the rest of us has no intention to order any carbs, Sze Jia wanted some. We thought it would be easy to share since there are 8 of us and staff did say the portion is good for 3-4 pax.

Yang Chow fried rice

Whoa, I think the fried rice portion was indeed for 3-4 pax but perhaps as main dish? Hahaa! It was pretty good nonetheless especially with the good sized shrimps in there. 

spicy mapo beancurd with meat sauce, deepfried de-shelled prawns with salted egg yolk, live poached prawns

Though menu stated it as spicy mapo beancurd, it wasn't spicy at all. It was savoury sweet and good as a topping for the fried rice for a change-up in flavours.

The salted egg yolk prawns looked like chicken karaage so we got confused for a while. It was good and that prompted us to order the rest of the prawn dishes available in the ala-carte buffet menu. Keke.

live poached prawns

deepfried de-shelled prawns with wasabi sauce

The wasabi sauce was creamy and lovely with the good sized prawns. Texture was firm and sauce was only mildly reminiscent of wasabi.

wok sliced beef with black pepper sauce

Was a tad disappointed with the beef though, as it wasn't as tender as anticipated.

stir-fried sliced fish with bean sauce

crispy chicken chop with Thai sweet sauce

braised beancurd with Chinese mushrooms and vegetables

The crispy chicken chop was a nice surprise as the batter remained crispy even after letting it sit for a while in the sauce. Loved the wholesome flavours of the braised beancurd as well.

table full of good flavours

Overall, staff was efficient in their service. Food arrived pretty quickly and there were constant top-ups to our tea. 

Food was enjoyable and it was a great catch-up with university friends. 

We spent around $52 per pax.

 

Famous Treasure

Address: 13 Stamford Rd, #02-28 Capitol Singapore, Singapore 178905

Website: https://thefamoustreasure.com/

Business Hours:

Daily 11:30 AM–3 PM, 6–10:30 PM