Honey Chicken Biryani Rice@ Restoran Samudera, Lumut, Perak

Among all the MOTOUR State Office Directors, I am particularly close to the state directors of Sabah (Nel), Negeri Sembilan (Ad), Sarawak (Es) and Federal Territory of Labuan (Maxwell). Everywhere we go, even during meetings or courses, the 5 of us would usually stick together. Coincidentally, there is a male member in the group and so, if the sitting arrangement is as illustrated by the photo below ... the female members looked as if they were sharing the same husband hahaha (to get the joke: A Muslim man is allowed to have 4 wives)

Well Maxwell looked like a "happy" man here!

"Madu" other than honey also means other wife or wives in Malay. So in line with the concept of "bermadu" (poligamy), during our last working trip to Lumut, we had lunch at Restoran Samudera (located just opposite the jetty to Pangkor Island) to try out their Nasi Briyani Ayam Madu (Honey Chicken Biryani Rice). To be honest, throughout my short stay in Lumut, I couldn't find any eating places that stood out from the others. Anyway, this place was selected based on recommendation by Ad's friend.

Nasi Briyani Ayam Madu (or Honey Chicken Biryani Rice)

To me, Indian style Ayam Madu (Honey Chicken) is best eaten with hot Biryani Rice and wash down with a glass of fresh mango juice.  In fact, I think Ayam Madu is the best accompaniment with Biryani Rice compared to Tandoori Chicken or Chicken Curry. Hmmm ... Reminded me of the famous Nasi Ayam Madu at Restoran Insaf (direct translation means realisation, sometimes feelings of symphaty or self-pity) which really, really made me "insaf" later. So pricy!!!!

Curry Calamari

Since Honey Chicken Biryani Rice is a simple serving of biryani rice, chicken and cucumber "acar" (a type of local pickle salad) we also ordered a plate of calamary/squid curry to go with our Biryani Rice. You can taste the freshness of the squid, which fits Lumut's reputation for it's great sea products. Overall, the Honey Chicken Biryani Rice here was nice, the place was clean and the service was good. But most important of all , we had each others company to enjoy the meal.

Seafood Luncheon @ Bali Hai Restaurant, Gurney Drive, Penang

I had been to Bali Hai several times before. However, those times, it had never occured to me to snap photos or to blog about it. I was either too tired or too hungry for that matter. I also meant to publish this entry sooner. However with work commitments plus some pictures of my food tasting in Bali Hai were stored in my office camera, I had to postpone writing this entry. 

Bali Hai Restaurant is situated strategically  along the famous Gurney Drive seafront. Despite the Bali theme setting, they are not specialising in Balinese cuisines. They actually specialise in fresh and live seafood including an assorted range of imported seafood such as Alaskan Spider Crab, Emperor Crab, Snow Crab, Australian Lobster, Rainbow Lobster, Pearl Lobster, Giant Mantis Prawn, Geoduck, Eels and Fishes. 

By the way, this restaurant was recommended to me by my colleagues and staffs. According to them, the former Penang State Exco for Tourism love to dine here.

Can you see the slogan? Very cute huh ... "If It Swims We Have It" ... wonder that includes some amphibians or reptiles that are delicacies in some countries ... euwww. These are some of the offerings that I managed to snap on my digicam.

Rainbow Lobster

Geoduck.

Bottom tank is the Alaskan Crab, kept in cold water.

Hmm ... dunno the name of these freshwater fishes.

We almost lost this important tourist attraction last year when the restaurant was facing closure by the Penang Municipal Council over some land issue. However, thank God the issue settle quickly and I still have one of my important eating places to entertain my guests for gastronomic adventure.Oh yes ... sometimes my "not so new" job needs me to entertain. And being in Penang, the food paradise of Malaysia, automatically friends will expect me to show them the "where" and "what" to eat.

Well, personally Bali Hai price range is neither cheap nor expensive. But since some of the seafood are imported and fresh (alive), I think the price is quite reasonable. The place is also clean , the food is good and the service is fast so we can guess why the place is famous among locals and tourists. However ,I would prefer to come here at night for dinner as it was quite humid in the afternoon. But parking would be quite a challenge.

Anyway, I had "special" guests from Kuala Lumpur coming that day and the last time they came I couldn't bring them here. I was misinformed that it only open at night. Once I learned that Bali Hai also open for lunch, so apalagi .... we quickly hit the place. Since my friend, Andrew was the one who really, really want to tryout the seafood there, we let him do all the ordering.

Chilli Crab

Tom Yum Goong

Teochew styled steam garoupa (or is that red snapper)

Stir fry kangkung with shrimp paste

Fried Japanese Tofu

Fried chicken with curry leave.

Guess what! It rank no.30 out of 187 restaurants in Penang on Tripadvisor as of 3rd March 2011. Wonder which restaurant rank no. 1  ... hmmm

Location:

90, 90A, 90B, 90C & 90D, Persiaran Gurney(Gurney Drive)

Georgetown

10250, Penang

Malaysia

10150