Easy Brew Caf

 new place that Coffee connoisseurs might want to visit, Easy Brew Cafe gathers Coffee Beans from different parts of the world. It roasts its own Coffee beans as well; the place however, serves no food (on our visit). Step in the place and you will be caught in a whiff of Coffee aroma followed by an amazing sight of their al-fresco garden seating. Almost like an adult playground, it has swings, garden tents with white furniture; a romantic and possibly an Instagram-perfect place. It gets a little warm in afternoon so the best time to visit would be sometime between 4 pm to 6 pm. Not the ideal place for dessert maniacs but possibly a good place for a sip of Coffee. Easy Brew Cafe can be found two doors away from China House, along Beach Street (near to the famous mural at Armenian Street).

Coffee Soft Serve Ice Cream (Rm 3.50)

Ice Blended Coffee (Rm 3.50) 

We tried both recommendations from the staff- Coffee Soft Serve (Rm 3.50) and Ice Blended Coffee (Rm 3.50). The former one was served with Cotton Candy while the latter one... was just a cup of Ice Blended Coffee with heaps of Sugar. To our dismay, the Cotton Candy did not last, it did not take too long for it to turn into a gooey-sugary mess. The Coffee flavor was there but the Soft Serve was nothing out of the ordinary while the Ice Blended Coffee was a disappointment. It was cloyingly sweet and the Ice was melted when it was served to us, as though we were having chilled Coffee instead of Ice Blended.

Nasi 7 Benua, Koo Boo Kafe

eople are always attracted to colorful stuff and colors are definitely a very good way to market a product. Koo Boo Kafe marketed their Nasi Kandar well by introducing "Nasi 7 Benua", which literally representing the 7 continents of the world. Natural coloring and flavors are used, expect to see White Rice/ Nasi Putih, Fragrant Rice/ Nasi Lemak, Tomato Rice/ NasiTomato, Herbed Rice/ Nasi Lemuni, Peanut Rice/ Nasi Kacang, Buttered Rice/ Nasi Minyak and Spicy Buttered Rice/ Nasi Hujan Panas. The place was thronged by a massive crowd some time back but there was not a need to queue on my visit. The place has since refurbished and it is now a clean and comfortable place to dine in. Finding the place might be a little tricky for the uninitiated, drive along Jalan Dr. Tun Awang from Penang International Airport towards Bukit Jambul via sPICE, Koo Boo Kafe should be on your left, opposite to sPICE.

Diners can opt to have the regular White Rice or any of the 7 types of Rice but Koo Boo Kafe's signature will be their Nasi 7 Benua; which consists of 7 types of Rice in different colors and flavors. I had mine for Rm 10- Curry Chicken, Pickled Cucumber, Stir Fry Cabbage with Turmeric, Beef Rendang and Tau Kwa. It may be visually-appealing but the Rice barely registered any flavors... or too mild to be discerned. The Curries, on the other hand, were delicious. Despite slightly over-cooked, the BeefRendang was robust with flavors, same goes to the Chicken; fully coated in thick, rich and creamy Curry, perfectly spooned over the Rice. A decent place to satiate your Nasi Kandar crave.

Wah Kei Dim Sum (华记点心)

Wah Kei Dim Sum (华记点心) is truly a hidden gem at D' Piazza Mall, the place is well-concealed and many would have drove past the place without noticing its presence. The Dim Sum place is manned by a couple, the husband's from Guang Zhou and has since honed his culinary skills (for Dim Sum); that explains the Cantonese touch to the Dim Sum dishes too. The selection is small but most of the Dim Sum dishes are home-made and not outsourced; which provides a justification to the slightly-higher price tags but if you are looking for a windy, clean and less-crowded place to enjoy a relaxed morning with family and friends, you might want to check this place out. Wah Kei Dim Sum can be found opposite to D' Piazza Condominium, Bayan Lepas. 

 Steamed Pork Dumplings/ 烧卖

Deep Fried Shrimp Rolls/ 酥炸虾卷

Halfwake Cafe @ Lebuh Melayu, Georgetown, Penang.

The chic, vibrant industrial decor of Halfwake Cafe honors the decrepit heritage building at Lebuh Melayu well. The run-down building was unappealing from the outside but as you traipse up the stairs, it leads you to a well-transformed, young and urban dining space, seemingly perfect for generating eye-catchy Instagram posts. The place is simple as a cafe, as elegant as a restaurant, and as cool as a bar. It has an elevated small stage for live band performance which adds a sense of theater to the overall experience. The menu shows no lackluster, though it proffers limited offerings; all of them were painstakingly created. Halfwake Cafe is not without a downside, the place opens on the evening of Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only (from 6 pm). Nevertheless, it is still a cool place that all cafe hoppers should mark their attendance, for its composite elements of urban-heritage design. 

Sushi Fillet with Trio Lemon Butter Sauce (Rm 20) was less-substantial, few pieces of carefully seared Dory Fillet were served with their proudly created Trio Lemon Butter Sauce (English Parsley, Tomato and Mayonnaise-like Sauce), roasted Potatoes and fresh Greens dressed with Dijon Honey Mustard. The Fish possessed a meaty, firm texture sans the undesired fishy taste but it did not manage to excite me. The sauces were great, certainly intriguing but we would prefer some other types of Fish over Dory. The Dijon Honey Mustard was lovely, though it can be a little monotonous towards the end, the slightly acidic sauces counter balanced the tartness and everything worked well together. 

We concluded the meal with a satisfying sweet note. White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Banana Caramel Topping (Rm 11) was absolutely delicious, though not as wobbly as we'd expected, the Panna Cotta was deliberately seasoned to the right sweetness and jeweled with Banana Caramel as well as squiggles of Chocolate sauce. The amalgamation works, the Banana Caramel introduced a fruity flavor and buttery-nutty texture to the dessert. 

Pik Nik Everyday

Tucked inside the iconic building of Raja Uda- Pangsapuri Seri Melur is the latest venture by Pik Nik, named Pik Nik Everyday. The new sister cafe- Pik Nik Everyday serves the exact menu as Pik Nik but it has a more playful and chic interior decor; evidently seen from the school bus and classroom elements in the cafe- flimsy classroom chair, colorful unsystematic drawing on the wall, ragged plastic trophy... attempt to evoke memories in elementary school or junior high school. Within the fun and lively environment, diners can feast upon their signature savory and sweet Waffles as well as their range of refreshing drinks. A place that I'd visit for novelty. 

Pik Nik is famed for its Waffles; we had Ms. Strawberry (Rm 16.90), a dessert Waffle with fresh Strawberries and 3 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream, completed with Almond Flakes. The Waffle was soft with crisp edges; it was brilliantly done with melted Butter. The savory-sweet combination works- the Butter introduces a creamy, savory dimension to the well-chilled Ice Cream. A contenting dish best shared by a few. 

Bull Dog (Rm 10.90) might be a great choice for light meals. Fluffy-soft Bun sandwiching a foot-long Beef Sausage, garnishedwith squiggles of Barbecue sauce, Mayonnaise and Mustard; completed with greens and chopped Scallions. It was straight-forward. No, it was not gourmet sausage, probably the ordinary frozen sausage and was nothing out of the ordinary.