De Paella @ Lorong Sek Chuan, Penang

We arrived at De Paella 10 minutes later than our 8 pm dinner reservation. This 'home kitchen' as they call it is located inside the House of Journey Hostel & Guesthouse. There were many tourists bustling in and out of this place. The decoration is simple, with an array of clocks showing the time in different countries and converted dustpans into mini bookshelves. How creative is that!

De Paella serves a mini selection of Spanish tapas and the famous Spanish Paella (pronounced Pa-eh-ya).

The Croquetta de pollo consists of marinated deep fried chicken served with a garlic-cheese dip.
One word: Yummy!
I can eat them non-stop since they tasted so lovely.

Croquetta de pollo (RM 9)

Next was Patatas Bravas which are actually deep fried potatoes served with spicy tomato sauce and aioli, and garnished with basil. Lovely combination! The hint of basil added flavour to this particular tapa.

Patatas Bravas (RM 9)

The Tortilla de Patata came with a mashed potato topped with poached egg and drizzled with salsa sauce. I suppose this is a reconstruction of the Spanish Omelette.

Tortilla de Patata (RM 8)

Paella, to some is known as the national dish of Spain. Paella consists of rice (usually Bomba rice) with seafood or meat or a combination of both, cooked in a paella pan.
We had the seafood paella which looked so beautiful that I had to upload the picture on my instagram on the spot. The paella came with generous amounts of small clams, squids and prawns. I loved the taste of white wine used in this dish as well as the presence of socarrat (caramelized crust at the bottom of the pan).

Seafood Paella, 2 pax RM 55

This place serves reasonably priced Spanish food. Although the selection is small, it is adequate for backpackers and tourist alike to sit down; enjoy some tapas over a cuppa, while chit chatting or reading.

De Paella (at House of Journey Hostel & Guesthouse)
No. 45 & 47, Lorong Sek Chuan
10200 Georgetown Penang
04-2621399

My Little Kitchen @ Kuching, Sarawak

Before our trip, I've checked for new restaurants to try out and stumbled upon great reviews of My Little Kitchen on Trip Advisor. This cozy restaurant is located at 56, Upper China Street and is opened from  4pm-9.30pm daily, except Sundays.

We found ourselves here yesterday on a wet Wednesday evening. Tommi, the owner was considerate to let us in through the back door, We were the only customers there, as it was just 5pm. 

According to owners Tommi and Brenda, the food served in this restaurant are made fresh using their own recipes without the use of any MSG (monosodium glutamate).

We had heard amazing reviews of the food and decided to try for ourselves the Spicy Tex Mex wrap and the Swedish Meatballs (Svenska Kottbular).

The Spicy Tex Mex wrap is served with a bowl home-made salad. This wrap comes with beef, onions and home-made mayonnaise. The beef filling is coated with the owner's very own Tex-Mex spice blend and cooked to perfection. I loved every bite of it! I learned from Brenda (Tommi's wife) that among the spices use to coat the beef are cumin and paprika.

Spicy Tex Mex Wrap (RM  15.50)

The Swedish Meatballs (from Tommi's family recipe)  are served with home-made mashed potatoes and classic brown sauce.
Looking at those juicy meatballs just make me hungry all over again. The meatballs are made from ground beef, blended with different spices and pan fried to perfection. The mashed potatoes are creamy and fluffy.

Swedish Meatballs (RM 18.50)

We had a really great dining experience. The owners are friendly and there's great food here. I'll surely be back, this time to try their roasted chicken and other specialties.

Wei Thian Restaurant @ Siburan

We attended Clancy's wedding reception at Wei Thian Restaurant last Saturday evening. This restaurant is located in Siburan, about 25km from BDC.

This restaurant has a very big hall on the 2nd floor which could accommodate more than 50 tables.

I enjoyed all the dishes served that night. Here's the photos of the food we had (I've forgotten to snap a pic of the soup).

For the 1st dish, I loved the well-marinated fried chicken as well as the jellyfish. Tender in the inside and crispy outside, the chicken was my favorite.

The glutinous fried rice was lovely too. This dish was a hit among the guests.

The stewed pork leg was served with fluffy buns (mantou). Hubby definitely enjoyed stuffing the pork filling between the buns.

The fish was fresh and the soy-sauce with cilantro enhanced its taste.

The lemon chicken however was just mediocre. The lemon sauce needs to be improved, in my opinion.

The vegetable dish was quite nice but I've tasted better.

Overall, we had a good time dining at this restaurant.