TORIDOKI AT SRI HARTAMAS

I for one, have been scouring Sri Hartamas for food and have tried some of the eateries here like Dirty Duck Naughty Babe, the Italian pizza place and another tasty Japanese place. Today, I find myself here in Toridoki, a Japanese franchise from Tokyo, that is a 4-months’ old baby. In Tokyo, there are already 3 branches. I was curious why Malaysia became the first Southeast Asia branch and Kuta Fusuya, the Manager in Toridoki, said that, perhaps there are many races in Malaysia. Kuta has been living in Malaysia for 4 years before becoming the manager here. They have hired a popular local chef, Joe who has made a name for himself in local Japanese restaurants since 1981, that would mean, many years before I was born! I felt compelled to  praise the manager who is so systematic to have given us a printed menu for the first time, something rarely done by most restaurants. The food also came out one by one according to the recommended menu. The menu is changed every few months.

We can choose to sit on normal dining table, counter table or tatami mats right at the back without folding the legs (good news for people who cramp easily like me).

The Chinese name of Toridoki contains the word “chi” (chicken) because this restaurant’s USP lies in chicken. The signature dishes are Yakitori (Japanese grilled chicken satay) and also roasted whole chicken. The official logo is a chicken too.

The Yakitori is done using different parts of the chicken such as chicken breast, gizzard, thigh, wings, liver and every edible part of chicken.

Any order would come with a complimentary appetizer of the day which is subject to change from salads to today’s Potato Salad. The potato salad is quite tasty as it is made from mashed potatoes in a scoop mixed with carrots, onions, and also purple cabbage. The best part is that there was no overload of mayonnaise, the spoiler of any Japanese meal.

Konsai Salad (RM 18)

Next was the Konsai Salad (RM 18) which is root vegetable salad. To me, it is less vegetable except for the cabbage but more on potatoes. Calling all potato lovers out there, this is so for you! It contains orange potato/sweet potato, purple potato, lotus root, pumpkin, broccolis and carrots. On top, is a generous squeeze of mayonnaise on a bowl of carbs. Kota actually helped to grate fresh cheese on the top so you can feel the freshness of everything made here. This dish is unique and please do not order rice due to the heaviness of potatoes.

Nagaimo Garlic Butter (Japanese yam with garlic and butter) (RM 12)

After this heavy meal, we moved to Nagaimo Garlic Butter (Japanese yam with garlic and butter) (RM 12). When I first saw the name, I was wondering whether I would be served just plain butter blended with garlic which was a little silly of me! It turned out to be crispy yam made with Nagaimo Garlic Butter that is pan-fried mountain yam mixed with garlic powder, soya sauce and black pepper. The garlic makes it fragrant. Since I am on a diet and too health conscious, I refrained from eating too much of this. To me, it was nice to dip this in the sweet Toridoki sauce. Later, I had a second bite and felt it tasted a little like radish.

Teba Age (RM 10) Deep Fried Chicken Wing

No one dine in a chicken-based restaurant without trying the fried chicken which to me, is better than KFC. Kota told me this is KFC. So here comes the Teba Age (RM 10) Deep Fried Chicken Wing which is very crispy and fragrant. In fact, it was so crispy that one can easily break off the chicken wing. It was marinated with Japanese soy-based sauce and also Japanese pepper. Like most Japanese style, there is not much sauce. In fact, the Japanese prefers to have yakitori marinated with sea salt and do not like much sauce. I guess I am the only one who likes my food laden with a lot of sauce.

Sunagimo Ahijyo (RM 18)

Then, comes my favourite dish – Sunagimo Ahijyo (RM 18) which is special as it contains chicken gizzard with 8 kind of vegetables including garlic slices and black pepper. It is served in a hot plate with crispy thin French loaf at the side for dipping in the olive oil. It is meant to be oily to match with sake.

Maruyaki (RM 45)

After that, comes the famous dish of Maruyaki – grilled whole chicken (RM 45). It takes 1 full day of margination of  1 whole chicken with red wine and Bamboo salt because Bamboo Salt is less salty and healthy. We need to order in advance, minimum cooking time of 45 minutes. There is a special grilling machine with special glass to absorb the heat. It takes 1 hour of grilling with 6 burners on top and bottom of the place. The chicken is very fresh as it is ‘daily chicken’ (meaning it comes into the shop daily from the market) and is just below 1 kg, hence the small size. I almost got fooled as I mistaken it for a roasted bird! 3 types of sauces are served together that are Rock Salt, Gara Tare (Japanese spicy spice) and Ponzu (Japanese citron sauce with soya sauce and lemon).  The result? The chicken has crispy skin on the outside, akin to Peking Duck and juicy meat on the inside. I felt that it was a little dry for my liking and would have done better with more moisture inside.

Yakitori-Tsukune (RM 11)

Yakitori is marinated using rock salt and pepper. The different parts of the chicken is grilled using sweet sauce till medium cooked then sweet sauce is added again. I prefer the yakitori than the maruyaki which is drier and less succulent.

Tsukune is my favourite chicken dish here because of its unique combination of chicken thigh, soft bone, chicken breast meat, onion and Japanese perilly leaves (ohba).

Yakitori– Negima (RM 5)

“Negi” means “leek” so naturally this is chicken thigh with leeks grilled to perfection, resulting in tender loving cared chicken.

Yakitori – Toridoki (RM 8)

Toridoki contains chicken thigh wrapped in chicken skin, chicken breast wrapped in chicken skin and a repeat of these. To me, I will still go for Toridoki as I dislike chicken breast.

Tamago (RM 14)

My friend, Ru Xyn was so eager to eat Tamago so finally we ordered this. Compared to the tamago I am used to see in Korea. They are usually cold but to my pleasant surprise, this Tamago is served hot with smoke coming out. It is made fresh whenever customers order it.

Matsu Ni (RM 18)

This is chicken intestines with gizzards and also, ovary that look like chicken balls, were served in a mini pot. When my friend heard there are ovary inside, they dared not touch the meat parts anymore. There are also a few slices of tofu on top.

Cheese Yaki Onigiri (RM 12)

This is actually camembert cheese with grilled rice balls. Frankly, I am not a big fan of rice in big amount so onigiri is small enough with less than the normal amount of rice, of so I believe. There is camembert cheese with very fine chicken slices in the middle of the onigiri. The garnishing is very beautiful whereby the 2 onigiri is arranged like a leave.

I was so full after eating onigiri that I told Kuta not to bring anymore onigiri. He said next dish is dessert and there is “surely extra stomach for dessert.” I chuckled.

Houjicha Pudding (RM 10)

This pudding is made from Houjicha (a certain part of the green tea). The Houjicha green tea leaves are boiled and strained and the juice is used to make the pudding. Gelatine and fresh cream is then added. Finally, caramel is added on top and burnt slightly. According to Chef Joe, Houjicha is good for the stomach as it cleanses it the way green tea does.

This is the leaf that is used to make this pudding: 

JEQ in the House

I live to eat, can you believe it? I googled JEQ in the House and there were some posts of guitars and knick-knacks here and there. The co-owner, Jason told us that they actually designed the entire place themselves. They have done a splendid job indeed because the moment I came in on that very Saturday, I was on a photo-taking frenzy! There was a rusty and old looking blue chest next to the door. Beside it, was a bar table with a guitar on top. Obviously, the 'supermodel' in me would sit on the tall stool and I immediately requested the friendly waiters to take photos for me. 

At the right of the entrance, is a rustic wooden shelf and cabinet with some knick-knacks like a treasure box and a few small pots of flowers. I am just a fan of rustic decoration, come on, it rocks! 


I met the friendly, generous and cute owner, Jason. He explained to us non-stop and answered every single question of ours. 

They use Coffee Man Roasters beans to make all the coffee here. We had the privilege to see Patrick, the barrista, at work. Patrick was so kind to oblige to my special request of making every single one of our coffee and even matcha come with unique design on the foam. 

First up was my Cappucino (RM 9) which happened to be served in my second favourite colour, red. For me, to test any coffee in any coffee bistro or cafe, Cappuccino is first choice and once it disappoints, I believe you would know what is the rest and this, I tell you, is incredible. The design on the foam is also quite special, something like those Indian flowers. The cappuccino is just nice. I could taste the coffee inside and there was not too much milk inside, which was like, thank god, since I hate milk. 

Cappuccino (RM 9) 

Having a cuppa here is the most amazing thing to do whether it is to hang out with friends or just basically chill alone. The interior and layout is specially designed so that every furniture is strategically placed so that when one sits on the sofa, one can see the bamboo shoots outside. If you change your sitting position and sit near the bar, you will get another view. It was so insightful of the owners to even think of this! 

My other friend, ordered the Flat White (RM 10) which to me, was like Valentine's Day in a cup. For coffee lovers like me, we love getting loved through our coffee. So a tiny advice for the boys out there who are out hunting for coffee lovers, show your love through coffee! It kind of reminds me of a Youtube Video I saw a few months ago, titled "Conversations Over Coffee" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkowjjnRRSg), a delightful romance short story film about a shy barrista falling in love with his customer who always comes for his coffee. So when this coffee was served to my friend, I immediately told her, that this is good feng shui, as the barrista clearly presents her with love in his coffee. 

Flat White (RM 9) 

Sorry if I seem like boring you too much with all this coffee talk. I guess by now, you more than guess the coffee mania in me. 

Caffe Latte (RM 9) was also served in a yellow cup, this time in another special design, curvy and looks like Balinese design to me. It looks like leaf creating ripples in the water. I guess my imagination is quite wild.

Caffe Latte (RM 9) 

When the Hot Chocolate (RM 9) came with the world's cutest teddy bear on the foam, you could imagine the child in me was literally jumping with delight! The bear is so cute and reminds me of some cartoon or animation. Staring at the bear totally made my day! The chocolate is very thick, meaning a thick on Catherine's Hot Chocolate Checklist! Way to go, and thanks a lot Patrick for doing this for us! 

Hot Chocolate (RM 9) 

The V60 Coffee Filter was quite an amazing experience to look at. It took almost 10-15 minutes for all the coffee to be filtered properly. I used to like looking at it followed by a longing to drink it. However, after tasting filtered coffee in coffee plantation in Bali and also at Artisan Coffee, I realized that they are not that great and too bland and diluted for me. I prefer my coffee thick rather than watery and diluted. According to Jason, filtered coffee is not in the menu and usually coffee lovers will specially request for this once they see the heavy coffee machines behind the counter. 

The Coffee Bomb (RM 16) was the best of them due to the special frozen coffee which looks like a big bomb like a hiroshima bomb, in a glass. There was a small bottle of cold milk that comes with it. I feel that this one is better than some that I had tasted in Publika. The entire bottom of the glass is made into a big dark bomb containing espresso and a chocolatey bottom. This ended up as my favourite coffee here due to the deep taste of coffee inside yet it is not as bitter as solely espresso. 

Coffee Bomb (RM 16) 

...............

Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie (RM 16) was the first main dish that came. I was delighted as it was my first choice off the menu. It consists of crispy pastry topping filled with warm and creamy sauce, savoury chicken, corn and mushroom. The dish looks spectacular. It was my first time seeing Chicken Pot Pie done in a star design, I mean, who designs pies so creatively anyway? Even the first stuffed seafood stew pie I had tried in Dome KLCC just had a plain round shape and never a star! It is difficult to design pies since the pastry is soft. So this pie definitely deserves a Pie Award if there is one! The stew inside is fantastic, thick and creamy and the best is that it is not overly salty like some that I have tried. 

 Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie (RM 16) 

All the savoury items and food are made by Carol who is also the baker who makes all the cakes here by hand! Well, once you taste the food here, you can tell that she has done an amazing job! 

After that bear delight, we were delighted even further by the Pizza of the Day (probably RM 19) whereby the flavour was not even in the menu of JEQ which was only opened since January 2015. For a person like me who is fussy on pizzas, this one has definitely made me really happy. According to Jason, Carol makes pizza with different toppings. I guess it goes with her feelings so it is kind of interesting this way rather than having a fixed menu all the time. This time round the pizza consists of turkey ham, capsicum, cheese and last but not least, Jason adds with a grin, LOVE. Love is the secret ingredient which makes any dish tasty and shall I say, supernatural? It results in a very crispy pizza which beats the ones we usually eat in the normal big international franchises. I never am a fan of franchises anyway. 

JEQ Pizza of the Day (RM 19) 

Whenever I see that a cafe menu contains Egg Benedict (RM 18), I could not help myself from ordering as it is one of my favourites. But then, once this disappoints me, I would then go on and on on terrible it is. It turned out to be the best and comparable to another cafe which serves this too. The egg yolk oozes out like it was supposed to. There were slices of 3 tantalising turkey ham on top. I really like the way the chef has spread the sauce artfully around it. The price of RM 18 is well worth it. 

Egg Benedict (RM 18)

Spicy Crivette Agio Olio (RM 26) is pan-fried spaghetti with fresh seafood, garlic, extra virgin oil and chilli flakes was simply satisfying. It was not too oily like what people normally do to olio spaghetti. The 2 big mussels and also prawns were amazing and so fresh. We finished every strand of spaghetti! 

Spicy Crivette Agio Olio (RM 26)

By the time The Big Breakfast (RM 24.90) came, we were too full to the brim. We braced ourselves and assure ourselves that it is not every day that we eat so much. It came with a foot-long sausage, herb-mushrooms on top of french baguette, omelette, 2 pieces of turkey ham and also canned beans. The star item is the omelette, which was again, luckily, done the way I like it. It was soft and not overdone and too oily like how most people do it. I also liked the button mushrooms on the bruchetta which was cooked with herbs. 

Finally, after this big breakfast,  the much awaited Green Tea Latte (RM 10) finally arrived. At first I wondered what is it and after a while of staring, I realized is was Monster Inc.! Sorry couldn't blame me for being ignorant when it comes to cartoons as I am not real follower of cartoons! I was so happy that Patrick actually did the cartoon design to appease me due to, my longing to see the design on green tea latte, ever since I saw it done on the one at Strangers at 47 which is a few units away. 

Green Tea Latte (RM 10) 

Are we cruel? We are digging into the Monster's eyes! 

Yippee, it's finally dessert time! THE Tiramisu Cake (RM 16) arrived. For the first time in my life, I can safely say, I am addicted to this. This is due to the caramelized crushed almond and macadaemia which provide the crunch for every bite I took. I also liked the strong coffee taste which came from soaked espresso that formed the ingredients for the cake. Another super big thumbs up. All coffee and tiramisu lovers, this is THE PLACE TO GO! 

Tiramisu Cake (RM 16)

The Macadaemia Cheese Cake (RM 14) is creamy and done just the way most cheese cake lovers would like it. The layer of biscuit crumbs at the bottom was also thicker than usual. For me, it is pretty unfair to comment on cheese cake because I am not a big fan of cheese cakes. So I shall leave it as it is. All I can say is that they do not stinge on macadaemia nuts which were layered in whole nut sizes on top. 

Macadaemia Cheese Cake (RM 14)

Surprisingly, JEQ also serves wine and alcohol. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! But it is true! The owners have hand-picked a few of their favourites to be sold to customers by the bottle. This is because they are not a wine house so patrons cannot just buy wine by the glass. The wines available currently are Red Wine Hahn Winery Pinot Noir California 2012 and also White Wine Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2012. Of course my favourite Somerset Apple Cider is available too. 

We had so much fun on that day  - making new friends, chatting, bantering and discussing our top favourite topic on the FOOD and DRINKS in front of our very eyes. 

I am definitely making a comeback for my Egg Benedict, Coffee Bomb, Heavenly Tiramisu and also Pizza of the Day. This is the perfect place to hang out with friends and family or also for organizing reunions and gatherings. Perfect for all occassions including photoshoots. If you like rustic and vintage environment, then you have landed yourself in the correct place. To top if off, spinning from the old records, the 1950s and vintage music are blasting softly. I was so happy to listen to my all-time favourite song, Cuando Cuando while sipping my cappuccino and thinking, what a fantastic way to kick off the day! 

Anyone should head here to chill and unwind after a long day at work. It is very tranquil and peaceful to sit by the glass window and enjoy the view of bamboo shoots opposite and also soaking the sights of passerbys in front of you. Also, this is a respite from all the hustle and bustle of the city, neatly tucked in the section 17 enclave, out of the traffic zone. 

Oh, and if you are too bored, you can chat with any of the affable barristas and who knows, he might make a beautiful design on your coffee specially for you! 

Details about JEQ in the House: 

Address: No. 19, Jalan 17/45 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Tel: 03-7932 2261
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri: 11 am - 11 pm, Sat-Sun: 11.30 am - 11 pm
Website: www.jeq.my

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeqinthehouse/info

Extraordinary Food Passion of Penang One Founder

  

My friend told me there is a place that sells delicious and original Penang food. Me, being the skeptical Penangite who has been deceived so many times by cafes and food joints in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor touting original Penang food, found it hard to believe my friend. I told my friend that I will only step into this café and become the guinea pig if he gives me something in return. Then, finally, after considering his threats that he has always accompanied me to eat whatever I like and what harm would accompanying him to eat what he likes, I finally relented, thinking that perhaps there is some truth in what he said. Then as I approached the café, again, I was apprehensive but by that time it was too late. Anyway, the colourful pictures and photos of hawkers inside attracted me and I was a little convinced when I saw a few newspaper cuttings displayed prominently, at the entrance, and thought, it even The Star food journalists gave this a chance, it musn't have been too much. 

My friend said that the Assam Laksa is not that bad. Since I was still full from food tasting session of 16 dishes at Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa at 2 pm this afternoon, I opted for something sourish and Laksa be it.

When I glanced through the menu, the sight of the photos of the most famous hawkers in Penang for each food item was unbelievable. The wall is full of road signboards showing the origin of each food item sold there. Postered on the wall were signboards of Lebuh Cecil’s Duck Meat Koay Teow Thing, Kampung Jawa Char Koay Teow, Lorong Selamat Laksa etc.

There were two televisions in the Bandar Puteri Puchong HQ branch, televising videos of the hawkers who cook the food in Penang. Seeing the video alone is already tantalizing enough.

After taking in the ambience and also the signboards and road map of Penang food sightings, my food soon arrived in less than 5 minutes.

The Kampung Jawa Char Koay Teow is so tasty. My friend said that the prawns were so big and succulent, the crunchiest prawn he has ever tasted in his entire life! There were about 2-3 big prawns for this plate, costing RM 9.50. The bean sprouts, were very fat and fresh and I have never tasted fat springy bean sprouts in KL. I later found out from the founder and General Manager, Gary Teoh that he actually had the bean sprouts imported from Ipoh! I guess nothing beats Ipoh home grown bean sprouts! I found the cockles a bit too small, and not as fresh as the ones we normally have at the conventional hawker stall, probably because they were imported from Penang. The egg, I admit, for the first time in my lifetime of eating Char Koay Teow eggs, is fried just the way I like it, not overfried, and not fried till black. In fact, the char koay teow egg beats the one I had in Penang and I am not ashamed to say that. The prawns were also not overfried till black. 

Small plate of Char Koay Teow but so tasty it leaves you begging for more!

The Siamese Laksa (RM 9.50) is the tastiest Siamese Laksa I have ever tried in my whole life, even compared to the one I had in Penang and Thailand! I cannot even imagine myself, a Penangite saying that (Pardon me, my fellow Penangites!) There was a whole piece of sardine fish on top of the laksa. The Siamese laksa is not too watery like the one I had in Pulau Tikus which is even made by a Thai lady and another one made by a Chinese lady. The gravy is very thick and satisfying. The only problem is the soup was not hot enough so perhaps next time I would have to remind the waiter to ensure mine is steaming hot. 

Now I think I do not need to travel all the way back to Penang to fulfil my Char Koay Teow and Siamese Lakse cravings. 

The only let-down I had was the Hokkien Dumpling (Bak-chang) for RM 5.90 where the glutinous rice was too soggy and soft, overcooked in a sense. The boss, told me that the Golden Chang is better.  Probably I was not good enough a judge as pork is not my top list of favourites. However, the price is quite worth if for the amount of ingredients inside.

I totally love the ice-blended Peach Tea (RM 5.80). Although quite sweet, when drinking using the straw through the bubbles, the feeling is refreshing.

Ice-blended Peach Tea (Left) and Cucumber Jasmine Tea (Right) 

The ice-cucumber jasmine tea (RM 5.80) is just normal, probably because I was comparing with Padi House at Setia Walk’s cucumber juice and I expected cucumber juice. But I would rather blame my too flavor-demanding tongue and not the drink. Considerably, when all the ice has melted, I could finally taste the German Jasmine tea used. The boss, Gary explained that he used the finest jasmine tea, a brand called Naturalis. He dared not use too fragrant jasmine tea which he is not sure of the origin and which chemical was used to maintain the fragrance.

After succeeding in finding the best Char Koay Teow and Siamese Laksa in the whole Malaysia, I sat down and spoke to the friendly General Manager, Gary Teoh. 

Below is a snippet of our conversation/interview till 10.10 pm, 3 June 2014:

Me and Gary Teoh, General Manager of Penang One

Catherine : How did you start this concept and business?

Gary : I started with this concept in October 2011. At that time, I was like you, a Penangite coming to KL to work and then, after a few months, I started having cravings for Penang hawker fare. Naturally, whenever I spot hawker stalls or cafes touting “Penang Char Koay Teow” and etc, I was drawn to it, and when I tasted it, I was disappointed and felt cheated. Then, I sat down, and thought, “Why not I bring the original famous Penang food to KL-ites if we cannot have the best here? Hence, my tagline - Famous food come together.” I went around Penang begging famous hawkers of the respective food items to sell me their food and ingredients. It was very challenging convincing these famous hawkers to believe me as this is a very rare idea, even a crazy idea, that many people thought.

Catherine: So which is the food items you chose to start with?

Gary: I started with only five food items that are Koay Teow T’ng, Laksa, Ice-Kacang, Prawn Mee (called “Hokkien Mee” by Penangites) and Char Koay Teow. In fact, I used three months convincing of the laksa and Char Koay Teow hawkers in Penang to believe in me.

Catherine : What makes you face the rejection and challenges faced by entrepreneurs?

Gary: The magic word lies in perseverance. There was once I almost gave up because I was jobless and had no source of income, yet I believed so much in the idea. I quit my professional logistic job in DHL to fulfil my dream of bringing Penang food to KL-ites. Everyone around me was telling me to quit. When I opened this Bandar Puteri café with those five items in the menu, I spent time talking to my customers for seven months and finally, word-of-mouth spread when the customer told some food bloggers and then now, we have our second branch in Kota Damansara, near Sunway Giza.

Catherine : Now, the ubiquitous question which everyone especially those cooks out there is eager to know – what is your secret recipe?

Gary: I transport everything from the food, the way it is cooked to the ingredients, even to the extent of the soup, paste, water from the famous hawkers in Penang. The only ingredients bought from Selangor are eggs, fruits and vegetables which do not change much everywhere in Malaysia.

Many suppliers in Selangor has tried to sell me their supply, telling me that they can get the best ingredient for this and that, but I stayed firm to my philosophy where I do not side track from my path of sourcing ingredients only from the ones used by the famous hawkers in Penang itself, in order not to deceive my customers. After all, all food experts, reviewers and critiques can discern the genuine type of noodles used by the original hawkers. In this food business, we can never lie because once we substitute the ingredients, customers will know and walk off and then in the end, these news will spread like wildfire. After all, I always hold strongly to the a Chinese saying, “You do not bite the hand that feeds you.” Thus, I do not betray the famous Penang hawkers’ effort and contribution that make me successful.

Catherine : Isn’t it costly to transport the ingredients and food from Penang every day to maintain the freshness?

Gary: First rule of thumb in my business is that I do not profit much. The cost per bowl paid is quite expensive in the logistics business. I buy the food at the original price from the hawkers and also pay royalty and franchise fees to use their photos and video them for promotional and commercial purposes.

Catherine : What is another unique factor of your café?

Gary: There is no one USP, in fact there is more than one. Other than bringing you the food straight from the source of famous Penang hawkers, we also recently started bringing you the famous hawkers, for instance, Fried Oyster Omelette (O Chien), Ah Soon Sifu from Penang island to this café to cook for customers from 4^th to 11^th May 2014. The special privilege would last for about one week, where Ah Soon would be flown here to cook for Penang One customers and the fried oyster omelette would cost RM 16. Ah Soon’s stall in Penang would have a signboard saying, “Off for one week to Penang One.” 

Outside the Penang One café, there is a bright yellow LED signboard announcing the up and coming famous Penang hawker who would come and cook outside the café, inside a realistic hawker stall. As for those of us who do not pass-by that area often, we can always stay tuned to the Penang One facebook for updates on the next famous Penang hawker whom Gary will be inviting as a celebrity chef in Penang One for a week. When that time comes, we better use that the golden opportunity to visit Penang One because these items will only be sold and cooked by THE CHEF for a week, and then after that, it will be back to the normal menu.

Gary is not only contented with bringing us Penang food, but he is also a very enthusiastic citizen who helps the Penang State Tourism Development Office to provide content for their maps and information on the popular art murals in Penang etc. I ended the candid interview congratulating Gary for a job well done and also wishing him good luck in his endeavours.

Of course, the first thing I did when I went back, for such a long time, after stopping my blogging for a while since December 2013 due to my busy work schedule, was to write this food review cum interview, so we can learn entrepreneurial values from Gary Teoh. It seems that our conversation has inspired me to write again! Of course, I immediately liked his facebook page so I would not miss out the next Penang celebrity hawker chef session at Penang One. Aside from that, I am coming back to taste the Penang coffee, my favourite White Nutmeg, Pak Poh Leng The, Almond Tea.

If you ever miss Penang, or feel like having a feel of Penang without wasting petrol due to the hike in petrol price, do visit Penang One! 

I was told that on Sundays, the place is packed with people who hail from Penang and everyone speaks Hokkien. The customers would cry out, “Tauke, 1 Curry Mee!” with the old Hokkien song playing on the background, so much so that it would have been mistaken for being old Penang, if not for the higher price that is on par with KL café price tags.

Address : 

Penang One (HQ) : G2, Jalan Puteri 2/6, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong Selangor  

Facebook : www.facebook.com/penang.one