Tek Sen Restaurant, Penang

I made plan to visit one of the famed restaurant in Georgetown during my 4D3N trip. Morever, the restaurant is only 260m (3 mins walk) from our stay (Armenian Street Heritage Hotel). I read some reviews of the restaurant and I knew I must be as early as possible for dinner to avoid queues and waits.

Tek Sen Restaurant 德成飯店

18, Lebuh Carnarvon, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang

Ground Floor of No.18 & 20 , Lebuh Carnarvon, 10100 Penang, Malaysia

+6012-981 5117

Operation hours: 12 pm - 3 pm & 6 pm - 9 pm (Closed on Tuesday)

We arrived the restaurant around 6pm and the restaurant was already full. While queuing for our turn, their staff gave us the menu, recommended us some signature dishes, took our orders and gave us a number. We waited for around 15 minutes and we were brought to our table. Since they took our orders earlier before, the dishes were served not long after we were seated. I was really pleased and amazed with their professional and prompt services. 

The menu

Stir fried bitter gourd with salted duck egg, minced pork and diced prawn (RM12)

Deep fried homamade tofu with cut prawns, dried scallop and egg white topping (RM12)

Stir fried dragon spinach with Juda's Ear Fungus and egg (RM12)

All the three dishes were equally good and appetizing.

Home Recipe Double Roasted Pork RM16

This dish with chilli padi was a signature one but due to the hot scorching weather in Penang, we had in without the chilli padi. The pork was perfectly roasted with the sauce and it was very delicious! Highly recommended dish!

Total paid RM62.30 (4 dishes, 3 bowl of rice, 2 glass of drinks) for 3 pax

Please be early if you want to skip the wait at the restaurant. The foods was great, the service was good. Great meal indeed =)

Sukha's LSB Charcoal Waffle

Another choice of waffle in Kuching!

Sukha, located at Brighton Square, Jln Song, is a partially self service concept cafe. You are presented with the menu after you are seated. You ordered and paid at the counter. You are given a table number. They will serve your food and drink according to the table number given.

Sukha's LSB Charcoal Waffle (RM15)

charcoal waffle topped off with vanilla ice-cream, salted egg yolk sauce and salted caramel sauce on the side. 

The caramel sauce is overcooked and tasted very very bitter. Luckily you can pair the salted egg yolk sauce well with the waffle. It is not very salty and the taste is just nice. It's a fresh and new combination for me so I recommend to give it a try. There's some other main course such as local rice options (nasi lemak, ayam pansuh with rice) and some western choices (burger, pasta). If you don't feel like order those overpriced drinks, help yourself with free flow of water. 

Personally I think the charcoal waffle in Sukha is worth trying than those at Dots Waffle but check the price out because it is double =(!

Dots Waffles and Desserts Cafe

Located at ST3 mall, Dots Waffles & Desserts Cafe offers menu choices of Belgian waffle, coffee, juice and pizza. Their business was good and I was tempted to try it myself too.

Belgian Waffle + Ice Cream + Oreo RM8

Instead of using real Oreo Cookies crumbs, they used other Oreo alike cookies (maybe Cream O or others). It was a disappointing one as they sell the waffle at this price and some more utilize the name Oreo yet they still substitute it with other sub standard ingredients. 

Any more other good Belgian Waffles in Kuching?

Where to eat at George Town UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site? (breakfast/brunch)

As I mentioned in my previous post, I stayed at Armenian Street Heritage Hotel (ASHH) for my Penang Trip. The hotel is strategically located within George Town UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Plenty of good foods are easily accessible within short working distance.

#1 Aik Hoe Restaurant 益和茶楼 (famous for Dim Sum) (300m, 4 mins walk from ASHH) 

No. 6 & 8, Lebuh Carnavon, 10100, George Town, Pulau Pinang, 10100

Business Hours: 5:00am - 2:00pm (Closed on Mon)

I still couldn't figure out the actual ordering system of this place, ended up we had some complications to get our foods ordered. Nevertheless, we had some dim sums eaten before headed to our next destinations.

RM17.50 (3 pax) inclusive a tiny cup of hot coffee (we had the signature lor ma kai - glutinous rice with chicken but we find it nothing impressive though) 

#2 Tai Tong Restoran 大东酒家 (famous for Dim Sum) (500m, 6 mins walk from ASHH)

45, Lebuh Cintra, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang

Dim sum is available from 6am till 12pm, and ala carte menu from 12pm till 3pm. Dinner starts from 6.30pm till 11pm. The outlet is open daily and closed on every alternate Mondays.

Highly recommended dim sum place for those who love wide selections. There were assorted dim sums selections at the back of the restaurant and it was too late as we were seated at the front and we only managed to find out when we were about to leave. We were little pissed off with several rude Aunty waitress there. One chattered on us as we refused to take any of her recommended dim sum at her cart while another mumbled unhappily of some few customers took out big tables causing some other customers had to wait for their turn for bigger table. This in return will cause massive jam in the restaurant and they will face difficulties to push their dim sum carts around. 

The place was fully seated at the time we left. Luckily we were early.

We had fried carrot cake (it's so spicy and i think there's belacan added which literally not the one I fond of), dumpling soup, one char siew bun, 4 pcs of vegetable dumplings (cai kueh), prawn dim sum (RM11). 

Total bill RM32 (3 pax) with a pot of tea

# 3 Toh Soon Cafe (700m, 9 mins walk from ASHH)

(Famous for charcoal-baked toasts, half-boiled eggs and Hainanese coffee)

Lebuh Campbell, George Town, Pulau Pinang

8 AM – 6 PM (Closed on Sundays)

We went there on 02.05.16 (Monday) but it wasn't open. Perhaps they did not operate on public holiday. We returned the second day and fortunately they were open for business. We arrived there before 8am and there was a few tables seated with customers. They only started taking customers order around 8am but we need not wait long before our breakfast was served. 

Hainanese Coffee & Kaya Butter Toast

I was looking forward to visit this place after seeing much positive reviews of it.  However, I think it was a bit overrated as I find it nothing particular on the toast and the coffee. They were good but for me it is just an ordinary toast and coffee.

Revised price list effective 01.05.2016

Total price paid:

RM15.20 with 2 coffees, 4 toast, 4 soft boiled eggs (2 sets)

# 4  Tiger Char Kuey Teow (180m, 2 mins walk away from ASHH)

Ping Hooi Coffee Shop (槟园茶室) 

Business Hours: 8am to 2:30pm. Opens Daily.

Contact Number: 6016- 458 0926

179, Lebuh Carnarvon, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang

Tiger Char Kuey Teow

Frankly, I didn't like i as the taste was more towards Mamak style stir fried where they added in Chilli Sauce/Tomato Sauce. Not a good one to represent the good Penang Famous Char Kuey Teow in town!

# 5  Pitt Street Koay Teow Th'ng (Eel Fish Ball Noodle) (190m, 2 mins walk away from ASHH)

Lebuh Carnarvon, George Town, 10450 George Town, Pulau Pinang

Business hour: 9am – 4.30pm. Closed on Mon

 Koay Teow Th'ng (RM 4)

Highly recommended and worth trying =)

MK Classico Caffe

Third visit to MK Classico Caffe during Ramadan month. Perhaps due to the Ramadan month, the cafe was not in usual packed condition like before.

Swedish Meat Ball RM15

The meatball was overcooked and slightly charred and dry on the outside. Rather disappointing that the overall taste was not up to the previous standard.

Lemon Salmon Spaghetti RM19

The spaghetti was infused with mild bitterness of lemon juice.  The portion was somewhat petite for average serving and a little greasy for my liking.

The cafe had increased their pricing for all the menu in the chalkboard but luckily we were still paying old pricing as they had not revised their pricing in their payment system.

My cracked frame

Purchased a new pair of plastic frame glasses at Ronnie Optics Wisma Hopoh on last April. My previous pair of glasses was 3 years ago, also patronized from Ronnie Optics. I was somewhat contented with the sensible pricing and prompt service of Ronnie Optics so I decided to patronize the same optical shop again this time. Guess what, to my astonishment, the left side of the plastic frame broke out of sudden. I started to wear it permanently for around one month only. I was wandering in my house with my glasses on and the left frame just cracked and the lens fell on ground.

Pity of my 1 month old plus glasses =( such a misfortune

I went back to Ronnie anticipating for some miracles (free changing of frame) as I bought it less than 2 months ago. According to the shop assistant, there's no warranty for that. I can either replace it with new frames or buy a new pair of glasses. In the end, I opted for former option to keep my total damage to minimal. To my dismal I did not have much frames selection (as I just wanted to choose frame with average pricing) as that particular frame was needed to match it with my existing photochromic lenses.  

That's my new flawed entire black XinHan plastic frame glasses. You may not see visibly from the above photo that there's an apparent seam between the frame and the lenses. The new frame did not perfectly fit on my existing lenses. Hope that there won't be another nasty episode of either the lenses fell off from the frame or cracked frame once more. 

Hello glasses please be kind for me. I guess I won't be a loyal customer to Ronnie Optics in the near future. That's the consequences I'm gonna pay of being penny-pinching in the first place.

Honor Exclusive Movie Event – The X-Men Apocalypse

Received an invitation email to attend movie event - The X-Men Apocalypse from Honor Malaysia after some simple registration steps that required filling Honor IMEI numbers. It was the first time Honor Malaysia organized movie event in Kuching, Sarawak!

Invitation Email sent to me

The X-Men Apocalypse Movie Event

I need to show the invitation email along with my IC to redeem my 2 pax movie passes! 

photo taken with Honor representative after movie pass redemption 

Too bad the movie hall was only partially occupied by Honor Fans. Hope that the slow responses did not stopped Honor Malaysia to organize more exclusive events in Kuching in the future. Fingers crossed.

Decent Stay at Armenian Street Heritage Hotel

I'm back from a 4 days 3 nights trip from Penang. I was truly satisfied with the accommodation in Armenian Street Heritage Hotel @ Lebuh Carnarvon. It's good there are no breakfast spread included with the room booking as there are lots of good breakfast spot to start the day situated near the hotel.

white building of Armenian Street Heritage Hotel

# 1 Strategic location

If you are using public transport like Penang Hop On Hop Off, the bus station is just across the street.

Penang Hop On Hop Off Stop 9 UNESCO HERITAGE stop is located 140 m (2 mins walk) away along Kampung Kolam

There's a 24 hour convenience store located at the hotel lobby. Fame Kimberly Street Night Market is just few walks away!

Peach Yogurt (bought from convenience store) & Fame Kimberly Street Chicken Feet for my supper at hotel room!

Penang Street Art and Murals by Ernest Zacharevic is located at the street behind the hotel!

Few famous place and breakfast/eatery spot such as Tiger Char Kueh Tiao @ Ping Hooi Coffee Shop, Pitt Street Kng Thng, Ming Xiang Tai Pastry Shop, Tek Sen Restaurant, Aik Hoe Restaurant, De Tai Tong Dim Sum, Toh Soon Cafe, Upside Down Museum and Hon Kei Food Corner are just nearby and within walking distance.

#2 Value for money with good facilities and complete set of bathroom amenities

I booked the room on January, which is 4 months before the actual trip via the hotel website. They will direct you to Tune Hotel for further booking. I paid RM580 for 3 nights stay for family room (2 queen beds for 4 pax). Price breakdown: RM194/room per night, RM65/pax per night (due to we were only 3 pax staying in).

You can also refill your water supply from cold & hot water dispenser located at lobby apart from the complimentary bottled mineral water provided.

Shower gel, toothbrush, razor, shower cap, sewing kits and hair dryer are provided.

Cute sewing kits

Free wifi with password is also provided upon check in. The signal may not as strong as the one we used at home, considering amount of guests using the wifi facilities. Fridge is not available at all rooms, but you can contact hotel receptionist if you like to keep your things. We also extended our check out times for 11am to 12noon without incur any additional charges. There are also taxi booking counter located at the hotel lobby with RM45 per trip (small car 3-4 pax) to Penang International Airport.

one of the queen bed from family room

View of hotel common area from my room (telephone usage is on shared basis)

Highly recommended affordable hotel to stay in Penang! (try to book early to prevent price increment & unavailability)

Sakae Sushi, The Spring

Utilizing the Sakae Sushi May coupon from its calendar -- Free Teriyaki Chicken Ramen for spending RM30 & above =)

I was served Teriyaki Chicken Ramen not long after I presented the coupon... 

the broth was rich and aromatic with generous amount of fried garlic given!

Had Avocado California Temaki (RM4), Salmon Skin Temaki (RM4) & RM1 Chuka Idako Gunkan  (by presenting with sakae card)

Ordered Mini Curry Don RM8 too!

The curry was nice but the fried chicken given wasn't fresh!

Had also Aburi Salmon (RM5) & Salmon Mentai (RM5)

Total price paid RM31.85 inclusive 1 hot genmai tea (RM2), GST (6%) & service charge (10%)

My first experience on Ujian Pengambilan Lantikan Baru (UPLB)

Jotting down my first experience on Ujian Pengambilan Lantikan Baru (UPLB). 

I tried my luck and applied for government job in e-recruitment Kerajaan Negeri Sarawak after 4 years of graduation! I knew the chances of getting in gov sector was so low and even if one managed to get in (passing both written & interview & luck), the biggest concern is the placement and the position they offer. They will put you in the location that away from your desire place and if you reject it, you will be blacklisted from gov sector for many many years! Nevertheless, I clicked and tried on my luck!

I received a sms stating I was chosen for the UPLB test on 11/5/16, and the test was scheduled on 14/5/16 (is a Saturday, so you will have to take a day off if you work on Saturday), which mean roughly you will have 3 days to get yourself ready. The written exam will take 1 hour 45 minutes. It is advisable to arrive at the exam center an hour earlier (from my experience to skip queue and wait). There were long queues spotted at the registration counter around 30 minutes before the exam started which may cause some unnecessary delays. Bring only IC, pens (for essay), pencils and erasers (for objectives questions). Calculators are not allowed to bring in.  

According to the facilitator that took care of our class, she congratulated us for being among the 7k to be chosen from 20k of application for the pegawai tadbir N41 position. (If I didn't heard wrongly as her sound was pretty small that I barely hear clearly). H was my first alphabet of my name. I was put in number 239. So you can imagine how many applicants were so eager to enter to government sectors?

There are a total of 60 multiple choices questions (objectives with A, B, C &D only) and two essays. 

1. 30 objectives questions in Malay
2. 30 objectives questions in English
3. 1 essay written in Malay (choose 1 from 3 topics, write in less than 100 words)
4. 1 essay written in English (choose 1 from 3 topics, write in less than 100 words)

For Part 1, there will be 10 questions in Malay. You will have to read a short reading comprehension passages and answer the first 10 questions according to the passages. The rest 20 questions will test you roughly on your logical thinking and some simple mathematics.

For Part 2, there will be 10 questions in English. You will have to read a short reading comprehension passages and answer the first 10 questions according to the passages. The rest 20 questions includes some bilingual understanding and vocabulary.

For Part 3 (Essay in Malay), I could only remember the question that I chose. The essay title roughly : Ramai graduan universiti Malaysia menghadapi kesusahan mencari pekerjaan yang sesuai. Beri dua faktor graduan menyebabkan graduan menghadapi masalah ini? 

For Part 4 (Essay in English). Having a good command of English is very important in workplace. Why English is very important?

I thought there will be some questions about our country dasar-dasar Malaysia. However, I didn't get such questions for that particular exam session! Frankly after the test, I find it unnecessary to study before the exam because the scope is too wide and for me the language proficiency (both Malay & English) are the main keys to pass the Ujian!

Updated 27.07.2016

Oops, sadly I didn't managed to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment. It took about two months plus for them to announce the written exam results. I received the exam failure notification both via sms and email. For those who managed to go to the next level, all the best and good luck!  Do share your experiences to us. Hope my post can give those successful selected candidates a primary overview of UPLB.