Tesco (Tanjung Tokong): Online shopping and delivery

SHOP ONLINE - TESCO

Tired of driving to the supermarket, filling the trolley and queuing to pay?  Residents near to Tanjung Tokong will be pleased to know that Tesco has recently started an online shopping and home delivery service.  You can start shopping online here.

Rainforest Bakery: Chulia St, Georgetown (Top Pick)

I'm quite a bit of a 'foodie' and seem to have switched almost entirely to Asian food since I moved here, but then I always found I switched pretty much exclusively to local food wherever I have lived. Often fresher, better and certainly cheaper.  Every now and then though I do get a craving for things not traditionally associated with Asian cuisine and one such instance is Western style bread (as opposed to the more Asian roti style).

Western style bread is widely available here in Penang but the quality of it varies, much of it sold in supermarkets being too sweet for many Western tastes, and / or not 'dense' enough, lacking in substance.  I have previously written about the bread from Penang Adventist Hospital Bakery (some of which which can also be found at Cold Storage in Island Plaza) and in particular their 'sprouted seed' loaf.  That bread is still a favourite of mine but at times I do find the slices a little on the small side. As such I was always looking for other options, additions rather than a replacement. I have to say that of all the options I have tried the Rainforest Bakery in Chulia Street, Georgetown is by far my favourite and is now pretty much my number one supplier of bread.  Rainforest is situated near the 7-Eleven in Chulia Street, close to its junction with Love Lane.

Rainforest have branches in Taman Desaria and also Taman Mutiara and their shops really bring out the feeling of a traditional bakery.  Nicely decorated and designed, the warm colours and inviting environment provide the perfect combination to linger over the dazzling array of breads, biscuits and cakes.  The Chulia St branch also has a cafe attached so you can grab a coffee while pondering which of the offerings to take home.

Wholemeal Loaf

The breads are very reasonably priced and they produce a full colour double-sided price list, very useful as the bakery even offers a free home delivery service Monday to Saturday with deliveries arriving some time after 2pm.  Orders can be 'phoned through and need to be placed before 12 noon and there is no minimum order.  One of my favourite breads is the 'traditional wholemeal loaf', priced at just RM 3.80 and which is very tasty with large sized thick slices, perfect for a nice filling sandwich or toast.  Other popular breads include 'French Farmhouse', 'Ciabatta', 'English Bloomer', 'French Baguette', 'Sour Dough', 'Croissant' and 'Rustic Onion'.  But there are many, many others, far too numerous to list them all.

Chewy Nut Trail Cookie

Rainforest also produce a wide variety of sweet breads and cakes including 'Chelsea Buns', 'Butter Cake', scones, muffins, brownies and even 'Apple Crumble'.  One of my other favourites are the 'Chewy Nut Trail Cookies', great as a mid-morning snack with a cup of tea.

The useful and informative price list

Rainforest for me is a great bakery, warranting a 'Top Pick' and the free delivery service is a real bonus as getting to and parking in Chulia Street can be a bit of a pain, as a result of which I only tend to go when I need to go for other things.  Rainforest in Penang can be contacted on: +60 4 261 4641.

Recipe: Bircher Muesli

It's not really the intention to post that many recipes on the blog but a couple of people have asked me for the recipe for this having had it for breakfast when visiting.  I really love roti canai for breakfast but eat that too often and the waistline will soon start to increase! Dim sum and noodles also make for a very tasty breakfast but all of these options mostly involve going out, and generally into town, for the best.  What about the days you don't want to go?

Bircher muesli with fresh fruit

Cereal is often a common quick breakfast but it's finding one your truly like that can be difficult.  Cornflakes are very popular but I find I feel like I need a kilo of the things to fill me up!  Muesli is very popular but many shop brands are laden with sugar and if you have yearnings for the well known (in Europe) 'Alpen' brand, it can also be prohibitively expensive here in Malaysia at around RM 25 for a small box!

So, when a cereal breakfast is called for at home, and on the days when simple porridge (rolled oats with hot milk) will not suffice, I normally make up a batch of 'Bircher Muesli' (named after its creator Dr Bircher-Benner) that will last a few days.  Having tried many recipes the one I use now is below:

Ingredients (Serves 4)
* 1.5 cups of rolled oats (the quick cook type are fine)
* 250 ml of milk (I use soya milk for the health factor and added taste)
* 125 ml of apple juice
* 1 tablespoon of honey (optional)
* ⅓ cup of sultanas or raisins
* 2 tablespoons of finely chopped dried pineapple
* ½ cup plain yoghurt
* ½ fresh apple, coarsely grated

You can also experiment with adding different ingredients of choice, I often add chopped almonds and shredded coconut, especially the latter.

For serving
* Extra plain yoghurt for serving
* ½ cup fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries and raspberries go well)

To make the muesli, simply combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and leave in the fridge overnight.  Keep the muesli you don't eat refrigerated until it's all used up.

A tasty and healthy breakfast that's quite good value too.

Events: Auto Show (Straits Quay) / IFOODex (PISA)

Two events up and coming which might be of interest, both running between 8 - 10 June in Penang.

First up is an Auto Show at Straits Quay between 6-8 June organised by Kenlink Events.  Be interesting to see what this is like.  I didn't bother with the very large GT Auto Show at Auto-City last week as I had no pressing need to go there so couldn't really be bothered.

The second event is IFOODex which is running at Penang International Sports Arena (PISA).  It is Malaysia's largest international food festival and, being a qualified chef (one of the other strings on my bow), I plan to visit this.

A hearty loaf!!!!

I am grateful for a recent article published by The Expat Group in one of their magazines, Penang International.  The article covers four different bread shops in Penang.

I have managed quite well to find my way around Penang, got to know a LOT of people (99% locals) and generally manage to keep my finger on the pulse with regard to what's going on.  I also try to keep the blog varied with snippets about all facets of life here, not just bars and restaurants.  I have not however thus far done much research into bread and I do enjoy a good loaf.

Mostly I get my bread from Cold Storage where the Gurney Plaza store in particular has a good range and also has an in-store bakery for a lot of fresh baked breads and sweet pastries.  The wholemeal 'Mission' sandwich wraps they sell are particularly good and I quite like the wholemeal sliced bread which seems much less sweet than many breads here.

I have to say though that I am very pleased to how now discovered the Penang Adventist Hospital Bakery (PAHB) and in particular their '3 Seed Sprouted Wholemeal Bread'.  The bread is sold pre-sliced (and thankfully they are thick slices) and wrapped at a price, currently, of RM 5.30 per loaf and I have to say it is very, very tasty and very hearty / filling.  Being a 'sprouted' seed loaf the bread is easier to digest and is more kind to your system.  The bakery also stocks a range of other breads that I have yet to try, including regular wholemeal at around RM 3.50.  They also bake a range of cakes and sweet breads and their egg tarts are very good at RM 5 for 4.

If you like good quality bread the PAHB is well worth a visit and the hospital is easy to find on Burma Road, not far from the junction with Jalan Bagan Jermal, the hospital is on the right as you head towards Georgetown.  They have quite a lot of onsite parking and it seems that a short stay is not charged for as I was just waved through the barrier when I left after buying my bread.  As you stand and face the hospital the bakery is not inside the main entrance, there is a smaller entrance door about 75 metres down to the left and the bakery is directly inside.  Well worth a visit and I will post up about the other bakeries the article mentioned when I get chance to try them.

Readers wishing to subscribe to TEG publications (free for expats and MM2H) can do so here.  I have also added the TEG to 'Useful Links'

Instant Coffee

I have to say that instant coffee is not normally a thing I would blog about being a lifelong lover of pure Arabica coffee, ground fresh, and made in a percolator of some sorts, or even a cafetiere if you are in a rush. Since coming to Penang though I have tried, and developed a liking, just for a change, for two particular brands of instant coffee.

The first is marketed under the Old Town White Coffee brand, a chain of coffee shops in this part of the world whose coffee is really very good. I am a particular fan of the Old Town outlet in Bishop Street, Georgetown and will nearly always go for a coffee there when in town, being particularly fond of the hazelnut coffee there. Indeed it was this that caught my eye when walking around Tesco in Tanjung Tokong recently. Sold in bags containing 15 '3 in 1' (coffee, creamer and sugar) 'sticks' I decided to give it a try and I must say I was most impressed. Most instant coffee I tend to avoid like the plague but this really is delicious. Since trying that I have also tried the Old Town White Coffee regular which is also very good. The bags cost around RM 14 for 15 servings so at less than RM 1 each they are a very good buy IMO and I keep both in the cupboard for a quick and tasty coffee fix.

I was also introduced to another instant coffee recently which comes in bag form (similar to tea bags) and this is a local blend of coffee with sugar added and which is particularly popular with many of the locals. It is called Kopi 'O' and again can be found in most supermarkets at around RM 8 for 15 servings, each of which is sealed in an individual foil bag.

It has to be said that both of the above coffee brands deliver sizeable portions so you really need a good sized mug for them as they would likely fill 2-3 small cups with ease.

If you just fancy a home brewed instant coffee I can recommend the Klassno Gold (it can be found under 'Products' / 'Instant Coffee' at the link, bottom left) instant coffee sold at around RM 14 for a 100g jar. This is just as good as many of the well known European / Western 'gold' blends that can sell at 2-4 times the price and I keep this in for emergencies.

Finally, for a good quality fresh coffee you should give the Native Organico brand a try which is certainly sold in Cold Storage and likely elsewhere. It is 100% pure Arabica and very good quality. It can be bought ready ground or in bean form. Now all I need is another kitchen cupboard for all this coffee!!!