Restaurant: Home Style - Permai 32, Tanjung Bungah

I had been meaning to try this restaurant for ages and finally got round to it a few days ago. I had heard numerous reports about how good it was and was keen to try.

Home Style is open in the evenings (only) from around 6pm and is located on the corner of the two blocks that make up the Permai 32 Food Court off Lebuh Lembah Permai 1 in Tanjung Bungah. There is quite a lot of free parking around but the slots closest to Permai 32 can get full quickly as there are a growing number of food-court style eateries here also.

First impressions are that the restaurant is very clean and well maintained with seating for around 30-40 people inside (fitted with fans) and probably another 20-30 outside under their canopy. Sitting outside is actually quite pleasant if the weather is good as the restaurant is opposite a playing field in a residential area so there is no traffic noise. Being up on the hillside makes the air a little more cool and fresh I find also. If you go around 6-7pm getting a table shouldn't be too much of a problem, go later and especially at the weekends and it can be a little hit or miss so it might be advisable to try and call to book if you are set on a busy time. During the festive seasons and especially over Chinese New Year is gets very, very busy indeed. Unlike many eateries you can encounter, I have never seen Home Style empty.

Upon entering the restaurant and throughout the service I have to say I didn't find the staff to be particularly welcoming or friendly, with even a smile seeming to be too much trouble, great if you are opening a restaurant just to feed your mates I suppose but if you want to attract customers and keep them coming back a more hospitable welcome from the staff would not go amiss! The staff were not rude as such, just no customer engagement at all, no smile, no chat, nothing.

We ordered several dishes including the tofu with mango (note this is the sour unripe green mango found in Thai somtam, not the sweet yellow ripe version), sweet and sour pork, chicken with plum sauce, french beans with shrimp samba, egg foo young and steamed rice.

Without doubt the favourite dish was the sweet and sour pork, perfectly balanced, nicely cooked, quality meet and a good size portion (in fact all the portions are very generous).

The mango with tofu was also excellent, the crispy and slightly sour mango going perfectly with the fried tofu and accompanying sauce.

The chicken was also very good but I did find the sauce a little sweet and somewhat bland. The egg foo young was nice also.

The french beans with shrimp sambal was marked as spicy but I didn't find it spicy at all, for me this dish was quite dissapointing, somewhat salty and a little bitter, the sambal had an almost burned look about it. I'll likely try it again and check whether we'd just had an unlucky encounter with this dish.


All in all, with a beer, bottle of water and fruit juice (this was an apple juice and was clearly freshly blended, not out of a carton) I think the total bill was around RM 68 which I thought was exceptionally good value. I have seen some comments on the internet that the restaurant is expensive, I suppose that it MIGHT be considered pricey if you are used to eating in RM 5 food courts every day but we are not talking about a food court here either in terms of the restaurant or the food. In terms of the latter the quality and quantity alone is higher.

Overall I was very satisfied with the Home Style restaurant and will certainly return regularly, I would also happily recommend it to others.  I would like to have seen a slightly wider range of dishes on the menu and especially some more spicy dishes, something like kung-po chicken for example.  Other than that the only reason the review isn't more glowing is the somewhat inhospitable attitude from the staff which was reflected in the tip we left!

Event: Comedy Club Penang - Hard Rock Hotel (Sun 12 Jan)

For those who fancy a bit of traditional stand-up comedy you'll be please to hear that the Hard Rock Hotel in Batu Ferringhi is hosting a Comedy Club event at the hotel on Sunday 12 January 2014.

Headlining at the event is Glen Wool from Canada.  Glenn began his comedy career in his hometown of Vancouver in 1995. He moved to London in 1998 and quickly became one of the rising stars of the London and international comedy circuit having performed in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, South Africa, Switzerland, France, Croatia and the Middle East. Glenn was nominated for 'Best International Stand Up' at the New Zealand Comedy Awards and Best Headliner at the Chortle Awards.

In recent years Glenn has hit the International circuit in a big way, performing to huge crowds in Singapore, Holland, Dubai, New York and Los Angeles where he is currently living. He's also a popular addition to many of the great Summer music Festivals in the UK, including Reading & Leeds, Latitude, Bestival, Download and of course Glastonbury.

Glenn is a regular TV face having made appearances on Russell Howards Good News, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, The BBC Stand Up Show, The Live Floor Show, 28 Acts in 28 Minutes and The Comic side of Seven Days for the BBC. The World Stands Up, Comedy Blue and Edinburgh and Beyond for Comedy Central, He continues to be a regular in Comedy Cuts, the comedy show from ITV2. Glenn also wrote and starred in What's The Story?' broadcast on Channel 4 as part of the Comedy Lab season.

The event starts at 3pm (prompt) and runs until 6pm and at just RM 60 per ticket (inclusive of one drink) it promises to be an excellent afternoon's entertainment.  For further information you can visit the Hard Rock's event page here.

Bagan: The Phoenix rises from the ashes!!

Long term followers of the blog will know that one of my absolute favourite haunts in Penang was the 'Bagan' club in Jalan Bagan Jermal, Tg Tokong.  It really was a superb place, heritage look and feel, a good mix of bar, lounge and restaurant with good live music and superb DJs.  I think that for me, one of the reasons I liked it so much was the look and feel of the place a contemporary take on a classic heritage look, sort of 'shabby chic' - I don't know how but it just worked.

Sadly Bagan closed it's doors a couple of years ago but the cloud seemed to have a silver lining as the owners of Bagan intended to open up a 'New Bagan' at Macalister Mansion (MM), one of my fave hotels and restaurants in Penang.  Despite the excitement, and despite the success of the rest of what makes up MM sadly, for me, New Bagan didn't work.  It failed to capture the essence of the old Bagan and if entirely new was what was being looked for, I have to say, that didn't work also.  New Bagan eventually closed becoming The Cellar wine bar, a concept that is actually much more in keeping with the classy MM theme.

Recently however, a little bird told me of the intention of the owners to open up a Bagan again, in the centre of Georgetown.  Further, I was told that the intention is to re-capture the look, feel and success of the original Bagan.  I can't say too much more now but stay tuned for more information.  The good news is you won't have to wait long!  

So, the Phoenix rises from the ashes again!!!  Let's hope the latest iteration of Bagan really does bring back the very unique theme of Bagan I, something which is now sadly lacking in Penang.

Happy New Year!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Festive Dining: Macalister Mansion - Georgetown

And with the last of 3 updates today regarding festive dining I have saved what for me would be the best until last, Macalister Mansion.  OK, there may be only the slightest chance of frost, snow and ice on the day (it pays to be optimistic!!), but the festive offerings at MM really to do look enticing, complete with wine pairing menus.  Details can be found here.

Festive Dining: E&O Hotel - Georgetown

Another option for those who have left it a bit late to plan dining out over the festive period a variety of options will be available at the E&O Hotel, right in the heart of Georgetown.  Details of the range of festive offerings can be found here.

Festive Dining: Rasa Sayang Hotel - Batu Ferringhi

Still not planned your Christmas dining?  Here's one to consider.  The excellent Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa in Batu Ferringhi has a great range of options for eating out over the festive period be it a brunch, buffet or fine dining with some superb set dinners in the famed Ferringhi Grill restaurant.  A guide the the resort's festive dining can be found here.

Road Transport Department (JPJ) - Penang

Previously when needing to get much done involving the Road Transport Department (JPJ -Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan) I have always travelled to Butterworth, despite there previously being a JPJ branch out at Batu Uban (now closed).  Now though, JPJ have moved to their new location at Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, near to the University Sains Malaysia (USM) and is much more accessible for those in the North of Penang.

First time I went there it took me a while to find, mostly because I'd always seen it while passing on the way to the airport and if travelling from Georgetown you actually need to turn off before you see JPJ.  The directions, or at least as best as I can describe them :), when driving from the direction of Georgetown, are as follows:

- Drive along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah and turn right at the roundabout (in the direction of the airport) - Drive through first lights (you will see USM's sports field on the right)
- Next set of traffic lights turn right - signposted P15 (Jalan Sungai Dua)
- Drive to first set of traffic lights (you will see a KFC), turn left
- Drive along this road and then take second left turn. Follow the road to the JPJ car park.



JPJ does get very busy at times but opens at 07:45 and getting there early will mostly avoid the queues.  It may also be advisable to avoid a day or two before and just after public holidays, especially extended ones.  JPJ Penang can handle the full range of JPJ administrative procedures, including one I'm regularly asked about by expats, driving licence conversion.

The full address and contact details are here:

Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah
10510 Pulau Pinang
Tel: 04-656 4131 / 04-656 4087
Fax: 04-656 4080

The JPJ website is here and they also have a Facebook Page here.

Budget 2014: Real Property Gains Tax / Goods & Services Tax

There were many measures announced in the Budget for 2014 and of these, two will be of particular interest to expats, the former of the two in particular if you own, or are contemplating buying, property here.

The regulations regarding Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) have been amended in an attempt to curb foreign property speculation, unfortunately expat residents, including MM2H visa holders, have not been exempted from the changes.  From January 2014 non-Malaysians / non-residents (e.g. those who do not whole Permanent Resident status) will be required to pay 30% tax on any property price gain if sold within 5 years of acquiring the property.  After 5 years the tax is levied at 5%.  I stress that this is on the gains, not the overall sale price, so if you buy a property for RM 750K and sell for RM 900K after 5 years you will pay 5% RPGT only on the RM 150K the property has gained in value.  When calculating the gain you can subtract the cost of acquisition (e.g. legal fees etc) and any renovation costs, so it will be worth hanging on to any bills!

Still, the increase is quite considerable given that in 2013 the rate was 15% if the property was sold within 3 years (and of course, in Penang at least, foreign owners are locked in for 3 years so could not sell), dropping to 10% in years 4 and 5 and zero thereafter.  For some this is still not an issue but it may be enough for others, depending on their plans and circumstances, to think harder and longer about buying a property here.  What will be interesting to see is the trend over the next few years.

The second change, which will of course apply to everyone, is the imposition of a Goods and Services Tax from April 2015, however the current Sales Tax (6%) and Service Tax (10%) will be abolished.  There will be no GST on essential cooking items (rice, flour, spices and oil etc) or on electricity consumption up to 200 units.  Property sale is also GST exempt.

An overview of the announcements for the 2014 Budget can be found here at 'The Malaysian Insider'.  There is also a useful PDF showing some budget highlights here.

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.

Festive Dining: Copthorne Orchid Hotel, Penang

Christmas is not all that far away now (albeit I'm holding back starting to play the daily fix of Christmas music until 1st December) and those nice folks at the Copthorne Orchid Hotel have sent me details of their seasonal promotion.  Enjoy!