Mee Udang Ayu, Teluk Kumbar, Penang

I've finally made my way to Teluk Kumbar for mee udang (malay prawn noodles) again after a long while since my last visit to Ilyana’s and also Salwa’s. Since both of my colleagues got a promotion, it’s both of their treats! So thanks to Sha and Eliezer! I have been wanting to visit but didn’t have the time.. So I ajak my colleagues for lunch over at Ayu’s. (also thanks to Faisal for the reminder :D)


We arrived slightly early, not knowing that they only open for business at 1.00pm. So we told them we can wait…  The wait was worthwhile cos it turned out to be really better than both Ilyana’s and Salwa’s, hands down.

Not sure why the sign inside the place is stated as Mee Udang Cantik though… The place is clean, neat and comfortable.. feels like dining at a kampung environment home… and got one big lcd tv also leh… mai siao siao…

We encountered a funny yet selfish WIFI owner nearby… haha.. it states “Bukan Bapak Hang Punya”, simply means it’s not your father’s… cis.. as if la people want to use, when you already set the security…. doink… and it says be silent… I guess because it’s more of like a home business, the restaurant is located at the home compound and they have neighbours at both sides and opposite… maybe to avoid complaints…

After waiting for a while, the mee udang (MYR12.00) was served! It sure does look appetizing and the aroma was great! The soup is not too thick, but the colour is nice.. looks a little like chinese hokkien mee (also prawn noodles), served with half hard boiled egg, calamansi lime for the extra zest and flavour, fried shallots, sliced onions, spring onions, tomatoes and green chili.. and aiks… where are the prawns???

They are hidden under the noodles! 3 big fresh prawns! Really fresh and yummy!

If you order for special mee udang, you can opt for additional noodles or 3 big prawns, at a surcharge.

I have few colleagues that must eat rice everyday, so they ordered nasi goreng udang also at MYR12.00 (prawns fried rice).
Served with sliced spring onions, green chili and tomatoes, anchovies and also 3 big fresh prawns. My colleagues said it’s good! Well, it sure does look good and appetizing….

My colleagues… yes, we are always in One Malaysia spirit.... :D

Even Jalan Jalan Cari makan from TV3 have paid a visit there before… hosted by Chef Wan’s daughter Serina…

There’s a sign right in front… There are plenty of mee udang shops all over the same area and they are pretty adjacent to each other…. Even Ilyana’s and Salwa’s are nearby….  it’s just that they are at the left turning and Ayu’s and Omar’s are on the right turning right after the Klinik Kesihatan and Police station…
Outside the shop…. all regulars are familiar with the shop… they all arrived right on time. at 1.00 pm. And many of them I saw that day are chinese patrons… well, who doesn’t like fresh and yummy food…  :D Might try Omar’s one day… which is just a few metres away.. my colleague told me that it has been there since she was in really young… and that was like 12 to 20 years ago maybe…
Ayu’s Mee Udang address and contact details… and yes.. Do Call I B 4 U come… hahaha….
The map of the location….


I have to say that this is currently my favourite mee udang after tasted all 3 different ones… :D

My car gets dust spa everyday now….

This is what I see every time I get in the car after work… It has been a month… gosh… Would they just complete the roadwork anytime soon!??!? Going to and coming back from work now is like going in and out of a war zone… the bumpy road and the amount of dust… gosh!! I have to refill my wiper’s water every 2 days… and I don’t bother sending my car for a bath cos it’s gonna be back to square one… DUST SPA all over again!

Clean & Clear Active Clear Acne Control Kit

Around 2 weeks back, I completed a survey for Clean & Clear Active Clear Acne Control Kit on facebook in order to get a sample kit. They were giving away 500 kits for FREE.  But I think it’s already all grabbed up la.. cos it says, “Your sample will be delivered after the redemption ends”.

Anyways, I’ve totally forgot about it until today when the courier company called me to check if anyone will be at home today, cos they want to deliver something. During that time I was still not sure what I was expecting… I asked them to divert to my office and when I opened up the pack… jeng jeng… only then I recall that I am suppose to expect this kit coming.. hehe… and it’s quite a generous kit(90g of cleanser, 45ml of toner & moisturizer each and 5g spot on gel). I thought it’s gonna be like a 10ml thingy like the ones I’ve redeemed from Bobbi Brown’s counter (their new Hydrating Skincare range) last week…

Well, I’m just gonna give it a try, see if it works for my skin :D

Happy Mid Autumn Festival!

Hope everyone had enjoyed their share of moon cakes and spent quality time with family :D

A Postcard from Xiamen….

I have to say, I have a thoughtful counterpart friend (Cindy) from Guangzhou… whom I liaised with a lot and we became pretty good friends… In fact, I only liaised with her for less than a year before I meet her for the first time during my trip to Hong Kong back in 2008… I told her about my travel plans and we decided to meet up since it was also China Golden Week (end of Sept) so they have holidays… Our meeting point was Disneyland entrance… we’ve only seen each other’s photos, but it was not hard for us to recognize each other… and we clicked pretty fast and had real good time for the whole day in Disneyland.. I was there with my bro, and she was with her bf, so there were 4 of us… had dinner after that, and back to our guesthouse and continue chatting while the boys talked about gadgets and all.. I head to Tung Chung the next day while she went to Causeway Bay… we bid goodbye as she was to head home after that… She even left me her HKG sim card in case I might need to use it…


So while she was holidaying in Xiamen last month, she decided to send me a post card, well, hoping for it to arrive by my birthday… haha.. it didn’t.. it took 3 weeks for the postcard to finally reach Penang… but at least it did… she thought it was lost in post already… it was late but it’s the thoughts that counts.. so sweet of her.. I love receiving mails and stuffs, postman style… old school yet, it will soon have a lot of sentimental value in it…
Post card from XMN… with thoughtful messages…

She got me these on our first meeting…  A pin for Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games, some food stuffs and a Maneki Neko. She said it’s for me to put in my car, there’s a little message in Chinese  on the below tortoise stating “Drive safe”… ^_^

Whenever she gets to know that one of my GAM (Irene) will travel to Xiamen to meet her counterpart, she will ask me if there’s anything I want from there :D So I’ll ask her the same and make Irene our exchange middle person.. haha… I will pack some stuffs from here and have Irene bring Xiamen, and David (Irene’s counterpart) to send over to Guangzhou… and she will send the stuffs over to David, and get David to pass it to Irene, and then to me :D That’s coconut biscuits and chicken biscuits from Guangzhou.. she says they are of the best… and she include a little organizer for me :D
Few snapshots we took during our first meeting… back in 2008… time flies..
I was actually quite surprise we managed to get along very well, although it’s out first meet…and it has been 2 years….. at this time 2 years back, I was really excited getting ready for my first trip to Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau!
That’s us signing off from the park and off to the fireworks display… 


Well, We both have been pestering each other to visit… her coming to PEN and me going over to CAN.. haha.. well, we both look forward for the next meet.

Soul Kitchen Trattoria, Muntri Street, Penang

Well, I guess Soul Kitchen Trattoria is is not something that new to all, many have reviewed this place and so far all of them are pretty good ones… Hmm.. I have to agree with all of them… I made a visit during lunch hour the other day with my colleagues… drove all the way from office (Phase 4) all the way to town… haha… need to just get away from work a while sometimes… even if it’s just an hour lunch… made my second visit for lunch 2 days back… photos overload coming your way… :P I’m just gonna share the food photos first, then ambiance of the place… it’s a humble little place, yet cozy with music playing in the background…

Drinks menu is handwritten in a piece of sugar paper….

 

Banana Orange Apple Smoothie on the left, Papaya Orange Smoothie on the right… MYR7.00 each.. refreshing, not too sweet, just nice.. If only it’s a bigger glass… hehe…

Drinks with a sneak peek of the place… :D

Oh yea.. they have free wifi too… :D

Food menu are written on the board… offering a range of contemporary Italian-inspired menu.. choices are not extensive but enough to give you a hard time to decide what to eat… haha… they serve pasta (spaghetti and penne), Tramezzini (grilled sandwich), pizza, salad and dessert. Besides that, they offer menu for breakfast too…

Ordered tramezzini with turkey ham with roasted balsamic garlic sauce.. MYR10.00

It’s a little expensive I have to say, but I liked it a lot…in fact, we all liked it…  it’s a simple sandwich, with turkey ham, tomato slices, melted cheese and the sauce.. and guess what made it better.. MINT LEAVES! nice eh…

Up next was one of their house specialty, a favourite to many… Chicken Al Limone Penne, MYR19.00… Also slightly expensive…

Great combination of lemon juice, white wine, with tender chicken pieces, capsicum and carrot, topped with chopped fresh parsley and lotsa parmesan cheese…

I enjoyed this pasta dish as well :D

Al Funghi(Mushroom) Spaghetti also MYR19.00

Not too creamy, which is good else you will feel jelak halfway eating.. with generous amount of fresh mushrooms..

Tasted not bad as well, but I still prefer Chicken Al Limone although this is also as good…

Salsiccia (Herbed Sausage) Pizza, MYR15.00

We ordered it spicy and it came really spicy… haha..  But we still enjoy it a lot….

Salami Pizza, MYR10.00

After the encounter with the spicy one, I find this a bit mild, with tomato paste and aromatic herbs..  The toppings though is not that generous…

Last came the tiramisu…MYR10.00 per piece… the portion though is a little small… But it’s good… the sponge fingers are perfectly moisten, and the mascarpone cheese are just nice…

Now you see, now you don’t… well, I like it.  Seriously, I can finish the whole tray if you give it to me :P

Now, tour around the place… haha.. it’s a small place actually… the 1st floor is their personal private area, where they stay, and they turn the ground floor into a small cozy trattoria!   With simple decorations and some vintage stuffs… that’s the coffee maker that gives the place a nice coffee aroma.. so, I’ll be back for coffee one day.. :)

The counter, coffee making area, utensils desk, menu board and the entrance to the kitchen…

Cutleries and condiments trays…. handwritten menu with nice paperweight…   

Their pet dog, Forrest… he’s one good boy… and friendly too! :D

The humble trattoria…

Stairs to their personal area, with vintage and simple decorations.. kinda retro huh.. :) There’s this interesting old radio+clock, bottles with meted wax, a string of postcards, I saw one of their wedding photos too :), an old briefcase with magazines and books..

More photos of the place….

They serve you food and drinks, and also a SMILE! :D The couple are very warm people… and yeap, near to Cititel as you can see at the background…      Outside the place, they also have open air outdoor seats…

Overall, it’s a nice place with good food and ambiance. Food are cooked from heart and beautifully presented, and with the warm service and the smiles, it’s worthwhile for visits once in a while… Before I left on the last visit on Sunday, CK Lam and family walked in.. first time seeing her after following her blog for some time… she’s much prettier in person :D  clad in t-shirt with her blog’s name.. guess she’s out for “work”, hunting good food again :D

Soul Kitchen Trattoria (Opposite Hainan Association, some famous porridge place, and Jimmy Choo’s Sifu’s shop… Hong Kong Shoes)
102, Lebuh Muntri, Penang
Tel: 04-2613118
Business Hours : 10am – 3pm & 6pm – 9pm (Closed on Tuesday)