In just a few blinks, it is now year 2019 and Chinese New Year is happening in only 3 weeks! Everybody knows that means, WE NEED FOOD, WE WANT FOOD, WE LIVE & BREATHE FOOD! This year, I had the opportunity to taste the Rockin' Reunion Buffet, Prosperity Seafood On The Rocks Buffet & Prosperity Rock Platter (by Hard Rock Cafe) which was heavenly and I especially enjoyed those that I am sharing with you below. If you are still deciding on where to go for your reunion dinner, you can really consider Hard Rock Penang. More details at the end of this post!

I know the usual 'tuan yuan fan' would be a 8-course meal at restaurants or home-cooked meals at home but guys, it's 2019 and we know, you wanna be doing somethin different so have buffet instead!
 

Double Boiled Black Chicken Soup with Dried Scallops, Fish Maw and Sea Cucumber

 SAY WHATT??!! If y'all don't already know, I am a soup queen and this soup has all my favourite things in it! The taste is legit 'cina' cantonese kinda soup ok. WIN!

Crispy Whole Duck with Kerabu Mango Plum Sauce

Wok Fried Flower Crab with Chili Egg Flower Sauce

Sesame Seed Marmite Chicken

They say simple things are the best things in life. So guys, I know you can get Marmite chicken at any 'chu char' place but this is truly 1 of the best I have eaten. Curry leaves rocked the sauce!

Fried King Prawn with Salted Egg and Oat Powder

 Aiseh, Hard Rock has taken it up a notch by diving into the salted-egg-everything craze by preparing this number in its Prosperity Seafood On The Rocks Buffet menu. Not bad at all, guys! Got me all excited when I saw this dish. Yumz.

Just a glimpse of what was on my plate during the food tasting.

Broccoli with Black Floss, Oyster and Seafood Treasures (Pic by Hard Rock Penang)

Crispy Chicken Skin Roll with Prawn Paste and Sesame Seed Marmite Chicken (Pic by Hard Rock Penang)

Prosperity Rock Platter by Hard Rock Cafe Penang (Pic by Hard Rock Penang)

Introducing probably the most chinese item the cafe has ever prepared, you see Chinese Fried Rice, Deep-Fried Dragon Silk, Stir-Fried Ginger Chicken, Five Spices Bar-B-Que Beef Rib and more! Y'all know I am almost a carnivore hahaha! So when I saw the rib, I went crazayyy! The rib was really tender and marinated with perfection.

Just a closer look at my love.

Here's what you need to know:

• Rockin’ Reunion Buffet Dinner (Unfortunately it's fully booked - but maybe you can still try)

Date: 4 February 2019
Venue: Starz Diner (Lobby)
Time: 6.00pm – 10.30pm
Price: RM138 nett (Adult) | RM69 nett (Kids 6 – 12 years old)

• Prosperity Seafood on the Rocks Buffet Dinner (You better reserve soon!)

Date: 5 February 2019
Venue: Starz Diner (Lobby)
Time: 6.00pm – 10.30pm
Price: RM128 nett (Adult) | RM64 nett (Kids 6 -12 years old)

• Prosperity Rock Platter

Date: 14 January – 28 February 2019
Venue: Hard Rock Cafe Penang
Time: All day long
Price: RM195 nett for 2 persons | RM287 nett for 3 persons

Platter includes:
Starter | Lil’ Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing
Main Course | Chinese Fried Rice, Deep-Fried Dragon Silk, Stir-Fried Ginger Chicken, Potato Skin with Cowboy Beans, Five Spices Bar-B-Que Beef Rib, Beef Burger with Sweet Sticky BBQ Sauce, Deep-Fried Calamari with Sweet Chilli Sauce
Dessert | Apple Cobbler with Vanilla Ice-Cream

More info at https://penang.hardrockhotels.net/

So that's all folks, hope I got you salivating while reading this. And I wish you GONG XI FA CAI, GONG HEI FATT CHOY, KIONG HI HUAT CHAI!

Thank you for reading!

Love,
Sheryn

It's that time of the year again where (usually) mothers/ grandmothers crack their heads for dinner ideas for the annual family affair - Reunion Dinner. To save them the trouble, eat out! Hard Rock Hotel Penang is whipping up some really good pork-free Chinese New Year dinners this year. The dinners will be served in Starz Diner with wide choices of local Chinese and International Cuisines. What's special about the buffet is that you don't have to worry about the traditional activity of Yee Sang tossing. It's included in the buffet, guys!

Yee Sang Photo Credit: Hard Rock Hotel Penang

Guys I kid you not Chef Heng (which I know personally hahaha!) represented Malaysia at the Chinese Cuisine World Championship 2017 and won the Chinese Cuisine Chef (Gold Medal) in Shenzhen, China! And he's cooking for you leh.

From Left to Right - Chef Hong (Chef De Partie) & Chef Heng (Banquet Sous Chef) Photo Credit: Hard Rock Hotel Penang

Some of the main dishes I tried were highly recommended by Chef Heng. They include the Pumpkin Fried Rice with Abalone and Shrimp (IKR!), Steamed Whole Chicken in Lotus Leaf, Deep Fried King Prawn with basil leaf, Nyonya Hot & Sour Fish (personal fave), Wok Fried Flower Crabsw with Nyonya Kapitan Sauce and Brocolli with Seafood Treasure and Crabmeat Egg Sauce.

Pumpkin Fried Rice with Abalone & Shrimp

Brocolli with Seafood Treasure and Crabmeat Egg Sauce

Wok Fried Flower Crabs with Nyonya Kapitan Sauce

This year, the team of creative chefs will also be introducing some Nyonya dishes serving local Nyonya delights such as Salted Fish Nasi Ulam, Salted Fish Acar Awak, Chicken Loh Bak, Inche Kaben Chicken Boxing and Poh Piah Pie Tee. Besides these savory dishes, there will also be lip-smacking desserts served like Chinese Traditional Leng Chee Kang with Loh Han Koh, Glutinous Rice Cake, Nyonya Pulut Hitam with Glutinous Rice Ball and Pandan Layer Cake.

Starz Diner will be serving 2 buffet dinners this year, one on 15th and the other on 16th February 2018. Don't be like my family eat KFC on the first day of CNY okay? You can start booking your dinners now so you don't end up like me haha!

Rockin' Reunion Buffet Dinner
Price: RM138 nett (adult) RM69 nett (child)
Menu 
Reserve Here

Prosperity Buffet Dinner
Price: RM128 nett (adult) RM 64 nett (child)
Menu
Reserve Here 

So the last week of 2016, I went on a family trip to Pontian Johor. We spent 1 day just travelling from Penang - Johor and 4 days / 4 nights in Pontian, Johor. Booked 1 family room in Oikos Hotel for all 4 of us coz we cheapo like that haha! It only cost us RM680 for 4 nights. Amenities provided include daily bottled water, housekeeping, toiletries and to our surprise, TURN DOWN GIFTS!! They were Hersey's kisses chocolates. They ain't stingy yo. I'd recommend this hotel if you're not expecting a closet, a table, breakfast and space. If you're in for simple living (unlike my mum, haha!), this place would most likely suit you as the room design is pretty modern and simple. The hotel is located next to the sea and just right below it are 2 restaurants which sadly, we didn't manage to try. By the looks of it, the food could be yummy as when we return from our daily shenanigans, the place is packed. Parking, although not FOC, the place is relatively new so there were quite many slots that do not require tickets, otherwise you can get the tickets from any mini mart.

Seeing the title of this post, the next few paragraphs would obviously be about food. Strictly FOOD.

1. Sate Kajang HJ Samuri, Dengkil R&R

We stopped by at Dengkil R&R while we're on our way to Johor for some Sate Kajang! If you ask me why satay kajang is so femes, I honestly don't know but since it's so famous, why not? We had the chicken, beef & fish for RM0.98 per stick and lamb for RM1.60 per stick. I personally like the lamb and beef. They were really tender. We also ordered Nasi Impit coz we hungry!

They don't serve onions unless you ask for it. Satay tastes so much better with onions. So ask for it!

Nasi Impit. Something like Ketupat without the leaf.

There are 2 types of sauces as you can see, we didn't know that they were supposed to be mixed together until halfway nomming the food. The moment we added the dark red sauce into the nutty sauce, we went to heaven. If you want additional sauce, it is chargeable. Sorry I forgot to get the info but I suppose it doesn't cost a million dollars. :D

Coconut water was only RM4.50 (3 people shared this btw)

This is the appetizer! It was really good and refreshing. The guava is marinated with dried orange peel. Not asam powder.

Homemade pork balls was AMAZEBALLS! Seriously BEST I EVER HAD!

These fuzhou pork balls were 'real' meat. They aren't processed pork balls you eat at steamboats so the meat taste really good. If you're a health-conscious eater, forget it this time coz they're simply worth it.

Fuzhou Fried Noodles

Egg Soup

 The name of this dish is as easy as A B C. The Egg soup! Haha my whole family loved the soup. It has a strong hint of vinegar and taste something like "Mee Sua Koh" in Penang. Just that I prefer this one. We added the all-time favourite Fuzhou fishballs into the soup. If you don't already know, Fuzhou fishballs are not like any other. They have babies in them. HAHA kidding. They have marinated minced pork in them and they taste oh so good!

Marmite Bai Ku Wang

 Slices of pork fried with marmite sauce. My other half would die for these! They're a little crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. To top it up, SWEET SAUCE!!

Red Wine Chicken

I ended up ordering Roti Canai coz my soft boiled eggs didn't come at all. Roti was ok.

 

It's probably the time when everyone is getting their playlist ready - the Christmas playlist! Whether a Christian or not, I believe the most favourite festive season of the year (or of all time) is C H R I S T M A S coz it seems like most of my friends look forward to the yuletide season - and obviously yours truly's favourite time too! I am also forever grateful to be working in a hotel coz it means Christmas is celebrated extensively and also because I get to taste our yummy buffet spreads... We held a food tasting session for our Christmas & New Year's Eve Buffet Dinner last night hosting a group of media friends and it was such a fun one! Read on and you'll see it's not just the food but the company.

Asian Charred Baby Octopus (NYE)

Roasted Turkey with Giblet Gravy & Cranberry Sauce Glazed Nuts, Sage Bread Stuffing, Sweet Potato & Seasonal Veggie (Christmas)

Seafood Nori Roulade with Cauliflower Puree & Red Capsicum Salsa (Christmas)

Blackened Red Snapper with Squid Ink Noodle & Cherry Tomato Stew (Christmas)

Crabmeat Otak-Otak with Chili Marmelade (NYE)

Wok-Fried Slipper Lobster with Dried Chili Flakes, Curry Leaf & Garlic (NYE)

This is the dish that has to be replenished every 15 minutes. Haha! Best seller? I find the meat a little hard and salty however, bearable. I wish I can have more but being the host YOU CAN'T BE GREEDY SO JUST SIT DOWN & KEEP QUIET. D:

Grilled Beef Steaks with Sundried Tomato Hollandaise (NYE)

Hello, Chef!

The spread...

Green Tea Panna Cotta (NYE)

Strawberry Fruit Meringue (Christmas)

Miniature Passion Fruit Cheese Cake (NYE)

This is my favourite dessert last night! The aroma from the Passion Fruit makes the cheese cake very refreshing. Not just plain sweet and creamy.