Penang Village @ Great Eastern Mall

Well, I'm back to this mall once again to replenish my Cookie's snacks....Angel's Salmon Sashimi and Feeline Greenies....and arrggghhh...the prices have gone up yet again! >_<  The price of Feeline Greenies has increased from RM15.80 to RM16.75 and now to RM18.97 post-GST.  Luckily the price of the Salmon Sashimi stayed at RM14.84 (after the last hike from RM11).  If prices continue to go up, I may have to cut these snacks from Cookie's diet.  I guess everyone needs to tighten their belt (or collar, in this case), post-GST, including my cat!

So, after I've purchased the snacks, we decided to have dinner at Penang Village Restaurant @ Great Eastern Mall since I've run out of places to eat in this mall.  This place was recommended by a reader of my blog (who left a comment on my post on Cozy House.

 

As I walked in, you'd find the entrance tastefully decorated with a pristine white décor and the restaurant's interior looks clean, fresh and comfortable.  The immaculate ambience sets it apart from Cozy House....and I'm liking it already.

 

I went with a dish that was listed as a Village speciality...Penang Nasi Lemak with Rendang Tok @ RM19.90 which was nasi lemak (rice cooked in fragrant coconut milk) served with rendang tok, tamarind prawns, hard-boiled egg, acar-acar and a homemade sambal.

 

I found some ginger and onions in the fragrant coconut rice which was infused with a good dose of lemongrass flavour as well (you can instinctively smell the lemongrass).  The rice was topped with some salty, fragrant small ikan bilis (and I mean those really small ones).  The "beef rendang tok" (a Perak dish) was simmered in coconut milk and spices until truly tender (much like any rendang).

 

The prawns had a nice aroma and a good flavour.  It was utterly delicious and would have been even better if the prawns had been fresher.  The acar vegetables were nice and crunchy.  The only thing that missed the mark was the homemade sambal.

Next, we ordered the Heh-Bee Butter Squid (which would have been cheaper at RM22.90) but got the Heh-Bee Butter Prawns @ RM31.90 instead.  [#Note: She said she repeated the order to us although I was 100% sure that I pointed to the squid (coz the squid and prawns were on the opposite ends of the menu) but I didn't want to argue with her as it'd be a case of 'she said, I said' kind of thing!]

 

The prawns were coated in batter with "heh-bee" (dried prawns) and butter in the mix and fried.  It was crunchy, fragrant and slightly salty...and, in the end, we weren't too disappointed with the mix-up as the prawns went well with an add-on white rice @ RM2.50.

 

When I saw Fresh Kedondong with Preserved Sour Plum @ RM10.90 on the menu, I immediately knew I wanted that as it's my most favourite fruit drink.  This drink (made from the umbra fruit) was nicely balanced...not too sweet and not too sour (just like the one I had at Village Park).  This one was immensely good and so, so refreshing...it deserves another pic! :)

 

I've had this umbra juice with sour plum or "sar lei shuen mui" (in Cantonese) numerous times at Chinese restaurants (usually steamboat places) but those can't seem to beat the ones churned out by Malay eateries which, somehow, comes in a darker shade of green.  I read that this is because they blend the umbra fruit whole (with the skin and seed).  If you peel the skin, it'll result in a drink that is less green in colour.

Want more stories?  I have.....but just one! 

 

#Side Story:

Again, I didn't think to check the bill as there were only 5 items on the bill.  They can't possibly screw that up, can they?  They did!  After signing the charge, the wait staff returned the credit card slip and receipt to me and that was when I realised that the items on the receipt was not what we had.  Luckily, this was a case of clipping the wrong bill to my credit card slip and that the amount signed was still correct.....phew (for them).  And to know that they can make this mistake when the restaurant was almost deserted (only 5 occupied tables) on a weekend night! O_o

 

My Personal Opinion

 

I concur with my reader (who suggested this place) that the food here was indeed a notch better than Cozy House's (albeit a little pricier) but the ambience was certainly a few notches above.

 

Though the food I tried was fairly decent, it wasn't alluring enough to make me include it into my usual list of 'go to' restaurants but it's certainly a viable option for me when I happen to be at this mall.  And I'd gladly return any day for that absolutely thirst-quenching and delicious kedondong juice! ;)

 

Penang Village Restaurant

Lot 8 & 9 Level 3 Great Eastern Mall

No 303 Jalan Ampang

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-4257 1698