River Prawns at House of Udang Galah (HUG), Penang

Penang’s latest eatery serving giant river prawn is House of Udang Galah (HUG). Located on Hutton Lane, the restaurant housed in two renovated heritage shop houses offers fresh udang galah (giant river prawn) cooked in many different ways. Italian, Western, Malay, Indian and Chinese method of cooking is offered. The prawns are cut into halves and cooked with the head and shell intact.

One of HUG specialties is the Udang Galah in Chef Specialty Lime Sauce. The prawns steamed with garlic, chilli and ginger, made up a perky and appetising dish. Garnished with Chinese parsley, the dish costs a little fortune at RM109 (730g at RM15/100g).



We ordered scallops in Mongolian brown sauce which has a piquant taste, and garnished with a mini happy Buddha and green parsley. This dish was tantalizing with the succulent scallops infused with the Mongolian sauce flavour.



The above is sweet and sour fish topped with cut vegetables and drizzled with a combination of sauces like tomato sauce, vinegar, a dash of sugar, salt to give its distinct flavour that complements the fish fillets.



The meal is not complete without an order of drinks with fresh watermelon juice for me and a cuppa of hot cappuccino for my friend.



To complete the meal, we had yam dessert with gingko. The texture was smooth, sweet and flavourful.



This is the front cover of the menu designed in Western Style. It is a fusion of east meets west in this upscale eatery.



Some of the popular dishes served as shown in the menu here.



This is the ambiance of the House of Udang Galah (HUG) restaurant. Udang Galah, also known as “Giant River Prawn” or “Malaysian” prawn, is native to Southeast Asia – typically in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Many years ago, Udang Galah was very common among the natives, who would capture and cook them fresh to preserve the aromatic taste and succulent texture of the flesh. Today, Udang Galah is no longer known to many Malaysians.

In fact, Udang Galah is part of our national food heritage. This large-sized fresh water prawn, which has a very big head in comparison to its entire body, can only be found in very few local menus. However, they are highly priced and hence, not a affordable choice to many. This is why we came up with this unique concept restaurant, the House of Udang Galah where everyone can see it, feel it, taste it and think of it always!

The House of Udang Galah is a unique concept restaurant that provides unrivaled fresh Udang Galah cuisine in a variety of styles you can choose, from an affordable price. Udang Galah served on your table are freshly cooked from live stock. Whether you prefer it in Italian, Western, Malay, Indian or Chinese, you will find their menu satisfying. If you have specific needs in your menu, do let them know! They are determined to provide you with high quality gourmet dishes in an affordable price.

Location of Restaurant:
House of Udang Galah Sdn Bhd
203 A&B, Hutton Lane, Georgetown
10050 Penang, Malaysia.
GPS: 5.421989,100.32699

Tel: (604)-226-4380

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday
11:00am to 11:00pm

TASER M26

When you come face to face with a mugger or attacker, you need to defend yourself with your TASER M26. This is one of the best self defence in case of a sudden attack. If any close encounters happen, it can deliver the shock to 1 inch thick of clothing. You can never take your security for granted and need to ensure that you have this safety gadget at all times in your handbag. It can also protect you from robbery and potential murder should the robber be armed with sharp knives. The TASER M26 looks like the perfect gift for a girl friend who may be unsuspecting of her hostile surroundings everywhere.

Have won in a Combined Cookout

I have won in a combined girl guides and boy scout cook out with Penang Free School. I was in charged of outdoor cooking using bamboo as the gadget in a camp and finally emerged first many years ago. I guess I was at my peak performance both academically and physically. Receive a two feet tall challenge trophy to be displayed at my house for at least 1 year before returning it to the organizer. At such as young age, I was elated and very pleased with my success overall. I shall never forget this incident and might even journal it down someday.

Welcome to InternetReputation.com

Your online reputation is very important, so don't spoil it by doing the wrong things via the internet. People can find out easily and this can affect your employment opportunities in the near future. You need to keep your Facebook, Twitter account free from bad-mouthing others or worse still, complain about your current employer. Hey, it is not the place to rant your pent up feelings, whatever the cause. You can check out about InternetReputation.com and BBB, the acronym for Better Business Bureau, simply by clicking on the link given here.

There are some information to read up on and to safeguard your internet reputation. Just play by the rules and you won't get into trouble. The internet is not the place to rave and rant about your emotions or anger. There are proper channels for this, but never use the internet as the medium to wash dirty linen in public. Stay safe, don't do things that you will regret later. If the damage is done, it will be too late and cannot be restored.

Took an Online Test

Early this morning, I took an online test to participate in earning an income online via the internet. I plan to milk the internet for some allowance this year and treat the internet as a cash cow. There are 6 tests in total and I got a score of 84.9% success. I am not sure if this is an acceptable range, but just keeping my fingers crossed for it. Each tests range from 10 minutes to 20 minutes with listening comprehension, crossword puzzle and pictorial quiz. On another note, my best friend's birthday is coming up this month and we have already collected a free 1 kg birthday cake from Mandarin Oriental Hotel's cake shop on the ground floor yesterday. It is chocolate cake topped with fresh fruits like blueberries, strawberries and chocolate flakes.

I Love Food

I love food and will not hesitate to drive around in search of a good cafe or bistro in town and be adventurous to try different food on the menu. That is why you can find amazing food photos taken that are uploaded to this culinery blog of mine now and then. It serves as a food diary of my travel journals and a happy reminder of what I have savoured in the past. Since 2004, my life has turned around to a life full of blessings - one after another - and I cherish each day as it dawns on me of the favour and grace of God upon my life.

Do you know that surfing web sites is one of my hobbies that I do now and then? Yes, it keeps me busy for the moment and happy, through the power of technology called the internet. Occasionally, I can milk the internet which is my cash cow since years ago. Now I can sit back and relax as I read my old blog posts and reminisce on past glory.

Via Pre – Tavern on The Harbour

Italian restaurants have not been too popular in Penang in the past. But all that may be changing, with Via Pre, the newest purveyor of Italian food, which is set to satisfy even the most discerning of palates.

Located along the busy Weld Quay, the thinking behind this non-halal Italian restaurant was very simple: to pamper diners’ taste buds with authentic Italian food prepared with ingredients brought in from Italy. And the menu of course includes an extensive range of native Italian wines, beers and ales.

At the recommendation of a friend, we visited the restaurant — a restored pre-war house with a charming white facade. Inside, the tall interior dining hall features an industrial look, with huge black steel columns supporting the higher floor which houses a lounge and grill. The ambience was soothing with Italian music in the background and lots of dark timber for the paneling in this newly refurbished pre-war house.

The restaurant motto of not using any processed and flavoured food is written on a huge chalkboard. The large menu offers eight mains, 11 pastas, 10 pizzas, a wide selection of antipasti and also desserts. There is a short list of salad dishes. Our order had a bit of something to suit everyone.



We started with the basket of bread, served with earthy olive oil and vinegar. All the bread is made in-house, with choices of focaccia, flat bread, rustic bread and more.

The Tagliere Rustico with assorted cold cuts, cheese and antipasti goes for RM72 (for two persons). It has a good mix of textures and flavours. The olives and sun-dried tomatoes were bright and appetising and the cheese has a nice savoury flavour. Via Pre also offers diners the option of buying these cured meats and cheeses.



We ordered Trancio Alla Griglia which is steamed and then roasted fish smothered with cubed tomatoes and salads drizzled with generous portion of virgin olive oil. The fish is served with a special sauce that tastes exquisite with a hint of herbs added.



Next on the mains was my order of Del Porto, which was salad with slices of smoked salmon topped with braised prawn.



To accompany our mains, we also ordered 2 types of beers and ales which are similar to Guiness Stout which uses barley instead of grapes as the raw ingredient.



You cannot find these ales locally in the market except Via Pre which specially imported them from Italy. It reminds my friend of his varsity days in United Kingdom where he used to treat himself ales as a student then.



I had a glass of freshly blended celery juice for RM 11 and another glass of bottled apricot juice, also specially imported from Italy which you cannot find on the counters in supermarkets.



As the mains and salads were so appetizing, our last entree was a dessert to finish off our meals. Here is IL Tortino Del Monaci where we had to wait for at least 15 minutes for the cakes to be baked fresh from the oven with the insides full of melted chocolate and nuts. There is a generous portion of chopped pistachio nuts with condensed milk and a scoop of champagne ice-cream. A range of cakes and pastries are displayed at the dessert counter that takes center stage in the restaurant.



After our last entree, we headed to the second floor to a large lounge for some music with computer ensemble or songs and instruments. There is a bar counter and for those preferring to enjoy a view of the harbour and docking cruises, then they can go outside the balcony for some fresh air and sea view. We finally adjourned after paying the bill which came up to RM 222.70

If you want a taste of Italian and appreciate warm service (from the Italian owners), then visit this tavern on the harbour. Parking is limited at the front but there’s plenty to be found in the neighbouring streets. It is located diagonally opposite Chin’s Stylish Chinese Cuisine.

Via Pre
5 Weld Quay
10300 Penang

Tel: 04-2619800 & 04-2620560