Old Town and FoodLoft

Recently Emily and me have decided on a food journey. We realised there are a lot of good places to eat in Penang and there a few we have not tried yet. So the recent candidates that we've tried so far are Old Town (e-gate) and FoodLoft (6th floor gurney)

OLD TOWN

Located in an area where one expects to find upper class food with an upper class bill, a place sets itself apart from all the others sharing the same block as it does. That place is called Old Town, which serves Ipoh style food and white coffee which is too die for.

The style of old town really emerges you in the traditional Asian feel from their old style tables to their China cups, To the bowls and chopsticks to the photos framed on the wall. Old Town successfully makes the old feel which is mostly found in the homes of somebody's grandmother, cool and stylish. Nothing flashy and pretentious like Starbucks (which had a reputation of attracting pretentious "artistic" souls or people "who want to be seen") but nice and relaxing which at one point you feel as if you've taken a trip overseas.

The highlight of old town would be the white coffee. A mixture of two different grinds of coffee beans (Robusta and Liberica Arabica) which gives it a nice sweet taste that tends to really linger in your mouth. It really is something to look forward to after a long hard day because it tends to calm you down where black coffee tends to speed you up.

The food that really got my taste buds tingling was the Chicken Hor Fun, which was the not the most spectacular dish I've tasted but it had enough flavor in it's soup and noodles that jut seem to cooked to the perfect feel, not too hard and not too mushy, which is given an added kick when I eat it with 'chili padi' to make me want to order a second bowl (if I'm not too full from the first bowl).

Another item to 'die for' that should be on the menu of everyone who wishes to have a geat breakfast (or just want a snack for brunch), should try the Butter toast. The bread is toasted to the point where it is just right, where it just seems to balance between crunchy outside and soft inner layer. That just paves the way for the main act which is the kaya and butter sandwiched between the bread. Presentation wise it's quite eye catching as the butter is shaped just like a curvy-edged French fry and seem to hold the bread above the pool of kaya. In short, it is a very good toast.

All in all Old Town does a very good job at setting a good atmosphere. It is a more affordable alternative for coffee lovers who go to Starbucks or Coffee Bean to quench their coffee needs (the white coffee seem to do the trick). With it's deep sends of atmosphere it seems that old town is selling a culture rather than selling a brand, which is something like how Starbucks started out in the U.S. with cheap affordable coffee (over here in Asia morel like gourmet dining with each cup) and stylish atmosphere which sold the Starbucks culture to the masses. Something I feel is more effective because when you sell a brand your inessence selling a product but when your selling a culture, your promoting a lifestyle.

The FoodLoft

Upon entering the foodloft, I have to admit that I was filled with a sense of awe. The reason being that the FoodLoft has one the best interior designing for a restaurant of it's class that I have ever seen.

The main dining area has what feels like a hotel lobby area surrounded by small man-made rivers, with a sculpture of a violinist as a center piece. The soft colors of the dark khaki cushions to the natural brown varnished wood tables give it a nice and comfortable feeling of home. It truly feels like the perfect place to relax or have a romantic dinner with a loved one. The modern art works on the wall give it a slight hint of artistic style which adds taste to the establishment, enough to satisfy the creative soul that yearns to lay eyes upon beautiful pieces of art.

Even the restrooms are something to marvel at. The male restroom is designed with a cottage look using real wood and the dividers and sinks are made with stainless steal, which gives the whole impression of the room a sense of manliness or a sudden feeling that you have just entered into a Tim Burton movie set. The female bathroom has a more feminine feel to it ( I had my girlfriend hold the door for me so I could get a glimpse of the interior design) with tan and white colored marble and soft yellow lighting that seems to reflect the gentle and almost angelic qualities of women. A strong contrast to the more surreal setting and dark lighting of the male restroom.

The waiters with there uniforms matching the tables and seat cushions tend to blend into the surroundings making you feel as if the restaurant itself is serving you. An interesting thing as usually the waiters are very noticeable in restaurants but in this establishment the are some what unnoticeable. I couldn't help but feel that I was being served by some magical wood elves that blended into this forest of seats and tables.

The food in general taste quite decent and resembles food that could be found in a hotel dining room but what really makes the FoodLoft really shine is it's variety and it's presentation of it. The FoodLoft had used a "Passport" concept which was popularized in KL where the customers receive a passport and varies stalls have food from varies countries. The choices are very diverse, from Japanese food to western steaks, From Italian Pizza to Thai cuisine. The range at which you could choose your food makes it hard at times for everything looks so delicious.

The presentation of the food itself is quite decent but it seems like an after thought. As the food tends to have a plain presentation and the fruit juice drinks are served in a plastic cup (which resembles something you'd get from Mcdonalds), which tends to juxtapose itself from the grand atmosphere. It kind of makes you feel as if you've just bought drinks from the local mamak shop or a kopitiam in china town, and walked into a fine dine restaurant.

In short, I would say in terms of eye-candy the FoodLoft provides the atmosphere needed for a night of fine dining, and the "passport" concept makes dining fun as well. However the food itself tends to be over-shadowed as you would be more impressed with the design of the FoodLoft rather than the food itself.