Four
Seasons offers a Air-condition transport Chauffeur service.
4hrs at INR800,
with additional hour at INR100. Although driver provided may not be fluent with English
to give a running commentary, he can bring you to known tourist locations
and wait for you till you're ready to move on.
Option 2: Take a taxi from the Four Seasons to various locations. Indicative times and cost
> Local
Markets: Chor Bazaar for Antiques & Zaveri Bazaar for jewellery.
From
Four Seasons Hotel: Approximately +30min. Taxi at about INR200+.
Touring Sights around Mumbai
"~ The charges are INR1200rupees each. The driver will
bring you to whichever attraction you are keen to visit and wait for you until you are done sightseeing. For me the highlights were the Gateway to India, Taj mahal palace hotel, hajiali mosque and dhobi ghat.
Personally i highly recommend this tour to anyone who has never seen Mumbai
before and want to experience the life of the locals. Shouldn't take
more den half a day. We started at 11am and ended about 3pm." - Picture and Review Provided by Kieth
AER bar. (No discounts) 33rd Floor of The Four Seasons Hotel
Access
is only made available from the ground floor when open form 1730hrs-0130, dedicated lift up. However you may stop off at your floor when going down.
The place gives a semi paranoiac view of Mumbai. Great view, with a modern, chill-out atmosphere. Lack of seating though.
Drinks spot from approximately INR400
and up, with light bites approximately INR700.
Can Do:
High Street Phoenix Shopping Center (Cab ride
5min at INR20+ or a 15min walk, 1.4km away)
High street Phoenix is a collection of 3 large buildings. Its main building offers nothing
but high end shopping and big brand names. Prices aren't discounted in anyway
either. The surrounding buildings are supermarkets and a spread of clothing and furniture speciality stores. Click here for ABBA location of High Street Phoenix Shopping Center
Some
mention shops:
The
Comedy Store
A
standup comedy bar and lounge located on the top floorof phoenix shopping center. Ticket for the shows start from INR500
and up with drinks and small bites INR200 onwards. A great place to catch comedy talents and
isn't too far from the Four Seasons. Click here for the latest shows and ticketing for The Comedy Store
Hamleys
Looking
to buy a gift for boys and girls, this is a good location to check out. A
descent spread of toys for all ages. From soft toys, action figures, craft projects, barbies, science projects and sprinkling of other items.
Depending on items, prices are slightly
cheaper than retail prices in Singapore. E.g. Nerf Guns were approximately 20%
cheaper. Located in the main courtyard.
OM Book Store in the Grand Galleria
Located in building adjacent to Phoenix Shopping Center, OM
Book Shop for cheaper book prints.
An
array of steamed and fried classic Dim Sum dishes..
Overall
good flavor and a fantastic selection. There some standout dishes like the
squid, beef ball and fried sweet Char Siew pastries. For the price even without
crew discount was incredibly worth it.
Total 150,000+ Fed: 2ppl after
crew discount. (110,000 nett for non-discounted)
Kunyit Bali Restaurant -
Authentic Balinese Cuisine
Ordered:
Bevel
Kunyitt (Deep fried Crispy Duck)
*With
all the seasoning in place and the deep fry, it taste like KFC*
Balinese
mixed platter (A three course showcase of traditional Balinese foods)
Appetizers:
Satay
of Pork, Chicken and Fish, Pork Soup with fried onion condiment and Cooked Bean
sprouts salad.
Mains:
Chili
fried Kang Kong, To-fu and mixed vegetables, Crispy pork and Balinese sausage,
BBQed fresh water prawns, Banana Wrapped Fish and Chicken
Dessert:
Monkey
Banana, Oranges, Atapchi Seed in coconut milk, Black glutinous rice with
coconut milk, Rice cake with coconut shaving over rice flour treat.
Verdict:
Nothing really to scream about, especially if you hail from SE Asia. A lot of
the flavor profiles maybe very familiar or slight tweaked variations which may lose in flavor to their originators."A" for atmosphere and presentation though.
The only slightly standout dishes from the platter
were the Balinese sausagesand the Banana wrapped fish.*The taste of the banan and mixed spices really complemented well the fish piece inside.*
A
plethora of shopping is available to you just outside of Dynasty These range from bootleg DVDs, games,
for PC and various consoles. A wide range of handy craft items, art works and
jerseys of basketball, footie and soccer teams.
ABBATIP
-
Purchased Basketball jerseys at approximately 110,000rupiah per piece. You must
bargain to get the best price.
-
Better exhange rates avaialble outside the hotel.There are many money changers spread out all over and provide very respectable
rates. So no worries on being short of cash.
A
large water theme park which is open everyday from 9am - 6pm. Lockers are
available for your valuables and definitely worth a day of spills and thrills. Located just across from Dynasty Resort.
Entry:
Adult: USD31
Children
USD19 (below 12yrs old)
Below
2 FOC
Can Do:
District
Musro
You
could come to this club looking for KTV and clubbing 'fun', with a live band
performing their sets. However, be forewarned that the club, on a Saturday night,
11.30pm and 3am check, club was dead quiet.
Aprox 100,000rupiah for cover and a bar
drink and Club entry.
Ocean Green lies at the end of Gurney Drive, facing the Malacca Strait. It's a quaint location with a great view of the mainland. Watch as the sunset colors the night sky in a spectacle of changing hues as you enjoy their array of seafood dishes.
Their signature dishes such as the Chicken, Satay, Stuffed Crab and noodles listed below are not to be missed.
ABBATIP:
- The place is Halal certified*
- Their chilli sauce is really good. More sweet than anything else and really enhances the flavors of the dishes. Our table finished an entire bottle. No problem.
*Unlike
most Satay joints which servea bowl of dipping peanut
sauce alongside thedish, the satay here is marinated with the flavors infused directly into
the meat. Another signature dish to try as a starting appetizer.*
Spring Chicken
*Fried to a crisp. Great flavor and texture. Asignature dish at this restaurant!*
Steamed Prawns
Salted-Egg Batter Fried Squid
*Good, crispy salty goodness*
Stuffed Crab
*Another Signature dish. Blue Swimmer crab meat, with mushrooms and cheese, broiled to perfection. A definite must try.
Tou Foo
Baked Crab
Teochew Mee Teow
*Very good flavor. Noodles had a great bite to them. Lots of fresh ingredients in it. A crowd pleaser. A must order as a signature dish*
Ordered: Clay-pot Fish Head (small) and side servings of golden mushroom and cuttlefish. Alongside were cooked dishes of Home-made Sotong Balls and Char Siew.
The soup stock was nice, however the amount of actual fish seemed inadequate for the price paid.Although, the fish meat was very succulent and full of collagen. For the uninitiated to eating fish-head, be careful as bones and sharp teeth can 'bite' back.
The additional items aren't much to scream about. Neither were their signature dishes of Char Siew or Fried home-made Sotong Balls. Char Siew was dry, and Sotong Balls were greasy and small. In fact, they felt over-priced at RM12 per dish.
A
foodies haven! In Penang, Penangknights are their own best food critics. It is
through the spread of reputation and reviews, which guarantee only the best
foods in Penang survive and stay open. You are pretty much assured great hawker
food wherever you go.
Below, are a few of the many, many great eats in Penang and have listed down
by area, from the Northern End to the Southern Tip. Focusing largely on the signature dishes, that are definitely worth the pilgrimage. Most of the great hawker foods all have some back story to
them, which adds that much more history and color to the dining experience.
Home
cooked Muslim food. Simply grab a plate of rice, and dish for yourself whatever dishes
they have for the day. From Beef Rendang to Spiced Squids and curried
Vegetables, all of which have great flavor. Prices are
calculated by the staff at the counter.
What
is their pricing policy? Like many other self service pick and choose, no one has an idea but food always taste great.
ABBA insight: It
is said that during the tsunami, which hit George town in Dec of 2004, this
floating mosque' which stands protruding out into the waters, was miraculously
found to be completely untouched or damaged by the event. Click here for ABBA location of The Floating Mosque
"Uncle Burger"
Famous Uncle
burger serves up chicken/beef patties with options of cheese and egg and a
generous heap of beautifully caramelized onions between two large soft sweet
buns. The perfect balance of ingredients and a handful of sinful delight.
*Taken 13Nov2015*
*Taken 13Nov2015*
People
will make the pilgrimage from the southern most tip of Penang, to the Northern
tip in Tanjong Bungah just to queue for Uncle Burger. Go for the works, it's
absolutely worth a meal or a late night snack. He also serves hotdogs, split
down the middle to get extra caramelization when fried on the hot pan.
*Taken 13Nov2015*
When
asked why they weren't open the previous day, their reply was," We don't
take holidays, only as and when needed"Open
from Evenings till late.
Worth
a mention at Viva, are the Oyster Omelets, cooked with local sweet oysters,
served alongside a semi-sour chili sauce, a perfect pairing. The other foods
stalls are pretty good ad well and even the Japanese stall serving Sashimi
Makis weren't too bad either.
Ordered On: 16Nov2015
*The blachan chicken is really good. Juicy on the inside and crispy on the out*
*Octopus steamed with garlic, limau pirut*
Located
beside the Chinese swimming club, this collection of hawker food fare, span
from Western, Indian, Fusion, Purely Penang and much more. It is one of the
many food centers, generously spread all over Penang Island to feed the
foodies. Open afternoon and mostly evenings till late.
Roti Bak Kua (Sweet soft
bread with BBQ sweet pork.)
Roti
Bak Kua is a great street snack. Steamy soft sweet buns, lathered in sweet
sauce, topped with charcoal cooked Bak Kua. A simple street snack that brings
back tons of memories.
ABBA insight: Back
in the day, Roti Ba Kua used to be bought along side Cachang Puteh (an
assortment of nuts) before watching any movie. What popcorn is to cinemas, was
Roti Bah Kua.
Ban Chan Kueh (Crispy
Peanut Pancake with assortment of condiments)
Another
favorite snack of mine is Ban Chan Gui. With original fillings of sugar and
peanuts, plain or with addition of jar gong (sweet corn).
Overtime
variants have sprung up with options of white or brown sugar (a much more
fragrant sweetness) and an assortment of fillings.
Some
concoctions gaining popularity are the chocolate and banana with brown sugar
which have garnered great reviews. ABBAtip:
The Best way to enjoy Ban Chan Gui is to open a tab and devour them fresh off
the stove. Pay after you've had your fill. Having it packed to go, will often
leave them soggy and disappointing.
"Under The Tree" (Used to be good but gotten pricey and standards dropped!!)
This
by the roadside store is has an array of home cooked, largely Chinese dishes.
You can have your pick of home cooked foods and staff on hand will charge
accordingly.
The
bonus of eating here are the other supporting stalls which are the Penang
Laksa, Dessert Stalls, Curry Mee, Ice Kanchang and other miscellaneous, all conveniently
located under big trees. A nice place to have home cooked food and still not
miss on other old time Penang favorites. Click here for ABBA Location of Under The Tree, located at the end of Jalan Fettes
Chee Cheong Fun. ABBAInsight: The Chee Cheong Fun business is all kept in the family. One of the three stalls located around Penang. The other is found in Chowrasta Market, review below. The other operates at Fatty's area, in the coffee shop beside Roti Ba Kua, reviewed above.
Carrot
Cake here are also a must try. Done Penang Style with fat carrot cake, cooked to a crisp on its sides, done either in black sauce with or without chilli.
The
star is the silky smooth Chee Cheong Fun. It is one of the three shop lots located in the town area, which are
all run by the family. Their half roll and chop technique ensure the right
amount of both prawn and chilli sauces to adequately cote it's silky smooth
rice rolls. You can also have it plain,
with oil, light soy sauce and sesame seeds which tastes equally good.
One
of the other stalls is at Macallister Lane, reviewd above. Their Wan Tan Mee, Kway Teow Teng
and Curry Mee here are really good too. Chowrasta Market is also the community market for the area. Be amongst the people in the morning as Penangknights get their catches of the day and groceries for the week. Click here for ABBA location of Kedai Kopi Soon Yuen Coffee Shop
"The Famous
Cendol"
Cendol is a sweet dessert. Ice shavings, with string like green jelly, served with red bean in coconut milk and the right balance of gula melaka(palm sugar).
The Best Char Siew (BBQ Meat) in town. Right amount of caramelization, smokey carbon bits, and juicy, fatty morsels spread throughout the meat. Fantastic.
ABBAinsight: Hugely popular. They will not allow others to buy up the wholechar siew. By 11am, everyone will be waiting for their serves. Just make your order and the Uncle at the store can remember every order. Seconds are a definate must.
Economy
RiceMust try Assam Stingray.I
must say it is one of the most fragrant ones I've ever had. Other curries and
side dishes are available. Pick and choose what you want but the winner here is
definitely the stingray.
A
mix of Beehoon along with fat white noodles. The Hawfun here has a distinct
fragrant char from being wok fried by huge flames, coupled with its starchy soup broth
and egg topping, great joys on one small plate.
-
Ikan Bakar BBQ seafood- *food stall in Keat Seng
Malay
style hot plate seafood and vegetable dishes done just right.
Ordered
stingray and Kachang Bottle (four cornered vegetable) with Ocra/Ladies Fingers
vegetable dish.
Stingray
had the right amount of caramelization, with just the right amount of dry curry
spiced rub, to not be overpowering on the taste buds.
Kachang
Bottle was cooked well, without leaving any green leafy after-taste. Fried with
chilli padi, charlottes, fragrant hei bi hiam (prawn paste) and garlic. The
crunch and sweetness of the Kachang Bottle along with Okra and spices worked
well together.
An
array of spiced dishes are there for your choosing. Each curry, rich in flavor
and distinctly different in aromas and tastes from the other. Located across a small bridge, by a very small, slow-flowing water stream, in KedaiKopi Joo Heng Coffee Shop. Click here for ABBA location of By The River, Kedai Kopi Joo Heng Coffee Shop
Red Tea House Dim Sum
Available only in the mornings opening from6am-12pm. A wide array of Dim Sum available for your pickings at reasonable prices. A great breakfast/brunch location for everyone.Pick what you want or choose from the push cart as it comes along.