Amelie's Cafe

Been inactive here. Blame it on the activity elsewhere. Am wishing for more hours again.... 8( But we took time for a short trip to Penang.

This is one of the street murals that is identified with Penang. Two (very happy) kids on a bicycle.... on Lebuh Gat Armenia or Armenien Street in Penang. The bicycle is real... the kids are drawn onto the wall. This mural draws lots of attention.... I think it's quite cool.

We were there for this - Amelie's Cafe. This was one of the places we wanted to try for a long time but never quite got around it. But on this particular trip, we were quite determined to try out the place. The plants have almost covered the entrance. During our last trip, the demarcations were clearer, from one plant to another.

Actually we would not have managed to eat here if not for a small series if mishap. As a result, we got to Leboh Armenia at 11.45 a.m., which was a good thing cos when we arrived, the door was still shut. Had we been earlier, we would have just looked for another place. Initially we thought the place might have closed down but after some probing through the plants, I noticed that the place was supposed to open at 12 noon. We soon noticed a group of 3 young people waiting outside.

Almost wanted to give up as the doors remained closed at 12. They were 10 minutes late in opening. We were walking towards Edelweiss when it opened. I realised the smallness of the place once we stepped into it. There were only 6 tables in the whole restaurant. And the menu was on the boards hanging all over the restaurant. Orders were soon taken as we were table number two. But by the time our orders were taken, all except one table had been taken.

This was daughter's Mushroom, Pork Sausage Meat with Gorgonzola Cheese. It's one of the nicer spaghetti that I've tried. The pork sausage was really nice. Yummy. The cheese went well with the mushroom. I think our gal enjoyed this though I think she must have probably wished that she could have more. 8)

I had this - Gnocchi with Mushroom in Truffle Oil. My first time having gnocchi. Not bad. Gnocchi is basically thick soft dumplings. Again the cheese complimented the mushroom. I really enjoy their mushrooms. By the way, their plates are a mix and match, odds and ends kind of combination. The furniture too. Quite quaint and charming.

Other Half says this is probably the best sandwich that he has had. Everything was just nice. The dash of mustard went very well with the salad. The vegetables were crunchy and fresh. There was a generous helping of bacon to go with the salad. Bread was soft and just right. Other Half is a sandwich fan. So this Bacon and Rocket Focaccia Sandwich with Salad must be as good as he says.

This is their Crispy Bacon Salad. Suffice to say, our gal took most of the bacon. The tomatoes were really nice, sweet. The salad was basically light, and you get to taste each vegetable in it. I've lately begun to appreciate the individual tastes of each food. In a well prepared dish, that's what one is supposed to taste.... the original taste and not the overwhelming sauce flavours, which makes the food artificially flavoured, distorting your taste buds.

Zabaglione - our dessert. I asked the proprietress to recommend the dessert. This wasn't too sweet. Very often desserts are overly sweet and you sort of get sick with the sweet feeling. This had a tinge of alcohol to its taste, just a teeny weeny bit of taste which makes it quite aromatic. Like the texture too.

There is no set menu. Dining is a surprise in this place. Food is according to the chef's whims. Walk in and the standard menu offers only drinks. I'd rate this a gem in Penang. Nice food with an interesting ambience. 8) And by the looks of it, there is no shortage of people who know of this place.

Oh ya! An interesting observation I made. I noticed that the proprietress is quite sharp in identifying those who come in for food and those who appear to want to have a drink. And I noticed too that Malaysians come short in the 'understanding' department. Despite being told again and again that they only accept guests who want to have lunch (as in have food) some actually say they want to be served drinks.... They do serve drinks only... but it's after 2, when the lunch crowd is done.