...a pong pong birthday...

Look who is adding another candle (or candles) to her cake !!! Our dear eldest sister - Tua Chi Pong Pong!!! Not to worry Pongkie, after all they say "age is only numbers" (and also the candles in your cake!!! - Call the fire brigade!!!). Old is gold - they are priceless, but so are antiques and dinosaurs!!! SO ARE FOSSILS!!! Hahaha...okies, better not "kutuk" Pongkie too much, afterall, it was her night!!!

We celebrated her birthday this year at Sunshine Bay Seafood Restaurant in Tanjung Bungah (after Low Tau smsed to inform that there was a massive jam getting on to the Penang Bridge - we were supposed to try the "Heh Kor (Mantis Prawn) Village). Thanks to Pauline, we changed location to this seafood restaurant up in Tanjung Bungah. Sorry lah Ang Heah Mak, Heh Kor Village next round. Afterall, it was raining and the last day of school holidays.

Located in the corner of a stretch of seafood restaurants (where the old Sin Hai Keng or the newer Rozells pub were), it does not have a prominent structure that stands out, but it is just two shops behind the traffic light that leads you to town (the Tanjung Bungah traffic light after the post office from the other direction and the one that leads you to TAR college. It is on the opposite side of the road where the old Tanjung Bungah Bus Station and Maybank are.

As usual, my entourage in my car was late. Hehehe. By the time we reached Sunshine Bay there was not a trace of sunshine anymore. We sat in a table of 11.5 (0.5 being Jeannie's daughter). All were so hungry. As usual lah...even if it is not Phor Thor!!!

Everyone around the table was so excited with the Squirrel Glass Paper Lantern Seh Seow bought for Pong Pong..."why squirrel", many asked..."Because it's Pong Chu!!!" Hahaha...clever Seh Seow!!! She could not find any other lanterns that look like a snake, so since it's Pong Pong...Pong Chu is the nearest!!! I suggested that Pong Pong lit the candle and walked around the restaurant with her Pong Chu lantern, but she refused...apalah Ah Pong!!! So after a few snapshots, came the "brightest moment"...almost as bright as the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing during the opening of the 2008 olympics!!! Hahaha!!! Imagine a small dome birthday cake, with so many coloured candles sticking out from every angle of the cake. Even lighting the cake is a task!!! What is a birthday without a birthday song, right, Pong Pong??? Hehehe...as embarassing as what you all did to me in Little Cottage last year!!! Hahaha!!! Poh Sau!!!

After so much excitement and tummies growling, finally came a dish which I have not tried elsewhere...Kap Pah Mee Suah. This dish is really something...filled with Kap Pah (Clams). The mee suah is cooked to perfect softness, unlike some who cooks their mee suah to yukkily soft. Fried with some cut chai sim (choysam) and egg, the gravy is simply marvellous...it is not sar hor fun-like, less starchy, but thick enough and you can taste the sweetness of the shellfish. And the clams are not overdone. A must try in that restaurant.

Then came a very unique plate of eggs with bitter gourd (kor kuah nooi). I have not tasted this anywhere else and although bitter gourd is NEVER my favourite, I do give this dish a tumbs up. The usual kor kuah nooi is just like a bitter gourd omelette, but this...wow...the gourd is cut into pieces and simmered with half boiled eggs just in time to make it cooked. I thought the egg was done easy in the toffel wok, but Ang Heah Mak and Yoga Looi insist that it is half boiled eggs!!! Okies, leave this to the professionals!!! It good when served hot, but I guess it will turned slimy if left cold. Oh yes, the dish is served with dashes of tow yew (soya sauce) on the eggs (just like the half boiled eggs we take with toasts). This dish was cleaned out within 2-3 minutes!!!

We also had the Fish Heah with Yam in Claypot (hoo tau or sar poh). Tender yam with fried hoo tau with ginger, garlic, spring onions, who could ask for anything more...!!! The fragrance of the sauce used is really appetizing. The smell of thick soya sauce and chinese cooking wine. You find chunks of fried fish head and averagely thick slices of yam. I love the gravy. Looks like I cleaned the gravy from almost every dish!!!

Other less interesting dishes are Black Pepper Crab. This dish has the strong aroma of ground black pepper. For those who love black pepper, do not miss this. Next, was the sweet and sour crab - the usual sweet and sour sauce with little bits of tomatoes. The chai tow (long beans) fried with dried prawns (heh bee) and the curry kapitan chicken. Again, the curry kapitan is not like the authentic curry kapitan. This curry is less thicker and somewhat more chili powdered. The smell of curry kapitan is there, but there is something amiss in the taste. We also had man tou to go with the curry and the sweet and sour gravy of the crab. We also had the fried Heh Koh...nothing special about this dish...looks like fried sago worms!!!

So Pong Pong, here's wishing you a very happy birthday and many happy returns!!! Next year, we need to bring a fire extinguisher along. Averagely, it's almost 500 years old around the table!!! Hahaha!!!

Ratings : 9/10