Spice Brasserie is the main eatery in The Light Hotel. Located next to the lobby, the all-day dining restaurant of this 5-star hotel is furnished with glossy marble on the floor, walls and food counters. Furthermore, fancy ornaments hang gracefully from its high ceiling.

In conjunction with National Day celebrations, The Light Hotel is offering the Authentic Claypot Fish Head Curry Set. The signature dish is the culmination of Executive Chef Halim’s interpretation of famous nasi kandar recipes that he sampled over the past 6 months.

Weighing between 0.8 and 1.2 kilograms, the head of red snapper is used to prepare the Fish Head Curry. The fish’s unique texture allows it to remain firm after braising. Meanwhile, the curry is concocted from a variety of herbs and spices including tamarind. A hint of sourness makes this dish so appetizing. Also included in the curry are okra (lady’s fingers), eggplants (brinjals), tomato and mint leaves.

The Fish Head Curry (RM200.00) comes with 2 vegetable dishes and 4 plates of basmati rice, making the set meal ideal for 4 persons. From 8 August 2018 to 16 September 2018, the set meal is offered at a special price of RM130.00 only.

The à la carte menu also includes popular dishes from Penang’s nasi kandar scene. An example is Crab Curry With Mantau (RM48.00). Flower crabs do not provide as much meat as brown crabs, so their main role is to lend their rich taste to the curry. This dish comes with a plate of fried or steamed mantou. Mantou (馒头) are Chinese buns that do not contain any filling.

As for Prawn Sambal (RM68.00), the main savoriness lies inside the heads of these large shrimps. Meanwhile, the gravy in which the shrimps are cooked is moderately spicy but also has a gentle taste of sweetness.

The Deep-Fried Giant Squid (RM48.00) is a delicacy indeed. The mantle of the squid is slit open and then flattened in order to season it thoroughly. With springiness which is neither too rubbery nor soft, the squid is scrumptious to the last morsel.

Next is a poultry dish, Deep-Fried Ayam Kampung (RM48.00). The fried chicken is garnished with a copious amount of fried shallots to enhance its aroma. Free-range chicken is used in this dish.

Moving on to vegetables dishes, Stir-Fried Water Spinach (RM18.00) and Stir-Fried Winged Beans (RM18.00) are each braised with sambal (chili paste) and belacan (shrimp paste). Both dishes are moderately spicy and are delectable in their own right.

For diners who prefer non-spicy vegetables, the Chinese-Style Mixed Vegetables (RM18.00) is a sound choice. An assortment of broccoli, carrots, baby corn and button mushrooms are cooked in light oyster sauce.

The Light Hotel’s latest promotion is available for lunch (12:00pm-2:30pm) and dinner (7:00pm-10:00pm) at Spice Brasserie. Prior reservation is highly recommended as it takes time to prepare the dishes. These dishes will not be made available in Spice Brasserie’s daily buffets, but they can be served in banquets upon special request.

Name: Spice Brasserie
Address: The Light Hotel, Lebuh Tenggiri 2, Pusat Bandar Seberang Jaya, 13700 Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-382-1111
Business hours: 6:30am-11:00pm (Sunday-Thursday), 6:30am-1:00am (Friday-Saturday)
Website: http://thelighthotelpg.com/dining
Coordinates: 5.39422 N, 100.39872 E
Directions: From Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (North-South Expressway), take the Seberang Jaya exit and head west. Turn left just before the pedestrian bridge and drive all the way to the end. When the road splits, keep right. The Light Hotel is the first building on the left. Spice Brasserie is located next to the lobby. There are parking spaces within the hotel’s compound. The parking fee is RM4.00 per entry.

Having been in business for several decades, Naan Corner Restaurant is well-known for its Roti Boom. Very similar to Roti Canai, Roti Boom is thicker and its dough is not so stretched. Therefore from texture standpoint, Roti Boom tends to have doughier mouthfeel.

Roti Boom is sold at RM0.50 each, which is very cheap especially in the context of Klang Valley’s cost of living. Although it has been several years since I last dined here, the bread is still nice like before. The light crisp on the surface and starchy interior are very satisfying to my palate.

Another dish that I used to enjoy here is Roti Naan (RM2.00 each). Cooked on the hot inner surface of a tandoor oven, the flatbread is sprinkled with white sesame seeds. Unfortunately, tonight’s Roti Naan feels moist on the inside; I think it should have been baked longer. But if this is the actual standard of Roti Naan today, it will be prudent to avoid this dish in the future.

Roti Boom and Roti Naan can be enjoyed with complimentary dal (दाल) made from chickpeas. Optionally, one can also order some curries to go with the bread, such as Chicken Masala (RM12.00). The two pieces of chicken are marinated decently well, while the gravy carries moderate spiciness.

As for drinks, Teh Tarik is priced at RM3.00 each. This is just the standard serving of milk tea like most Malay or Indian stalls. The drink is not served in jumbo size or contain any exotic ingredients. While I was complimenting the affordable price of Roti Boom just a short while ago, the price of Teh Tarik is quite shocking.

Several hours after the meal, several of us had serious stomach discomfort. Naturally, food hygiene at Naan Corner Restaurant is under suspect. Could it have been a coincidence? Well, you have to try the food at your own risk.

On a different note, I have heard of numerous complaints about exorbitant pricing of food here. I advise you to ask for the price before ordering anything.

Address: 12, Lorong Kerja Ayer Lama, 68000 Ampang, Selangor
Contact: 016-947-2020
Business hours: 11:00am-2:00am (Monday-Friday), 7:00am-2:00am (Saturday-Sunday)
Taste

Presentation

Ambience

Hospitality

Value

Nasi kandar is an Indian-Muslim dish which originates in Penang. Nowadays, nasi kandar has become increasingly widespread throughout Malaysia due to expanding chain restaurants like Nasi Kandar Pelita.

Nasi kandar derives its name from the fact that in the early days, nasi kandar peddlers carry their wares on a shoulder pole (called “kandar” in Malay). Similar to mainstream Indian food, nasi kandar dishes tend to use flavorful spices very liberally. For instance, this dish of fish head is heavily seasoned with turmeric.

The outdoor setting of Line Clear makes it susceptible to unpleasant heat during the afternoon. Although it is not the most comfortable place to enjoy nasi kandar, Line Clear attracts many customers due to its long-time fame.

My plate of nasi kandar consists of biryani rice, mutton, fried egg and cabbage. The food price is RM14.10, which I think is exorbitant even when compared to shop-based nasi kandar restaurants.

As the proprietors have to deal with long queues of customers throughout the day, the sense of hospitality is inevitably lacking. Food-wise, I fail to see how the food here is substantially better than those served in other popular restaurants like Hameediyah Restaurant and Nasi Kandar Beratur. But one good thing about Line Clear is the fact that the queue moves pretty rapidly.

Address: 177, Jalan Penang, 10000 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-261-3263
Business hours: 24 hours

Taste

Presentation

Ambience

Hospitality

Value

There are only a small handful of stalls open during the evening. The Nasi Kandar Kampung Melayu stall is perhaps the only decent one, in my opinion. Basically, it is a typical nasi kandar stall similar to Nasi Kandar Kayu or Nasi Kandar Pelita.

My dinner consists of a serving of lamb curry stew, fried cabbage and a piece of fried egg with onion. As usual, the gravy is drench in “banjir” (flooding) style. The taste is just moderate, but I dislike the more-than-necessary degree of oiliness.

This plate of rice with dishes costs RM8.20. In terms of affordability, this stall is similar to other nasi kandar shops. But those businesses have proper shops, some even air-conditioned and feature large-screen TVs for on-going soccer matches. Therefore, I do not think that this is a stall which I will visit again in the near future (or at all).

Cleanliness of this hawker center leaves much to be desired. Dirty plates are left uncollected, and houseflies are a nuisance.