Review: Aeroline Malaysia Bus for Bandar Sunway to Penang Route

Aeroline bus has been in operation for years and been providing executive bus service for the route of Kuala Lumpur to Singapore and Penang and vice versa. I have not travel with them because I usually thought it is more convenient to travel by car especially to Penang.

However, after hearing feedback from my parents about Aeroline bus service to Penang, I decided to give them a try for my first trip to Penang earlier this year. And as expected, I travel again with them on my previous May trip to Penang as I don't see any reason not to. Firstly, their boarding station is just located at a a very convenient place to me, Sunway Pyramid and the drop off is at Queensbay Mall, Penang.

Aeroline Bus, the Double Deck coach

With a double deck coach, it has 30 seats on the upper deck, providing a very spacious and comfortable traveling experience.

Just 30 seats, with a layout of 3 seats per row

Sizeable LCD screen for you to enjoy the movie while on the move

On the lower deck, there is a lounge which can accommodate up to 6 adults. The availability however is based on first come first serve basis.

The lounge on the lower deck

There is also a small washroom available on the lower deck for a short relief. The washroom is not intended for long usage, and should you required so, you will need to speak to their Cabin Crew for a stop at rest area.

A tiny washroom

If you ever need to get some sleep, don't worry as their comfortable wide reclining seats comes with leg support. It feels as good as you are on a cozy sofa.

Very comfortable seat

As the coach started to move, the entertainment station which is available right in front of you will be switched on. However, do take note that not all the coach are equipped with such facility and it is very much depends on the coach schedule.

Tiny LCD screen right in front of your seat

Select your preferred entertainment

A game pad which act as an controller as well

Each passenger will be served a complimentary bottle of mineral water. You may ask the crew for some hot drinks too.

Complimentary mineral water

As the coach nearing it's halfway journey, a meal will be served by the cabin crew. The meal may varied from time to time and is very much at the discretion of Aeroline. At time I get Subway's sandwiches, Chicken Rice Shop's Nasi Lemak and for my previous journey back to Klang Valley, I get a Chicken Rice from Chicken Rice Shop.

A complimentary meal will be served

It definitely does lived up to it's tag line of The Convenient Way to "FLY". The cabin crew was courteous and their service were excellent. Together with the comfortable ride and the spacious seat with a lounge to spare, what else could you have ask more for a RM 60 single way journey ticket.

The convenient Way to FLY

Four hours of driving might not sound too hard, but after considering all the opportunity costs and especially when you are driving alone, you are just thankful to have Aeroline Bus for providing such a pleasant journey to Penang and home.

See you again Penang!

This post concludes my previous holiday experience of Penang in last May. Till we meet again in the near future and thank you Pei Yee for your precious time spent with me while I was in Penang!=D

Aeroline Service Centre Bandar Sunway
OB3.LG2.1A, Lower Ground Two
Oasis Boulevard, Sunway Pyramid
No 3 Jalan PJS 11/15
Bandar Sunway, 46150
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Malaysia
Tel: 603 - 5631 1313
Business hours: 7.30am - 7.30pm
Website: https://www.aeroline.com.my/

Asam Laksa & Homemade Durian Ice Cream Kek Seng Coffee Shop @ Penang Road, Penang

If you are a fan of asam laksa, you just can't have enough of it when you are Penang. With almost every coffee shop offering the famous Penang asam laksa, you must know where to get it to avoid disappointment.

Not many tourist may have heard of this coffee shop, but Kek Seng Coffee Shop hosts one of the better asam laksa you can find in the island. It might be hard to spot it's existence due to it's location along the main busy road of Penang Road.

Kek Seng Coffee Shop, Penang Road

There were other stalls that offers other Penang delicacy but you definitely would not want to miss out ordering a bowl of asam laksa if you happen to be here.

Kek Seng Asam Laksa Stall

The lady who operates the stall

It was 12 noon on my previous visit and understandably, the crowd were not there yet, hence my bowl of asam laksa was served almost instantly.

Kek Seng Asam Laksa (RM 3)
It was my first time being here, but from the look of it, I know I would not be disappointed.

One of the best Asam Laksa in Penang

Do not be deceived by the look of the soup diluteness, as it was brimming with flavour thanks to the perfectly perking up of tamarind stock and is enhanced by the shrimp paste. Spiciness level was as great, and it clearly did not disappoint. A two thumbs up asam laksa!

On their own, Kek Seng do serves their very own signature dessert of ais kacang that is topped off with their homemade durian ice cream.

You are forced to order a drink?

I was amazed by their ais kacang which was served on a plate rather than typically on a bowl. This is cute really.

Kek Seng Signature Ais Kacang (RM 3.50)
Consisted of the usual ingredients that you may find in a typical ice kacang, but this came with an extra jelly pudding and double scoop of ice cream. The shaved ice were very rough though. Personally, I do not find it of any special apart from the homemade durian ice cream, which tasted pretty decent.

The asam laksa soup version might be of the same as the one served in Joo Hooi Cafe, but personally, I think the Kek Seng asam laksa had the upper hand in term of the taste. I will definitely return for this newly found favourite asam laksa of mine.
Asam Laksa: 8.5/10
Ais Kacang: 5.5/10

Atmosphere: 4.5/10
Price: 7/10
Verdict: I have found a new place to savour my favourite asam laksa, but not the ais kacang.

Kek Seng Coffee Shop
382-384, Penang Road
10000, Georgetown
Penang
Malaysia
Business hours: 11am - 4pm daily

GPS Coordinates: N05 24.974' E100 19.759'

Pandan Coconut, Anba Coconut Trading @ Lorong Abu Siti, Penang

With the soaring temperature of Penang, it is hard not to find something to cool down your body. Think about thirst quencher, I will not fail to think of coconut drinks.

There was this stall which I had always visited whenever I feel like having some coconut drinks in Penang. Located at Lorong Abu Siti, Anba Cocunut Trading Sdn Bhd does not only sell coconut on a wholesale but they offers coconut to individual as well.

Anba Coconut Trading Sdn Bhd, Lorong Abu Siti

You will notice that there is a lot of coconuts lying everywhere as though you are in a coconut warehouse. There are two choices of coconut, the ordinary one and the pandan coconut.

Ordinary Young Cocunut (RM 1.70 each)

My choice has always been the pandan coconut. Slightly more expensive, but it is all worth for the sweeter taste of the juice with hints of pandan fragrant.

Young Pandan Coconut (RM 2.50 each)

Just placed an order and the worker will choose the best coconut for you before slicing it off for you to enjoy the drinks.

Professional coconut slicer

Sliced Pandan Coconut
The coconut isn't chilled nor they are any ice within. However, the drinks were sweet and simply refreshing with a great pandan fragrant. Definitely will be better if they were serve chilled.

Should you want to have the coconut meat, do ask them for assistance.

Coconut meat

The flesh are sweet and soft, living up to it's billing of young coconut.

They do not provide spoon for you to scoop the coconut meat. Instead, they adapted a very environment friendly approach by slicing part of the coconut shelf to resemble a spoon.

Scooping the meat in a natural way

Thumbs up for the pandan coconut!

There are no proper tables or even seats for you to enjoy the coconut drinks. However, you will not complain the moment you had your first sip of the drink.

Coconut drink: 8/10

Price: 7/10
Verdict: Refreshing pandan coconut drinks that have you refreshed!

Anba Coconut Trading Sdn Bhd

Lorong Abu Siti
off Jalan Burma
Georgetown, 10400
Penang
Malaysia
Business hours: 8am - 7pm (Monday to Saturday)

Tel: 012 - 450 9194

Fried Pancake Kedai Kopi New Cathay @ Pulau Tikus, Penang

Just right after the curry mee breakfast, I was told by Pei Yee that the coffee shop across the road serves really good fried pan cake. I was bemused as I have not come across such delicacy.

The fried pancake stall is located in Kedai Kopi New Cathay which is visible from the main road of Jalan Burma. The coffee shop occupied the corner lot and is situated by the junction of Lorong Kucing.

Kedai Kopi New Cathay, Pulau Tikus

Just like a normal coffee shop, it has many hawker stalls offering different type of food and is another popular stall among the Pulau Tikus folks.

Pretty crowded even on the weekday

Obviously, my attention are on the fried pancake stall. Upon ordering, I was told that the waiting time is 20 minutes. That even bemused me more, wondering how can pancake required such a long time to prepare and can be popular with the crowd.

Fried Pancake Stall, Kedai Kopi New Cathay

I observed how he pour the pancake dough onto a pan, leaving it for a while before breaking them into square pieces and frying them just like omelet. At this point of time, I was wondering how the pancake will taste alike. Salty, sweet or mixture of both?

It's banana flavoured

A glass of ambra juice while waiting for my fried pancake.

Ambra juice (RM 1.80)
A little bit diluted for me as I prefer the thicker taste of ambra juice.

After 20 minutes of wait, my fried pancake was served.

Pulau Tikus Fried Pancake (RM 2.50)
It has a strong banana fragrant. Crispy on the outside with some aromatic charred smell to offer while being soft and mushy inside. And yes, it tasted sweet just like a pancake but this is definitely a different version.

Definitely something new to me but I kinda like it, particularly on the unique texture of the fried pancake.

Fried Pancake: 7/10

Price: 7/10
Verdict: The fried pancake tasted very cute, I mean in a nice way!

Kedai Kopi New Cathay

Lorong Kucing
off Jalan Burma
10350, Pulau Tikus
Penang
Malaysia
Business hours: 7.30am - 3pm daily

Curry Mee Hup Kee Coffee Shop @ Pulau Tikus, Penang

It was my last day in Penang for my previous mid year holiday in Penang. Started the day by checking out from Tune Hotels before headed to Pulau Tikus for breakfast.

Heading to Pulau Tikus is easy, especially by car. Just travel along the Burma Road, and you will reach Pulau Tikus within 10 minutes from Tune Hotels. There are abundant of coffee shops here greeting you on both side, along the main road. As such, I tried my luck with Hup Kee coffee shop, hoping it does offer me some good breakfast before I headed home to KL.

Hup Kee Coffee Shop, off Lorong Leandro's

Popular with the old folks having their morning tea

Just like typical coffee shop, Hup Kee offers the usual hawker food such like fried and soup noodles. I was moved by the strong scent of curry mee and thus, I decided to order a small bowl for my breakfast.

Hup Kee Curry Laksa Stall, Pulau Tikus

Hup Kee Curry Mee (RM 2.50)
Just like a standard Penang Curry Mee, the soup is clear but it offered a decent curry taste that came with a spoonful of sambal to spice the soup up. With the generous servings of the accompaniments like prawn, tau pok, fish ball and pork blood cubes (chu hong), I thought it was a steal at it's price. Oh yes, I love the extra topping of the mint leaves too which adds in some minty taste to the soup.

Pei Yee did ordered a plate of fried koay teow from the auntie that operates this hawker stall.

Hup Kee Fried Koay Teow Stall, Pulau Tikus

Hup Kee Char Koay Teow, Pulau Tikus (RM 3)
There was hint of wok hei but overall it was lacking in flavour. It was near to tasteless and it makes me wonder was it fried without salt or soy sauce. Definitely not a standard of a decent Penang fried koay teow.

The curry mee is pretty enjoyable and I would not mind returning here for another bowl as my breakfast on my next Penang trip. Maybe I should try out some other stalls as well but definitely not on the fried koay teow stall.

Curry Mee: 7/10
Char Koay Teow: 4/10

Atmosphere: 4.5/10
Price: 7/10
Verdict: Curry mee was up to my expectation of Penang standard but the Char Koay Teow is forgettable.

Hup Kee Coffee Shop

Lorong Leandro's
off Jalan Burma
10250, Pulau Tikus
Penang
Malaysia
Business hours: 7am - 2pm daily

Ocean Batu Maung Seafood Restaurant @ Batu Maung, Penang

When I first came to Penang as a kid in the mid 90's, my Uncle brought me to a fishing village known as Batu Maung for seafood. From that time on, we will never miss visiting Batu Maung for seafood whenever we are in Penang. The memory is still fond till today, especially on the taste of the deliciously prepared baked meat crab.

Time flies and it is already year 2010. My parents and I decided to revisit Batu Maung for some seafood but we were informed by our favourite old restaurant operator that the restaurant has no longer in business. Disappointed I was, I was not about to give up. On my last night on my previous trip to Penang, I drove all the way to Batu Maung with Pei Yee and we found a relatively new seafood restaurant in the name of Ocean Batu Maung Seafood Restaurant.

Ocean Batu Maung Restaurant

The place look relatively new from the outside and later I was informed that this restaurant has been relocated here from the deeper side of Batu Maung.

A newly renovated restaurant

Unlike the former Batu Maung seafood restaurant, this newly renovated restaurant offered a cooling air-conditioned atmosphere.

Clean and cozy atmosphere

Since we are at Batu Maung, we ordered nothing but just seafood and seafood.

Kam Heong La La (RM 8 per plate)
The generous accompaniments of dried shrimps and curry leaves brings out the true Kam Heong flavour. Not only that, it was neither fried too dry nor too soggy. Defnitely fit to be one of the better kam heong la-la that I have tasted.

Fried Squids (RM 8 per plate)
I thought the flour coating of the squids were lacking in flavour. Even the crispiness and the chili sauce failed to make it taste any better.

Grilled Fish (RM 16 per plate)
I was not impressed with their grilled fish. The chili gravy (sambal) coating tasted awful with a very strong and weird taste of belacan.

Next, time for the infamous old favourite seafood dish of mine, the baked crab.

Ocean Batu Maung Baked Crab (RM 45 per kilo)

The size of the crab served on that night were pretty decent with a crab weighing 400g to 500g each.

Smile crabby!

The taste of it?
I still believe that meat crab are best eaten by baking them just like how Batu Maung seafood restaurant prepares them. It maintained the succulence and tenderness of the slightly spongy crab meat. Besides that, you get to taste the natural sweetness of the crab as well. And yes, I have to admit that Ocean Batu Maung Seafood Restaurant brings back the good old memories of a delicious baked crab. Not only that, the crab meat here tasted insanely sweet that I thought I'm eating sugar. Two thumbs up from me!

Complimentary Mixed Fruit Platter

Just before we went off, we went to observe their live seafood tank section.

The live seafood tanks

Fresh and still alive

Some other seafood for your choice

The total bill came to RM 86.50 inclusive of drinks and wet towels. I thought the price was very reasonable judging the portion of their serving and the amount of seafood that we had. Adding on, they do not have extra surcharge of service or government charges.

Overall, the seafood dinner was enjoyable with a very cozy ambiance. Definitely I'll be back for more crab and crabs on my next Penang trip.

Kam Heong La La: 7/10
Fried Squids: 4.5/10
Grilled Fish: 4/10
Baked Crab: 9/10

Atmosphere: 6/10
Price: 7.5/10
Verdict: Their baked crab is a bomb while the grilled fish is forgettable.

Ocean Batu Maung Seafood Restaurant
(right beside Pelabuhan Perikanan MITP Batu Maung)
Unit B1 to Bangsal Industrial MITP Batu Maung Fisher Port
Batu Maung
11960, Bayan Lepas
Penang
Tel: 04 - 6266 928
Fax: 04 - 6266 928