DrawnNGo, Island Park - Penang Island

Mushroom soup and garlic bread has epitomised Western cuisine for several generations, mainly as a result of colonial Brit influences and local preferences. Whilst converging practices and various migrating populations led to fusion food on the Asian side,until in the past twenty or so years, Euro food in the Malayan Peninsular lacked the variety that you see in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong today. There was an obvious lack of continental choices but American food arrived with a gusto in the fast food chains.

Pork chop in batter, accompanied by coleslaw and smooth potato mash - the winner was the dipping sauce, which, amongst other things, utilised aromatic and fresh Sarawak freshly ground pepper. My sister in law Sian Kin had suggested trying this cafe and it brought me back in memory to the likes of Eden and other outlets that were effectively run by Chinese chefs from Hainan Island in southern China. These Hainanese earned a living in the 19th and 20th centuries manning the kitchens for their Caucasian masters and created a new cuisine blending in the preferences of their employers (living so far away from home) and their quintessential Chinese cooking techniques. The pork chop I had had a crunch, a flavour and a bite that stood out on its own.

Colourful and cooling drinks served before the food.

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85 Degrees Bakery Cafe Hurstville NSW

There are several outlets of this bakery cafe for several years now in Australia. Did they coem from the USA?

Each franchised outlet is in a busy area, often in suburbs so-called by a diverse Asian demographic. The one in Hurstville is rather roomy and lots of baked stuff on its shelves. The base of Sydney operations is in Chester Hill, a suburb south-west of the Sydney city centre.

Some of the cake creations would be viewed as rather leaning on the East Asian dimension - Strawberry Angel (with chocolate base and top) and Mango Cheese ( with yoghurt). However, to counter this perspective, there are also Death by Chocolate, US Cheesecake, Coffee Brulee and Blueberry Marble options.

The pastries are definitely filled with ingredients more suited to perhaps Anime loving fans and non-mainstream cultures - for example, garlic, pork, tuna, green tea, red bean, shallots, pork floss, coconut, Hokkaido butter cream and Boroh or pineapple buns. Sung seems to be a variation emphasised…

Penang - Lor Mee

Lor mee is another of those street foods that are not commonly available in Western societies, but are easily found in southern China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The dish is iconic of the Teochew Province in China and has been mainly brought to equatorial climes by immigrants over the last few centuries. It combines snippets of ingredients in a thick savoury sauce. Above, the lor mee with roast pork and sliced hard boiled egg accompaniments at the Fong Sheng Cafe, along Lorong Selamat in Georgetown, Penang - the place was introduced by May Wah and Henry Quah.

The cafe harks back to the seventies or eighties - and maybe earlier - what caught my eye were (above) freshly blended fruit and/or vegetable juices and (below) metal and plastic contraptions of the food trade.

Hot and cold drinks are easily on offer from the cafe (above and below) at very reasonable prices.

Another version of the dish (below) taken whilst Bob Lee was enjoying them in another cafe or coffee shop in Georgetown…

Kindly Yours

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