Just a few weeks ago, we had a vendor from the US visiting our company. As usual, he would arrange a dinner to catch up with us, either in terms on work or personal life. He was staying in the E&O Hotel Penang, so we met up there. At first, we suggested to go to 1885 for dinner, but the place was newly renovated into an upscale restaurant, where apparently, laughing was even frowned upon. I guess in that sense, it wasn't too suitable for us who liked to talk and laugh out loud. Anyway, we did visit the restaurant just to have a look and true enough, the place was quiet and romantic. Definitely not the correct ambience for us all. *LOL*
1885 at Eastern and Oriental Hotel
So, we moved on to the other side of the road and stumbled upon a new place called Beach Blanket Babylon (BBB). BBB is part of the same management that handles Bagan and Mansion 32, so we thought it should have pretty good standards, and gave it a try. Since we went during the happy hours, we got our drinks at half price only! Lychee martini at RM11 per glass, isn't that cheap?
Lychee martini
Most of us ordered the set dinner, which came with a salad as starters. The salad was nothing special, just a mixture of carrot, lettuce and some leaves with a drizzle of dressing.
Salad
Next up was the soup, which was much better. We had the pumpkin soup that night and the taste was pretty good. Not too thick or too diluted and with just the right amount of pumpkin flavour. I think this was the best dish for the night. :)
Pumpkin soup
Our main course was the grilled lamb, which was medium well done. To be honest, I was expecting single slab of lamb with shiny grilled surface and aromatic smell, so when I was greeted with this (points at picture below), I was surprised. The lamb was pre-cut into smaller pieces and arranged into a flower to make the presentation nicer. I was just speechless to note that the serving portion was rather small. Coming from a girl, that speaks a lot! Anyway, we proceeded to savour the meat even though the first impression was already on the down side. Unfortunately, the meat was a little on the cold side, which was not surprising. Since the pieces were cut into smaller portions, the surface area became bigger and it's faster for the meat to cool down. Fine, the temperature was out, then we moved on to the taste. The meat was rather tasteless and bland! If there was no sauce, we could well be eating pork and we wouldn't realize it. The only nice thing about the lamb was the tender meat but that's all. Needless to say, we were all disappointed. This coming from a reputable restaurant chain!
Grilled lamb
When you order the set meal, you'll be entitled to a piece of cake of your choice as the dessert. During our visit, the choice available on display was very limited, probably only 4 or 5 types to choose from. My friend chose the Tiramisu while I chose the chocolate cake. Presentation of both cakes were attractive but in terms of taste, I'd prefer the chocolate cake more. It's not fantastic, but at least it was not terrible like the lamb.
Tiramisu
Chocolate cake
Overall, the BBB is a nice place with a nice environment to relax and unwind, but it's definitely not the place for food. The set menu was priced at RM48++, which I don't consider cheap. I could easily find better food for that amount of money spent.
If you ask me, I'd only go there again especially during happy hours because the drinks are cheap and they have comfortable couches to unwind. Otherwise, I'd recommend you to stay away from it. Don't say I didn't warn you.
1885 at Eastern and Oriental Hotel
So, we moved on to the other side of the road and stumbled upon a new place called Beach Blanket Babylon (BBB). BBB is part of the same management that handles Bagan and Mansion 32, so we thought it should have pretty good standards, and gave it a try. Since we went during the happy hours, we got our drinks at half price only! Lychee martini at RM11 per glass, isn't that cheap?
Lychee martini
Most of us ordered the set dinner, which came with a salad as starters. The salad was nothing special, just a mixture of carrot, lettuce and some leaves with a drizzle of dressing.
Salad
Next up was the soup, which was much better. We had the pumpkin soup that night and the taste was pretty good. Not too thick or too diluted and with just the right amount of pumpkin flavour. I think this was the best dish for the night. :)
Pumpkin soup
Our main course was the grilled lamb, which was medium well done. To be honest, I was expecting single slab of lamb with shiny grilled surface and aromatic smell, so when I was greeted with this (points at picture below), I was surprised. The lamb was pre-cut into smaller pieces and arranged into a flower to make the presentation nicer. I was just speechless to note that the serving portion was rather small. Coming from a girl, that speaks a lot! Anyway, we proceeded to savour the meat even though the first impression was already on the down side. Unfortunately, the meat was a little on the cold side, which was not surprising. Since the pieces were cut into smaller portions, the surface area became bigger and it's faster for the meat to cool down. Fine, the temperature was out, then we moved on to the taste. The meat was rather tasteless and bland! If there was no sauce, we could well be eating pork and we wouldn't realize it. The only nice thing about the lamb was the tender meat but that's all. Needless to say, we were all disappointed. This coming from a reputable restaurant chain!
Grilled lamb
When you order the set meal, you'll be entitled to a piece of cake of your choice as the dessert. During our visit, the choice available on display was very limited, probably only 4 or 5 types to choose from. My friend chose the Tiramisu while I chose the chocolate cake. Presentation of both cakes were attractive but in terms of taste, I'd prefer the chocolate cake more. It's not fantastic, but at least it was not terrible like the lamb.
Tiramisu
Chocolate cake
Overall, the BBB is a nice place with a nice environment to relax and unwind, but it's definitely not the place for food. The set menu was priced at RM48++, which I don't consider cheap. I could easily find better food for that amount of money spent.
If you ask me, I'd only go there again especially during happy hours because the drinks are cheap and they have comfortable couches to unwind. Otherwise, I'd recommend you to stay away from it. Don't say I didn't warn you.
BEACH BLANKET BABYLON @ THE GARAGE
Lot B1, The Garage, 2 Penang Road, 10000 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-261 0289
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 11.00am – 1.00am
Weekend & Eve of Public Holiday: 11.00am – 2.00am
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1 comment:
hmm...surprisingly the last i went there(which was more than 6mths ago) the food was fabulous. mebi they changed their chef? but nothing beats their ambiance :P
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