I am great fan of Indian cuisine but frankly this is one of the rare stalls that still sell the traditional South Indian Appam. It is essentially made with the same batter (Coconut milk, flour, water, sugar) as Dosai but is thicker towards the centre and crispy at the edges.

The Egg Appam featured here is Amazing!!! The yolk is just set so but not runny and the edges of the Appam cooked till crispy but not burnt. The fresh Coconut accompanying it is subtle and moist and the orange sugar adds a hint of sweetness (of course, you do not drown your Appam with the sugar!) to this great breakfast dish.

This is truly satisfying

Oooh...Where do I begin...?

The rustic and hideaway location of this Italian restaurant makes it a real gem and a rare fiind indeed. The long, green drive into Portsdown makes you feel that you are driving into the country with nary a tall building in sight. Great way to excape the hustle and bustle of the city.

We were welcomed in chorus by the Italian manager and the team of wait staff as we entered into the restaurant.

Each table was set with small cups of homemade tomato salsa to dip bread in and it was delicious.

Starters were quite standard but I could not stop dipping my bread and spoon into the flavourful White Wine Vongole appetiser which was the Special of the day..

The other Specials of the Day when we went were not too unusual with Halibut and Sole Fish as Mains and the Lobster Linguine which was a bit dry and so-so.
However, when I went there about a year ago, they had Pasta with Wild Boar sauce and a Quail dish - all very unsual but lovely in a earthy sort of way.

One dish to die for is the Coscia D’anatra in Dolce e Forte which is on their Main Menu. It is a Traditional Duck Leg recipe from south of Tuscany. Stewed with Red Wine, Vinegar, Raisins and Dark Chocolate, it was tender and succulent as the meat just fell from its bone. All the flavours were infused into the meat and it was HEAVENLY.

Pizzas were flavourful with thin crusts. I found filling of the Calzone a tad watery.

Enjoyed our meal throughly except that we had to leave by a certain time as the restaurant was fully booked that night.

But we were off next door to another culinary delight - Laurent Bernard Chocolate Cafe

I always love going to Al Borgo. It has such a cosy atmosphere, and the staff is very attentive.

For starters, we had Deep Fried Calamari and the Vongole soup. The squid was tender and lightly battered, not overdone, and the tartar sauce accompanying it was of the right tartness.
The Vongole Soup was gorgeus, not too salty and full of flavour.
Also, the Zuppa di Mare (Seafood Soup in Tomato base) is very rich almost like a sauce. Great for dipping breads.

Besides the usual Italian fare like lasagne and squid ink pasta, they have an unusual risotto made up of red chicory.
The pastas were of the right texture, with the right amount of sauce coating every strand of pasta. We had a variety of pastas like the Squid Ink (rich but not sickening), Scallop with White Wine Sauce, Seafood with White Wine Cream Sauce.

Pizzas were yum and the Quattro Stagioni was quartered to contain the 4 different ingredients - Artichokes, Mushrooms, Ham and Salami. I think it'll be better to mix them all instead of concentrating 1 flavour into 1 quarter.

The Chocolate Cake was well-liquered and the sponge pillowy soft, yum
The Diplomatica which is a layered pastry cake was not quite what we expected with the pastry limp (not crispy) and too much cream.

The Flat White was more of a Latte and the coffee not quite strong. Something that is unsual in an authentic Italian restaurant.

Despite the couple of so-so items, the service was great - the waiter told my daughter that we didn't have to say thank you as we were the customer and it's their pleasure to serve us. Where do we get wait staff like that?!?

When I think of Penang food, the first thing that comes to mind is Penang Assam Laksa and that is what I had here.
The Assam Laksa was not too sour nor fishy and had generous amounts of ingredients. One thing that I found strange was the coarse beehoon looked and tasted a bit like Japanese udon.I ordered the Rojak with the sauce separate but they forgot to add the roasted peanuts in it. The prawn paste sauce was not too bad and the pungent prawn taste was tempered by some lime juice and sugar.

Fancy buying Laksa at a FishBall Noodle stall but this was what I did!

It did not taste like conventional Laksa, having a more curry flavour and texture. It was also unusual in that it had fishballs, BIG ones at that. They were also very generous with the tau pok

I think I'll try their Fishball noodles next time and order Laksa from a Laksa stall.