J.L. Gourmet Cafe @ Prangin Mall, Penang.

Owned and managed under the same management company as Mizi Bistro (New World Park/Tesco Sri Tanjung), J.L. Gourmet Cafe is situated on third floor of Prangin Mall, facing Little Oasis Restaurant, it is pretty easy to locate this restaurant, as it has a very unique displaying stall being placed right in front of the restaurant. It serves western food pretty similar to both of the Mizi Bistro outlets. Price-wise, was just okay, if you opt for the steak or chef's specialties, it will be on the expensive side, but if you choosing the set meal, then its definitely worth the value that you are paying. Service was okay, but I was very unfortunate to meet an uncle which seemed to be very impatient serving me, especially after a few questions from me, would appreciate if he could just give me few more minutes, but oh well....Anyway, the four-course set meal costs Rm19.90 which includes a cup of drink, a bowl of soup, a main course and a dessert. Ala-Carte prices will be stated for your references.

We started with a bowl of Cream Of Mushroom Soup (Ala-Carte price- Rm8.50) The portion was just okay in my opinion, however, the mushroom soup has a very creamy and smooth texture, the flavor of the mushroom was very distinctive as well. The croutons do not did the job well enough here, as they were a bit soggy the moment they served the soup, they should have placed them separately so we get to enjoy the crispy texture of the croutons.

We also had a bowl of Cream Of Broccoli (Ala-Carte price- Rm7.50), well, the soup did provide the broccoli flavor, but it was not strong enough in my opinion, I would personally prefer the Cream Of Mushroom Soup instead of this.

As for the main course, we had Pan Fried Dory Fish Fillet "Almondine" (Ala-Carte price- Rm15) and it was very good indeed. The portion was very very big, and it comes with some fresh vegetables which were sliced carrots, boiled potatoes, green peas and Cauliflower. The term "Almondine" was actually referring to the sauce, a mixture of Almond and Butter. The Dory fish fillet was coated with a thin layer of egg and deep fried, however, it has successfully maintained the moist and soft texture within the fish, hence, the chewy and creamy texture were still there. The sauce was okay, the buttery flavor was very strong, with a hint of lemon juice and it did complemented well with the fish ideally.

Spaghetti Marinara (Ala-Carte price- Rm15) was a bit disappointing. Although the portion was great and everything looks promising, but it was rather bland overall. It lacked of some unique features/tastes that add marks to the dish, it stated there that there was supposed to be garlic, but I did not see any garlic slices in the spaghetti. The Spaghetti Marinara was topped with some Pesto sauce, hoping to infuse the unique flavor of Basil, but it did not work that way in my opinion, although it has some extra flavor added, but the tomato paste was too watery, hence, causing the whole dish to be a bit tasteless. Extra pinch of salt could be a solution, as for the seafood, the Dory Fillet used were impressive, as in it has successfully maintained the firm texture of the fish (not too soft) and there were some (fake) abalone/clam slices as well. 

As for the drinks, you may pick any one of them (peach tea, ice lemon tea, orange juice, mango juice or hot/cold green tea). For the dessert, Ice Cream was the only thing available, and we get to choose from five flavors (peppermint, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and yam).

Ratings:

Taste: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Price: 7/10 (1-3 expensive, 4-7 average, 8-10 good) *Based on the set meal*

Service: 6/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Parking: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Service Charge: No

Government Tax: No

Additional Information:

Address: 33-3-09, Prangin Mall, Jalan Dr. Lim Chwee Leong, 10100, Penang.

Business Hour: 11am to 9pm, Daily.

Contact Number: 604- 263 2921

Website: www.mizibistro.com