43 Cafe @ Sungai Dua, Penang.

It was actually my first time when it comes to pork burgers, so I was invited to this 43 Cafe, which situated at Jalan Sungai Dua, right opposite to the side door of University of Science Malaysia (USM). 43 Cafe serves pork burgers, together with some home cooked dishes such as Satay, Mushroom soup, Barbecue Chicken Wings etc.... Their healthy way of preparing the pork burgers is what attracted me the most, with no MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) and less oil used, it feels like everything was cooked by your own mummy. The owner operates the business in his own house, so there would not be any sign boards being displayed. To find 43 Cafe, try to locate the side door of USM at Jalan Sungai Dua, and find a way to a stretch of shop houses that provide photocopy services, 43 Cafe is just right at the corner. Do expect a slower service since there are only two of them working (especially during peak hours). Price-wise, will be very reasonable and economical as their targeted customers are the students studying in USM. The drawbacks will be the ambiance, choices of food and the business hour which starts from evening.

We were given some Pork Burgers to sample which was obviously their signature dish, there will be three types of pork burgers available, namely Original Home-made Pork Burger (Rm 5), Home-made Black Pepper Sauce Pork Burger (Rm 5.50) and Home-made Barbecue Sauce Pork Burger (Rm 5.50). I did not try the meat patty itself, but I have tried their home-made black pepper sauce, which tasted more to the salty side to me, and was a bit watery in my opinion. As for their barbecue sauce, it lacked of the smoky taste and I would personally prefer a sweeter and thicker version of barbecue sauce. The meat patty will be accompanied by some lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese and a spread of mayonnaise. 

If you are a big eater and wish to have more meat in your burger, you may opt for this Double Pork Pork Burger (Rm 8-original) as well. Nothing will be changed but one extra pork patty will be added instead.

Their Home-made Mushroom Soup with Garlic Bread (Rm 3) will be available starting from 3rd of May (their opening date) aside from the pork burgers. It comes with a bowl of freshly made mushroom soup and a slice of crispy hot garlic bread. The mushroom soup was a bit thick but I was told that they did not use any cream in the making of this soup, taste-wise, was okay, but would be even better if they could slightly increase the saltiness and sweetness. Garlic Bread was normal in my opinion, nothing interesting enough to shout over.

We get to sample some of their Chicken Wings (Rm 1.80) as well. Chicken Wings will not be available temporarily, but the chicken wings were perfectly grilled till perfection and brushed with Honey. It has a hint of sweetness and honey's unique flavor. It was not too sweet nor it was too salty, just perfect in my opinion. Recommended.

Unfortunately their Egg Pecah Toast (Rm 2) is not available yet for this moment, the half cooked egg was somehow mixed with some chili sauce/sambal and topped with some chopped spring onions. It was very good in my opinion but it might not fit in with toast, could be better to go with some rice.

Similarly to most of the dishes, Nom Nom Nom Satay (Rm 1 per stick) is not available yet, but the satay was very good in my opinion, perfectly grilled till perfection and with some home made chili paste added, the satay has its very own unique flavor and aroma. It brings some sweetness but it was not spicy at all in my opinion. I would not mind to have few of these sticks while chatting with my friends. Recommended.

Last but not least, we were served Home-made Peanut Paste (Rm 3--currently not available) which tasted okay to me, the dessert was obviously a bit thicker than I thought it would be, but the fragrantly prepared peanut paste's aroma was very strong, and I bet peanut lovers would not want to miss this dessert. It was not too sweet and it brings a hint of saltiness too.

**Updated (24/5/2012): They have modified their texture of the peanut paste, the peanut paste is now, much smoother and less-thicken. It has certainly improved in terms of the texture and smoothness in my opinion***

We were given some of the drinks to sample as well, one of the most unique ones will definitely none other than their Tomato Plum (Rm 3.50). Some Chinese dried plums were added to the tomatoes and blended well. It has a very heavy tomato flavor, with a hint of sourness and sweetness. It can be a very appetizing drink. Other than that, they do serve Home-made Hot Ginger Tea (Rm 1.50) as well, not too sweet, strong flavor of ginger, not too shabby. The remaining drinks were just normal and nothing to shout about, they were Hot Chocolate (Rm 2.50), Iced Chocolate (Rm 3), Hot White Coffee (Rm 2.50), Iced White Coffee (Rm 3) and Ice Lemon Tea (Rm 2.50).

**Updated (24/5/2012): Their Tomato Plum is now, ice blended version instead of the ordinary tomato fruit juice, they have further modifying the texture by blending some ice into the drink, making it ice-blended texture, yet, maintaining the same taste. It feels a bit watery towards the end or the drink is left for sometime, but its good in the sense that the drink is more refreshing and chilling right now.**

Additional Information:

Address: 43, Jalan Sungai Dua, 11700, Penang.

Business Hour: 5:30pm to 10pm. Daily.

Contact Number: 016- 430 7009

43 Cafe Facebook Page