KEN HUNTS FOOD: The Bake & Brew @ Penang Street, Georgetown, Penang.

Friday, May 2, 2014

The Bake & Brew @ Penang Street, Georgetown, Penang.

I am certainly happy to see more cafes serving Western brunch menu than the ubiquity of cakes and pastries. The Bake & Brew is one of the latest cafes that offers Brunch menu along with some carefully chosen mains (for dinner). I like the interior decor of the cafe- simple yet classy, modern yet traditional; light floods in through the raised ceiling to illuminate the cafe and air-conditioners for the cold air. Not only mains, The Bake & Brew proffers a range of Pastries, Cakes and Tarts too, diners are more than welcome to have a preview from the cake counter. Prices are certainly reasonable but they could improve on their service, the serving time specifically. There were only 3 to 4 tables of customers but it took them more than 20 minutes to serve our orders. Nevertheless, I am certainly very pleased with the food quality overall, I am certainly looking forward to my second visit and to further explore on some other dishes. The Bake & Brew is located at Penang Street, opposite to Sentral College and a stone's throw distance away from Water Tea Drop House.

The owner introduced their Egg Florentine (Rm 15.90) with aplomb. Why not? Bring it on. Somewhat similar to Egg Benedict, the only thing that distinguishes between an Egg Ben and Egg Florentine will be the addition of Spinach. Perfectly cooked poached egg placed on a bed of Spinach, Smoked Salmon and English Muffin, drenched with their home-made Hollandaise Sauce with a touch of Herbs and Pepper. The dish was a palate-pleaser, the flavors were precisely calibrated and well-balanced. The runny Egg Yolk oozes out with the slightest prick over the Egg and Yes, quite a big portion and could be sufficient for two small eaters. If I were to nitpick, I would prefer the Hollandaise sauce to have a slightly tangier citrusy-acidic tilt. This is definitely a dish to look for at The Bake & Brew.

English Omelette (Rm 9.90)- Cheddar Cheese with sauteed Capsicum, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Onions, shaved Chicken & Turkey Ham served with Baguette and Fresh Greens. The portion was rather big, the Omelette was well-executed and reasonably seasoned, none of the ingredients were overpowering, everything was just nice. Extra marks could have been given if the Omelette carries a runnier texture inside.

I am definitely new to this Ascona Cheese Cake (Rm 10.90), the texture was somewhere between a Jelly and Cheese Cake. No, not the usual Cheese Cake where you might find it very cheesy and can be rather surfeited after having a spoonful or two. Crowned with Mixed Nuts, the Cheese Cake was toothsome, not too cheesy nor sweet, a pleasingly delightful cake for your afternoon treat.

Good to see that they have Lamingtons here, Rm 4.90 each, the Australian sweet cake comes in a substantial portion, beautifully coated with Chocolate and desiccated Coconut. It was soft and the interior was somewhat moist, however, I thought it was a little too sweet for me, probably I was expecting it not to be that sweet having tasted their Ascona Cheese Cake. Also, I was not quite impressed with the crumbly texture of the cake. Nevertheless, the huge portion makes this a great deal.