The Bungalow, Lone Pine Hotel, Batu Ferinnghi, Penang, Malaysia

The Bungalow is Lone Pine Hotel’s all day dining restaurant. Traditional colonial architecture gives the setting an understated elegance, while locale next to the sea and pool makes for a relaxed casual mood.

An outdoor area is shaded by a giant shade cloth and cooled by fans, water coolers and the natural sea breeze. The waves gently caressing the shore are heard from behind the hedges and green is viewed from all angles. A more chilled atmosphere is offered indoors with air conditioning and dressed tables providing a slightly more courtly dining experience.

Buffet breakfast is taken here and the streams of food then continue all day and into the evening. Burgers, pasta, noodles and Hainanese specialties can be enjoyed a la carte or buffet style.

Offering one of the longest opening hotel breakfasts on the island, both early and late risers will be happy with a 6:30am start and an 11am finish. All the things you’d expect are found in the smorgasbord including both western and local items - eggs and noodles made to order, porridge, fruits, baked goods, roti, sausages etc and free pouring coffee, tea and juices.

Lunchtime is just as exciting with the Tiffin Lunch a delicious bargain. Starter, soup, rice, dessert and three Hainanese inspired dishes is a mere RM22 per person. This is a fun way to sample local delicacies that come presented in a tiffin tower (four steel bowls fit on top of each other and are clamped together to form a hot portable lunch box).

You can choose from two sets that include local delights such as Yam Duck, Ju Hu Char, Chicken Curry Kapitan and Char Har Loke. Our favourites on the menu however are hands down, the Assam Curry Fish (spicy and sour rich curry with okra, tomatoes and ginger flower) and the Sago Gula Melaka (sago drenched in creamy coconut milk and palm sugar syrup).

The fun continues into the evening and, Friday and Saturday nights are especially diverting with the Wine and Dine Buffet Dinner from 7 – 10:30pm. Adults pay RM115++ for a buffet spread with free flow red and white wine or RM98 ++ for food only. At our sitting, both wines hailed from Chile, a sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon, and were pleasurable, easy drinking drops.

The culinary spread includes a range of western and local dishes. Not to be missed though is the roast duck! It’s succulent and juicy. It’s not all fat either. There are big pieces of meat in there too.

Next make a b-line to the live cooking station for an a la minute preparation of Char Kway Teow. Adjusted to your liking, you can request seafood, vegetables, level of spiciness and too amount of oil. I asked for limited grease with truly not much belief that my wish would be carried out. I watched in surprise though as the chef used merely a drop as asked for and my noodles came out just as I desired. Big fat prawns, plump juicy bean sprouts, egg and, those addictive flat noodles put not only a smile on my face, but hubby’s too.

For sweets the chocolate truffles and peanut butter macarons ended my meal superbly. Melt in the mouth truffles and a generous peanuty filling left me with thoughts of when I might next return.

Reason to visit:  excellent value Tiffin Lunch and Wine and Dine dinners, long brekkie hours, char kway teow, roast duck, assam fish curry

Lone Pine Hotel

First Floor (above Batubar)

97 Batu Ferringhi

11100 Penang

Malaysia

+6 04 886 8566

lonepinehotel.com

Open 6:30am-11:00am for breakfast

11:00am – 11:00pm for all day dining