Recovering with FHM April Issue

Wisdom tooth extraction surgery was a horribly painful experience. Eating plain porridge and oatmeal everyday for 3 days almost made me lose my sense of taste. Plus watching Asia Food Channel during recovery is a bad idea. Take care of you fangs dudes!

Consolation - FHM April Issue with Andrea Fonseka on the cover.

See how FHM GND Winner, Yvonne Sim dance on the bar top! And some really hot gadgets in this issue. But the corpse dissecting segment freaks me out man!

Go grab it FAST.

The Trouble With Wisdom

No, I'm not getting dumber.



But my wisdom tooth is giving me a headache. Needed to be extracted surgically... end of this week :S
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Bagan Bar & Restaurant

My mind usually goes blank when it comes to Valentine celebration. The thought of buying what gift and having candlelight dinner at which restaurant was enough put my brains on overdrive. So imagine my relief when I googled and discovered Bagan Bar & Restaurant in Penang.

Located nearby Gurney Drive, it was an old colonial bungalow converted in to a restaurant and bar while preserving its rich historical architecture during the colonial era. Except for its signboard at the entrance, the building was not really eye catching from the main road (Jalan Bagan Jermal) partly due to the big trees and lush greenery surrounding the bungalow.

But after driving in to the compound and stepped out, I was amazed by the majestic bungalow and peaceful surroundings in the midst of the happening Gurney Drive. A whiff of woody scent pierced my nose and the sound of birds chirping welcoming my presence.

Walking in to the restaurant, I immediately noticed there were many British and European elements in the building resminiscent of colonial times duting pre-independence. There were no staff to greet you at the bungalow entrance and for a second, I thought the place was not open for business yet. As I walked further in the bungalow, I was fascinated by the beautifully decorated interior.

Actually, there is a funny white piece of memo on the glass door indicated children below 12 are not allowed to patron the bar and restaurant unless they can keep very quiet. While I appreciate their strict ruling in keeping the place quiet and peaceful for the patrons, I'm skeptical whether the restaurant can enforce this vague rule. But then again, a couple of screaming kids running around the restaurant is not exactly a romantic candle lit dinner!!

The bar and restaurant is located at the deeper end of the bungalow. The soft and warm lightings was complemented by jazz music in the background, giving the place a romantic and cozy feel.

They had a very wide selection in the menu with set menus and ala carte. We ordered wild mushroom soup (RM14) and Tangy Salad (RM15) for starters. I personally liked the creamy soup very much and the mushrooms were really fresh and "bouncy".

For main course, we chose panfried salmon (RM44) and their recommended Rack of Lamb (RM55). The salmon was nothing to shout about but the lamb was very tender and juicy. Believe me, it tasted so good you don't even need mint sauce!

Bagan serves a wide selection of wines and alcoholic drinks but we skipped the booze that evening and ordered Bagan 18 (their signature drink) and Sweet 18. I liked Sweet 18 more ;)

Bagan 18 (RM14)

Sweet 18 (RM14)

Finally we had their recommended dessert, Homemade Gula Melaka Ice Cream (RM6). Though I doubted on "homemade", the oriental fusion ice cream was absolutely delicious.

After feeling very filled, we camwhore for a moment as we explored the spacious and nolstagic mansion. The building is divided to a bar which begins after 9pm and many lounges like cigar lounge and the pool lounge. Basically, you can spend the entire night hanging out at Bagan by heading to the lounge after dinner and hitting the bar later in the night.

I really enjoyed the food and ambience at Bagan. I will be back!