Public Cafe is just another neighbourhood coffee shop in the pleasant surroundings of Gurney Drive. This coffee shop is a favorite spot as it has a stall serving up both delicious yet reasonable seafood noodles and porridge.

Take a pick from the striking mix of ingredients and a choice of several types of noodles. The price varies according to the seafood ingredients, with pawns, crabs, paddy frogs (tin kai/chui kay) and varieties of fish.

We ordered a number of dishes from the available range, starting with the crab noodle. The claypot came boiling hot filled with thick beehoon (rice vermicelli), pieces of crab, cabbage, choy sum and garnished with spring onions and fried garlic. The clay pot kept the whole dish warm which help the broth to maintain the strong seafood flavour.

Date: 17th May 2012

Venue: E&O Hotel Grand Ballroom

Time: 8:15pm

E&O Hotel will be hosting a concert featuring 64 singers and 40 players from the Penang Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra respectively, on the 17th of May at 8.15p.m

Audiences can look forward to a wide range of choral music, ranging from 16th century unaccompanied madrigals (secular vocal music compositions of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras) to modern 20th century numbers.

There will be choruses from Handel’s oratorio, Messiah, including the famous Hallelujah Chorus. There will also be a selection of six songs from the popular musical, My Fair Lady. Also on their repertoire are four Northumbrian Songs, The Toreador’s Song from Bizet’s opera Carmen, and Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus.

Date: 31st May to 3rd June 2012

Venue: Gurney Plaza Central Atrium

Time: 10am to 10pm

The premier iPad, iPhone, iPod and Mac lifestyle event in Malaysia is back!

Switch World 2012 will be held at the Gurney Plaza Centre Concourse from 31st May to 3rd June 2012. It is organized by CG Computers Sdn Bhd, the Apple Premium Reseller in Malaysia.

The four-day event promises to be the largest single gathering of lifestyle conscious people, business owners, and iPod, iPhone, iPad and Mac enthusiasts in years. There are plenty of informative content with the latest innovations and cool iPhone related and 3rd party designs from more than 20 brands.

Date: 4th to 5th July 2012

Venue: Hotel Equatorial Penang

The Penang State EXCO for Tourism Development and Culture Office will be taking the lead to organise a Penang International Travel Mart (Penang ITM) at Equatorial Hotel on the 4th & 6th July 2012. The Penang ITM is a unique opportunity especially for the local travel trade to meet, network, and to showcase their products to the International market. Not only does it provide an engaging platform for business-to-business exchanges, it also allows visitors the opportunity to personally experience what Penang has to offer. This year, “Culture, Food and Heritage” has been chosen as the theme as it truly captures the essence of Penang and has always been the main factor that has drawn travellers from all over the world.

Penang ITM aims to promote Penang to the world and to be a driving force in the Penang travel trade industry – offering the latest developments, encouraging growth and providing equal opportunity for tourism businesses of all levels and investors in the tourism sector. In 2008, George Town, Penang has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage City status. Last year in September, Penang Laksa was named the number 7 Most Delicious Food in the World by CNN.com.This year, Penang has been picked as Top 10 Best City for Street Food in Asia.

Date: 2nd June 2012

Venue: Penang International Sports Arena (PISA)

Time: 7pm

The highly-acclaimed acrobatic drama “Journey to the West”, one of China’s greatest literary classics will be brought to life in an acrobatic drama in Penang at the PISA Indoor Stadium on 2 June 2012.

“Journey to the West” is based on one of China’s literary classics, which tells the tale of the monk Xuanzang who travelled to India in search of Buddhist sutras, accompanied by the irreverent and capable Monkey King known as Sun Wu Kong, and two other disciples – Pigsy and Sandy. They had to overcome various obstacles and battle numerous demons along the way before reaching their destination.

The Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe of China brings this tale to life through an acrobatic drama which has won over 100 awards at national and international competitions. “Journey to the West” was named one of China’s Best Ten Masterpieces of Performing Arts for 2007 – 2009 and bagged the 12th China Wenhua Grand Award 2007.

It’s a play on words: come to the alfresco poolside Pinang Bar at the Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, and have one (or more) of their yummy cocktails whilst watching the gorgeous sunset in the horizon. And indulge in a few of their new Penang and Thai-style tapas dishes at the same time.

Although they have only recently been introduced, the idea has apparently taken off, appealing to both local walk-ins and in-house guests. “We started with 7 types of local and Thai favourites,” explained Executive Chef Kam Kok Wai, “and they have proven so popular that we have gradually introduced a few more.”

As he used to work with Thai chefs, Chef Kam has gleaned a lot about Thai food, so it’s pretty authentic. Start off with a their spicy Som Tam, julienned green papaya tossed in a tangy lime and chilli sauce, or Mien Kham, a traditional Thai appetiser with different dried ingredients including desiccated coconut and dried shrimp wrapped in a musky wild pepper leaf. Topped with a dollop of sweet home-made sauce, the exotic salad produces a wonderful melange of flavours when chewed together – goes brilliantly with an ice-cold glass of Chardonnay.

Want to get escape the hustle and bustle in town? With an elevation of more than 2,000 ft above sea level, Penang Hill offers the best panorama of George Town and other conurbations on the east coast of Penang.

You can now enjoy a special half price entrance rate from 6.00pm-9.00pm. This special rate is valid from Mondays to Fridays only and the promotion ends on the 31st of May 2012.

This May, many exciting activities awaits visitors. This includes “Snazzy Fire Show”, every Saturday Night at 8.00 pm.

Every last Sunday of the month visitors can enjoy Live Music at Sunset, from 6.00 pm onwards.There is also a special Snake Show during the coming school holidays from25th-31st of May 2012, at 11.00am and 4.00pm.

Date: 20th May 2012

Preliminary Session: Gurney Plaza, Main Stage

Final with 8 Course Dinner: Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel, Penang

Some 150 members from various clubs and gymnasiums of the Penang Body Builders’ Association (PBBA) will be participating in Mr. Penang Bodybuilding Championship 2012 which is set on the 20th May 2012.

This annual contest is aimed at bringing more exposure to athletes as well as maintaining and building up their performance. Jointly organised by PBBA and the state sports council, the championship is open to males.

The championship will be divided into the junior category for athletes who are 21 years and below, masters category for those who are 45 years and above, and seniors category which constitute nine weight categories from 55kg and below (light flyweight) to 85kg and above (light heavyweight).There is an open category for athletes who are above 21 years old and below 45 old. These athletes can join depending on their weight category.

Date: 13th May 2012

Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. In Malaysia and many parts of the world, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of May.

As usual, one can find special Mother’s Day discounts and promotion from various hotels, restaurants and shopping outlets all over Penang. Below are some special promotions from:

Gurney Plaza, Queensbay Mall, Park Royal, Ixora Hotel Butterworth, and E&O Hotel.

With a unique garden setting, surrounded by lusty green plants and a cosy ambience, Ferringhi Coffee Garden is the place to go for a hearty breakfast. This restaurant located in Batu Ferringhi is owned by Richard Long of the neighbouring Ferringhi Garden Restaurant.

A good dish to start the day would be baked omelette and toast. The thick, charcoal-grilled toast has a nice crunch, but it’s the tender omelette with mixed mushrooms, beef bacon, chickpea, edamame (boiled green soyabean) and wonderful cheesy flavour that makes it a must-try. Don’t limit yourself to the omelette as there are plenty of other great options, including chicken and beef sausages.

The burgers with a hearty serving have an interesting combination of ingredients. The luscious club sandwich is substantial enough as a full meal. It has two thick slices of house-baked focaccia with a healthy dose of ingredients in between (turkey ham, mozzarella cheese, omelette, grilled beef, smoked salmon and plenty of greens), with crisps on the side. There’s a choice of chicken, too.