The verdict has come out. Good news and just little bad news :D As a matter of fact, the bad news is quite insignificant as it was a minor (so to speak) glitch in the network of employees...

Table 1.0: Puncak Mutiara Cafe Verdict by RR, Mat John and Alpyan 

Item	Verdict
Goat meat softness	Very-very soft, like the first time we came
Heat of hot drinks	As hot as it can get... no more cold MILO for me!
Service	Beverages came on time... but it took more than 30-minutes for the food to arrive

I changed my ordering habits a bit... instead of going for the Beriani Paha Kambing, I opted for Nasi Putih with Paha Kambing. It proved to be a good move since the beriani was a bit spicy this time around. It relates to the fact that the food came late. The goat meat, I reckon was already cooked... but everyone had to wait for the rice.

The waiter who brought us the food told us that the Bangladeshi workers responsible for the rice had all slept! I think they ended up noticing there was no rice left, and had to brew up a new pot! And since Malay workers might have done it instead of the Bangladeshi workers, a bit too much chili-based ingredients were added... This is my theory :)

Anywayz, that was the only glitch. Everything else was back to normal :D Even the MILO was hot! (compared to last time, when it came back relatively cold after 2-times of correcting the order).

In all, the nasi putih + paha kambing cost me a bit less... @ RM13.50, which is quite surprising actually as the difference is RM3.50. But I think they charge for the Dalca + Air Asam @RM1.50... which makes the white rice also RM1.50. Gulp... mahal jugak for white rice bila fikir2 balik! Hmmm.... Do people actually have the right to charg RM1.50 for white rice? Ntoh le... hantam saja la. That's why we can only eat at this place once evey two or three months... Considering the location, RM1.50 for rice is a bit steep. But then again, they will have their arguments.

Orait. That's all for now. TQ for reading iya :D Salaaam

PS:- no pics since camera phone had charging problems...

InsyaAllaah, this morning at around 2 or 3 a.m.... myself, Raja Azhar bin Raja Othman and M. Faizal Zainoldin have planned to take our sahur (soq in the northern slang) or early breakfast at Kampung Pelet. Of course for me, it would mean ordering the RM17 Nasi Beriani Paha Kambing!!! In my previous post however, I mentioned that the goat meat had gone sooo tough, that even biting was futile. My theories were that, they might be finishing off some old goats, or maybe for that particular month, the supplier gave them a wrong shipment of kambing kampung yang berotot keras? Wallaahu a'lam...

A good thing though, on the same post itself, one of my friends (Rash) gave a comment that the meat had gone back to its original condition... tender and juicy... with the flesh sliding off effortlessly like peeling the isi from a durian ulas :D Anywayz, this sahur or SOQ session will be the judge... whether or not Puncak Mutiara Cafe has reverted back to its glory days. Harap2 udah le... if not sia2 la pi makan sana :'( Dah le jauh... Di bawah adalah gambar kambing yang dirembat dan diedit dari sini... Salaam aleykom :D

Beberapa hari lepas, saya dan seorang rakan telah sekali lagi mengunjungi Puncak Mutiara Cafe, Kampung Pelet. Target biasa kami ialah, of course, Nasi Beriani (ke beriyani?) Paha Kambing. Sebab apa, kami rasa dish tu saja yang berbaloi nak makan jika dibandingkan dengan tanda harganya (RM17/pack). Anywayz...

Saya agak pelik, kerana pengalaman kami kebelakangan ini agak membimbangkan dan kurang baik. Lazimnya, kambing yang kami jamah akan mempunyai tesktur yang amaat lembut, dan memang kalau dicubit, terus lekang dari tulang. From my last 2-visits, apa yang sama alami adalah amat amat felik. Pada lawatan pertama... daging kambingnya sudah mula rasa sedikit keras, namun masih buleh dicubit (kute kata orang utara)... dan hanya beberapa kali sahaja saya perlu mengangkat dan menggigit ala-ala makan chicken drumstick. Namun, latest visit saya beberapa hari lepas... daging kambingnya memang TAK MASAK LANGSUNG!!! Serious, masih ada darah. Portion dia mmg besar gedabak la, tapi memang tak masak. Lantas saya memanggil kembali waiter dan suruh tukar lah... kot2 tersilap masak (still psitive ni... :P)... Lepas datang balik... darah dah takde... tapi maak ai... keras ya'aamat. Memang kena gigit! Gigit pun tak lut!

Yang memelikkan ialah... JALAN JALAN CARI MAKAN baruuu saja selesai membuat liputan mengenai Puncak Mutiara Cafe Kampung Pelet ni. Siap ada chalkboard tulis - The best food in Penang lagi - kat kaunter bayaran dia. Kalau keadaan berterusan macam ni, memang saya sendiri akan saranakan JALAN JALAN CARI MAKAN utk merampas kembali chalkboard berkenaan.

Namun, saya memang berharap Puncak Mutiara Cafe akan dapat memulihkan kembali keadaan ini. Ini kerana saya memang amat2 menggemari  nasi beriani paha kambing yang pihak tuan/puan masak. Saya tanya cashier... sama ada tukang masak dah tukar ke? Dia kata tak... Jadi, teori saya ialah... mungkin Puncak Mutiara Cafe berada di dalam proses 'stock clearance'... di mana pada ketika ini, hanya kambing2 tua digunakan. Tu pasal keras macam batu bata kot? Anywayz... walau apa pon sebab musababnya, harap2 pihak tuan akan dapat memperbetulkan kembali keadaan supaya pulang ke asal (macam nama hikmat dalam komik alih bahasa cina la pulak :P).... Sebab saya mmg hari tu look forward laa nak kasik tau member2 dan family (kot2 ada yg datang)... dan kalau depa mai, ada la tempat best dan dish yg best mau kasi makan.

Oraits... harap2 management dari Puncak Mutiara Cafe ada laa yg terbaca benda ni :) Dan satarusssnya, mengambil tindakan yg sewajarnya. Assalaam aleykom WBT.   

HOW TO GET TO PUNCAK MUTIARA CAFE KAMPUNG PELET (How I normally go, that is...)

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1. Heading North, from the PLUS highway towards Sungai Dua (Seberang Perai), exit at the roundabout with the traffic lights. This is also the cross section between PLUS and BKE. At the roundabout, take the 3 o'clock exit (going towards Kulim);
2. Drive on pass the toll plaza (paying the toll of course) and go straight until you reach the Kubang Semang exit;
3. Exit @ Kubang Semang, and take a right at the first traffic light... then go straight pass the 2nd traffic light. Take a left after that traffic light;
4. Then you'll meet another traffic (near the masjid/mosque and a petrol station). Take a left;
5. Go straight on until you reach an overhead bridge (or is it a flyover?). After passing under that bridge, look for the police station on the right. Once seeing the police station, turn right. You will enter a road  with shop houses on its left and right;
6. Go straight on and take a left at the T-junction. after taking this left, you should see a Chinese graveyard on your right hand side. If you see it on your left... then you have missed that left turn; 
7. Go straight on... until you see the signboard saying "Puncak Krystal Muitiara Cafe". Keep a good look out for this left turn, as it leads into a small one way road. Be prepared to give way to on coming cars :) Just go straight on until you reach the cafe...

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As many people say, Penang is a haven for food lovers. I agree with this point of view and have experienced some of the most delectable treats Penang has to offer :) Today, I'd like to story about a restaurant introduced to me my Mat John Labu Sayung Al Kedengkil. Mr. John (real name Faizal Zainoldin) has been an old time Bukit Mertajam resident, and knows Seberang Perai and the island of Penang like the back of his head!!!

Anywayz... the name of the place is PUNCAK MUTIARA CAFE. It's quite a unique establishment actually. It's a relatively big restaurant in the middle of the small Kampung Pelet (Penanti, Bukit Mertajam)... Memang I don't think people would know there exists such a big restaurant within the very2 small kampung. And if you've never been there before, chances are U'll miss the entry point at first try. They do have a sign for the restaurant... but for me, the already 'GONE' signboard of Kampung Pelet was a better indicator that we'd already arrived. Oh, and the road going towards the restaurant can ideally only fit one car. So, in case of two way traffic, kena pandai2 la give way :)

Anywayz... the main attraction at Puncak Mutiara Cafe is definitely (for me at least) the BERIANI PAHA KAMBING! With this dish, you get:

• Beriani Rice (quite a good portion)
• One whole mutton drumstick... Very tender... But I think if you get and old goat, then it might be a little tough
• Dalca and Sambal Asam (savory condiments) 

The taste of the rice to me was so so... but the goat... it was very2 good :) Tender and tasty... In short, I highly recommend this place.

BUT!!!! A useful tip... :D Order Beriani PAHA Kambing... and not just plain Beriani Kambing. According to my friend John, you might get a less meaty goat part if you order the plain beriani kambing. But if you order the Paha Kambing one, insyaAllah, you will never be let down. Cuz there's always gonna be a good portion of meat on it. Price-wise... the Beriani Paha Kambing costs RM17.00... Donno whether that's pricey or not, but somehow I think it's ok la kot? Considering the big paha kambing we got...

Oraits... Below ada 2 pics only. Tak dapat nak snap gambar sbb bateri henpon habis... I cry...

Besar jugak iye the paha kambing :)
Kuah dhal and sambal asam...