Our last food stop on Day One. Ending the night on a sweet note. We visited ChinaHouse which claimed to be the longest cafe in Penang.
ChinaHouse is a traditional compound that spans three heritage buildings, linked by an open-air courtyard. Its various spaces offer multifaceted experiences comprising shops, cafes, restaurants, an art gallery, a live music bar and a bakery.
There are two entrances to ChinaHouse i.e. via Beach Street or Victoria Street. This was the entry point on Beach Street which led directly to the cafe.
It was pretty busy and crowded when we visited so I didn’t really have the chance to explore and capture many shots of the entire place. The whole time we were there, there was a never-ending stream of customers.
Amazing. 50 types of cakes/desserts everyday. That was the only thing that caught my attention, lol.
We settled down on a table at the middle of the cafe, near to where all the cakes were displayed.
Impressive array of cakes and pastries
Goodness gracious, how can one not be spoilt for choice given that many selections of sweet treats? It was really my first time seeing such a tremendous spread of cakes in a cafe.
We were like scrutinizing all the cakes and labels. Everything just looked so good. There were enticing flavours like Chocolate Orange Butter (with alcohol), Chocolate Date Almond Torte, Lemon Winter Gateau, Condensed Milk Pound Cake, Vietnamese Coffee Tart and so many more. Not forgetting the classics like Red Velvet, Salted Caramel Cheese Cake, Sticky Toffee and Shortbread too.
Here at ChinaHouse, there’s definitely a cake for everyone.
Pineapple Mint Tea
Cold and refreshing. This was made with fresh pineapple juice. Ample sweetness with a hint of tanginess and a minty note.
Lamington
This Lamington was quite a hefty piece. The sponge cake was quite light. Not dry, but wasn’t moist either. I liked the crunchy desiccated coconut on the outside.
Sicilian Pistachio
Made with butter cream frosting. The cake itself was very nutty. Other than that, it didn’t really have much flavour. Kinda weird to be eating a ‘bland’ cake.
Final Thoughts
Outstanding selections of cakes, really. Their cakes were pretty light in flavour and were not the overly rich types that you’d get, say from Starbucks or CBTL. Probably perfect as after meal desserts as they weren’t heavy or cloying. However, they failed to tempt our taste buds.
Jack of all trades and master of none. Maybe they could have focused on a few best-selling flavours rather than churning out 50 everyday but with subpar quality.
Our sweet tooth wasn’t satisfied, unfortunately. Perhaps we picked the wrong flavours. Should have gone with the popular ones instead.
For Malaysian standards, prices here were considered expensive. But I guess it’s still worth to come check it out once for the drinks, for the ambience and hopefully your ideal piece of cake.
9.00am to 1.00am Fri-Sat