Capri Italian Cuisine @ Lumut, and Ayer Tawar's Gong Pian

Do you realise the recent dearth in outstation posts? As in food from Perak's rural areas, outskirts, smaller towns, undeveloped lands, etc .... ? Don't we all LURVE some authentic, home-style cooking, that's not only cheap, but filling?

That's a real ship out there ... wonder what's the purpose though

Last week, work took us to Manjung district, from Ayer Tawar to Seri Manjung, and then towards Sitiawan and finally Lumut. All within a span of few hours. We are workaholics, don't "pray pray" .... =P

Italian cuisine in LUMUT?!

Lumut is a small town to the south of Perak, on the western side. Previously overshadowed by Pangkor Island, the famous tourist destination in Perak, Lumut has been developing well, with a sleek and modern port, and a water front resembling Johor Bahru's Danga Bay.

Memories of visiting Lumut in the past revealed a few notable gems, particularly the nasi kandar, and walking around town, savouring the sights and sounds.

Bistro style dining, with a bar and bottles of liquor on display

Once our work was done, the sight of a new restaurant/cafe at a backlane was enticing, and with my favourite Italian fare all printed on the awning, FCOE and Tall Gal were dragged (willingly, I might add) to an early lunch at CAPRI Restaurant (Ristorante-cum-Bar-cum-Pizzeria).

Lemon Juice @ RM6

Still reeling from the heavy breakfast, we opted for something lighter, to prevent from being bloated and floating off like balloons. The Lemon Juice had a very faint hint of citrus-y lemon fragrance, slightly fizzy, but not tangy enough. And marred by the lack of sweetness, the drink was far from satisfactory.

Salmon Fettucine @ RM21

There were more than 10 types of pasta on the menu, and the one that caught my attention was the Salmon Fettucine. Probably stemming from my Italiannie's experience, fettucine with salmon in creamy tomato sauce sounded too heavenly to resist.

But major mistake was made. Or maybe I set my expectations too high. The pasta was far from al dente, slightly soggy, and the sauce was short of creamy. Cubes of salmon were thankfully present, but the non-existence of tomatoes somehow spoiled the overall experience.

Pizza Marinara @ RM29

A whopping 16 varieties of pizzas were enlisted on the menu, and making a decision was tough. But FCOE being a non-beef eater somewhat made things easier. So, seafood's the way to go.

Prawns, Squids, Mussels. And with some eenie-weenie bits of cheese and tomato paste. That was all to it. From the appearance alone, you can judge the sparsely added ingredients. You can even count the prawns (all 4 of them), the squids (pitiful 5-6 pieces) and mussels (less than 6), and the very thin layer of mozzarella rendered the cheesy (or rather, the lack of) experience less than stellar. The dough was tough, rather than light and chewy. Gee, I'd stick to my Pizza Hut if REAL Italian pizzas are like this one.

Tabasco sauce was not enough to save the pizza, therefore we requested for extra parmesan shavings. And guess what? Shavings' all we got. On a small plate. With a small spoon, probably masquerading as caviar on a plate? Never realised parmesan's THAT exclusive.

Tiramisu @ RM11

Fortunately, all's not lost. The dessert came in the form of Tiramisu, perennial Italian dessert, bound to satiate that sweet tooth's cravings. Soft, fluffy, with a hint of liquor, the cake was served with a dollop of fresh cream on the side. No idea what it was doing there, but the addition of the spoonfuls of cream to the tiramisu neutralized the bitterness tone. Though not among the best out there, but still bearable, after the abyssmal mains.

Total damage for 3 = RM73.70, including 5% service charge and 5% gov tax. Will we return? NOPE, definitely. Muahaha ...

Location : CAPRI @ 4174, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 32200 Lumut, Perak. Tel : 05-683 3112.

Another round of Gong Pian?

Remember I raved bout Sitiawan's Gong Pian? Seems Ayer Tawar also has its own following.

The abundance of sesame seeds on the biscuits @ RM1 each

Of course, if you're eating these biscuits, preferably, have them HOT from the oven. When cold, the biscuits are tough, and chewy. I chose the ones with pork and onions, at only RM1 each. In comparison, I'd say a step below Sitiawan's version.

Ching Chin Koi @ Ayer Tawar

Location : Ching Chin Koi Restaurant @ 249, Main Road, Ayer Tawar, Perak. They were selling these in the evenings, so go for them in the afternoon-evenings I guess?