Black Kettle — Restaurant in George Town

This is quite the institution among Penang cafes. Our first visit since moving here a couple of years ago. It's a cafe that has so much going for it, and importantly it offers diners space and privacy with tables spread out generously.

Now the food. I ordered the fish and chips. Excellent. Light, fluffy and with a crunch the fish was superb, as was the Tarter Sauce. The chips were cut to my liking and seasoned just right. My wife opted for a set meal - soup and dessert of the day plus a dish from a limited selection of six dishes. She asked for the chicken burrito. That's where it went downhill somewhat. Explains the 4 star rating.

My fish and chips arrived first. The soup and burrito came about 10 minutes later, together. The mushroom soup was sad. Diluted and nothing mushroomy about it. The burrito was tasty and filling, but in all honesty it was only a wrap. Key ingredients of a burrito weren't in it. But this snafu apart, everything else was great.

Service was quite friendly. The Pandan Gula Melaka coffee was excellent. Being offered now to mark Black Kettle's 10th anniversary, it should find a place in the regular menu.

So for the sake of a soup a star was lost. The brownish bowl of water shouldn't be passed off as soup in any establishment, least of all in a place that isn't cheap, and where almost everything else works like a treat.

We will definitely be back. Loved the ambience, the book shelves, the relaxed vibes.... just so warm and inviting 👍🍽😋.

I so badly want to up the...

Had an iced mocha, oreo cheesecake, plain croissants and scones.

The iced mocha was good. Not too milky, deep chocolatey flavour and you can still taste the coffee. Perfect on a hot day, 8/10

The plain croissants were GREAT. Flaky, buttery, light and flavourful, I'd give it a solid 9/10.

The oreo cheesecake however. For the price tag of RM16, it was an expensive slice of disappointment. It just tasted like a barely chilled slab of sweetened cream and gelatine wedged between thin layers of crumbled oreo. No cheese flavour whatsoever. Leaves you with a weird oily-sweet taste in your mouth. Couldn't make it past 2 bites, 1/10.

Great ambience, fluent English speaking crew, chill music and it looks like a really nice place to work and have some pastries and coffee. Just give the Oreo cheesecake a miss.

EDIT : Came back a year later to find that they had renovated and were only serving three kinds of pastries. That's fine if the quality is still good. It was not.

I rated their croissant a 9/10 the last time, now I'd give it a 2/10. Hardly better than something you'd find at a Jusco bakery or a hotel spread tbh.

Cream cheese thing was alright, but nothing to shout about. Also ordered an iced Americano, which was not good at all. It took a weirdly long time to be made considering their set up. Maybe a slightly inexperienced barista or something.

Hopefully they'll improve in the near future. This was a placed we would come to every time we visited Penang and I hope...

Loved the ambience the first time I entered the place, the European menu and Australian roasted Dimattina coffee. Prior to the pandemic global lockdown it used to have a more extensive menu and bakery selections. The concise menu since the resumption of dine in post pandemic lockdown has something for everyone. My pick of the lot is the healthy gourmet light meal of Grilled Barramundi and Flat White. The Flat White is a fine balance of the espresso base and build up of hot water and milkyness. For a stronger taste, opt to add an extra espresso shot! Go for the Long Black. Take the coffee minus sugar to taste its nuances thoroughly.It is even with a clean finish. If you love mushrooms and well cooked flat shaped fettucine or linguini pasta like me, go for the full flavoured Alfredo Truffle Pasta.

For a taste of French style, have the tender Coq Au Vin chicken dish. It's a pleasant vegetarian indulgence. If you're into fine chocolates, give their in-house chocolatier's 54.5% Dark Chocolate a try. It has a smooth texture with gold accents and a soft creamy core. From time to time I look forward to trying more of its healthy dishes in the menu.

New additions such as Shroomy Avocado Bruschetta, Prawn Omelette, Japanese Fish & Chips, Aglio Olio Pasta with Prawns are lovely and offer textures and tastes that delight...