Island Problems — Restaurant in George Town

From start to finish, the experience with the restaurant was below par. At reservation, I messaged with all the details needed but they replied with a template message asking me to fill up everything again before they confirm my reservation. And, when asked if I could move my reservation 30mins earlier, there was no response. Nevertheless I arrived at the venue at my initial reservation time, and saw that my reservation was indeed moved 30mins earlier as requested, but they did not confirm it with me.

Upon sitting down at the bar seats, there was no introduction to the menu. Food and drinks were served promptly, but it felt like it was just dumped in front of us, no eye contact nor naming of the dishes by their staff. Food tasted okay, nothing to shout about. It felt like they are just focusing at dispensing orders quickly, with little to no service, not that I was expecting a fine dine level of service, but at least the basics.

For a space with mainly bar top seatings, at close proximity with staffs, you would expect a higher level of service standard, or even basic genuine hospitality.

Hopefully the team would look into the service standards going forward. No matter how good your food may be, the entire experience starting from the first interaction till the end matters. Personally, I won’t return to places where services are just bad and staffs are...

Disappointed with Reservation Change – Not the Experience I Booked

I had specifically reserved a counter seat at Island Problem 2-3weeks in advance on the website, to enjoy the full bar-like experience and watching the chef prepare dishes up close. However, upon arrival, I was unexpectedly moved to an upstairs table, completely changing the dining experience I was looking forward to. The staff seemed to not care when we asked about it and gave no explanation.

If the restaurant couldn't accommodate my reservation as booked, they should have informed me in advance instead of making the switch without prior notice. The ambiance and interaction with the chef were key reasons for my visit, and sitting upstairs felt like a completely different restaurant. The premium we paid for the food is included the ambience while upstairs has no whatsoever ambience and not worth the premium paid!

If the restaurant couldn’t honor my original reservation, they should have informed me in advance rather than making the change without asking. This was very disappointing, and I wouldn’t have chosen to dine here if I had known.

While the food may still be good, the experience was not what I had planned for. If you're booking for the counter experience, this is the kind of problem that you will also encounter in...

What’s more problematic than cracking own head figuring out the perfect meet up location ? Fret not, we have @islandproblem in the list to help you. Island Problem, secretly tucked in the heritage area of Penang, along the hustling bustling Campbell Street is a tiny open kitchen restaurant that serve Japanese Thai fusion food.

Thinking about Thai fusion, why not give Tom Yam Goong pasta a try? On the first mouth, the savory hot & spicy Tom Yam Goong sauce with load full of fragrant spices and herbs immediately stirred our appetites. Combined with the spaghetti that is cooked to al-dente, we are left with no choice but keep slurping the Tom Yam Goong pasta. Mind you, it’s really hot and burning 🌶️🌶️

The second dish that we tried is their chef recommended Truffle Scramble Unagi Don. The egg is slightly undercooked and the truffle scent is superbly strong. Combined with the tendered glazed unagi , it’s safe to say that all the three flavors are well fusioned and create a new dining experience.

The final dish that we try is their Ebi Hotate. Both the ebi 🍤 and hotate is very fresh and the taste is on the spicier side with a finely sprinkle of dried shrimp on the top. Definitely a recommended dish from @twogourmand

Please follow us at instagram @twogourmand for more...