FARQUHAR'S BAR & JAVA TREE @ The E&O Hotel, Penang

FARQUHAR’S BAR

We love the remodelled Farquhar’s Bar in the E&O Hotel Penang. There’s such a sense of old-world charm and luxury here. Plush leather sofas, panelled walls, chandeliers and gilded framed pictures on the walls and a fully-stocked bar in the centre… everything oozes understated classiness.

We settled ourselves comfortably at a table facing the sea and indulged in some of the bar’s signature concoctions.

Aged Negroni – handcrafted gin, campari, sweet vermouth aged in an American oak barrel

Bloody Foamy – vodka, red wine, sherry, tomato juice, tabasco, topped with celery foam and grated horseradish

Moscow Mule – vodka, lime juice topped with spicy ginger beer

Farquhar’s Bar also serves light bites, so if you are just like us who love to have something to chew along while enjoying the cocktails, then check out these delicious snacks…

Peranakan Sliders (RM20) – braised duck breast, crispy manta, chilli dips

Potato & Caviar (RM28) – crispy baby potato, sour cream & black caviar dips

Gruyère Cheese Sandwich (RM28) – served with brioche toast

Beef Lillipop (RM28) – marinated beef cubes served with saffron and garlic aioli

Olive & Cheese (RM25) marinated with mixed herbs and spices

Our favourites are the Peranakan Sliders and Gruyère Cheese Sandwich – they are absolutely delicious!

JAVA TREE

Just a few steps beyond Farquhar’s Bar is the E&O’s fine-dining restaurant, Java Tree. Java Tree stands out with its assortment of Straits Nyonya recipes and classic European dishes.

Java Tree holds a special significance as its namesake is one of the key historical elements located at the garden area of the hotel’s promenade – the oldest living species of the Java Tree on the island.

The tree was planted before the establishment of the hotel in 1885 and has since become an important part of the E&O.

We tried dishes from both of Java Tree’s Nyonya and Western set menus. The Nyonya Set starts off with signature appetisers such as Blackened Top Hats (Pie Tee), Lobak, Terung Tempra and Otak-otak.

To whet the appetite further, the savoury tangy Itik Tim did a good job with the umami duck broth and pickled mustard greens (“kiam chye”).

Blackened Top Hats – jicama, carrots, cuttlefish, shredded omelette in homemade top hats

Terung Tempra – grilled eggplant in lime, soy sauce & chilli

Lobak – chicken, shrimp, carrots, yam rolled in beancurd skin

Otak Otak – local mackerel in coconut cream, turmeric, kaffir lime

Itik Tim – duck broth, pickled mustard greens

For our mains, we had Pineapple Prawns Curry and Oxtail Gulai, both of which had us piling on the rice – the curries were really good, aromatic with all the spices used.

Pineapple Prawns Curry – deep-sea tiger prawns, pineapple

Oxtail Gulai – slow cooked boneless ox tail in tumeric, lemongrass and tamarind

Not to be outdone, Java Tree’s western offerings did not disappoint. We started off with a fragrant soup, Crab Bisque and followed with succulent Grilled Asparagus topped with poached egg and Hollandaise sauce.

Crab Bisque with fresh crabmeat, timbale & caviar

Grilled Asparagus

Our mains were Salted Cod Fillet and a 10oz Steak both of which were executed perfectly. Our requested “medium” done-ness for the steak came spot-on, served with a generous portion of steak fries and bowl of crisp salad.

Salted Cod Fillet – poached in milk, whole grain mustard mash, baby spinach, poached egg & hollandaise sauce

Entrecôte 10 oz Steak Café de Paris (RM80) with Steak Fries

You must save lots of room for desserts at Java Tree! There’s a huge selection of desserts at the sweets cart & chiller and trust me when I tell you that you’ll have a tough time choosing. There’s just so much and everything looked insanely tempting!