Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar @ Lebuh Muntri, Penang

Henry Tan | 10:13 PM | |
You might have been to all the latest cafes in Penang, but, I could assure that you have not been to this hidden gem in Penang - InchInch, abbreviation for IndoChina, is actually a Southeast Asian bar and restaurant, secluded in one of Georgetown heritage shop houses at Lebuh Muntri. (find out their secret dish at the end of the post =D)

Inch - The Hidden Gem in Georgetown

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Secret hideout in Lebuh Muntri
Inch just started their business around a month ago and you probably would not know that there is a hidden treasure here. As it looks like just any other heritage shop houses from the outside, Inch would surely surprised you with their interior design from the point you entered the door. I just love how Inch remains all the heritage features such as the air vents, geometric-patterned floor tiles and even the embossed tiles below the windows.

Inch - Hidden inside a heritage shop house
The lighting, decorations and even seating at Inch are just too comfortable and relaxing. Combination of fans and air-conditioners certainly make the place much more cooling. Similar to some other heritage shop houses in Georgetown, Inch bar & restaurant has a narrow but long structure.

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Cozy environment
Inch made their bar with a row of bar stools in front and dining tables at the back. One surely would not missed the opportunity to witness how the bartender mixed your drinks. A full rack of alcohols certainly impressed me too.

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Bartender looks professional when he was preparing our drinks
As Inch is located in Lebuh Muntri, a street full of cafes and restaurants, the selection of food is very crucial to break through the competitions. So, personally I think that the concept of tapas style is quite suitable in the sense of product differentiation. Inch is definitely suitable for people who looking for a light meal and a place to relax.

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Meal for 2
Perhaps the management of Inch Bar knows we love Thai food, majority of the dishes they served to us that night were Thai dishes. =D Okay, let me show you one by one! Yum Pla Muk Yang or grilled squid salad with cherry tomatoes, coriander, mint and sliced white onion were surely a refreshing dish. The squids were succulent, goes well with the spicy-sweet-sour sauce, it is a good start-off as our dinner.

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Yum Pla Muk Yang (RM20)
Larb is a popular food served in the northeastern Thai. Larb Pet or chopped duck salad served with chilli pepper, shallots, coriander and smoked rice powder. We like this salad, especially the crispy duck skins. The portion is just nice and match well with alcohols. If you don't like duck, you could opt for their Larb Kai - chopped chicken salad.

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Larb Pet (RM20)
I love this Neua Dat Diew! It is actually a Thai dish made with dried beef jerky marinated for 48 hours in black pepper, coriander seeds, cumin, white sesame, garlic and coriander roots. Wonder how it tastes like? It may look like seaweed in this picture, but it tasted like Chinese Bak Kwa (肉干), just the texture was much chewier and firmer. This is a must-try dish, if you take beef =D

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Neua Dat Diew (RM12)
Another Thai dish Som Tum, I'm sure most of you are quite familiar with this food. It is green papaya salad pounded with cherry tomatoes, string beans, peanuts, dried shrimps in lime fish sauce. Frankly, this Som Tum failed to impressed us, as it was not outstanding as compared to the rest of the salads we tried that night.

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Som Tum (RM12)

A SECRET Dish You Need to Try!

As a reward to our dear readers, I would like to disclose Inch's Secret Dish - Beef Soup! Yes, it's a SECRET! You will NOT be able to find it in their menu, (well, if you don't believe, you can check out their menu =P), you just need to tell them you want to order their "Secret Beef Soup". I tell you, this is absolutely a MUST-TRY! The soup itself was so luscious, plus the tender bites of beef in soup, this was perfect for the night! It's a full flavoredhearty soup that warmed me down to my toes.

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Beef Soup
Inch currently serving 2 types of desserts. We have tried several creme brulee elsewhere, but Inch serves a Southeast Asian version, they have Pandan Creme Brulee. The custard base is very creamy and rich, infused with pandan creating an unique flavour. The texture is comparably firm than what we ate elsewhere and the added pandan flavour complement the dessert well.

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Pandan Creme Brulee (RM10)
Sang-Khaya Fuak Tong is a Thai dessert, made with steamed pumpkin and duck egg with palm sugar custard. The sweetness of the palm sugar custard and egg slices has balanced up by the pumpkin delightfully. The texture of the steamed pumpkin was just right, with the smooth custard and egg slices, this dessert is certainly delectable for those who love pumpkin and is somehow acceptable for those who don't into pumpkin (yea, Me >.<).

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Sang-Khaya Fuak Tong (RM14) 
Inch Bar is furnished with hanging light bulbs and candle lights, which beautifully created a romantic yet secretive vibe. The entire interior ambience of Inch Bar is so comfy that it successfully brought our mood to a much higher level after we stepped in the bar (we were so tired after a busy working day >.<).

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Relaxing ambiance
Although the signboard of Inch Bar is not up yet, but you can still be able to find it easily, as it is located at the famous cafe lane, Lebuh Muntri, opposite of Camera Museum and Purrfect Cafe. Just to remember to open your eyes and look for the Tiffany blue colour shop, then you have got it right! =D

Inch Southeast Asian Food & Bar Lebuh Muntri, Penang, Hidden Gem in Penang
Inch - Located opposite of Camera Museum
After visiting Inch Bar, our night has ended with a high note! =D Darling Gwendolyn fell in love with this place and saying will be back to Inch for her upcoming gatherings. We are anticipating for the opening of their sister restaurant Plates in front of Inch Bar too. This is absolutely a nice place to chill, you could be the first one to introduce this hidden treasure in Lebuh Muntri to your friends and family! =D

44, Lebuh Muntri, 10200 Penang

Business Hours: 
5 pm - 12 am on Sun to Thurs; 5 pm - 2 am on Fridays & Saturdays  (Closed on Tuesday)

For Reservation: 
604- 261 1693

Other Info:
Pork-Free /Free Wifi
10% Service Charge
6% Government Tax





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2 comments:

  1. Indochina? I like!!!! I love ASEAN cuisine, a lot more than western, Japanese, Korean...all those that people seem to love so much!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Henry! I think they have it in Malaysia... no? Hehehe! Thanks for dropping by! Love your blog posts!
    http://shanellecheng.blogspot.sg/2015/03/dominos-golden-chicken-party.html

    ReplyDelete

Thanks! Appreciate your feedback! ^^

 
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