Good day, foodies! We’re here with another round of food review. While Penang is home to many cafes, especially with the new ones mushrooming every week or two, we’re here to talk about an old favourite. Cafe hoppers might be familiar with Lavish Fusion Bakery, the lush green-themed cafe that was once the talk of the town. They’ve recently rebranded into Lavish Community, with a new concept, and of course, new menu, but with the same old passion. Today’s foodventure would be a long one, so grab your snacks as you continue to read.
Lavish Community: First Glance
Still located at the same corner next to Container Hotel, you might notice a slight difference at the entrance. They’ve added a pair of swings for those Instagram-worthy shots! Step inside and you’ll soon be greeted with a wall of vibrant, and fun colored wall with the word “Paradise.” Those coconuts placed as decor on the side are super cute and adds life to the tropical vibe. Remember the lush-green backdrop that served as the highlight of the cafe? They’ve been replaced and repainted to fit into the theme, still very Instagrammable in our opinion.
Their New Menu: It’s a Whole Lot
We got to try out a bunch of dishes from their menu, a solid taste test we could say and here’s our thought. Starting off with Sharing Plates meant for a crowd, Lavish Trio Mini Mac was delightful. It somehow resembles American sliders, but with an Asian twist.
Jumbo Macho Nachos and Fire Me Up! were both perfect as finger food. Those nachos that you’ve only seen in Hollywood movies or American food recipes? This is it, sinfully drenched in nacho cheese sauce served with generous portion of chicken bits and more sauces, nothing could ever go wrong with that besides those calories. The latter, Fire Me Up! was really interesting though. Assorted vegetables like Kangkung, and mushrooms were battered and fried till perfection with a side of sesame sauce, great as a vegetarian option.
If your Asian craving is kicking in, or to be precise, Vietnamese cravings, try out The High Roller. The Vietnamese spring roll has a refreshing crisp and tasted really fresh. Locals might be familiar with the childhood snack of tuna on biscuits, Lady on Pita tasted quite similar, just that it’s chicken on bread with a hint of curry. Good food is not always just the mains, sharing platters could be fun and tasty too.
Seafood Dancing on Fries is worth highlighting. A creative combination with layers of flavors, starting off with the criss-cut fries, followed by chilli, salsa topped the flavor and exhibits a crunchy texture, interesting indeed.
Some of you might be thinking it’s time for mains, nope, we still got salads. Unlike the usual menu like Ceaser Salad, Lavish Community went all out by incorporating some non-salad ingredients into the greens. Take Cheese Tofu Maniac for example, they really included the cheese tofu with maple syrup as dressing. For more mainstream flavor, opt for Asian Persuasion.
Onto the Mains& Drinks:
We’re all mad about pastas! Salted Egg Chicken Pasta wasn’t too overwhelming whereby one would not get the cloying sensation, plus the chicken thigh was well-marinated and juicy. Pomodoro Smoked Duck Pasta was hands down our favourite. The sauce was infused with the fat coming from the smoked duck, and the meat itself has the right balance of smokiness, which was really appetizing.
Spicy Tangy Seafood Pasta on the other hand, had an interesting combination. Imagine the usual curry fish that we have but incorporated into the pasta sauce, the dish itself somehow resembled the local flavor. Tangy and spicy, definitely not for the faint-hearted.
REPEAT, DO NOT MISS OUT THE DRINKS:
Penang is always known for 1. The good food, and 2. Scorching hot weather. Lavish Community has got everyone covered with its tropical beverages. Why drink ordinary coconut water when you can have Lavish Fresh Tropical Coconut? Hands down the coolest coconut ever embossed with the word “Lavish,” it felt personalized and super picture-worthy.
Their juices such as Vita Booster looks just like carrot juice, but is in fact, mixed with fresh orange and pineapple juice, refreshing to the bits. Tropical Hour is packed with antioxidants with no added sugar, loved both of them. Wildberry Magic has to be editor’s pick, because it’s soda. Not only that, first sip hit with a surprise. Those who love everything sour must order this. Imagine sourness paired with sparkling sensation, it’s like an instant “wake-me-up.”
Did we mention Lavish Community also serves up some seriously good smoothie bowl? They have two options, Berry Tropical and Green Ninja Bowl, one is dragonfruit and mixed berries based and the latter, kiwi based. Both are blended with pure coconut water and topped with granola and fruits, super healthy. Green Ninja has a more sour profile while Berry Tropical is more solid.
Last but not least, desserts! Their iconic Fuwa-Fuwa Souffle Pancake is a must, we’ve even featured them on our page before. Sakura Souffle is their bestseller, with whipped, eggy Japanese pancakes as the foundation. Texture is less dense and fluffy, and it leans towards the creamy side and is delectable when paired with sakura ice cream, which has an earl grey aftertaste.
Phew, that’s a lot of good food we had, but they’re just a fraction of what Lavish Community has to offer! Share this with your friends and don’t forget to pay Lavish a visit, we promise it’s worth the trip. That’s all, till next time, buh bye!
Lavish Community Penang (Previously known as Lavish Fusion Bakery)
Address: 214, Lebuh Victoria, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang.
Operating Hour: (Mon-Thurs)10 a.m.-7 p.m. (Fri&Sat) 10 a.m.-10 p.m. (Sun) 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
More Info: https://www.facebook.com/LavishCommunityPenang/
Website: http://www.lavish-cafe.com/
