Back in Dec 2017, two long-time French expatriates in Penang, Bruno Guillon and Cedric Delmotte, opened ๐ง๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐ on Bishop Street, offering perhaps the most authentic French bistro fare in Penang. ๐ง๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐ was an oasis for good Gallic home-cooked fare on a little street which used to be Penangโs high street over a century ago. Bishop Street itself is named after the 18th-century Toulouse-born French Bishop Arnaud-Antoine Garnault who settled here in 1786.
Last Dec 2023, exactly 6 years later, the two Frenchmen opened a second outlet: ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐
๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐
, on China Street nearby. Also managed by Diana Delmotte, Monsieur Cedricโs Penang-born, French-speaking wife, ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐
๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐
offers an interesting menu of French and Mediterranean European fare, plus a selection of French pastries.
We were there for lunch today, and caught up with the ever-hospitable Madame Diana Delmotte. Love the bright new premises, so airy and spacious compared to the more compact ๐ง๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐.
Located on No. 4, China Street, ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ is spitting distance from East Indies Mansion, which was built by Koh Lay Huan, โthe first Chinese in Penangโ back in the late-18th-century when Penangโs founder, Captain Francis Light of the East India Company, laid out the first grid of streets for what was to become the George Town that we know today.
East Indies Mansion down the road
Amuse-guele: savoury Madeleines - these were tastier than weโd expected, with a pronounced rosemary & thyme scent.
Tapas sharing platter - a mish-mash of Mediterranean savories: albondigas (Spanish meatballs), gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimps), pa amb tomaquet (Catalonian bread with tomato), croquetas de jamรณn (ham croquettes), potato mille-feuille with garlic aioli sauce.
Classic French ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ร ๐ญโ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ (duck with clementine orange sauce), with creamy ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณรฉ๐ฆ (mashed potatoes)
๐ก๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐โ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ถ๐๐ต - seared barramundi, with brown butter, capers, croutons and cherry tomatoes. Served with ๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ-๐ง๐ฆ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ potatoes and lemon ๐ณ๐ช๐ป ๐ฑ๐ช๐ญ๐ข๐ง.
๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ด๐ - this is an interesting Penang-inspired item: soy-braised pulled pork in Chinese ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ๐ถ buns, with ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ข-mayo.
Onto desserts:
๐๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฆ ๐ข๐ถ ๐ค๐ช๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ (lemon tart).
๐๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ (French apple tart).
๐๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฆ ๐ข๐ถ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ข๐ต (French chocolate tart).
๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐น ๐ข๐ถ ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ (vanilla bean cream puff).
Coconut macaroon.
Choux Choux is a marvelous addition to this part of town (China Street/Beach Street), which previously lacked a casual cafe where one can drop by for a cup of coffee and have a nice piece of pastry.
Address
Choux Choux
4, China street, 10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +604-210 5000
Operating hours: 9am to 5pm, Tue to Sun. Closed on Mondays.
