Ruins of Victoria - ROV @ Lebuh Victoria, Penang - Crisp of Life

Though the name Ruins of Victoria (ROV) resembles some architecture heritage crumbles, it is actually a wine bar and restaurant at Lebuh Victoria, Penang. There is an ambiance of vintage dining here, while enjoy the enticing and unique musics from different countries.

Many thanks to Ruins of Victoria for hosting us.

Remarks: Ruins of Victoria has since ceased operation

Ruins of Victoria Penang Victoria Street Georgetown

The menu of the restaurant features exquisite cuisine of different parts of the world - United States, France, Italy, and even Palestine. Flipping through the menu and making a choice was not an easy task, as all of them sounds mouth-watering.

We started the feast with a bar snack item, the signature ROV Platter (RM 65.00). Though it is meant to be served as finger food for snacking while having a glass of wine, the platter itself is very fulfilling by having chicken wings, fish fingers, lamb chops, crispy squids, prawn fritters and meatballs, served with BBQ sauce, tartar sauce, black pepper sauce and mint sauce. It is recommended a group of friends with at least 4 people to feast on this platter, otherwise you will end up stuffing yourself.

It is commendable that ROV serves unique salad and appetizer, which caught us in surprise. The appetizer was served in a desirable portion, just enough to stir up the hunger feelings in the stomach. We had Thai Glass Noodle and Beef Salad, a rare find in the town. It comes with silky smooth, cold Thai glass noodles, and topped with the non-pungent grilled beef.

For a lighter version of appetizer, go for Tahu Sumbat with Kuah Kacang. Not to be deceived by the appearance, the soft bean curd stuffed with sprouts, julienne carrots and cucumber tasted magnificent with the pasembur alike peanut sauce.

Seafood Chowder

Ayam Berempah

The Seafood Chowder (RM 17.90) is something you should order here. The enjoyable part of the soup was its creaminess and excellent scent, with rich ingredients imbedded within the soup. In the meantime, Ayam Berempah (RM 15.90) is alike a bag of mixed spices, unleashing an elusive mixture of spice scent upon come into contact with the tongue.

We had Mutton Masala Pizza (RM 28) and Smokey (RM 28). Both thin crust pizza were well baked by the chefs, indicated by the crispy crust and absence sign of burns.

ROV Char Koay Teow is an off-menu item and we had the privilege to try it on that night. This Char Koay Teow carries the pride of Penangites, as potentially it might serves to foreign tourists. The plate of noodles were exquisitely prepared by having squids and bean sprout shoots, served on the traditional banana leaves, and was not over greasy to cause overthrown feelings. However, it could have been better if the thick noodles did not clump together.

Fresh prawn was used on the Sambal Tumis Prawn, and the juicy prawn gives a little sweet sambal aftertaste upon biting. Fret not for those hot intolerance individuals as fiery burning sensation was totally absent. The turmeric rice was best eaten with the sambal, otherwise it would be pretty tasteless.

A popular dish in Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Greece - Saltimboca is served here. Instead of using veal, the chef has substituted it with chicken, and had creatively stuffed prawn and seaweed into it, served with rosemary sauce, and calling it Chicken Saltimboca. The chicken texture was well prepared and tasted soft, totally unlike the conventional coarse chicken texture which we would have expected.

The huge chunk of Mediterranean Lamb Shank (RM 42.90) was well covered with the sauce, and with its soft tender meat, finishing it surely would not be a big hassle. On top of that, remember not to miss out the cashewnut rice. It was extremely pleasant in the taste, till we could not resist ourselves taking more of it despite having an almost full stomach.

Ribeye Steak (RM 44.90) in particularly catering for steak lovers. We thought the steak might have been marinated with salt during preparation, as we could taste some brine accompanying the steak juice in between the bites. Complementing the steak would be the bearnaise sauce.

We tested a very different variant of spaghetti - Seafood Tomyam Spaghetti. The al-dente spaghetti was cooked right to the level for the desire firmness, and it delivers a strong blow of sour tomyam taste, which we kind of enjoying it. Various seafood are being used to top the spaghetti, such as prawns and mussels.

Previously all the kebab experience were either chicken or beef, making us a total virgin to the Salmon Kebab (RM 44.90). The salmon had underwent grilling process to possess a crispy skin with a very strong grilled smell, however to our surprise the inner part of the salmon still raw in texture. People with affection to raw salmon would appreciate it but those who do not enjoy raw food might have to tell your preference to the servers, so they can prepare it differently for you.

Last but not least, this is a must order if you come here, their homemade ice cream! Every scoop cost RM 7.90 and they offer 4 different flavors - Cinnamon, Gula Melaka, Basil and Nutmeg. The Basil ice cream is highly recommended. It gives a very unique raw yet fresh taste upon consuming. Interestingly, the ice cream is being served on something akin the fried wantan skin.

Meanwhile, the Gula Melaka ice cream also tasted fantastic with its decent gula melaka aftertaste. The difference between cinnamon and nutmeg was minimal for us, but it really would make a good choice of dessert nevertheless.