Muse Dining Bar

Special thanks to Muse Dining Bar for extending this food review invitation.

Update: This business has ceased its operations.

Elit Avenue has been increasingly recognized as Bayan Baru's foremost food haven outside Queensbay Mall. Tonight's dinner brings me to Muse Dining Bar By R. Emuang, a Western style casual dining restaurant operated by Chef Richard Emuang.

The ambience of the restaurant caters both the lunch crowd and small family diners in the evening. There is also a bar to serve the drinking clientele. Especially after the sun has set, al fresco dining is also a viable option.

Muse Dining Bar takes a bold step beyond the typical Western-style menu. Each of its dishes is thoughtfully crafted to imbue a sense of uniqueness and perfection. For example, the Thai Infused Seafood Soup (RM25.90) is saturated with rich, appetizing flavors of mussels, scallops, shrimps and fish. The savoriness of this soup persists on the palate, making the experience gratifying indeed. I cannot recommend this soup highly enough.

Baked Mushroom With Air-Flown Alaskan Crab-Meat (RM24.90) is another highly-acclaimed dish. The highlight of this salad is two pieces of juicy portobello mushroom, whose gills have been stuffed and baked with parmesan cheese. Boasting juicy goodness which allows portobello mushrooms to really shine, "very delicious" would be an understatement to describe this intriguing salad dish.

Braised Pork Ribs (RM39.90) is a carnivore's feasting paradise. The ribs are braised with a unique blend of herbs and spices, then glazed with sweet-tangy barbecue sauce to give an irresistible appeal. Each rib is scrumptious down to the bone. Due to its intense flavors, I believe this pork dish goes well with alcoholic beverages.

Braised Pork Ribs is served with garden salad and truffle fries on the side. Cooking with truffle oil allows potato to attain unique fungal aroma that regular cooking oil cannot provide.

Stewed Lamb Leg (RM27.90) is also pleasing to my palate. This dish consists of a piece of deboned lamb leg, stewed with vegetables and spicy stock until the lamb becomes extremely tender. Mashed potato and vegetable salad are included in this meat-centric dish.

The next dish is Char Siew BBQ Duck Breast (RM27.90), where the marinating and roasting of duck is done in-house. Duck meat is coated with sweet sauce, then barbecued thoroughly such that the surface gains an attractive layer of glaze. Two types of sauces are used: barbecue sauce and mustard sauce. This dish is accompanied by mashed potato and garden salad.

One of my favorites this evening is the Homemade Beef Burger (RM21.90). The 180-gram patty is made from genuine Australian beef, which is ground and seasoned in the kitchen. The ground beef remains juicy yet not oily, making it heavenly to my palate. Other items in the burger are bacon, caramelized onion, cheese slice, egg, iceberg lettuce and two halves of a sesame bun. There are also truffle fries on the side.

Moving on to pasta, Roasted Pork Belly & Chorizo Aglio Olio Spaghetti (RM25.90) a nicely-pieced dish. Derived from the swine are two delicacies: roasted pork belly and chorizo. Spaghetti is prepared al dente, which sets up the tone for this olive oil-infused dish. Grated parmesan cheese also serves to provide creamy finish to the otherwise dry pasta.

The roasted pork belly has a succulent sense of crispiness especially while it is still warm. Meanwhile, chorizo is a type of pork sausage which is salty on its own but plays a vital role in the overall appraisal.

It is nice to know that Muse Dining Bar has a separate menu that is dedicated to children. From this kids menu is the Jumbo Sausage (RM12.90), comprising of two halves of a supersized chicken sausage. The sausage is served over mashed potato and with salad in the side. I am surprised that junior managed to finish nearly the whole plate on his own!

Today's dessert of the day is Pancake & Peanut Butter Ice Cream (RM12.90). Besides ice cream, other toppings on the pancake include blueberries, strawberries and several types of edible flowers.

Muse Dining Bar brews coffee from Honduran medium roast beans from Lamis Café. The cup of Café Mocha (RM10.90) and the glass of Hazelnut Latte (RM10.90) both turn up to be reasonably satisfying.

Casual drinkers may want to go for something with lower alcohol content, such as Strongbow Apple Ciders Elderflower (RM16.90). Served chilled, the apple cider carries fruity sweetness with very mild sense of alcohol. There is an ongoing offer of 2 bottles for mere RM21.10.

Muse Dining Bar offers several types of draught beer from the tap. The restaurant also pours wine by the glass. The kitchen closes at 10:00pm but the bar remains open until 12:00am midnight. Although I am not an authority figure in the best drinking establishment in town, I must say that the food here has impressed me decisively.

Name: Muse Dining Bar By R. Emuang
Address: 1-1-2, Elit Avenue, Jalan Mayang Pasir 3, 11950 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-618-0255
Business hours: 11:00am-3:00pm, 6:00pm-10:00pm
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Muse-Dining-Bar-by-REmuang-767082586751005
Coordinates: 5.32241 N, 100.28301 E
Directions: Muse Dining Bar is located at the eastern side of Elit Avenue in Bayan Baru. Roadside and garage parking are available.