Take a Break 歇息片刻: THE ALLEY Penang (5, Steward Lane)

Visited on 3 December 2013

冒着飘洒的细雨踹落地钻进巷子里的小店The Alley，推开一扇玻璃门，淡淡甜糕点味掺杂空气清新的味儿真是舒服。还来不及拨动整理水滴沾湿的头发，店员立即给了我们欢迎的微笑，这种感觉甚至窝心，就像三毛说的：我笑，便面如春花，定时能感动人的，任他是谁。

落地窗户贪婪的把整片雨后的清新吞噬到这小小的空间，云开雾散，浅浅温和的阳光照入，流动的光束像首歌一样散开传播，极其缓慢安静。环顾周围的环境，往里边找个位子，到柜台点了甜食，便开始拍拍照聊聊天。

It was a rainy day, so we decided to pay a visit to The Alley to have a cup of hot coffee. Once we open their door, the smell of sweet pastries is welcoming you. Their staff is so friendly that they straight away welcome you with a big smile that gives you a gratifying feel. Then we pick a place of our liking and then approach to the counter to make order.

Soup of the Day is COFFEE.

我们呆着的角落，四面漆砌不工整的白墙，木质的餐桌椅子，搭上几个色彩鲜明四方图形和小抱枕。雨天给环境带来些许阴湿，只要把灯一关，蕨类植物似乎会从上生长蔓延直至地面，但最吸引我的还是上图的麻布抱枕，完全抵抗不了麻布的诱惑，恨不得把它偷偷带走。

We sit at a corner of their shop which decorated with a wooden table and a rattan chair with a few colorful pillows. The things that attract Kim the most is their linen pillow with the green color wording on it. He just can’t resist the temptation of the linen and have an evil taught to sneak it away. Anyway, he didn’t did it because he will be caught and send to jail. So, there is no more new blog post after that.

卡布奇诺 Capuccino RM9.00

摩卡 Mocha RM11.00

西班牙油条 Churros (small) RM6.00

这是我们第一次吃西班牙油条（Churros），它与本地的油条炸类似，但西班牙油条较甜脆，而本地油条较咸香的，口感些许相同，但味道明显差别。通常西班牙油条都是需粘上巧克力或咖啡来吃，店里有四五种选择，我们点了Nutella酱。西班牙油条表面有细长的条纹，撒上一些砂糖，咬下去爽脆可口不油腻，值得一试。有些国家的Churros还塞入水果或者是融化的芝士酱汁。总之，汶翰吃了这个赞不绝口。

This is the first time we are having churros. Churro is also referred to as a Spanish doughnut, is a fried-dough pastry that come with dipping sauce like vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon and sugar or caramel which have endless choice. To be honest, after the first bite both of us immediately have a taught that it taste a bit like “油条炸”. But churros is like high class version of “油条炸”that is more crispy and sweet. We had ordered churros with nutella dipping sauce. The churros are sprinkle with some icing sugar which is very crispy and not greasy at all. So, you guys must order this if you visit them.

Comel Comel Caramel Cheesecake RM10.00

我们点了一份焦糖芝士蛋糕，我个人觉得蛋糕馅料的口感和浓厚度拿捏的不错，汶翰却认为自己亲自做的芝士蛋糕水准来得高一些，眼前这片蛋糕好似少了某种味道。花生的搭配也不太适合，口感不太协调，而且价位也偏高，希望能继续改善。

We also ordered a piece of caramel cheesecake with a name called “comel comel caramel”. Kim feels that the cheesecake texture, creaminess and texture are not bad. But for me, I feel that it is not creamy enough and it just feel like there are something missing in the cheesecake. The nuts that garnished on the side of the cheesecake is not that match with the taste. We also feel that it is slightly pricey for their cheesecake. But you guys still can give a try and may like it because everyone likes different things right.

可颂甜甜圈 Cronut RM8.00

这也是我我们的第一次——可颂甜甜圈（Cronut），由纽约Dominique Ansel蛋糕店13年5月版权推出的，口味多元化。看了美国电视剧 2 Broke Girls里的Max和Caroline凌晨三点开始排队抢购，而与老夫妇争执，就知道这甜点的火爆度，有机会非吃不可。网上搜收了关于这方面的资料，听说纽约的店面每天早上距离开店还差两个小时，就已经有许多人为了可颂甜甜圈大排场龙，且这股热潮久久未散。现在，可颂甜甜圈摆在我们眼前，等我们大饱口福。至于味道如何，这里不说，你们试试看，然后再给我们回应。

This is also the first time we are having cronut. The Cronut is a croissant-doughnut pastry attributed to Chef Dominique Ansel for Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City. This is a croissant-donut hybrid. Kim say after he watching 2 Broke Girls where Max and Caroline start to queue up and argue with old lady at 3 o’clock in the morning just because of cronut, he says that this is definitely a must try if he found it. And now, he finally had a chance to taste the cronut. For the taste, we will not told you guys here. So go give it a try and tell us what you feel like.

开水 Water

每日咖啡 Coffee of the Day

这间店座落在观音亭旁的小路左边，招牌是「吉祥香莊」，所以不要贸然错过，停车地点是附近的街上，路窄位子少，我们可是绕了几圈才找到。另外，甜食和咖啡的消费价位合理，没有任何服务费和政府税收之外，店员真诚热情的招呼让人欣喜。

The Alley is located just beside the famous God of Mercy temple with a sign board named “吉祥香莊”. It is quite easy to pass by without noticing it but with our sharp eye, we just mange to found it. But for the parking space, it is just along the street. There will be quite crowded so you have to drive a few rounds to get a parking space. Besides that, the price of the dessert and coffee is very reasonably. The good thing is there are no service charge and government tax but still their services are so good.

我总觉得放晴的午后在这里消遣，清新的空气驱走了倦意，喝上一杯咖啡，就像阅读了一本文字简洁而有意思的诗集，刷去生活的杂乱无章，找回原有的纯净美好。

We feel that in this kind of rainy weather, you can have a cup of coffee to help you drive away the laziness. It is just like you are reading a poet that helps you to forget about all the worries and find back your inner peace.