I have travelled around most of the world and dined in some of the best restaurants and hotels but Indigo Restaurant at the Blue Mansion was one of the most wonderful experiences of a lifetime. The moment you approach the hotel you just know you are entering a doorway to the past. So many artifacts outside to remind the visitor that this was once a great house of a very great and influential man. We had a little time to take some photos by the two antique trishaws which are parked on the verandah, as you look around you can see that this is an oasis set in the middle of a very busy city, the mansion is set within the boundaries of Penang's local Government buildings, many are colonial and a reminder of Britain's legacy to this part of the world. Once you enter the building you step back into 19th Century Penang, beautiful Victorian chandeliers, carved wooden seats. Between two antique carved doorways you can sit and gaze in awe at this great entrance to what is now a hotel with spectacular doors, stained glass windows and wooden shutters that are all still in use, from a magnificent antique carved settee which is inlaid with mother of pearl. Through the doors and up the stairs to the right we found the entrance to Indigo and were yet again propelled back through time to the colonial days of Cheong Fatt Tze a businessman and politician who was also a powerful Nanyang industrialist and a first-class Mandarin in the Manchu government; he was made Consul-General in Singapore and economic advisor to the Empress Dowager. The dining room is calm and beautifully decked with crisp tableclothes, air conditioning tricks you into believing that it is not really 30 degrees on the verandah. The staff in the restaurant are wonderful; you are treated as the only person in the restaurant and given their full attention. We had a special lunch menu which consisted of a very tasty soup for myself and my husband, my son tried the asparagus and mushroom salad with rocket, tofu and sesame miso dressing. Perfect. Main course was a very unusual but tasty steak pie for my husband, Duck for myself and Prawns and Clams with pasta and tomato sauce which was beautiful and now I wished I had had the same as my son, however, the duck was nothing less than perfection and I have never eaten parnips, pureed so well before. Excellent. Dessert just had to be the chocolate mouse encased in a rich chocolate ganache and served with cream and a drizzel of fruit coulis. Our meal ended with coffee and tea, we enjoyed our coffee so much we asked for another cup. The whole lunch was only 65 Ringets or approx. £13.00 UK and was thoroughly enjoyed by us all. We then went on a tour of the Mansion which brought the whole place to life and once we had learned the history of the now hotel and the man who had built the Blue Mansion as his office, home and base for his enterprizes it was also the home of his 7th and much loved wife we understood the world this man had lived in and could see why this building was so wonderful especially as the house had been built under the influence of Feng Shui, this is why there was so much peace felt in the building. After the tour we then retired for a couple of drinks in the very comfortable and colonial bar, what a wonderful way to spend the day, we had gone there for my son's 35th birthday and he thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience also. Thank you so much to all the staff at the Blue Mansion for making our time with you so memorable. I hope that one day we shall be back to sample your welcome and the splendour of the Blue Mansion yet again. This visit was wonderful and will be forever in my memory.
restaurant reviews 