Special thanks to Money Houz for extending this food review invitation.
Update: This business has ceased its operations.
After seeming to go downhill for a while, Nagore Square has been given a new lease of life recently. Besides Chime Heritage, the main street of Nagore Road (Jalan Nagor) is also being rejuvenated with a number of new eateries such as Money Houz.
As you might have guessed, the theme at Money Houz is money. Period. To prove this point, a number of foreign banknotes are displayed on the wall.
On the other side of the dining hall are overflowing sacks of fake banknotes.
The theme is so deeply ingrained that even the logo includes the dollar sign “$”. The logo is not limited to wall paintings. It is nearly everywhere including food!
To hit the point harder, there are also several placards in the form of oversized banknotes. On each placard is a cut-out at where the face (e.g. Queen Elizabeth II or George Washington) should be. These placards are meant for photo opportunities; just ask the staff to help you. I don’t think you can take a selfie with such unwieldy placards!
There are a number of banknotes are displayed on the tabletop too. These are not real banknotes; notice the logo of Money Houz on each banknote? How many of these currencies do you recognize?
This is the infamous Zimbabwean “One Hundred Trillion Dollar” banknote. This African nation underwent one of the worst hyperinflation in history in 2008-2009, prices doubling every few days. By the time the currency was abandoned, the monetary value of this banknote was worth less than the paper which it had been printed on.
Switching gear to food, Money Houz serves a number of à la carte and set meals throughout the day. Gourmet coffee, beer and cakes are also available to complement your meal.
There are two set meal options every day: a Western dish (RM12.90) and an Oriental dish (RM9.90). Of course, you can always choose from the à la carte menu if your preferred dish is not featured today.
My dinner tonight is the Grilled Chicken Chop With Black Pepper Sauce (RM14.80). This dish includes crinkle-cut fries and steamed vegetables (carrot, broccoli and cauliflower).
The chicken cutlet is sufficiently tender and juicy. However, I feel that it can benefit from more marinating. The black pepper gravy is good, though. I think the gravy works well with this style of grilled chicken.
As for the crinkle-cut fries, I personally prefer less crisp and starchier sensation. In fact, I would like to suggest to use mashed potato in lieu of fries. No doubt, mashed potato requires more preparation work, but I feel that it works better with the chicken.
As it is running late today, I skip the coffee options and opt for Hot Chocolate Hazelnut (RM10.90). The 3D foam art is in the image of a cat. This beverage is served with a couple of cracker sticks on the side. In terms of flavor, I would like to see substantially more hazelnut in the drink.
For desserts, there are also a number of cakes and macarons to choose from. Notice the logo of Money Houz as icing of several cakes? According to Money Houz, the cakes are home-prepared by one of the owners. Unfortunately, I have yet to try any desserts here.
The atmosphere at Money Houz is kept vibrant with live band performance at 9:30pm every Friday and Saturday. Tonight’s guest performer is Lisa Spykers from Australia, who performed a number of soft rock pieces. Lovely voice she has.
On weekends, Money Houz is quite packed especially with the limited amount of dining space. However, there is an upper floor where you can find several comfortable couches. The upstairs is a nice hangout spot to relax and mingle around.
There is also a couple of electronic dart machines at the upstairs. Feel free to pit your marksmanship against your buddies here.
One of the main hassle when coming to Nagore Square is the scarcity of parking space. Fret not! Customers of Money Houz (or any businesses at Nagore Square such as Shunka) enjoy 1 hour of free parking. This is RM5.00 saving right off the bat. Remember to bring the parking ticket to Money Houz for validation.
Money Houz is open daily except Tuesdays, from noon to midnight. On Fridays and Saturdays where there is live band performance, Money Houz extends an hour later so that customers can enjoy the music.
Name: Money Houz
Address: 77, Jalan Nagor, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-226-3068
Business hours: 12:00pm-12:00am (Sunday-Thursday), 12:00pm-1:00am (Friday-Saturday), closed on Tuesdays
Website: https://www.facebook.com/themoneyhouz
Coordinates: 5.42082 N, 100.32596 E
Directions: Driving along Burmah Road (Jalan Burma) from New World Park, turn right to Nagore Road (Jalan Nagor). Money Houz is one of the shops on the right before the crossroad. Street parking is available along Nagore Road but it is rather scarce. Alternatively, turn right at the said crossroad and use the open-air parking lot on the right. The parking ticket can be validated at Money Houz.