A PENANG FOOD ADVENTURE
Penang, known as The Pearl of The Orient or also known as The Food Haven to me is one of the best places to get your street food fix. You could ask anyone here in Malaysia on where you can find good food and they will point you to Penang. A place full of culture and delicious street food at every corner.
A few weekends ago, I headed to Penang island and tried some deliciously mouth watering food that I think you guys should try on your next visit to this beautiful island. Everything I tried that weekend was delicious and I would definitely head back for more.
Here’s a list of places I tried during my short stay there.
1. BEE HWA CAFE @ LEBUH DICKENS
First stop, CHAR KUEY TEOW! We heard that the best halal Char Kuey Teow you can find in Penang is right here in this little kopitiam. Located in the heart of Georgetown, along Lebuh Dickens, this cafe was easy to find !
My verdict: It was good ! They were very generous with their medium sized prawns that were juicy, succulent and most importantly, fresh! This char kuey teow had fishcakes, crab sticks, prawns and cockles. Though, we did not find much cockles on our plates. As you can tell from the picture, their serving sizes are quite generous here.
Not only do they have Char Kuey Teow, they also have Curry Mee, Hokkien Mee, Prawn Mee, etc which are all apparently just as delicious.
Location : 10, Lebuh Dickens, George Town, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang View Map
Operating Hours : 7AM – 5PM Monday-Saturday
2. ROTI BAKAR HUTTON LANE
This stall located along the roads of Jalan Hutton is run by an elderly man named Abdul Jaafar together with his son. This modest stall has been running for over 60 years and started off only serving soft-boiled eggs over Benggali bread.
My all time favourite at this stall is their Roti Bakar Kaya alongside a bowl of soft boiled eggs. Their Roti Bakar is made up of their very own Benggali bread that is toasted over a charcoal grill then smeared with chunks of butter in between and kaya at the top. Just thinking about it is making me drool !
Sadly when we got there, they were sold out on their Nasi Dalca, so we opted for their Roti Canai Dalca, that was soaked in dalca goodness and a chunk of tender beef on the top. They recently moved to a different location and is not located at the usual alley anymore. Their new place is much more spacious and has more seatings.
Please try this if you are ever headed to Penang! Such a simple breakfast, but definitely the best.
Location : 300, Jalan Phee Choon, George Town, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang View Map
Operating Hours : 5:30AM – 2PM Monday-Sunday
3. NASI KANDAR BERATUR ORIGINAL
Our next stop was Nasi Kandar Beratur, along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, just opposite the police station. This would be a hard one to miss as it lives up to its name. With it being called ‘Beratur’ which literally translates to ‘queue-up’, this stall has people lining up way before they are open! Nasi Kandar Beratur only operates from 10PM up until the AM, which caters to the night owls.
Many locals swear by this place and says that it’s worth the wait. We arrived at about 9:30PM, and believe it or not, there was a line already formed! There were at least 20 people lining up ahead of us and few minutes after, there was a line of about 200m formed. We waited for about 45 minutes before it got to our turn.
I took my usual at any Nasi Kandar, which was white rice, served with Daging Hitam, Sayur Kubis, an omelette and kuah campur.
We payed for our meals and headed to their sitting area, which was foldable tables and plastic chairs under a tent.
My verdict after the first bite : SO GOOD !! The mixture of the curries in the rice was delicious and every curry complimented each other. The beef was very tender and I wish I would’ve asked for more, because it was a pretty small portion of beef. My dad says it was the best Nasi Kandar he’s ever had. Which was a surprise to me as my dad’s super fussy! We had our meal alongside their Teh Ais which was also just as good.
Was it worth the wait? YES. Will I ever go back again? HELL YES.
Location : 98, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang View Map
Operating Hours : 10PM – late
4. PENANG ROAD FAMOUS TEOCHEW CHENDUL
This little stall is located along Lebuh Keng Kwee, and it is one of the most famous stalls in Penang. Be ready to stand in the heat to get yourself this yummy bowl of chendul. This is a definitely a welcome refreshment after walking around Georgetown in the blazing island sun. One thing’s for sure is, though the line may be long, you will get it in no time as they serve out the chendul really fast. I was amazed at the speed they were going!
The kopitiam beside this stall was bustling with people but we managed to get ourselves a table and enjoyed our bowls of chendul. Mine went down in minutes, as it was so refreshing! Especially after walking around for hours. This kopitiam is also popular for their char kuey teow and assam laksa, so be sure to give it a try when you are there.
Location : Jalan Penang, Georgetown, 10450, Georgetown, Pulau Pinang
Operating Hours : 10AM-7:30PM Monday-Sunday
5. Hok Seng Rojak @ Macullum Street
Photo Credits : Crisp of Life
I’ve heard many good things about this rojak, so I decided to give it a try! Located just along Macullum Street, this busy stall is pretty hard to miss. It’s always bustling with customers. So I would advise you to get there early!
This yummy bowl of fruits come in various sizes. Starting at small, medium and large with different price ranges of course.
A bowlful of fruits and keropok,topped with their oh so good rojak paste, and sprinkled with some peanut and dry shrimp.
Their paste is surprisingly sticky but the flavour was perfect! With the shrimp paste not being too over powering.
That’s it for our list of Places to visit in Penang! Let us know what other places we should try and we might just check it out!
Click here for our Top 5 Cafes to Try in The Klang Valley
