Western Cottage

Along the busy Air Itam Road is this house being converted into a restaurant selling what I would call Asian style Western Food.

Limited parking spaces are available within the front yard of the 'house' with your private valet minus the smart uniform and tips. Yes, parking is free if you manage to get one there is.

Oriental Sauce Chicken Chop    -    RM11.80

Chicken Bolognese                   -    RM15.80

Mushroom Sauce Chicken Chop -    RM11.80

Chicken Maryland                     -    RM16.80

Garlic Bread                             -    RM4.80

Mushroom Soup                       -    RM5.80

Chef Salad Bowl                       -    RM5.80

Orange Juice                            -    RM5.90

Lonely Planet: Penang Is 2014 Top Culinary Spot

British dailyThe Independent reported that Lonely Planet has listed Penang as the top culinary spot for the year 2014. It is indeed impressive that The Pearl of Orient beats other top culinary spots in the developed countries like Victoria in Australia, North West Spain, Lake District in United Kingdom, Puglia in Italy, Georgia and Oaxaca in Mexico to bag the crown.

Lonely Planet's commissioning editor Robin Barton said Penang was known for its hawker fare and some of the "must tries" include char kway teow, Hokkien mee, and asam laksa.

Malaysian hawker food has spread worldwide via food trucks and pop-ups but nothing compares to the origin of it all - Penang.

"Its food reflects the intermingling of the many cultures that arrived after it was set up as a trading port in 1786, from Malays to Indians, Acehnese to Chinese, Burmese to Thais. The state capital Georgetown is its culinary epicentre," said Barton.

He encouraged food hunters to explore the Esplanade Food Court, where good hawker food comes with great seafront location.

Ah Hor Koay Teow Th'ng @ Carnavon Street 阿虎粿條湯

粿條湯 or Koay Teow Soup - one of the most under stated hawker food of Penang which is often over-shadowed by other more popular dish such as Char Koay Teow or Asam Laksa. This dish provides an alternative to those who can't take spicy food. It is equally delicious in its own way.

It's at Carnavon Street again but this time it's about Koay Teow soup which is so famous in this part of town that at least 2 stalls are selling the same dish. Now that is competition!

We tried the one facing the main street as we could see many people lined up just to get a table. I thought it must be real good to command such a crowd. Again parking is a headache but somehow it was my lucky day that there was one spot not so far away from the stall. Finding a parking space in Penang is like hunting, you got to be quick before your prey gets away!

  

The name of this modest stall is called 阿虎粿條湯 and I guess 阿虎 must be the name of the boss/chef behind the stall. His Indonesian helper stood next to him could speak fluent Hokkien and that really impressed me.

We were told to take a seat first and she would come and take our orders when she was available. Soon we had our orders taken, waited not too long fortunately as it was around 10am when most people were working in the office.

The picture above was what we ordered, a simple Koay Teow Th'ng with pork livers, fish balls, shredded duck and garnished with spring onion. The soup was sparkling with droplets of oil that made it looked ever more appetizing. RM4.00 per bowl and I believe it is value for money, no complain.

Oh Chien at Carnavon Street

Fried Oyster Omelette (Oh Chien) @ Seng Thor Kopitiam

Wanton Mee @ Seng Thor Kopitiam

When I posted these two pictures on Facebook recently, my friend instantly commented that they are from Carnavon Street. He recognized mainly because of the first picture which is the fried oyster omelette or Oh Chien which this place is renowned for.

We were trying our luck that day due to difficulties finding a parking spot right in the heart of George Town but to our delight we managed to find one right in front of the coffee shop. We parked where we could see our car just in case the 'Mata' came and gave us lottery ticket as our spot was not actually a parking lot.

Anyway, we went in and ordered the Wanton Mee first as I have had it before many years ago and knew that it was good. With the mixture of steamed and deep fried wanton, this dish did not disappoint me and I soon found myself polished the entire plate with my tongue instantly. 

Those who are no stranger to Penang hawker food know that the dish comes in small portion. I was looking at the Oh Chien stall while having my noodle just then and was reluctant to make my order due to the seemingly long queue. I soon couldn't resist the temptation of the famous Oh Chien and ordered one plate after all. Have to wait a while due to its popularity but it came eventually.

The oyster and egg fused together to create this beautiful golden mixture which would made one drools just by staring at it. I gently picked up one piece and slowly moved it into my mouth and my god, it tasted heavenly! The combination of crispiness of the batter with the juiciness of the oyster was simply irresistible. 

These two dishes can summarize what Penang is all about: simple, delicious and money well spent. The downside was I got sore throat after the Oh Chien and have to suffer for the next three days miserably without any hawker food indulgence.

Seng Thor Kopitiam is located at the corner of Carnavon and Kimberley Street, Penang.

Why You Can't Resist Penang Food

Do you ever wonder why Penang food is so good that you want to go back for more? Why is it that you find yourself patronizing the same stall over and over again if not on a weekly basis? And how come you can never find authentic Penang food elsewhere except on the island itself?

There is no single answer to those questions. First of all, have you realized that Penang hawker food always come in smaller portion compare to elsewhere say KL or Singapore. You may complain that Penang hawkers are calculative or stingy but I believe that is one of the reason that makes Penang food so irresistible. All good things are rare to find and that's why gold is so precious while rubbish is worthless. By serving the food in smaller portion, we could savour its taste more explicitly. It is the emphasis of quality over quantity. If it's portion is too big then you find yourself trying to finish up the food instead of completely immerse yourself in your palate sensation. 

The next reason why Penang food is so unique lies in the professionalism of its hawkers. Yes, you heard me, Penang hawkers are professionals! Have you realized that most Penang hawkers only sell one dish? If they are selling Asam Laksa then you won't be able to order Char Koay Teow from them. It is the skill and home made recipe that have been passed down by their previous generation that they want to upkeep and be faithful to their cuisine. The complex combination of ingredients and spices, the texture of the noodles, the amount of time and effort of preparation works all culminating into a small bowl of beautifully presented dish. These people are even more professional than the so called 'professionals' in suits that patronize their stall. 

I have always think that hawkers are under-appreciated by the general public because people only look up to careers with social status such as engineers or lawyers. But these engineers and lawyers would still have to sit by the roadside and wait for their food. 

There are many people trying to sell Penang food elsewhere. In fact you can find Penang food in all corners of the world. It is good to share our cuisine with the rest of the world but most of the times it doesn't work. If you try it you will know that the taste is not the same. There are two major reasons for that. Firstly, our wonderful spices are not easily available in other parts of the world. Secondly, they sell too many different dishes and thus lack focus on the food they serve. Some even mix dish from Singapore or Indonesia but their shop's name is about Penang food. 

Anyhow, let's get back to why Penang food is so unique. Besides the portion of the food and the professionalism of the hawker, there is this beautiful settings of heritage George Town that acts as the perfect backdrop to anyone's culinary experience in Penang. Everything seems to fit flawlessly - old buildings, narrow streets, casual lifestyle, street food and organized chaos. And you can find food anytime of the day from early morning until even after midnight. Penang people eat 24 hours a day and the food scene in George Town never sleeps.

You can't experience all these in big cities. You have to go into huge shopping centres in Singapore to eat 'street food'! Just imagine that, having street food inside a modern building instead of by the street, it is hilarious! 

So these are the reasons which I believe contribute the authenticity and uniqueness of Penang hawker food. I hope the same spirit will continue throughout future generations and not be washed away by rapid modernization of our society. Until then, just find a good spot by the roadside and enjoy your bowl of noodles!

Old House Restaurant @ Kimberley Street

It was Chinese New Year's Eve, most people have gone back to their hometowns respectively, the usually jam packed streets around George Town were deserted, peaceful yet warm atmosphere throughout as everyone was getting ready for the welcoming of the new year the next day.

Chinese New Year's Eve has always been one of the most significant date on the Lunar Calendar as it is the time when families are having their reunion dinner. In today's globalized world, people work at various places around the world but on that day most will go back to their hometowns to spend time and reunite with families members. What is greater than the feeling of going HOME after all?

The place we went for our reunion dinner in 2014 was at the Old House Restaurant at Kimberley Street, George Town, Penang. It is a located in a row of beautifully preserved heritage shop houses.

Old House Restaurant main entrance.

As the restaurant's owner also does some other business like selling Chinese worshiping items, there are many interesting things to see such as the statue of Tang Sanzang (唐三藏) at the front of it along the five-foot way.

Tang Sanzang (唐三藏)

As we were directed to our reserved table, there were small porcelain bowls elevated on a porcelain tray with candle in them. What was inside the bowls was the exact dish that I had been waiting for: 佛跳墙 (literally means that this dish is so good that even the Buddha will be tempted to jump over the wall and have a taste of it). The waitress then light the candles to warm it up for us which made it looked even more appetizing. 

佛跳墙

Appetizer - roast pork, scallop, salad prawn & century egg.

Penang Hokkien Mee

Beautiful colors of this unique Penang hawker food which some people also refer to as prawn noodle soup.

Chinese Tea in glass

Wanton Mee @ Lebuh Melayu

We originally wanted to look for a famous Koay Teow Th'ng hawker stall at Lebuh Melayu or commonly known by the local Hokkien community as (台牛后) but couldn't find a parking spot ( a thing that everyone should get used to whenever driving around George Town), so we ended up somewhere in the middle of the street where we accidentally discover a make-shift stall with lots of people. It was located at the corner of Lebuh Melayu and Lorong Tok Aka in front of a heritage building:

The stall in front of a heritage building along Lebuh Melayu where we are about to talk about.

We decided to explore this place simply because there is a parking spot available in front of us (finding a parking spot along the street in Penang is sometime harder than looking for gold). As the tables around the stall have been fully occupied, we have no choice but to sit across the street. There were a few tables set up along the five-foot way in front of a heritage shop house. We peeped inside the house and saw a poorly maintained living room, not sure whether there is anyone living there. Anyway our focus is on food, not history of the house so we went across to make our order but was asked to go back to our seat to wait for them to come to take the order instead. They were so busy that they had to take care of those who ordered first plus those waiting eagerly in front of their stall for takeaways.

Fortunately it didn't take long before a lady came along and took our order of two bowls of wanton noodles and soya bean.

You know why most people fall in love with Penang food so easily? It is because of their stingily small portion that makes you crave for more! Somehow they know just the right amount to make you feel good without filling your gastronomical tank. The texture of the noodles is fantastic and the sauce is simply wonderful: not too salty but making the whole dish juicy.

Quite reasonable price @ RM3.60 per bowl.

Location: Corner of Lebuh Melayu and Lorong Toh Aka

Business Hours: 12.30pm - 5pm

MM Noodles House 面面俱到

Ask anyone to say something about Penang and they will most likely tell you about its food, historic architecture, antiques or even their beloved Chief Minister. What if there is such a place where you could eat Penang food in a heritage building filled with antiques and sit side by side with the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng?

This place is called MM Noodles House 面面俱到. It is a relatively new restaurant just opened its door at the end of 2013. The main entrance of this heritage shop house was tastefully renovated with thatched canopies that further make it stand out from the rest of the similar design terrace shop houses. It is easier to find at night as it is the only shop with bright lights along the narrow and dark Lebuh Melayu.

The interior of the shop is decorated with many antiques and some old photos of Penang. It is a clever and cost effective way of refurbish a small restaurant such as this. There are only six tables and one of them has a wall painting of Lim Guan Eng eating Hokkien Mee!

The set menu is quite funny, it is called Cincai Set or 随便套餐 in Chinese. It is basically rice with Lor Bak or marinated minced pork (卤肉), egg and soup. The soups are different everyday depending on which day you go. As we went on a Tuesday we got  玉米肉骨汤. In terms of drinks I particularly like the old grandfather’s metal cup but you only get it if you order cold Milo or coffee. And if you check into their Facebook Page while you are there, you will get a complimentary “homemade ice pop”.

Contact Info

MM Noodles House 面面俱到

2C, Lebuh Melayu 10100 George Town Penang.

Tel No: 04-261 3344/ 010-464 7296

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/pages/面面俱到mm-noodles-house

Fried Appetizers - Jumbo Set Combo

Penang Hokkien Mee

Cincai Set

White Coffee

Homemade Ice Pop

Tho Yuen Restaurant (桃園茶樓)

Tho Yuen Restaurant (桃園茶樓) is one of the surviving old restaurants that have been operating in Penang for over 80 years! Restaurants and shops like this is diminishing day by day following rapid urbanization and expansion of the city. Fortunately with George Town being enlisted by UNESCO as world heritage site, many traditional shops like this now have gleam of hope to survive in an intense competitive environment today.

One thing that ensures Tho Yuen’s success is undoubtedly the food they serve. To run a restaurant successfully in Penang is no mean feat as Penangites are spoilt for choices when it comes to food. There are just foods everywhere day and night! Tho Yuen Restaurant (桃園茶樓) specializes in Dim Sum and Cantonese cuisine and they have extensive menu for you to choose from. However, I’m going to share a few dishes that I will order whenever I visit this place.

Fish Ball Soup

Fried Crispy Noodle 炒生麵 with seafood, pork and chicken

Fried Hor Fun and Rice Vermicelli or 番薯: its nickname

Besides delicious Dim Sum and the dishes that I shared above, Tho Yuen Restaurant also serves good Hainanese Chicken Rise. The roast chicken thigh and drumstick is my personal favourite.

Front Entrance of Tho Yuen Restaurant (桃園茶樓) 

Morning tea 饮早茶 at Tho Yuen Restaurant (桃園茶樓) 

Campbell Street, George Town, Penang.

If you want to travel back in time and experience the traditional ambience of Penang, then you got to visit Thou Yuen Restaurant (桃園茶樓)!

Located at 92 Campbell Street, Penang, Malaysia.

Business Hours: 6am – 3pm everyday except Tuesday.

Contact number: 04-2614672