Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant @ Abu Siti Lane

Jade Palace has been around for a very long time and is still standing tall amidst the many competitors mushrooming around the city. The interior of the restaurant is very spacious as they do cater for banquet and wedding dinner. However, you are also welcomed if you just walk in and request for only one table.

This place is perfect for those after traditional Chinese cuisine as the seafood here come in big portion and fresh. You must try their shark fin soup as it is filled with top ingredients and you can actually see the fin's texture! Usually it is not crowded and it is just perfect if you do not wish to squeeze in cramped restaurant and waiting for hours for your food which is especially the case in most famous restaurants. Here, the food arrive fairly quick and you can truly enjoy a wonderful dinner with your family in a much peaceful setting.

 

Shark Fin Soup

Crispy Skin Chicken

James Foo Western Food

Penang is a very Asian city and is not really steeped in Western tradition despite the fact that it has many remnants of British architecture left behind from the colonial era. However, people of Penang loves Western food, at least the localized version of it. Most of the local kopitiam have a hawker stall selling Western food and usually business are good due to lack of competition as most other stalls are selling local hawker dishes. One particular stall has made it so big that they have upgraded themselves into a full scale restaurant setting and recently even opening up a branch. I'm talking about James Foo Western Food located at Fettes Park, Tanjung Tokong.

This place only open for dinner and don't go there too late as it might be tough to find a table. All sorts of typical Western food can be found there like Chicken Maryland, Chicken Cordon Blue, Steak, Fish and Chips and so on. If you love salmon, then try either the Grilled Salmon Fish Head or Grilled Salmon Fillet. Order a jumbo size fruit juice to go along with your meal that you give you the complete satisfaction for your evening meal.

A branch has been set up early this year at All Seasons Place, Bandar Baru Air Itam, Farlim. 

Street Hawkers @ Jelutong Market

Street hawkers are the backbones of the local Penang economy. Some hawkers have been carrying out their business their whole lives and some have even passed down to their next generation to continue serving the locals. With modernization comes the creation of food courts that have relocated some of these hawkers off the street into a centralized building for control and hygienic reasons. One good example will be the Gurney Drive hawkers who used to be running their business along the entire stretch of the sea facing promenade. 

However, street hawkers can still be found in many places around the island. One of my favorite is located at the Jelutong Market. This is one of the places in Penang that never sleep. Everyday before sunrise, the whole stretch of Jalan Penaga and Lorong Ipoh will be closed to vehicular traffic and are converted into a huge network of morning market. Only until around noon will the streets be opened up for traffic. Then in the evening another group of hawkers and vendors will again occupy the stretch along Jalan Penaga and the street then becomes a night hawkers paradise.

This place has maintained its identity for decades and survived the encroachment of modern development. These are some of the remnants of unique places on the island that still stand tall today due to the needs of the local people. And it is places like this that need to be preserved and upgraded to further strengthen its importance role within the community.

The newly refurbished Jelutong Market building.

Get your beetroot juice from this stall!

Refreshing beetroot juice

Penang Char Koay Teow

Penang Hokkien Mee

Night view of street hawker stalls along Jalan Penaga

Goh Huat Seng @ Kimberley Street

Goh Huat Seng Restaurant at Kimberley Street has been around for decades offering delicious steamboat dishes at affordable prices. It is indeed a heritage trade right in the center of historic George Town. While most modern steamboat restaurants use electric stove to heat up the pot, Goh Huat Seng still sticks to its tradition of metal steamboat pot with a long chimney in the middle that serves as exhaust to the burning charcoal underneath. Yes, they use the good old charcoal instead of gas or electricity to heat up their delicious soup.

This place is very popular with the locals and if you are not from Penang and wish to experience the local cuisine that is delicious, value for money and rich with traditional values, then wait no more and head straight to Kimberley Street for an unforgettable dinner!

Straits Quay Is Delicious

Straits Quay; the first of its kind in Penang offers shoppers and family a new recreation place that Penangites have never witness before. It is a lifestyle marina mall with yacht berthing area surrounded by rows of alfresco dining in a U-shape configuration. Normally you only see this kind of spaces in foreign country such as Australia. But now you have this luxury relax atmosphere right in your own backyard! 

The mall is designed to cater for a niche market. It focuses on fine dining as opposed to other malls everywhere. People not only come here to enjoy good food and shop but to also unwind their soul. It is a favourite hangout place for the locals as although it is so close to the city; it has a kind of resort feel to it. You can’t find this anywhere else in the other major malls around the island. 

The one outlet that you must go whenever you are in Straits Quay is the Delicious Café operated by the E&O Group. And to make it simple for you; I will only suggest one dish in this post. You must try the Hainanese Chicken Chop! There are two pieces of deep fried boneless chicken stacked on top of each other. The skin is crispy soft and will just melts in your mouth. Of course there are a variety of other dishes to choose from and I believe they are equally good as well. And don’t forget to visit the dessert corner which they are famous for.