New Lane Street Food

Being the street food capital of Malaysia, streets all around George Town come alive after sun set. It is as if another type of economy takes over the island during night time. It is never difficult to find something to eat in the evening, the only problem is making up your mind on where to go. 

For those who are lazy to decide, why not go to a place where you can find all the popular Penang's street food in one place? New Lane during the day is deserted with just a few cars passing across Dato Kramat Road and Macalister Road. However, it is a completely different scene altogether at night when the street comes alive with lots of hawker stalls set up along both sides of the street. The street is so congested in the evening that the authority decided to convert it into a one way traffic at night. Below are some of the vibrant sights of New Lane at night:

Penang famous Char Koay Teow is everywhere. New Lane Char Koay Teow is slightly different from the rest in that crab meat is added to increase the sweetness of the dish.

Chee Cheong Fun (plain rice rolls drizzled with aromatic shallot oil, sweet sauce and prawn paste sauce) - not my personal favourite but lots of people like it.

It is still quite hot and humid in tropical Penang even in the evening, so why not have a fresh coconut juice to cool you down and quench your thirst?

Ice Kacang makes for perfect dessert Penang style.

Kangkung with blanched squid.

Satay or BBQ Malaysian style.

Chicken and pork satay.

I personally like to visit the Ikan Bakar stall as there is always so much to see.

Hawker stall set up besides a road side drain and seating arranged on car park are just some of the versatility of Asian urban planning which makes full use of the city's infrastructure.

If you are lucky you could even witness a parade by devout Hindus whose temple is just nearby.

Imagine eating your favourite Penang food in the open streets with the iconic 65 storey KOMTAR behind you, savouring the distinctive sight, sound and smell of the evening ambience. Occasionally cars and motorbikes would pass by next to you while you were slurping noodles. You could clearly hear the conversation from other tables. People are simply enjoying themselves out in the open without reservation. The food is good, the weather is not too hot in the evening, there are so much to see and experience, such is the definition of a food paradise.

View of the vibrancy of New Lane from Macalister Road with Sunway Hotel at the background.

This is how you convert a street into an open air food court.