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. 

Balik Pulau Assam Laksa

CNNGo International Food Survey has voted Penang Assam Laksa world’s No. 7 most delicious food and it is the only Malaysian food that was in the ranking! Whether you love or hate this dish, nobody can ever deny that it is one of our most unique hawker food that is authentically originated from Penang. Perhaps the government should quickly patent it before our neighboring Singapore claims it to be their dish just like what they have done with Yee Sang. However, I doubt it will be the case as Singapore already has their own version of Laksa which is more popularly known as Curry Mee in Penang.

Just like any other hawker food, you can find Assam Laksa almost anywhere you go in Penang. Since you are about to try the number one Penang hawker food, why not go the extra mile and do it in the deep interior of Penang island that is Balik Pulau. Located on a high plateau tucked in between the hills of Penang, Balik Pulau has been a sleepy town for centuries. Only recently that we witness developments in the area thanks to the scarcity of land and rising cost in other more popular spots on the island. In fact, more and more people are moving to Balik Pulau, judging from the number of residential projects launched by major developers. People come here for the simplicity of life; freshness of the atmosphere and of course Durian. 

Balik Pulau is easily accessible as there are now 3 road linkages that connect this sleepy town to the rest of Penang Island. You can drive from Batu Ferringhi, Air Itam and Bayan Lepas. All these roads provide you with breathtaking driving experience as you get to enjoy the natural beauty of the pristine hills and see the other side of Penang as you ascend halfway during your journey. The western end of the island is relatively under-developed which is a blessing in disguise as the area has been spared from the destructive force of modern development.

Balik Pulau is a very small town and once you are in the center of it you can easily spot the old market. You can visit this place anytime of the year, not just during the Durian season. Try the famous Laksa located in a humble kopitiam right next to the old market. Business started in the afternoon. You can order the deep fried spring roll to go with this dish as people usually dip their spring roll into the laksa soup. This is how the locals like it so you might as well try it.  

7 Village Koay Teow Th'ng

Everyone who lives in mainland Penang will know about 7 Village Noodle House (七廊粿條湯). In my bias islander's view, it is the only hawker food you can find in Butterworth that can rival its counterpart in George Town. 

It all started by the owner father in a small typical hawker stall at Kg Paya. Now they really make it big and not just remain as a humble hawker stall. They have expanded to be in a restaurant setting with a branch now in Penang island!  

Unlike most hawker stall in Penang island, 7 Village don't just offer Koay Teow Soup, they have many varieties of dishes to satisfy their customers' taste buds. Among the dishes you may find there include dry/ wet Koay Teow, Ramen, poached chicken, Lobak, deep fried squid, fish ball soup, minced meat and vegetable. 

Dim Sum @ Gurney Drive

If you have eaten Dim Sum in Hong Kong or any overseas Chinatown that are operated by Hong Kong people, you would probably think that Malaysian Dim Sum is not as good in comparison. After all it is the signature dish of Hong Kong. 

But there is one at Gurney Drive which I think is good enough if you have a craving for Dim Sum while you are at Penang. It is at the Corner Club Restaurant right in between the Evergreen Hotel and New Zealand Cafe. It is easy to find and parking here is a breeze as  there is a big open space car park right in front. You pay RM3 for parking but RM2 will be refunded if you dine inside the restaurant.

It is a proper restaurant with air-conditioned so you can escape from the tropical heat and relax here with good food.

Yum Dumpling

Fish ball, prawn dumpling, siu mai

Stuffed Brinjal

Fried Ee Mee

 
Business Hours: 

7.00am - 3.00pm

6.00pm - 10.30pm