2016 Jul. Georgetown. Gurney Drive. Air Itam.

Penang is THE street food and hawker fare paradise. There are so many famous and yummilicious stalls that you have to be strategic on your choices. There is only so much you can stuff into your stomach and you do not want to step on a landmine and waste space on mediocre food. Exploring the rich cultural heritage of Georgetown and the interesting street art by Ernest Zacharevic also made good exercise to burn off some calories to get yourself ready for the next meal. I love visiting Penang, and my itinerary is to eat, and eat, and maybe walk a little, so that I can eat again.

Most of the stalls I visited this time are already famous and need little introduction. You can find on the internet countless blogs and top 10 lists on what is the best. Here’s my take on what is so good that you have to hunt it down, and those that are worth trying if you happen to be nearby.

If your travel dates are flexible, try planning your trip during the Last Fri, Sat, Sun (LFSS) of the month, where heritage locations are lit up in the evenings with free admission and cultural activities lined up for public participation.

We arrived late in the evening and headed straight out for supper after dropping our bags off. This is a popular stall around the corner of the boutique hotel we are staying and the food certainly did not disappoint. Promising start for the food trip.

I picked Le Dream Boutique Hotel from Agoda based on the pics and price, and it turned out to be a great stay for 2 nights. Convenient location in Georgetown, good value for money, and wonderful service. Hotel breakfast is not something I would usually rave about, but this small hotel even had cook-to-order char koay teow and prata (roti canai) other than the usual breakfast spread. Very nice touch, and the char koay teow actually tasted good, even better than the popular Tiger Char Koay Teow nearby which I will comment below. The hotel manager made the effort to go around the tables to share with guests possible itineraries for the day and special programmes happening during that evening. Thumbs up for the very personable service, worth recommending!

Even after having a bite of hotel breakfast which I didn’t plan on, I couldn’t wait to start my food hunt nearby. First stop is the popular Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng on Carnarvon Street near the hotel, which is also on many food bloggers’ list. Being the greedy foodie, I just had to order both the dry noodles and soup koay teow to sample everything. Yup, both good! The texture of the koay teow was silky smooth, and fishballs made of eel was also very good but different in texture from the bouncy ones typically found in Singapore. The loud and sassy lady boss was also quite an interesting character, making bossy comments in a funny way, amusing eavesdropping customers like us. After picking up a conversation with her, she even invited us to the back of the kitchen to see how her old mother makes the pork slices by hand.

Few shops down the same street is the popular and crowded Kafe Ping Hooi selling Tiger Char Koay Teow. I was honestly not impressed after trying. It lacked flavour and fell short of my expectation of a good penang char koay teow. I am sticking with my favourite Ah Leng Char Koay Teow. I hope to try other famous ones at Jalan Siam, Lorong Selamat and Sisters, too much good stuff and too limited stomach space. Btw, the lor bak at Cafe Ping Hooi was good though, prawn mee also decent.

Another very good stall in the vicinity is Tua Pui Curry Mee along Lebuh Kimberly. The curry is flavourful without being over powering. The ingredients included taupok, cockles, cuttlefish, and pig blood which is no longer available in Singapore. Very satisfying.

I have foodie friends who raved about Wai Kee Char Siew @ Sky Hotel Chulia street so I just have to try it myself. The well charred and fragrant caramelized char siew was delicious. To be fair, I had been stuffing myself silly and I am sure it would have tasted even better, if I had a normal appetite. Btw, the refreshing drinks tasted so awesome on that hot sweaty day.

 

If you like a traditional coffee, Toh Soon Coffee along Campbell Street is the place to go to. As I remembered several years back, the coffee was fantastic needless to say, so was the steamed bread and toast. The tiny alley is usually packed with people. I walked past during off-peak hour and there was no crowd surprisingly, but my stomach was so full that I simply cannot squeeze in anymore without bursting. Next time, I must.

 

The most famous chendol and naturally the one with the longest queue is Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendol along Lebuh Keng Kwee, next to Joo Hooi Cafe. Loyal customers are willing to queue for so long under the hot sun for a bowl. Have a taste and you will understand why. The Penang Road Assam Laksa in the coffeeshop, a favourite of many, also tasted quite good.

  

 

Georgetown is a UNESCO world heritage site, with many architecture gems within the core city area. A popular tourist activity is to visit the many street art peppered within the city. The most popular ones include murals by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic painted in 2012 as part of the George Town Festival. These are now celebrated cultural landmarks of George Town, with Children on a Bicycle being one of the most photographed spots.

There are many other murals and street art in Georgetown. You can either take a free tourist map and hunt them all down, or just take a leisure stroll while keeping your eyes open, and they will pop up around the corner. Here are some of the ones I tracked down in between my food adventures.

 

 

        

The clan jetties in Penang built in the late 1800s are also worth visiting. Along the wooden pier are villages on stilts that house the descendants of Chinese immigrants. The jetties may be located at the backwaters of Georgetown but the 6ha area is home to a priceless piece of Penang’s history and a living heritage.

   

As mentioned earlier if you visit on the last Fri, Sat, Sun of the month, there are special programmes in Georgetown heritage venues that are specially lit up in the evenings. This is Cheah Kongsi on Lebuh Armenian, an ornate clan house in Penang that fuses Malay, traditional Straits Chinese and European design.

   

 

On another night, we visited Khoo Kongsi on Cannon Square, which is probably the most famous clan house in Penang, and also the most lavishly decorated one. Khoo Kongsi remains till this day an impressive architectural feat that exemplifies good luck and prosperity. Admission is free for the special evening, otherwise there is a charge of RM10.

     

Back to food, and good places for dinner in Penang. New Lane Foodstall located on Lorong Baru off Jalan Macalister opens from 4pm and has a variety of local food. Convenient place to try many dishes but quality wise not the best ones I have tried in Penang.

   

Penang is one of the birthplaces of Peranakan culture, and you cannot miss trying the excellent cuisine. I would highly recommend Ivy’s Kitchen at 58 Jalan Chow Thye, which serves authentic and delicious Peranakan food in a pre-war house setting at very reasonable price. If you don’t have a big group to order a-la-carte, suggest you take the special set for 2, 3 or 4 pax, so that you can try a variety of dishes. Except for the crab spring roll which is an additional order, the set included all the dishes shown below, served with white rice. So delicious!

  

   

We had nasi kandar at Restoran Mohamed Raffee on 295 Burma Road, which is one of the local favourites. The curries and fried chicken are famous. Ordering is quite straightforward, wait in line, pick from the many choices in front when it is your turn, and he will flood your plate with scoops of different curries. This place opens 24 hours round the clock!

  

For 2 more nights, we stayed in G Hotel on Gurney Drive, which is very modern, new and nice. Got a free upgrade to a big suite with good panoramic views upon check-in, so I’m happy.

 

If you travel out of the city centre to visit Kek Lok Si or Penang Hill, you must try these 2 famous stalls in Air Hitam. The first is the supposedly most famous penang laksa at Air Hitam Market, and the other is Sister Curry Mee run by a pair of twin old ladies opposite the market.

 

Some views from Penang Hill, while taking a morning walk.

        

And I am saving the best for the last… My all time favourite food in Penang is Ah Leng Char Koay Teow. It is so good that I kept thinking about it after first trying it many years ago. This time round, the stall had moved just across the street, but the char koay teow is still oh so good and fantastic. I ordered a deluxe plate with duck egg and mantis prawns and it tasted heavenly, could not resist my inner urge for more, so ordered another regular plate, oh also so good. The wok hei, flavor, texture, mild spiciness, and fragrance… oh I’m loss for words to describe it, just die die must eat!

  

Before heading to the airport, I stopped by Him Heang on Jalan Burma (round the corner from Ivy’s Kitchen) to pick up some tambun biscuits freshly baked from the oven. It is the best ones amongst the many brands available on the market in my opinion. Eat them fresh within a day or two for the best taste and texture.