[HALAL] Sifu Omar's Hokkien Mee and Koay Teow Th'ng @ Tanjung Tokong Food Court, Penang: Taste The Same, If Not Better, Than Chinese Stalls

I often wonder if there's any ways for my Malay friends to try out some delicious Chinese food because the tastes are so different. Besides, Penang is well known for food, particularly Chinese foods. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring my friends to eat all these nice foods because it's not halal (not permissible/ forbidden foods in Islam), sigh!

Koay teow th'ng on your left and Hokkien mee on your right. HALAL! Where to find this stall?

Toh Soon Café @ Campbell Street, Georgetown, Penang: Chinese-Malay-Western Breakfast?

Toh Soon Café, located ‘in-between’ shophouses/ in an alley, on your left as soon as you turn into Campbell Street, Georgetown, Penang.

For those longing for a wholesome breakfast, drop by at this coffee shop along Campbell Street, Georgetown, Penang and you’ll be able to experience some combo foods that are commonly eaten by Chinese, Malay and Western people.

Taiwan Bull @ Queensbay Mall, Penang: XXL Chicken...My Comment?

Just a short posting here.

Taiwan bull logo, cute

[HALAL] MAJ Muslim Food: Softest And Tastiest Chappati In Penang? Combo Meal For Just RM6

Again, according to my trusted friend, N, I was told about the best chappati in Penang and it’s again located at the epicenter of fantastic foods in Penang, Georgetown! I went there on the first time and it was closed (on Tuesday). I went again on the next day and my persistence paid off, it’s open:)

MAJ Muslim Food sign board, halal

Wan Tan Mee @ Swee Kong Coffee Shop, Pulau Tikus: Very Satisfying Breakfast To Start The Day

Come and try out this one-of-the-kind wan tan mee at Kedai Kopi Swee Kong (corner food court just opposite Burma Road police station) for breakfast. It’s not too heavy and not too light, just the right amount. The wan tan mee is also available for lunch but I think it more appropriate for breakfast. If you have it for lunch, you may feel hungry after an hour or two:)

Kedai Kopi Swee Kong, corner shop house just opposite Burma Road police station.

Wan tan mee (RM3.50, RM4.50 and RM 5.50 for small, middle and large size respectively) with thick, creamy sauce on top and three wan tan/ dumplings fried to crispy, golden brown color and a few slices of mushrooms, char siew and pieces of chicken. The extra efforts to include the creamy sauce and fried dumplings make this wan tan mee one of the best that I’d ever tasted in Penang.

[HALAL] Nasi Dalca Rahim @ Queen Street, Georgetown, Penang: Appetizing And Must-Eat When Touring Penang!

Somewhere in the Indian enclave within Georgetown, the Little India, there’s a famous food stall located just opposite Sri Mahamariamman temple at Queen Street. The food stall sells their all-time famous nasi dalca since 1948 and the recipes had been passed passed down the generations. Till today, huge crowds still frequent this place every evening without fail.

You too, can try it out for yourself:)

Nasi dalca Rahim (established since 1948). With bursting business here every evening, it makes me wonder why they don’t upgrade their small stall into a shop house at least. It's not really hygienic to eat at the road side.

Batu Lanchang Food Court (Part 1): Good Foods Abundance! Another Combo Lunch For Less Than RM10!

There is a lot of food courts scattered all around Penang. In each and every food court, there is bound to have some great food in it...provided you know where to find, hehe

I went to Batu Lanchang food court for lunch a few days ago. From word of mouth and locals, I was told that a few foods stand out among the rest, such as Penang char koay teow, pesembur, Chinese crullers, chicken rice, Nyonya kuih, ABC and cendol just to name a few.

I started of my lunch with ‘kai pei’/ chicken drumstick-char siew-siew yuk rice (RM6), followed by some snacks (Chinese crullers, RM1.80) and ended with a bowl of cendol (RM2) here. Total, RM9.80 only!

Hainan Chicken Rice @ Batu Lanchang Food Court

Authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Goh Thew Chik Hainan Chicken Rice, Lebuh Chulia, Georgetown, Penang.

Quiz

Best char siew rice in Penang?

Best duck rice in Penang?

Best Hainanese Chicken Rice in Penang?

Best siew yuk/ roasted pork in Penang?

(answers below)

That brings us back to today’s recommendation for best authentic Hainanese chicken rice in Penang...just to let you know one of the answer first:) You can find this stall along Chulia Street, Georgetown.

Two shop houses side by side with two stalls inside. Two stalls for twice the speed to serve countless number of customers everyday. You can order from either one and will be served promptly.

Famous Duck Rice On A Famous Road: Yat Seng Roast Duck Rice @ Georgetown, Penang.

Famous, but is it tasty? 

I went to find out. I'd heard my friends saying to me that this duck rice and I was looking forward to give it a try for quite some time. Unfortunately, every time I wanted to there to eat, I always ended up at my favorite banana leaf (Read: My Ultimate Food Discovery In Penang, My Favorite!: Famous Banana Leaf Rice @ Lumut Lane, Georgetown Penang), hehe.

Jalan Cheong Fatt Tze

For those who don't know where is this restaurant, it's located at the intersection between Jalan Cheong Fatt Tze and Lebuh Carnarvon.

Small stall with huge followings. Price written on the stall front. It's not cheap but don't expect the roast ducks here to last long. Selling like hot cakes!

Duty Free Zone @ Bukit Kayu Hitam, Perlis: Chocolate Shopping Spree!!!

Every time I go to Langkawi island, I'll be buying back a lot of chocolates. Why? Because it's cheaper due to its duty-free status. But...to go all the way to Langkawi island and buying back a lot of chocolates, is it worth it?

IMHO, it's not worth it.

Why? Firstly, it's the long drive to Kuala Perlis, followed by the long ferry trip to Kuah town. Upon reaching there, you'll notice the high car rental to tour around the island and the pricey hotel stay in Langkawi. To be able to buy chocolate ate cheaper price is just a trade off for all your hassle coming to this island.

Where is this? Am I suggesting to you to go out from the country? :)

Supper @ Bee Hooi Food Court, Pulau Tikus, Penang: Something Average, Something Lousy.

Just a short posting here.

I went for supper recently. I thought of eating something light instead. So, I ordered from this porridge stall at Bee Hooi Food Court, Pulau Tikus.

My porridge, with some scattered chicken meat

Classy 8-Courses Dinner at G Hotel, Gurney Drive, Penang: An Enjoyable And Informative Evening

J invited me to go with him to a allergies-nutritional (I think I’m ‘over-nutrition’, haha) talk at G hotel @ Gurney Drive, Penang yesterday. I was his plus 1. I’d been to G hotel for about 4 times before this to attend different functions and talks and in all those functions, they served buffet dinner. The buffet dinner was nice, not great, just nice. Out of the 4 times there, I can only recall enjoying one of the buffet dinner (the most recent one), where they served soft shell crabs and Peking duck together with other dishes (sorry, my Samsung Galaxy S was out of battery at that time, food blogger worst nighmare!@#$).

Nice table arrangements!

Taiping (And Some Say Perak) Most Famous Chicken & Char Siew Rice @ Kedai Kopi Kok Beng, Jalan Kota, Taiping

Taiping is famous for being the wettest town in Malaysia. It’s presumed to be raining until otherwise. Unfortunately, the rain always happened in the evening and not in when you need it most in the hot, scorching afternoon. You can also see old men sitting down in the evening and looking at the sky. What are they doing? They’re betting on when the first drop of rain will fall:)

Taiping also have the most beautiful lake garden (nicer than Penang Botanical Garden) in Malaysia, a cooling Maxwell Hill and a zoo too. So, if you happened to be in Taiping for a visit, go to the following place that I’m introducing to you for a fulfilling lunch! Opened by husband-wife team, pleasant couple and respectful to customers.

Kedai Kopi Kok Beng, easy to find, located near the end of Jalan Kota, Taiping town.

RasaMas: Terrible Eating Experience + Terrible Food = Banned For Life

Being ‘related’ to KFC by having common holding company, I’d expect RasaMas franchise to be ‘Malaysian’ version of KFC and serve great food too. How very wrong I am! Wrong from the beginning till the end!

RasaMas and KFC, side by side. Both owned by the same holding company.

OFA Restaurant, Penang: Exclusive Lunch For The Masses

Actually, I planned to treat my bosses and colleagues lunch this week. Coincidentally, I was approached by a 'sponsor' to help arrange for a lunch meeting. Well, like killing two birds with one stone, I helped to arrange the lunch meeting a.k.a farewell lunch:). Actually, I'd love to arrange the lunch at Chinese Recreational Club (CRC) because I heard so many of my friends raving about this restaurant. However, I knew my boss, V, like to eat at OFA Restaurant more, so I suggested to them to book a table there for this Friday.

OFA Restaurant's lunch on Friday 12.30pm

Pun Chun Duck Drumstick Noodle @ Bidor, Perak: More Than Just Duck Drumstick

Pun Chun Chicken Biscuits and Restaurant @ Bidor, tourist attraction in this small town.

Not many people will know about Bidor town if not for some great foods available in this small town. Previously, I'd written about my favorite nasi kandar at Bidor (read: Noordin Nasi Kandar @ Bidor, Perak: Amazingly delicious, concentrated, spicy chili!). In this entry, I want to introduce another specialty food that can be found in Bidor, duck drumstick noodle @ Pun Chun Noodle House.

Pun Chun's signboard

'Industrial' size kitchen churning out bowls and bowls of noodles, non-stop.

This noodle house spans 2 shop lots, side by side; one selling special biscuits, eg. Kai Chai Peng (chicken biscuit), etc. The other shop sells the famous duck drumstick noodles and other types of noodles, wan tan mee, BBQ pork mee, shredded chicken with mushroom mee, dry curry mee, dry curry pork rib mee and chicken feet mushroom mee. There are also stalls selling economy rice, chicken/ roasted pork rice and siew pau and egg tarts in it.

Menu and price lists. How much is duck drumstick noodle? RM7

Of course, I came to try out their famed duck drumstick noodle. How was it?

Duck drumstick noodle

Close-up photo. The duck was steamed until soft and tender but unfortunately, this also cause the duck meat to become tasteless too because all the taste dissipated to the soup instead of otherwise. I was expecting the 'herbs' soup to be absorbed by the duck meat but the opposite happened. Why? My hypothesis: Well, this is bound to happen if they ONLY put in one or two slices of herbs (and have the guts to call it herbs soup!). With the soup having less taste than the duck, the equilibrium will mean that the duck taste will go outwards instead of the herbs taste being absorbed by the duck meat.

Closer photo shot. Drank all the soup with all the taste, leaving the tasteless duck drumstick and noodle.

Pun Chun Chicken Biscuit and Restaurant

38 & 40, Jalan Besar, 

35500 Bidor, Perak.

Opens daily, 6.30am - 4pm

Another new branch:

PUN CHUN NOODLE HOUSE
10, Jalan Anggerik Vanilla AC 31/AC,
Kota Kemuning, 40460,
Shah Alam
Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia

 

Tips:
Try it once, just once (at least until they improve their duck drumstick noodle)
Try all other foods available here, which I think taste better than duck drumstick noodle.


Tasty Or Not?
Rating 4.5/10. Flavorful soup but tasteless duck meat. I might as well order the noodle plus soup, minus the duck drumstick and pay less.

[HALAL] Noordin Nasi Kandar @ Bidor, Perak: Amazingly delicious, concentrated, spicy chili!

My first affair with Noordin Nasi Kandar dates back to around 2009, when I was working in Felda Trolak Selatan. During the fasting month before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, I was told by my staffs that there's this delicious nasi kandar, which open at pasar Ramadhan in Bidor. I drove all the way from my room in Slim River to Bidor on weekly basis to buy myself a packet of Noordin's nasi kandar.

Noordin Nasi Kandar. From opening a small stall in a corner shop into a 2 shop lot restaurant.

My Ultimate Food Discovery In Penang, My Favorite!: Famous Banana Leaf Rice @ Lumut Lane, Georgetown Penang

UPDATE (1/8/2011): Re-opened recently nearby only, cleaner and having an actual operating license, haha!!! Hooray!!!

UPDATE: 

This stall had been closed down 'temporarily' by the town council due to hygiene issues. IMHO, I think it's sabotage by business rivals because the foods were so terrific-ly delicious! Anyway, I never had diarrhea also after eating there so many, many times:)

If there's one food that I'll miss MOST when I leave Penang, it'll be the banana leaf rice @ Lumut Lane, Georgetown, Penang. Somehow, after I was introduced to this stall by N (a Penangites with vast knowledge Penang great foods), I'm not so 'adventurous' to look for other great foods (for my food blog postings) anymore during lunch time because I would always patronize this shop during lunch time. The most times I'd eaten at this stall was 4 times during one of the weeks. Almost like an addiction!:)

My favorite banana leaf rice shop @ Lumut Lane. No signboard, located at an old building in a secluded lane... but well known by word of mouths.

Pasar Air Itam Laksa, Air Itam, Penang: Best Penang Laksa. Period!

One of the must eat food in Penang is definitely LAKSA.

Actually, my friend from Ipoh planned to visit Penang this coming morning (and I'm not around) and she asked me where to find great foods that can only be found in Penang. That's why I'm rushing with this blog entry so that she can search for the best laksa in Penang tomorrow.

Once you see this road sign, you're near one of the best laksa in Penang

Secret Recipi's Cakes Galore:)

Just a short entry...

Some nice people bought 5 cakes (yes!) from Secret Recipi for my colleagues and I, to be shared after a presentation. It's really hard to focus on the presentation when you have five cakes outside:)

They bought Secret Recipi's durian, durian cake, chocolate mud cake, chocolate banana cake, marble cheese cake and carrot slice brownies.

Secret Recipi's cakes!!!

Suffolk House Restaurant, Penang (Part 2): Taste Of Fine Dining At A Fine House

Remember my first posting on Suffolk House Restaurant?
(Read: Suffolk House Restaurant, Penang (Part 1): A Romantic Place For Fine Dining But I Ended Up Having Evening Buffet)

Well, I finally got to experience some fine dining there! I attended another function there but instead of some lousy buffet that I had during my previous visit, they served some nice, fine foods this time.

Nice table arrangements. The function room was a little warm, probably because my function was held in the afternoon. Otherwise, it was spacious and the comfortable.

Lunch Menu. Entries: Cream of Mushroom Soup. Choice of Mains: Chicken Pitiver (French Pie) In A Rich Creamy Sauce With Leeks And Gruyere Cheese OR Grilled Red Snapper Fillet With A Smoked Chili Saffron Ruie And A Caraway Infused Broth. Dessert: Traditional Bread And Butter Pudding. Coffee/ Tea. Impressive ways to name your dishes!