Over the weekend, RK and I went to Penang for his friends’ wedding. We didn’t plan where we were going to visit or eat during the trip because we were travelling with a Penangite. Definitely expected the local to recommend places in Penang. Recommend he did.
We ended up eating local food that I want to pen down because I noticed I had trouble remembering Penang food I tried in past visits, just because there were too many! I kept going, “Was it Penang where we ate this roti bakar under a big tree?“, “…some fresh healthy bread that your sister said was good?“, “…thick roti canai like Terengganu’s?“, etc.
So here you go the things we ate this round during the 2D1N weekend trip to Penang Island.
(Note: Click on subheader for Google Maps location.)
Char Koay Teow at Lorong Selamat
Somehow, char koay teow was never at the top of our list during our previous visits to Penang. Don’t know why. I don’t even remember where we had our char koay teow last time; only vaguely remember big prawn on top of a small plate of pricey char koay teow.
The char koay teow that we had this round was memorable though. Big prawn. Serving was not small (not big either). The shop was filled with advertisements for this chicken rice shop — on the tables, walls, plates and cups. There were lots of cross selling from nearby stall vendors too.
But of course, the taste itself was memorable. I’m no foodie so I shall not say much. I liked the taste to the point I could tell I liked it. LOL.
Did I mention the price was memorable too? RM11 per plate.
Oh and the barley tasted like soda. š
Apam Balik at Padang Brown
Before we were done with lunch, RK asked his friend what’s next. He requested for something sweet and apam balik was mentioned. No further question asked. We went straight after our early lunch.
It was about 12.30pm when we arrived at the food court. It was very quiet. In fact, the stall was only opening then.
RK’s friend thought we were ridiculous for wanting to order only 1 per person. He ordered 3 for himself and 3 more for us. No regret. The apam balik was so good!
There were many flavors. RK and I had 1 peanut butter and 2 corn. I’m a fan of the peanut butter flavor. Yums.
Fresh coconut water at Anba Coconut, lorongĀ abuĀ siti
I forgot how we learned about this place but we returned every time we visit Penang. Because we need to counter the heaty food with this medicinal fresh coconut water. And because we’re always amused at how coconuts are handled there.
Firstly, the way they toss and chop the coconut is amazingly scary. Secondly, we like how they cut a piece of the coconut husk as spoon for the flesh. Thirdly, they have loads of fresh coconuts.
This trip, however, we were caught by surprise by an adjacent coconut stall operating right on the alley next to the shop. Hey! I thought they were the same and was served 1 coconut before I noticed the difference.
Not sure what happened but both seemed to have their own local patrons. Funnily, they seem to have lesser coconuts combined now compared to the past.
Roti Bakar at Hutton Lane
We wanted to eat roti bakar and roti canai (double breakfast) so RK’s friend suggested roti bakar at Hutton Lane. He has never tried it himself but why not?
When we saw throngs of people sitting under the morning ray, we knew it wouldn’t disappoint.
This food stall served perfectly poached eggs plates after plates from mass boiling eggs in a huge container. How?! Each of us had two poached eggs on charcoal grilled toast with a generous serving of butter. It was a hearty breakfast, especially with the super sweet drinks. š
Not sure what dalca is but they’re known for that it seems. They also serve roti canai.
Roti Canai Ayam at Transfer Road
Not sure where the boys planned to stuff the second plate of breakfast right after our first. But we joined the crowd at Transfer Road to wait for a table by the roadside. How lucky we were to be offered seats by a family who was leaving while we were still trying to figure out the system there.
We couldn’t order a serving each this round because roti canai was served with a chicken thigh and curry. Wow. I thought my first breakfast was hearty.
It’s good that RK and I shared a plate because no way I could fit that much calories in me, especially when it’s spicy! I think I had 3 mouthfuls only.
There was a long queue for roti bakar at a stall right next to roti canai stall too. Looked promising.
Fresh Sourdough Bread at Yin’s Sourdough Bakery and Cafe
For whatever reason, we tried this bakery during our last visit. RK’s sister said the fresh bread we bought back was good so we dropped by this round to get some home.
We had western breakfast at the bakery the last round. I remember the place being homey with friendly local owners. However, the bakery was closed when we visited so we drove over to their pizza place nearby. So apparently the bakery is closed on weekends.
Definitely a lot less selection of bread at the pizza place. But I’d like to try their pizza one day. Especially because they’re located within the Penang Science Cafe.
Penang has too many food choices so I’m not sure if I’d return to any of the above even though I don’t mind at all. We’d see.
This post may be about the food I ate at Penang during this recent visit but it’s actually also the entirety of the weekend trip. We didn’t do anything else that’s not mentioned in this post, other than attending the wedding dinner, which was the main agenda. Hahaha.
Until the next trip next month / year!