Restaurant: No Eyed Dear - Tanjung Tokong, Penang (Top Pick)

I have delayed writing this review a little as I wanted to try at least a couple of dishes and at different times. No Eyed Dear (NED) was recommended to me by MM2H forum members and it turned out to be a very worthy recommendation indeed. Situated on the upper level above the shops on the corner of Jalan Fettes in the Tanjung Tokong area (opposite side of road to Island Plaza) the NED it opens every day except Tuesday from 6pm until 11pm, but opening earlier at the weekend (from mid day). The restaurant has both inside (air conditioned) and outside seating which, being on the upper level, is a pleasant place to sit. On the 7 occasions I visited I have eaten outside and found it very comfortable.

The restaurant is owned by Ken in partnership with the very lovely and charming Elfina who, along with their staff, are very helpful and welcoming and Ken is of course a mine of information about the surrounding area and where to go for the tops in Malay specialities. More on this later. In the meantime, back to NED.


The first dish I tried there was the mutton rogan josh curry. If is is mutton it has been cooked well and for a very long time as the meat is so tender. If not, it's some of the tenderist lamb you could have. The curry is rich and aromatic and the meat falls apart. Served with a good portion of biryani style rice and a portion of pickled vegetables which I found make a nice refreshing accompaniment. At RM 13 (RM 23 with a bottle of ice cold Tiger) I found this dish to be outstanding and very good value for money.

On a later visit I tried the Laotian Laksa, a Malay dish, traditionally served with beef the NED also does a chicken version. The Laksa is soup style dish of flat noodles with beansprouts and basil served with a very spicy, but really tasty soup style sauce. This is the signature dish of the NED and it is easy to see why. It is absolutely delicious and is a substantial dish. It is spicy though but I am sure that unless you have a very tender palatte such that a korma is too hot for you, I'm sure you will be fine. Again, I found a Tiger beer to be a pleasant accompaniment and, again, came out at about RM 23.

Finally I tried the coffee jelly there. An interesting desert which was a refreshing change and was richly flavoured and not bitter. Served with a cream and coffee style sauce at RM 6 this was a very pleasant and different end to a meal.

NED has quite an extensive menu and includes a variety of dishes. They serve a very good steak with a pepper sauce (on the list for my next visit), fish and chips is a firm favourite for some customers as is an Italian style chicken in tomato sauce. There is much much more. Serving a range of beers, soft drinks (including a nice assortment of lassi) and hot beverages the NED is well worth a visit. Coupled with the welcome extended by the owners and their staff, with Ken often working 'front of house' rightly gets the NED a well justified *Top Pick* from me.