Food Court: One Stop - Jalan Burma, Pulau Tikus (Top Pick)

Well, after what seems an age of not venturing in to any places worthy of a 'Top Pick' we get three in a row and all of differing styles.  A marina restaurant, a chic restaurant featuring North Indian cuisine and now, subject of this article, a food court with an excellent stall selling one of my favourite foods - Thai!

The stall in question is quite large and actually seems to encompass 3-4 separate sections, all under the same ownership.  It doesn't appear to have a name but it's located on the mezannine floor of the 'Midland - One Stop' shopping mall in Jalan Burma.  To find it, once parked you walk up the central steps of 'One Stop' and go straight ahead.  This food stall is actually to the right of a large cluster of stalls in the centre of this level of One Stop, you can't miss it really.  Despite living here all this time I've never come across this place before so I'm indebted to my good chum Kevin from Hat Yai for pointing this place out.  The reason it came to light is that we were chatting online about my craving for ka-nom-jeen, the delicious Thai style vermicelli noodles served with a variety of, often curry style, sauces.  He advised me to try here and wow, am I glad he did!



There is a bewildering array of food on offer here and what is pleasing to see is that the place is VERY popular so there is a high turn-over, no food left stewing in the eat for days on end here.  Honestly it all looked delicious and I was tempted to just plunge in and load up a plate or three.  Next time I likely will.





But, this time we were here for the ka-nom-jeen and that's what we opted for.  I have to say, the lady and other staff at the store were quite taken aback when I spoke to them and ordered in Thai, I guess a 'falang' speaking Thai is a rarity enough, especially in Malaysia LOL.  The dish was prepared quickly and the sauce was absolutely delicious, a slightly spicy, creamy curry style sauce with more than hint of coconut, it really was superb.  There is a nice array of vegetables that you are also expected to add yourself including bean-sprouts, chopped cabbage, diced French beans and Thai Holy Basil (an absolute MUST have).  The tables also have traditional Thai condiments including flaked dried and chopped fresh chilli.  Awesome!



To accompany the noodle dish we also opted for another Thai classic, somtam, a very fiery shredded green papaya (NOT mango as some seem to think) salad served with tomato, fresh chilli (and often Blue Crab) and dressed with the very salty nam-plaa (Thai fish sauce) and lemon juice.  This was freshly prepared and again was superb.



As a desert I ordered a traditional Thai style coconut ice cream.  The portion was very generous and was served with a coconut infused green sticky rice and Thai style cake cubes (more akin to brioche) soaked in coconut milk.  That I have to say was out of this world and it took me all my will-power to stop having another!

To round it off, or rather to eat later at home, we opted for yet another Thai classic.  'Khâo nǐiao má mûuang' or mango sticky rice.  Again two very generous portions with freshly prepared mango, two varieties of sticky rice and a very creamy coconut milk sauce.  Yum!!!  With a couple of cokes the whole lot came to a VERY reasonable RM 32!!



I was most impressed with the food and the staff here and plan to return often.  The standard and sheer variety of the food was so high that it easily justifies a 'Top Pick' from me.

They are open daily from around 10am until late and lovers, or even casual fans, of Thai food I think would struggle to be disappointed with the food and welcome on offer here.

The Original Thai Food - Old City Food Court, Tg Tokong (Top Pick)

Regular readers will know that I am very partial to Thai food and it's pleasing to see that Penang has an increasing number of Thai F&B outlets, albeit some much better than others.  But that's the same everywhere, there's good and bad Chinese and Indian food here, just as there is good and bad French food in France. For me, eateries here tend to be one of three types: restaurants (mid or high-end); kopitam or coffee shop style; and food courts and hawkers.  Clearly you don't always want to go to a restaurant and it's good to see that Thai food is also readily available in many of the food courts.  By far my favourite in this regard is 'The Original Thai Food' (TOTF) which is in the Old City Food Court at Prima Tanjung in Jalan Fettes, Tg Tokong.


Old City is quite a large food court but is easy to miss if you don't know it's there, being situated between (and behind) the two raised promenades of shops that make up Prima Tanjung.  There is quite a lot of parking around but the area does get very busy at lunch time and in the evenings, both because of the food court and the many eateries and food stalls around.  Parking is very cheap at around 30 sen for 30 minutes and if the parking is really full you can easily park at Island Plaza (or even Precinct 10) across the road and walk over.
One of my readers, Kumar, also advises that You can also park your car in the basement carpark under Prima Tanjung. They charge by the hour on weekdays and on a 'per entry' basis at the weekend.

Chicken with cashew nuts

The food at TOTF is really very good and is all cooked fresh to order.  As a result there may be a wait at busy times but even at it's most busy I've rarely waited longer than 10 minutes or so, time to drink some refreshing 'ambla' (sour plum drink), one of the many juices, teas and coffees available, or even a beer (or two, or more).  Drinks are very reasonably priced with an 'ambla' costing RM 2.20 and a large beer about RM 13.  Of the dishes at TOTF one of my favourites is chicken with cashew nuts (gai phad met ma-maung), a stir fry dish using dried chills in a thick, rich and spicy sauce.

Another favourite is stir fry pork mince with basil (phad kra pao gai).






The seafood tom yam is also excellent, as is the pork salad (lap moo).  I have tried many other dishes there and never been disappointed.  Most of the dishes are priced at around RM 5-6 which is very good value and the friendly staff will also happily prepare your food to take away if you don't wish to eat at the food court.

Old City of course also offers a wide variety of other eateries and for those in search of porridge you can do no better than 'May's Porridge' stall which is opposite TOTF and is next to another excellent Thai stall which sells delicious pad thai.  The clay pot noodle stall next to May's Porridge is also very good'.



Old City is open daily from around mid-morning until 9pm but closes all day every second Saturday and TOTF is very well worth a visit there.  Such is the quality of the food there that I'm happy to to award TOTF with a 'Top Pick'

Food Court: Northam Cafe - Georgetown, Penang (Top Pick)

Much of the time in Penang it is cheaper to eat out than it is to cook at home, especially if you want some variety with your meal.  Buying all the ingredients to make 3-4 dishes for a tasty lunch or dinner can be both costly and time consuming, and that's without the preparation and washing up!

Many people opt for their favourite food court or hawkers when they eat out and some of places are very popular indeed.  One such place is Northam Cafe on Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, mid-way between Gurney Plaza and the centre of Georgetown.  The cafe is opposite Northam Tower and is not far from Jalan Pangkor (see map below).


One of the reasons this cafe is so popular is its see front location.  Sitting down at sunset with a cold beer and range of superb local food is a great way to end the day.  Many people think the same and believe me, this place gets busy, especially at the weekends!  Go early if you want to grab a sea-front table or go after 8pm and trust to luck.




As I've said there is a massive range of food on offer here and all at very reasonable prices ranging from  RM 4-10 per dish with most being around the RM 5-6 mark.  Bottled beer is about the same as most food courts at around RM 13 for a large Tiger.  There is also a good selection of soft drinks and other hot/cold beverages on offer.





By far my favourite here though is a Thai store which has a fantastic array of dishes on offer and if you order them 'ped' (Thai for spicy), they are spicy!!!  I can particularly recommend their stir-fry chicken with cashew nuts and a superbly flavoured loh-bak (a heavily seasoned meat roll in a delicate, crispy coating similar to a [good] spring roll).

Another thing I like about here is that it has ample off-road parking, in contrast to some other popular food-courts such as Goodall, and the toilets are of a very good standard also.  Northam Cafe is a really great place for me and one of my firm favourites and for that reason it gets a 'Top Pick' award.






Location Map: Northam Cafe (Pin 'B' on map).

Hawker Centre: New Lane - Georgetown, Penang

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Most will know that Penang is awash with hawker stalls and food courts with different eateries situated alone or in clusters almost every few yards you walk. There are some though that seem to be sought out by the locals perhaps over and above the others. This may well of course be on the basis of a preference for certain types of dish, no good heading of in search of a hokkien mee and going to a food court / hawkers that doesn’t serve it!! Despite the dish preferences, still some hawker centres seem to be more popular than others. The previously reviewed Goodall centre is one of these and another is that clustered on the corner of New Lane.

I was taken here one evening by a friend and fellow foodie, a life-long resident of Penang. It is quite easy to find and is just on the corner of Mcalister Road and New Lane with the Sunway Hotel being the closest land mark, being just a hundred yards or so further down the road. Travelling by bus you can get to this place on the Rapid Penang 101 service, just keep a look out for the Sunway or ask the driver to let you off at New Lane.

Despite the general appeal of this cluster of hawkers, even here certain food seems to be favoured by the clientele. On this particular occasion we opted for a range of dishes which comprised:

• Chicken Satay
• Loh Bak
• Hokkien Prawn Mee
• Cheng Tung Soup
• Che Cheong Fun

Working down the list I have to say that the satay here was outstanding. Probably the best I have sampled so far in Penang (although the satay they serve at the Muntri Mews hotel comes quite close – review to follow). The satay, cooked fresh with each order, is well marinated, moist, and served piping hot with an outstanding sauce with just the right blend of peanut and chilli. The meat exudes the flavours of ginger and soy sauce with that unmistakable taste that you can only get from a real barbeque /grill. The Loh Bak is another firm favourite here, a spiced pork sausage wrapped in a thin and crispy pastry the diners seem to order it almost exclusively with the favoured accompaniments of prawn fritter and barbequeued tofu. The hokkien prawn mee was very tasty also but couldn’t compare to that sold at the Pulau Tikus hawker stall (see previous review) and the Cheng Tung soup was also very nice. This is a bean and fungus based clear soup served warm or even chilled and often eaten by the Chinese for breakfast. This is also a favourite of mine. Finally there is the Che Cheong Fun. Now, this is somewhat of an acquired taste!!! It’s OK but may take some getting used to. It’s basically a noodle which is fashioned to look like pig’s intestine (quite why is a little beyond me). The unique taste comes from the blend of sauces that accompanies the noodle which, in Malaysia, is served without any meat or shellfish. The thnee cheo sauce is dark red and quite sweet, hae ko is the the prawn paste found in many Penang dishes (including Rojak) and huan cheo is a spicy chilli paste. The dish is generally sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and a sparkling of oil and you then mix it all up to spread the sauces round prior to eating. Now I am very very liberal with regard to my taste in food and always happy to try anything new but, while I could certainly eat this dish I have to say it was not the favourite of the evening and, as I have already said, I would consider it to be an acquired taste. At only RM 2 a plate though it’s worth giving it a try. Who knows, you may love it.

I have added New Lane hawkers to my increasingly long list of regular haunts but believe me, this place is popular and you may struggle to get a seat at some of the busiest times. It’s well worth a visit and I would suggest the satay, loh bak and cheng tung are ‘Must Try’s’. The che cheong fun, you’ll have to decide for yourself. Sorry about the lack of photos this time, too hungry and had eaten most before the word 'camera' came to mind

Hawker: Swee Kong - Burmah Rd, Pulau Tikus (Top Pick)

In a similar fashion to the Lorong Selamat char kway teow article this review focuses on one particular hawker stall and one particular dish. The dish in question is Hokkien Prawn Mee and the stall, Kedai Kopi Swee Kong, is on the Burma Road on the corner of Solok Moulemein and is directly opposite the Pulau Tikus police station. By public transport you can get to it either by taxi or by bus, the Rapid Penang 101 stopping directly outside the stalls. Now the only snag with this place is that it is VERY popular AND it stops serving at around 8:30 – 9:00 am as they start at around 6:30.

Now the friend who took me here suggested that this prawn mee was the only thing that would be worth such an early morning rise on a day off and when we went we got there at about 7:45am. The place was already buzzing and had, judging by the depleted stocks, already seen a lot of trade!! I say it closes at around 8:30 am which mostly is the case, but it will close earlier if it's all sold out!!

We ordered a coffee and some Apom (Indian coconut milk crepes) which are very nice first thing in the morning when piping hot and fresh. After only a few minutes wait the prawn mee arrived. The foundation for a prawn mee is the stock soup made from prawns shells and pork bones and a closely guarded recipe including a concoction of other spices which varies from vendor to vendor and which are simmered for hours. Coupled with the prawns, pork, noodles, beansprouts, kang kung and other vegetables it can be a very tasty dish. Now I have to say that I have had very nice prawn mee at a variety of hawker stalls but NOTHING compares to this. The stock is deep and intense in flavour and really aromatic and the combination of prawns, meat vegetables and noodles is spot on and when combined with a very fiery chilli paste (mix in sparingly if you don’t like your food too spicy!!!) this prawn mee was spectacular.

I’d have to agree that some foods would need to be pretty darned good to get you out of bed if there was no other need and this certainly fits the bill. It was a very tasty, warming and hearty breakfast and all for around RM 7-8. It is easy to see why this place is so popular with a constant flow of locals who eat in or order take away and it earns a very well justified ‘Top Pick’ from me!!!

Goodall Hawkers - Jalan Gottlieb, Pulau Tikus

I was taken to this hawker centre by a very good friend of mine one evening and have to say I was very impressed. It is opposite the Penang Chinese Girls High School in Jalan Gottlieb which links Jalan Bagan Jermal and Jalan Kebun Bunga.

First thing we did when we entered is picked a few 'apom manis', the slightly sweet and crispy indian crispy crepe bread made with coconut milk at around RM 2. These make a delicious appetiser as you ponder what's on offer in the very large hawker centre. I was out relaxing that evening so apologies if the details are a little vague but I do plan to return to this centre and do a more complete write up and identify some of the specific hawker stalls we used.

We had a very good char kway teow (which was a very sizeable portion) (RM 4) and an excellent chicken satay (RM 6) served with very spicy satay sauce with a good dose of chilli for good measure. I figure there were about 10 skewers in all so very good value. We also took an excellent BBQ teriyaki sea-bass dish (RM 8) from a Japanese stall which was really excellent and was accompanied by BBQ tofu (bean curd) which I'd never eaten cooked this way before. The whole meal was around RM 20, all very reasonable and standard hawker prices with large bottles of Tiger to accompany the meal at around RM 12 each.

I can thoroughly recommend this hawker centre, it has a very good reputation (with several people I know spurning many other hawker venues in favour of this and maybe one or two others) is very popular with locals and there is an excellent variety of stalls. Being off the beaten track somewhat its prices are lower than places such as Gurney Drive. It is very easy to get to and to park and if you were staying in the Gurney area you could quite easily walk here. Excellent centre which I shall use on a regular basis when I return to Penang which, it seems, will now be MUCH earlier than I first thought and likely a matter of weeks!!

Best Char Kway Teow in Town (Top Pick)

Char Kway Teow (CKT) is a firm favourite in Penang and can be had at almost any food court and restaurant. CKT is eaten in many places in Asia but that from Penang is renowned to be the best in the World. Most people will agree though that by far the best quality, and value for money, can be had from the hawker stalls and of all the hawker stalls, none is more famous than that run by the 'red beret lady' in Lorong Selamat (in front of Cafe Heng Huat), Georgetown. Lorong Selemat runs between Jalan Burma and Jalan McAllister in the eastern part of Georgetown.

Now this place is popular!! People have been known to queue here for an hour, even two, just to get a plate of this delicious fried noodle based dish with prawns, cockles and as much chilli paste as you can handle. Yes it's expensive, well, compared to other hawker stalls here, but hey, we're talking RM 7 here!!!!

I went at about 3pm one afternoon so had avoided both the lunch time and middle evening heavy rushes where that one hour wait might become a reality for you. But it's easy to see why. The CKT here is scrumptious. Very fresh, very well cooked and all of the ingredients manage to maintain their texture here, in contrast to some of the less popular stalls where they can tend to much down a little. Additionally the smoking red hot wok that 'Auntie', as she is affectionately known (or not so affectionately for some - just Gooogle), uses really impart a distinctive flavour. So, if you are going to try just ONE CKT here in Penang, do make sure it's this one, just try to avoid the rush. A highly recommended Top Pick!!

Food Court: Mee Sotong - Fort Cornwallis, Georgetown (Top Pick)

Recently I was taken to a place called Hameed Pata Mee Sotong (to give it its full name) in Georgetown. It is in the food court opposite the Immigration building (as you face away from Immigration it is to the left of the car park which is opposite).

Mee Sotong is only open during the day time and can get VERY busy. We went at about noon so it was not too bad. This stall has been open for years and is famed for its Mee Goreng, a dish of noodles fried in spices and topped with squid cooked in spices with more than a hint of chilli!! I have to say the dish was very nice, piping hot, nicely cooked and very well flavoured. If you are used to Thai food you will be OK, even the hotter Indian food but it is spicy!!

To accompany the Mee Goreng I had one of the also famous coconut milkshakes from the stall nearby and also tried one of their Ice Kacang for desert which was very very good. For a quick snack lunch, provided you hit it at the right time, the Mee Sotong and its Mee Goreng and coconut shake well justify a Top Pick. Anyone wanting some more details as well as a few pics can visit this link.

Food Court: Song River - Gurney Drive, Penang (Top Pick)

My friend Ken at No Eyed Deer recommended this place to me me as he said it did the best chicken wings in the whole of Penang. It's almost a food-court style place (somewhere between hawker and restaurant) with seating that fronts on to Gurney Drive (you can sit way back inside if you like) and it houses several places serving different types of food, mostly Chinese/Nyonya.

On this occasion though I was there for the wings!! The guy that does them is right at the front of the court and you can see the racks and racks of wings ready to be barbequeued as you enter. The helpful and bubbly staff got me a table almost on the Drive and I ordered a plate of 6 chicken wings and a large (640 ml) bottle of Tiger which at RM 13 was good value. After about 5 minutes the wings arrived and what can I say!! The were absolutely fantastic. Perfectly cooked, moist and meaty they were just oozing with flavour and the aroma merely makes you want another plate full. I don't know about best in Penang - I'd challenge anyone to find better anywhere. At RM 12 for 6 they were good value too. I have not yet tried the other food there but for a nice cold beer, a plate of the best wings ever and watching the world go buy I think it would be hard to beat. You can find Song River by turning right outside the G Hotel (as you come out the door) and it's probably 5-7 minutes walk up the road on a corner. For the wings alone, a well justified Top Pick!!!

Eat Malay - Places to try around Tanjung Tokong / Gurney

I am indebted to Ken at No Eyed Deer (NED) for his top tips on where to eat some of the best Malay specialities in and around the Tanjung Tokong and Gurney Drive areas.

Firstly, for those stopping at the G Hotel or visiting the Gurney area, you could do worse than head up towards Jalan Bagan Jermal and turn right at the first lights along Jalan Tanjung Tokong to mamak shop (many open 24 hours) called Subadiah. It's situated on the right hand side of the road as you travel towards Tanjung Bungah and is hard to miss. Open daily it is not particularly renowned for any one dish but would be a good place to try a Roti Canai (a paratha style bread served with a small portion of curry) or Nasi Kandar, a more substantial offering of rice with a variety of curry and pickle accompaniments. Listed mainly for its convenience (maybe a 10m minute walk from Gurney Plaza) I plan to try here for breakfast tomorrow. If having Roti Canai, ordering it 'kosong' will result in you getting the drier plain version rather than that which contains a lot of margarine

For some of the best Nasi Kandar Ken recommends a place called Jamal which is further up Jalan Fettes on the opposite side of the road to NED. Apparently serves a very good range of dishes (most times with the same price charged on different days!!!) you may need to be careful to be sure of the price of the shellfish as it can rack the price up somewhat. But, being Malaysia, that is still going to be good value and nowhere near European prices.

If you come out of the NED, turn left up Jalan Fettes (as you would to get to Jamal), walk/drive up the road to the first set of lights and turn left you will immediately notice some hawker food stalls on the right hand side. in Ken's view the lady here serves one of the best local 'Char Kway Teow' (CKT) you can get around here. Penang is considered the tops for this tasty dish the world over. It consists of fried flat noodles with often with Chinese sausage, bean sprouts, cockles, prawn, with garlic and chilli paste. Ken tells me you can also get a nice Ice Kacang here, a Chinese desert of sweet red beans, jelly and creamed sweetcorn over a bed of shredded ice with lashings of fruity sauce topped with ice cream. You can't miss the CKT stall as there is only the one stall doing this local speciality (rated tops in Penang along with Assam or Penang Laksa) and one which I intend to try as soon as time permits.

Finally, for today at least, travelling up Jalan Bagan Jermal (as I tend to do quite a lot!!!) you will go past Bagan bar/restaurant and will come to the Chinese Girls School on your right. Opposite here is another Mamak shop called Taman Emas . Here you can apparently get some of the best Curry Mee, a Chinese style broth style flat noodle dish which is a little less fiery than the similar Curry Laksa. Its ingredients will vary but generally always include beansprouts, long beans, soyabean puffs, coagulated pigs blood (with a texture like tofu and tasting less spicy than the black pudding you can get in the UK, it may then contain a variety of fish types and chicken. It will vary from stall to stall. Generally the dish is topped with a chilli paste which is stirred in just before you eat it, stirring in only as much as your taste buds will handle. I like Thai food and Szechuan Chinese so for me, the lot I suspect At the hawkers they will generally ask if you like it spicy or not and it will be cooked with their best guess at the right amount of chilli paste.

One of the other dishes I have been advised to try is Tam Yam Mee. This is actually a Thai dish and is the favourite of several people I have met here including Jeffrey and the Blue Reef restarant. I will give this a spin too.

Once I have tried these places I will return and update this post. Happy eating!!!

Restaurants

I'm trying to draw up a list of restaurants I might like to try while visiting Malaysia and particularly the Penang area since that will the base for my stay. These are not places I will definitely go to but are more places to make a mental note of so I can give them a try if the opportunity arises. Clearly it all depends on how the mood takes me, what I fancy to eat on any given day and what recommendations are made on the ground when I'm there, and of course the look/feel of the places when/if I find them. On that basis, some of the places I'm considering so far are:

Georgetown

· Tho Yuen (Lebuh Campbell): Chinese - dim sum

· Teik Sen (Lebuh Carnavon): Chinese

· Madras New Woodlands (Lebuh Penang): Indian

· Restoran Kapitan (Lebuh Chulia): Indian - tandoori and biryanis

· Spice and Rice (Green Hall): Indian

· Sarkies Corner (Lebuh Farquahar): Mix

Tanjung Tokong / Tanjung Bungah

· No Eyed Dear (website)

· Blue Reef (Straits Quay): Good for fish and nice marina views

· Yyu Yuan: Local dishes and Chinese

Batu Ferringhi

· Palace (BF): Indian

· Ship (BF): Steaks etc

· Ferringhi Garden (BF): Steaks etc.

There is also the Golden Steamboat, a buffet/BBQ style restaurant I am planning to look up and this is in Jalan Nagore. Many of the restaurants listed above have been pulled from the guidebooks listed under 'Useful books' but I am also indebted to Bakedbean and Strider24 from the British Expat forums for several of the recommendations.

In addition to those listed above I will try the odd international restaurant while I'm there too, mainly to see if they do the food justice as at times I am very partial to French and Italian cuisine. As one of my hobbies I am doing a professional chef's diploma at the moment and French classical cuisine is my main inspiration, and particularly the food turned out but the current greats such as Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux (Jnr) and the outstanding Pierre Gagnaire. In fact, I was fortunate to be offered the opportunity to work at Le Gavroche (the Michelin starred London restaurant of Michel Roux) for a couple of days at the end of last year, but that's another story!!

Once in Malaysia I intend to post comment, if not full blown reviews, of the vast majority of places I visit be it restaurant, food court, hawker stall and bars etc. to include details of quality, cost, decor and ambience etc etc.

Penang Street (Hawker) Food - iPhone Application

I have recently come across the "Penang Hawker Food" blog (which I have added to "Useful Links") and which provides an interesting read in readiness for my impending trip. It is updated quite often and provides detail of a wide range of food and even specific stalls and their locations.

From reading the blog, and in a moment of extravagance, I decided to buy the iPhone Ap which is referred to in the blog, "Penang Street Food". It looks quite good and it will be useful to carry the info around, at least until I become more familiar. It can be purchased through iTunes at a cost of £1.19. They do a free version and also a "Halal friendly" version. I opted for the paid version as it shows a great deal more information about the types of food. The Ap provides details of the top fifteen hawker foods to try and details of 160 stalls, their hours and also turn by turn guides on how to get to them, utilising the iPhone GPS (for 3GS and after).

For anyone who really wants to be up to the minute with any comments from the publisher of the Ap you can follow PSF on Twitter.