George Town, Penang - Street Food, Evenings

OYSTER OMELETTE (OH CHNIEH)

When made well, oyster omelette is all at once crispy outside and gooey delicious inside. My rating of 8 is given to this version photographed at the Lam Ah Cafe, opposite the fire station at the corner of Beach and Chulia Streets, within the UNESCO designated heritage area near Penang Harbour.  Lam Ah Cafe is open only from 1030am to 430pm, closed on Sundays.

Suggested Other Sources of Oyster Omelette:

1. Yi Garden Coffee shop, 150-152 Macalister Road near corner with Lorong Selamat - open from noon to midnight, except Sundays.

2. Song River Cafe, 65 Gurney Drive - evenings, a tourist hub. This is within walking distance from the Gurney Plaza and Paragon shopping centres towards the middle of Gurney Drive.

3. Stall at the Pulau Tikus Markets - from 630am to noon every day.

4. Bee Hooi coffee shop, at the corner of Pulau Tikus Lane and Burma Road, with the stall for the oyster omelette open from 6pm to midnight.  Please note that this coffee shop is also open in the mornings but with a different set of stall holders and therefore street food!

5.   Seng Thor Coffee Shop, 160 Carnarvon Street (near junction with Kimberly Street), open from 1pm to 530pm only and there is one day per week that they do not operate but this day is not fixed.

CHOON PNIAH OR DEEP FRIED SPRING ROLLS

Suggested Sources of Choon Pniah:

1.  Beach Corner at the Batu Ferringhi  tourist strip along the main road near the beach - my rating is for a 9 out of ten.  Hainan in origin, theses are best eaten piping hot from the wok, downed with cold herbal drinks or beer and eaten with family and friends.  This hawker complex, within walking distance form the Batu Ferringhi hotels and in the midst of the evening craft and souvenir markets, is open every evening from 6pm till late.

2. Restaurant open to public at the Penang Swimming Club, Tanjung Bungah.

ROJAK - FRUIT AND VEG SALAD

I am referring to the Chinese styled rojak, which cleverly combines texture, taste and health for snacks or dessert consideration.   When you bite into this heady mix, you can find this dish simultaneously spicy, salty, stinky, savoury, sourish and sweet on your palate.

Cucumbers, guava, skinned pineapples, green mango, jicama shreds, peanuts and a sauce that blends in dark soy sauce, belacan (or the toasted dried shrimp with chili paste), castor sugar, tamarind juice and soaked and deseeded chilis. It must  have garnishings that include the toasted sesame seeds and the black shrimp-based paste unique to Penang - the Hae Kor.   The only oily stuff that perhaps is included are cuts of the deep fried Chinese dough - you tiau in Mandarin or the eu char koay in Fujian dialect - that you can ask to be not included in your own serving.

Suggested Sources of Rojak:
1.  Penang styled Chinese inspired rojak at stall in the New World Park, Swatow Lane 10am to 5pm.

2.  Hock Seng Rojak King, open from 11am to 5pm, at MaCallum Street near Cecil Street Ghaut, in front of Sin Hong Leong coffee shop.

3.  Joo Hooi Coffee shop at 475 Penang Road, at corner with Keng Kwee Street, also good for Cendol.

4.  101 Rojak Ho Wei Jeng, at the Esplanade, open every night from 7pm till midnight except Wednesdays.

5.  Stall 77 Rojak at the Gurney Drive Food Centre, near the northern end of Gurney Drive, Gurney Plaza and Paragon Shopping Centres. Closed on both Mondays and Tuesdays, otherwise open from 7pm.

KOAY TEOW THNG - RICE NOODLE SOUP

The Pho noodle soup in Vietnam is outstanding for the richness and uniqueness of its soup.   The same white coloured narrow rice noodles are used in the Penang version, which utilises less spice and beef and more chicken when preparing its stock.  Vital are fresh ingredients like thin pork or chicken slices, fish cake bites, shallots. aromatic pepper and ginger, minced pork or fish paste balls, wanton dumplings and choi sum greens.

Suggested Sources of Koay Teow Thng:

1.  Sky Emperor Stall offering braised chicken feet with Koay Teow Thng at Kimberly Street, not far from junction with Sungei Ujong Road.  Open for business from 6pm to 10pm.

2.   Eel fish ball Koay Teow Thng at 183 Carnarvon Street from 9am to 430pm, except on Sundays and Mondays.  Amazingly, this place is called Pitt Street Koay Teow Thng.

3.   Beef rice noodle soup at the Lam Ah Coffee Shop, at corner of Beach and Chulia Streets, open from 1030am to 4pm, closed on Sundays.  This place is also worth a try for the oyster omelette.

The three  outlets indicated above are within the Chinese section of the UNESCO designated heritage area of George Town.

SATAY SKEWERS

Satay must be the most well known dish for visitors, especially back packers,  to south-east Asia apart from the roti - and variations are found in Central Asia, the Indian sub-continent and in East Asia.  The well chosen tender and succulent  marinated meat is lovingly placed in skewers, swiped with lemongrass juice and grilled ideally over charcoal.  I love the satay in Hoi An Vietnam; Kajang  Selangor, Malaysia; and night food markets all over Thailand.

In Penang, the Chinese operated outlets have satay served in pork or chicken versions.  Muslim stalls only provide beef, mutton and chicken variations, but come with the ketupat, a traditional rice cake often steamed in bamboo covers.  The satay skewers are normally served with cut onions, sliced cucumbers and the must-have, a rich yummy peanut gravy that brings out more in the grilled meat.

Suggested Sources of Satay:

1.   Satay stall opposite Maxim Cafe at corner of New Lane and Macalister Road, open 6pm to 11pm.

2.    Red Garden Cafe, 20 Leith Street in the UNESCO designated heritage area of George Town, near to upper Penang Road. A tourist gathering area in the evenings!

3.  Kheng Pin Coffee Shop, 80 Penang Road - at the corner of Upper Penang Road and Sri Bahari Road.  This place is also well known for its lobak.   Opens from 7am till early afternoon.

Do check out:

http://kindlyyours.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/george-town-penang-street-food-in.html

PRAWN STOCK NOODLE SOUP - HAE MEE 

Hae Mee is known well in both Singapore and Penang Islands, with a version in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong called Har Mee.   Served with a combination of yellow Hokkien noodles and vermicelli, it is tasty because of the richness of its prawn shell based soup and a variety of ingredients like thin sliced lean pork, squid and fish cakes, bean sprouts, pork lard bits, de-veined prawns and kangkong or local water spinach greens.  

Chili condiment is provided according to your preference and there are also crispy deep fried shallots to complete the act!   The dish came with Fujian immigrants settling in Malaya and Singapore in the 19th century.  The same yellow Hokkien noodles also provide the basis for another dish, stir fried with a rich gravy, Hokkien Char.  In the Klang Valley with Kuala Lumpur as its core, dark soy sauce is used to create a rather special version of the stir-fried Hokkien mee.

Suggested Sources of Hae Mee:

1.  Old Green House Restaurant at 223 Burma Road, open from 8pm to 4am but closed on Sundays.

2. Song River Cafe, 65 Gurney Drive – evenings, a tourist hub.  Also worth a try for its oyster omelette.

3.  Swee Kong Coffee Shop, near to junction  of Moulmein Close and Burma Road,  opposite the Pulau Tikus police station -  opening hours 6am to 9am, closed Mondays and Thursdays.

4.  Stall at the Jelutong Night Market, Penaga Road, in a suburb south of Georgetown.

 You may want to check out
http://kindlyyours.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/george-town-penang-street-food-midday.html

POST NOTE: Do plan your route ahead when exploring Georgetown's street food.  Public transport quality can be patchy and not on schedule.  I recommend hiring a bicycle/motor bike/ car or getting a friend to drive! The weather can be warm, humid or rainy at times.  Always have pocket tissues with you, for unlike in Australia and New Zealand, no vendor offers such tissues with your food. Always be ready to be able to pack snacks or left overs. Be careful when crossing streets for motor cycles, usually small powered Hondas, as there can be a casualness with these local riders on narrow streets and pavements, especially in the UNESCO designated heritage zones. Most businesses open late from 11am.  

At the time of this posting, most of the dishes recommended in this blog post cost from Malaysian Ringgit 3 to 5 per serving.  Coffee and most other drinks  in traditional coffee shops ask for a couple of Malaysian ringgit on average. The GST is planned to be introduced to Malaysia from April 2015. For local barista places, be prepared to pay around Malaysian Ringgit 4 to 8 for their drinks.

Common Malay words in maps are as follows: Jalan is a road, Lebuh refers to a street, Solok indicates a cup-de-sac,  Lorong means a lane and Lebuhraya is an avenue.  Jalan sehala indicates one way only for vehicle traffic.

Have on hand small currency notes - and a coin purse to handle change.  When consuming street food on a provided table in a food court or traditional coffee shop, you are expected to order drinks from the drinks stall. Street food stalls can be finicky handling opening hours, it can depend  on their other job, festive days and ingredients running out. The above food outlets featured in this specific blog post begin their business only from evening and often until midnight, unless otherwise stated.  Portions can be rather small when compared to what you have in Asian outlets in Western countries but it is a perfect opportunity to sample the variety of what is available before you go to hit the gym, beach or park.  Acknowledgement and thanks to several of my family and friends, especially Mr Philip Yeoh for their valued guidance and efforts in helping us secure a spectrum of street food places in February 2015. Feedback from readers of this blog post is most welcome.

George Town, Penang - Street Food Midday

POH PNIAH 

The Poh Pniah or "thin biscuit' in Fujian dialect - delectable, delicious and divine as made by the Padang Brown stall, only available from 12 noon onwards until sold out.  My rating for this particular dish is a 8.5 out of ten.  Freshly made poh pniah skin is a good start - followed by filling in fresh and adequately textured ingredients like crabmeat, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, cooked pork bits, grated Chinese turnip (or jicama), cut lettuce and grated carrots. The sauce is made with blending soy, rice wine, Hoisin sauce and oyster sauce.

Suggested Other Sources of Poh Pniah:

1. Sin Yin Nam Cafe at New Lane junction near Macalister Road.  New Lane has been localised in name to 'Lorong Baru".

2.  Kek Seng coffee shop, 382-384 Penang Road, open daily from 8am to 5pm.

3.   Stall at New World Park food court, Swatow Lane (from 11am to 4pm each day).

4.   Wah Leong Coffee Shop, along Burma Road.

High hygienic practices can be adhered by street food stalls in George Town.

AIS KACANG, CENDOL AND CUT FRUITS

Fresh fruit and veg juices and slices are essential to stay refreshed and quenched in an equatorial climate.  This scene is from the New World Park at Swatow Lane,  where a visit often means compulsorily having the Ais Kacang, a concoction of ice shaving, sweetness, crunchiness and delight!  The New World Park is open from 11am to 4pm each day.  I score the Ais Kacang here an 8 out of ten.

The Cendol is another dessert common throughout South-east Asia (for example in Thailand it is known as Lod Chong; in Vietnam, Banh Lot; and in Bandung and Yogyakarta, Jendot).    The Penang version is served chilled, has strong hints of palm sugar with coconut milk mixed with shaved ice and garnished with red beans, black grass jelly bits and the compulsory green coloured rice flour bits.  The green colour is obtained from using extracts of Pandanus leaves.

Suggested Other Sources of Ais Kacang:

1.  Kek Seng coffee shop, 382-384 Penang Road, open daily from 8am to 5pm.

2.  Low Eng Hoo Coffee Shop, Lorong Selamat near Macalister Road.

Suggested Source of Cendol:

1.  Stall for Teochew Cendol, Junction of Penang Road with Keng Kwee Street,  near Chowrasta Market.  A tourist gathering point! There are also branches of this dotted across other suburbs of Penang Island.

FISH STOCK LAKSA

I found  the Thai laksa, pictured above,  allowing me to soak our palates in the aroma of Thai herbs and spices.  Photo shows an appreciated home made version.
The difference between curry laksa and the other types of laksa described here is that in the latter,  the use of grounded fish in the soup base - and in the sourish taste, often garnished with cut Spanish onions, fresh chili bits,  sliced cucumbers and thicker noodles.

There are four types of laksa  - the curry laksa, the tamarind based laksa, the lemak or coconut milk based version and the Thai aromatic herbs recipe.

Suggested Sources of Tamarind Based Laksa:

1. Stalls in Air Itam Market near the Kek Lok Si Temple Complex in Air Itam (Black Water Village).  Popular with tourists.
2. Stalls in the Balik Pulau Market food court - this is on the western side of Penang island and not in George Town.  A gathering point for visitors from outside Balik Pulau.
3. Kek Seng Coffee Shop, 382-384 Penang Road, open from 800am to 5pm.
4. Kheng Pin coffee shop, 80 Penang Road, at corner of upper Penang and Sri Bahari Roads. Closed on Mondays, the coffee shop is otherwise one from 7am to 3pm.
5.  New World Park food court, Swatow Lane - from 11am to 4pm daily.
6.  Swee Kong Coffee Shop, near the corner of Moulmein and Burma Roads, opposite the Pulau Tikus police station.
7. Joo Hooi Cafe, 475 Penang Road - corner with Keng Kwee Street (refer to Cendol entry above)

STIR FRIED GLASS VERMICELLI

A yummy Fujian special - tang hoon, or the glass vermicelli, seen at an oyster noodle shop (open from noon till sold out) in Lintang MacCullum, an area land reclaimed from the Penang Channel.  The noodles are slimy yummy and the flavours of the prawns permeate throughout.  My rating for this dish as shown above an 8 out of ten.

CHICKEN CURRY PUFFS

Teatime favourite of mine - chicken curry puffs, which can  be found in various versions, the best of which I prefer are either based on the south Indian or Straits Chinese recipes. The trick is in the crust! Photo taken at the Continental Bakery in Georgetown ( at 33 Nagore Road and open from 10an to 7pm every day - last orders taken by 4pm).

HERBAL TEA, JELLIES AND SOUPS

How they make and store the cooling Guangzhou herbal teas at an outlet along Kimberly Street.
Kimberly Street is within the UNESCO designated heritage area of Georgetown.  Also worth trying in this shop is the Guilin jelly, which  is a good option during the late afternoon - my rating is a 7 out of  ten for this dessert.

PASTRY PIES

These pies are especially appealing to my eye!  I have not eaten a banana pie before.
Continental Bakery at 33 Nagore Road.

PENANG CURRY MEE

The name of this dish can be a misnomer in Penang.  Unlike the curry laksa, not much curry paste is utilised at all in this dish.  Instead what is critical to the soup of the Penang curry mee is the sambal condiment, which is made by the choice of good quality fermented shrimp paste, chili paste, garlic, onion, salt and sugar.  

For obtaining the variation of white curry mee, the chicken and prawn shell based soup is always cooked and served separately from the noodles, so that the customer can decide on how much colour to have for his or her final choice of soup - akin to the Swiss practice of serving chocolate separately from milk.  The colour from the Penang curry mee comes from how much chili and coconut milk are used in proportion.

Ingredients then added to the noodles and soup are commonly coagulated pig's blood, chicken slices, bean sprouts and the puffed bean curd (the tau hoo pok), 

Penang offers its own variation of the curry laksa, in the white curry mee, which had a spike in popularity in 2014.

Suggested Sources of Penang Curry Mee:

1. Tua Pui curry mee at 23 Kimberly Street from 9am to 5pm -  in George Town UNESCO designated heritage area.

2. Bee Hooi Coffee Shop at the corner of Pulau Tikus Lane and Burma Road, with the curry mee stall open in the mornings.  Please note that this coffee shop is also open for business at night, nut with different stalls and street food.

3. New Cathy Cafe, corner of Kuching Lane and Burma Road, opposite the Union Primary Girls School. Evenings only. Closed on Sundays.

4. Coffee shop at corner of Naning Street and Lorong Seratus Tahun in George Town UNESCO designated heritage area. 

5. Stall at the Pulau Tikus Market each morning.

6. Taman Emas coffee shop near corner of Gottlieb and Scott Roads, opposite the Penang Chinese Girls High School. Opening hours are from noon to 5pm.

SAR HOR FUN

The hot wok is used to stir fry broad based rice noodles and vermicelli, with other ingredients of prawns, octopus,  pork or chicken, eggs and local green with stems on. There is a gelatinous sheen over the noodles. Many years ago, some vendor in George Town started making a-go-go dancing moves while stir frying the Sar Hor Fun - he must have loved his job and was a showman at heart!  The heat of a good wok shows through in the aroma of the finished product - so if the wok has been used cooking this all day, it really radiates through in the taste which can be a bit burnt but which brings up the quality of this dish.

Suggested Sources of Sar Hor Fun:

1.  Foo Heong Restaurant, 56-58 Cintra Street, open by lunch time.

2.   Hon Kei Food Corner/ Cafe, 55 Lorong Kampung Malabar, open from morning.

(Note - within the Chinatown section of the UNESCO Heritage walking trail area)

CHEE CHEONG FUN

It may sound like a person's name in the Cantonese dialect, but this is truly a whiz of a pick-me-up on the run.  Usually eaten for breakfast, in Penang, it is readily available at any time of the day, but at different outlets.  The dish on first impression looks like rolls of rice noodles, cut into squares or in cross sections, smeared with sweet hoisin sauce and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds spread out on your serving plate - but the crucial ingredients are the variety of chili based sauces used to lift up the taste! These can be made from sambal or just the hot sauce in commercially available bottles.  XO sauce and soy sauce are also put into the mix.  The resulting outcomes will then determine the quality of any particular serving in front of you.

Suggested Sources of Chee Cheong Fun:

1.  Seow Fong Lye Chee Cheong Fun at 94C Macalister Lane - opening hours are from 730am to 1230pm.

2.  Cheong Kok Choy stall at New Lane (or Lorong Baru), off Macalister Road.  Opening hours are from 630pm to 1130pm.

You may want to check out

http://kindlyyours.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/george-town-penang-street-food-in.html

POST NOTE: Do plan your route ahead when exploring Georgetown's street food.  Public transport quality can be patchy and not on schedule.  I recommend hiring a bicycle/motor bike/ car or getting a friend to drive! The weather can be warm, humid or rainy at times.  Always have pocket tissues with you, for unlike in Australia and New Zealand, no vendor offers such tissues with your food. Always be ready to be able to pack snacks or left overs. Be careful when crossing streets for motor cycles, usually small powered Hondas, as there can be a casualness with these local riders on narrow streets and pavements, especially in the UNESCO designated heritage zones. Most businesses open late from 11am.  

At the time of this posting, most of the dishes recommended in this blog post cost from Malaysian Ringgit 3 to 5 per serving.  Coffee and most other drinks  in traditional coffee shops ask for a couple of Malaysian ringgit on average. The GST is planned to be introduced to Malaysia from April 2015. For local barista places, be prepared to pay around Malaysian Ringgit 4 to 8 for their drinks.

Common Malay words in maps are as follows: Jalan is a road, Lebuh refers to a street, Solok indicates a  cul-de-sac, Lorong means a lane and Lebuhraya is an avenue.  Jalan sehala indicates one way only for vehicle traffic.

Have on hand small currency notes - and a coin purse to handle change.  When consuming street food on a provided table in  food court or traditional coffee shop, you are expected to order drinks from the drinks stall. Street food stalls can be finicky handling opening hours, it can depend  on their other job, festive days and ingredients running out. The above food outlets featured in this specific blog post are open from lunch time, unless otherwise stated.   Portions can be rather small when compared to what you have in Asian outlets in Western countries but it is a perfect opportunity to sample the variety of what is available before you go to hit the gym, beach or park.  Acknowledgement and thanks to several of my family and friends, especially Mr Philip Yeoh for their valued guidance and efforts in helping us secure a spectrum of street food places in February 2015. Feedback from readers of this blog post is most welcome.

George Town, Penang - My Favourite Things

NUTMEGS

Nutmeg seeds drying in the sun, off Chulia Street in the UNESCO heritage designated area of George Town - the outer covering of such seeds, the mace, has been removed here.  Nutmegs were first planted by the British East India Company on Penang Island after seeds were transplanted form their native home in the Banda Islands. The British colonials also successfully grew nutmeg trees on what is now the island nation of Grenada in the Caribbean.

My quickly depleting nutmeg drink, stirred with sour plum to create a cooling tasty effect.

SWEET STEAMED SNACKS

Sweet sticky cakes in miniature baskets freshly steamed - a significant cultural concoction for the southern Chinese, especially for the Lunar New Year.  You an also taste such snacks in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and in the Asian suburbs of Western cities.  Preparation and photo credit - Ms S.K Teoh.

WESTERN STYLED TEA BREWS

Teatime relaxation, with ginger lemon (background) and chamomile (foreground) at ChinaHouse at 183B Victoria Street, a great idea to get away from the midday sun and enervating humidity.  Victoria Street is within the UNESCO designated heritage area of Georgetown.

DEEP FRIED FISH

Shanghai has its really fatty pork, Germany has its pork knuckle and Greeks love their olives.
I reckon Penangites love their crunchy deep and belly stuffed fried fish! 

BAKERY CREATIONS

The Rocky Road slice at the Gala Restaurant, corner of Mounter and Leigh Streets.