For
Baby Boomers, a visit to Penang is like finding once again the home we left all
those years ago. While modernization and gentrification has altered the
townscape quite a lot, certain pockets of Penang still transport the visitor
back powerfully to Singapore of the 60s and 70s. Sights, smells, sounds, and
especially tastes, still evoke what can only be described by the cliché, ‘the
good ole days.’
The
younger visitor, meanwhile, will find a town on the upswing, thanks to its new
status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hip hostels and cafes line the historic
lanes of Georgetown, and specially commissioned street art cling to weathered
walls and peep out from unexpected corners. But the most telling impression the
youngster will take away is the stupendous street food, which literally carpets
Penang.
Penang
and Singapore share many similar flavors, not surprising given some of our
common origins in Malay, Hokkien, Hainanese and Indian food. However,
differences exist, some more obvious than others, because of geographical and
historical circumstances. Just look at Singapore’s and Penang’s idea of laksa!
That
being said, to anyone who has ever moaned about the food in Singapore going to
the dogs, a trip to Penang is an antidote. Dress comfortably for sure; ideally
in tees and Bermudas, as it’s hot and the best food is invariably found in
non-airconditioned coffee shops, side lanes and outdoor spaces.
Meat Porridge and Fried Kway Teow
It
may sound touristy, but to local and visiting foodies alike, the street market
at Jalan Kuala Kangsar is not to be missed. The food stalls are mixed in with
the usual market vendors along both sides of a thronging and narrow lane.
Nearly all of Penang’s signature foods are here; but two stalls in particular
stand out: the pork porridge, and Penang fried kway teow, located at the
entrance to the market street, next to Campbell Street.
Forget
about decorum: make a choice, shout your orders to the stall-owner, and grab a
seat nearby. Your porridge will arrive in about 20 minutes, steaming and
delicately smooth in texture. What’s unfamiliar – at least to us Singaporeans –
was the shredded charsiew on top, which, surprisingly, went very well with the
porridge.
The
hawkers use itinerant pushcarts, and adjacent to the porridge stall across the
lane stood the Penang fried kway teow. Although not on the usual litany of foodie
favorites, this stall unfailingly serves up a heaving plate of cockle-filled
kway teow perfumed with intense wok hei.
Jalan
Kuala Kangsar Street Market
George
Town
Penang Assam Laksa
Once
located on the roadside next to a Shell petrol station in Farlim district, this
laksa pushcart attracted droves. Following complaints, it was forced into a
nearby coffeeshop, where it is still named after its original ‘address.’
Unlike
most commercial stalls where canned sardine is used as the stock base, this one
uses fresh fish and spices for broth. There was a right balance of sweet and
sour coming from the blend of assam peel, shallots, garlic, and lemongrass.
What stood out from this spicy thick stock was the Penang prawn paste and ikan
kembong. Freshly cooked ikan kembong was
deboned and strewn generously on the bowl; and those who wanted more fish could
simply request for it.
Another
must-try was the fried spring roll. Eat it the local style, dipped into the
laksa broth – another novelty for a Singaporean.
Farlim
Shell Station Laksa Café
Medan
Angsana 4, Bendar Baru Air Itam
11500
Penang
Telephone:
+6016 459 7179
Curry Rice
Known
only to locals in the Jelutong area, this family-run stall opens every night at
10.30 pm. It is a swift and efficient operation. Early arrivals will find the
whole coffee shop looking deserted half an hour before opening. Then suddenly a
flurry of activity erupts, and a 6-man team sets up the stall and brings out
more 30 trays of freshly cooked food from the back of the shop – all in 30
minutes!
The
food was predominantly Teochew, with a variety of spicy curry dishes to choose
from. The taste was home cooked and simple; however every curry dish had its
own distinct taste, unlike in Singapore, where it sometimes seems like a ‘one-curry-fits-all’
situation exists. The only thing to beware is that one tends to over-order as
each and every dish looks equally appetizing.
Tong
Sun Coffee Shop
Jalan
Perak, Jelutong
Penang
11600
Fried Oyster Omelette
Amusingly,
this rundown coffeeshop was listed in Penang food guides for the beef noodle
stall it housed. But it is the fried oyster that is driving the crowds here.
The stall-owner, Mr Gan, gained popularity when he operated for more than 10
years from an old coffee shop at New World Park. He moved due to high rents
some two years ago.
Mr
Gan serves two versions of fried oysters: the Thai style which is more dry and
crispy, and the more popular starchy and wet style -- which is also the version
Singaporeans are more familiar with. Go
for the Thai version, as the crispy edges of the omelette would blow you away
when dipped in the special chili sauce.
Gan’s
Crispy Fried Oysters
Lam
Ah Coffee Shop
194
Lebuh Chulia
George
Town
Mr Lous’s Lok Bak
No
visit to Penang would be complete without a visit to the Lok Bak stall at this
café. Mr Lou Joo Chon has sold lok bak for more than 40 years. He offers quite
a selection but the must-try items are the prawn fritters, tou kwa, and fish
roll. Also a must is the five-spice meat roll, simply known as lor bak. Instead of minced pork, Mr Lou seasons strips
of pork with a special concocted five-spice powder and wraps it in bean curd
skin.
He
then fries the rolls in a moderate heat that cooks the meat without burning the
bean curd skin. Another of his unique offerings is the dipping sauce similar to
our lor mee gravy. This is a derivation of the Hokkien-style dipping sauce,
where heavy stock is used as the base and potato starch is added as thickening
agent. Incidentally, Penang lor mee shares the same stock with lok bak, except
meat bones are added to the lor mee stock.
The
popular Mr. Lou makes an appearance at the annual Penang Food Festival held in
a Singapore hotel along Scotts Road. But nothing beats eating at his stall,
enveloped in the atmosphere of Penang.
Kheng
Pin Café
80
Penang Road
Georgetown
Pasar Bukit Mertajam
A
visit to Pasar Bukit Mertajam would remind one of eating on a movie set.
Located just outside a 120-year-old Chinese temple, the dining space is a
courtyard flanked by temples and stalls serving a variety of food from morning
till night.
In
the day, the dishes to aim for are wontan noodles, Mee Jawa, Hokkien mee and
rojak. Look out for a unique dish known as “cup rice”, where rice is steamed
individually in an aluminium bowl. Upon order, the rice would be topped with
morsels of meat and braising gravy, and then served to be eaten soggy wet with
gravy and pickled chili.
At
night, the selection from the cze char stall reminds one of unpretentious home
cooked food. The ambience is of Singapore streets in the 60s, where tables and
chairs were placed randomly in any available space. The food and ‘feel’ of this
place has made it one of the more popular spots for friends and visitors to
gather.
Jalan
Bunga Raya
14000
Bandar Bukit Mertajam
Butterworth
Curry Fish Head
A
visit to Sri Siam makes the hassle of crossing to Butterworth worthwhile. Sri
Siam is a name synonymous with street-style curry dishes in Penang, ask any
Penangite and he would direct you to this place instantly. Be prepared to queue
and elbow for a table during lunch though, because Sri Siam’s curry fish head
is famous.
Unlike
the Singapore version, the curry fish head here is light as it uses coconut
milk. However, the taste of onion and mint come through strongly in the gravy.
Apart from the curry fish head, the array of dishes available would satisfy
even the most seasoned foodie. It is an eclectic mix of Chinese and
Malay-influenced dishes, but stick to the spicy items and you won’t go wrong.
Sri Siam’s food bears the strong influence of nearby Thailand, so the spices
used slant towards sourness, and there is a generous use of fresh herbs.
Sri
Siam
32,
Medan Kurau 2
Chai
Leng Park, 13700 Perai
Butterworth
Photos by Mark Ong
Photos by Mark Ong