Penang cuisine
Seafood
As you might expect on an island, seafood is abundant. head for the fishing village of teluk bahang in the north, or go to batu maung / teluk kumbar in the south for fresh fare at local prices. you can also get good seafood at batu ferringhi beach.
Assam Laksa
A far cry from the sweet, coconutty singapore version, this noodle soup comes with sour broth flavored with tamarind assam with pureed fish, fruits, veggies and a generous helping of chili mixed in. watch out, the combination is powerful and will have the uninitiated breathing fire! famous assam laksa include air itam market, gottlieb road, gurney drive, etc.
Penang Nasi Kandar
White rice nasi with anything else that you want with it! usually served with fried chicken, fried fish, prawns, squid, hardboiled eggs, various vegetables, and a curry which is poured onto the rice. be careful though! taking too many of the 'side dishes' can be quite expensive. can be found at various places around georgetown. the most popular restaurant selling nasi kandar is nasi kandar line clear in penang road , restoran kapitan at chulia street and kayu nasi kandar in the bayan lepas area.
If you've been travelling in Singapore or elsewhere in Malaysia, you'll see some familiar names, but don't be fooled: Penang laksa or hokkien mee are quite different from what you'd get in, say, Kuala Lumpur. Topping the list are:
Penang Char Koay Teow (çé¦æ¡)
The definitive version of the ubiquitous stir-fried flat rice noodles, tossed with bean sprouts, cockles, and anything else the chef has handy. eggs are additional and cockles can be opt out, if preferred by the customer; request when placing order. some say the best char koay teow can be found at lorong selamat but it costs at least rm5 per plate and that only if you have the patience of a saint to wait for it. another choice is ah leng char koay teow and the char koay teow in bukit emas restaurant, seberang perai.
Lobak, or Lorbak - Minced pork wrapped in tofu skin) - Very famous in Penang, Lorbak is similar to sausage Lor means a kind of sauce whereas bak means meat in Hokkien. You can choose the accompanying servings of prawn fritters, tofu, fish cakes, Taiwan sausages, century egg preserved duck egg, unique taste and texture. Usually eaten with pickled young ginger and others. Locals dip Lorbak in sweet sauce and chilli sauce. Can be found in rather consistent quality all over Penang. Also available at Gurney Drive's hawker centre and New World Park.
Hokkien Mee
Two types of noodles in prawn and pork soup with slices of pork, prawns, hard boiled egg, vegetable, beans sprout and sprinkling of deep fried shallots.
Koay Teow Th'ng
Flat rice noodles koay teow in clear chicken soup th'ng with slices of chicken, pork and fish cake. garnish with chopped spring onions. some places have duck meat and other organ meats as extras. some say the shops in hutton lane and a couple of shops opposite tandoori house are a good choices for this dish. you can also get good ktt at gurney drive, though at higher prices.
Penang Sar Hor Fun (çæ²³ç²)
A local dish with koay teow flat rice cakes in a delicious broth of beaten eggs and seafood bits. goes best with pickled green chillies.
Traditional foods
Coconut tart
If you have eaten egg tart before then instead of the egg put in some coconut and voila! you get coconut tart and definitely the best is at cintra lane.
Cendol
A mixture of blended ice with big mushy red beans with gula melaka brown sugar thrown in. this will satisfy anyone even if it is raining. cendol can be found anywhere but the best is at penang road.
Durian Fruit
Durian Fruit - Penang's durian is unique in the world. Best way to eat is at the stall. They open the durian for you. You pay what you eat. The medium durian will cost RM8-15. You don't have to worry about buying rotten durians. Stalls are usually located by the roadside next to durian plantations, along the road from Teluk Bahang almoust end station of bus 101 to Balik Pulau end station of bus 401E or 401, and along the road from Air Itam to Relau. Within Georgetown, there is one at Jalan Anson, opposite Jl Dunlop, and another along Jl Macalister.
Kaya
a type of jam - a mixture of eggs and cocount milk to be spread over anything you want. according to some, the best kaya is at a little coffee shop at the end of madras lane. to impress the locals, order some kaya toast and dip it in some half-boiled egg.
And wash it all down with some...
Teh Tarik literally, Pulled Tea - This sweet tea-with-milk drink is "pulled" by the vendor, that is, the drink is poured into the serving cup from a can/pot that is moved from near the cup to a considerable height above it. This is repeated until frothy. Like most Malaysian drinks, it's very sweet, but you can ask for "less sweet" (or "kurang manis" in Malay - and it won't be quite so sweet.) Enjoy at any Mamak Indian Muslim stall or restaurant along Penang Road in the evening, chit chat with friends, while watching the culture of Penangites.
Penang offers plenty of delicious and cheap Malaysian food, but is famed throughout the rest of the country for some specialities such as Char Koay Teow, Penang Laksa, and Nasi Kandar, which are found practically everywhere on the island. Penang is an island of countless food stalls, a veritable "food paradise". It is known to many around Asia for its culinary originality and diversity. However, Penangites find good food in many places usually unknown and even odd to tourists.
The best way to find good food is to ask the locals. Don't be surprised that some stalls that are set up beside a busy road or coffee shops located in some inconspicuous back alley are considered to serve very good food by the locals, sometimes even under a tree! The rule of thumb is to be adventurous with your tongue and to look at the condition of the stall and its surroundings. Generally, if a stall is being patronised by many locals, the food will be good to eat.
For restaurant listings, see Georgetown, Batu Ferringhi, etc.
For the most well-known Char Koay Teow, try "Sister's Char Koay Teow" at Macalister Road. Sister's Char Koay Teow however, is widely regarded as overpriced, overrated and unfriendly service by most locals. More popular albeit still relatively expensive Char Koay Teow can be found at Lorong Selamat together with a wide variety of other stalls which are popular with both locals and tourists alike.