Penang Good Food Guide

So I was in Penang recently and conducted a food tour courtesy of a few locals.

Both Penangites and Kuchingnites love their food passionately, though I must say Penangites take their love for food to a whole new level of obsession.
The best way to start a fight with a Penangite is to tell him the best Char Kueh Teow is not at his favourite stall. Then be prepared to argue with him until the cows come home and the Char Kueh Teow aunties pack up their stalls to go home watch Astro liaw.

But here’s what I think about Penang food. I gotta warn you extremist food lovers first though. The entry ahead contains brutally honest opinion. If you cannot handle the truth, then I guess that’s just too bad.

Penang Nasi Kandar

Penang has a lively and thriving Indian population. It’s very unlike in Kuching, where spotting an Indian walking down the street is an occasion for all Chinese people to point and stare.
Nasi Kandar is possibly one of the best things ever to come out from Penang. It is hot, spicy and oily but I love this dish to death. I went to Mohd Rafee in Pulau Tikus and Line Clear on Penang Road, and I enjoyed them both. Even now, typing this entry is enough to make me wanna fly to Penang and gorge myself silly with Nasi Kandar

Ordering Nasi Kandar is very much like ordering economical fast food in Kuching, except everything is almost in curry. You start with rice and then select from the many different types of curries to flood your rice with. The combination of these curry flavours give rise to a diverse but distinctive range of tastes.

Nasi Kandar stalls are also typically located close to drains. So when you eat Nasi Kandar, the “pleasant” aroma emitting from the drains nearby also comes free with no extra charge.

Penang Assam Laksa

I tried the one at Anson Road, although most commenters cited Ayer Itam wet market as having the best Assam Laksa instead.
But the truth is, this is the 4th time I tried the Penang laksa and I still do not like it! The Penang Assam Laksa I tried looks and smells like someone just scooped it up from the longkang water in their backyard, chucked some fish and pineapple in it, then served it to the customers. It looks bad. It smells foul.

Just like our own Kuching Belacan Beehoon, the Penang Assam Laksa is a love-hate affair. You either love it or hate it. For me, I just think it tastes too foul and sourish for my liking. I won’t say I flat out hate the dish.
Let’s just say it’s something I’d eat if I really hate myself.

Penang Ampala Sem Bueh

Why don’t we have this drink in Kuching?!
Ampala is a kind of mango-looking fruit and sem bueh is dried sour fruit. Mixed together and topped with ice, they make an excellent refreshing drink. They are so popular now, you can get them at almost all coffee shops in Penang. Perfect for washing down your hot assam laksa or oily Penang char kueh teow!

Penang Sup Torpedo

naeboo and I went to this roadside stall opposite the skanky Hotel Malaysia after a night of clubbing, and she yelled “Bagi dia SUP TORPEDO!”
The Indian waiter’s eyes opened up wide, as if to tell us “Whoa! Respect!”

The “torpedo” in this “sup” has nothing to do with the bombs Americans used to drop on Iraq. The “torpedo” in this case, is a bull’s penis, chopped into pieces, boiled in broth and served with a good dash of pepper. Supposedly, drinking Sup Torpedo helps improve vitality and cures erectile dysfunction.
When I come to Penang, I know I’d be tasting a range of good hawker food. Never did I expect that I’d be sucking on some dead animal’s lan jiao.

Penang Cendol

Check out the familiar face on the top right corner of this photo. Use your blain. Dun pray pray!

Commenters suggested that I go to Penang Road for cendol, and that’s where I went. There’s two stalls facing each other in a lane, both selling cendol. I find it really amazing that one stall has tons of people clamouring around it, waiting for their turn to give the owner money, whereas the other one only has the owner sitting there bored and chasing away mosquitoes.

It’s worth a try. Penang cendol is good, but I won’t say it’s fantastic. Maybe it’s the teochew style, but I’m not used to my cendol tasting like limp noodles in syrupy cold soup. I’m not sure why there’s more syrup than ice in my cendol. For the best cendol in the whole of Malaysia, you cannot go past Melaka.

What I love about this cendol stall in Penang Road though, is that they sell ice balls.
This is where they mould the ice shavings into the shape of a ball, pour syrup over it, and you just suck on it like your momma’s titties. And they cost just 70 cents.

And it tastes great especially on a hot, humid day.

Penang Char Kueh Teow

There are too many famous Char Kueh Teow stalls in Penang. Just by stating one’s preference over another is enough for you to start a fight with a Penangite.
The three favourites that was recommended to me by the commenters are Sister’s Char Kueh Teow at Macalister Road, and two stalls at Lorong Selamat.

Personally, my favourite Char Kueh Teow stall is the one at Lorong Selamat where the auntie wears protective goggles and a santa hat when she chars her kueh teow. Many commenters have warned me that this auntie has got some serious attitude problem and she fries her char kueh teow as if the whole world owes her cash.

Surprisingly, she was quite nice to me when I was there. I did purposely went out of my way to piss her off but she was kinda patient. Even the local Penangites who were with me remarked that her attitude that day is a little unusual.
I’m not sure why she’s so nice to me. Maybe she’s also a fan of kennysia.com.

I must say, the Penang Char Kueh Teow totally deserves the iconic status that it has as the favourite food of all Penangites. The flavour of this wondrous dish packs such an impactful punch. The difference is the way they fry their kueh teow – with hot charcoal instead of gas.
I dare say their Char Kueh Teow kicks our pathetic Tomato Kueh Teow’s ass so freakin’ bad, you can taste their foot all the way from Kuching.

The only thing bad about this dish is that it is way too oily. If you ever fall sick due to high cholestrol, don’t worry – the cardiologist is just right across the road.
Penang Char Kueh Teow is SO DAMN OILY that when I go to the toilet, instead of pissing urine, I piss cooking oil.


A while back, I issued an open challenge to Penang bloggers to come up with their own version of the Food Awards. Many answered the challenge, but there can be only one winner.
Congratulations, Eve of apple4today.blogspot.com – by narrowing down your selections and supplementing your entry with an abundance of photos, I name you the best presenter for the Penang Food Awards!

140 Replies to “Penang Good Food Guide”

  1. Absolutely fantastic food! Love the photo’s, fucking gorgeous! Fantastic!
    That shrimp wan looks so devine! When you show these pics, I feel in penang, absolutely superior!
    Dellllllllicious!!!!!!!!
    MMMMMMMMA!
    I’m very hungry now, kenny you bitch!
    Dakota ox

  2. finally i am forth!! i am a penangrian and i am proud of my food!! thx kenny!! try the wan tan mee at island glades next time, its definately a holyshit dish.

  3. hmmm.. i agree, i prefer the charkoay teow in lorong selamat too…
    as for asam laksa, i’ve tried d one in ayer itam… the fish is so damn soggy it looked like someone’s puke instead of fish. my advice to u.. go to farlim, there’s a stall by the side of the road that sells killer laksa. it’s so gud dat everytime b4 i rtn to kl i’ll buy 2 add packets (one for me another for a close fren)
    how come u din go to padang to drink the “coco peng”??? it’s outta dis world man… u dun get drinks like dat in kl (i dunno bout kuching)-i also always bungkus 2 packets and drink it on the way back to kl…
    i’ll b goin back to pen in apr n may. i’ll try to post up the directions/location of my favourite places to makan in penang. will let u know den… cheers

  4. Piss cooking oil? Hm, interesting, is your dicknosaurus cooked yet? haha. The aunty with goggles and red hat looks funny. πŸ™‚

  5. The char kueh tiaw got big prawns!!! wow!! Penang Laksa not nice at all. Still Sarawak Laksa the BEST!

  6. Kenny, I dont think the when mamak dude’s eyes opened wide when you ordered the sup torpeado was because of respect leh… i think its more like because he thinks you got some serious erectile dysfunction to be drinkin that shit, especially when it was ordered for you by a girl…. mauahaha!!!

  7. Mr S
    Ampala Sem Buey! Man, Ampala is a place in Honduras. We Penangites call it Ambra.
    The Lrg Selamat auntie being nice? Could it be because she knows that a little Singaporean Ah Lian is also around with a tv crew.

  8. I say you gave a fair comment to Penang food. I am from PG, craving PG food almost everyday from US.

  9. That aunty in the first char kueh teow pic is my cousin’s dad’s (my uncle lah, just wanna emphasise the long distance relationship – in hokkien called “huan joo cheen” or sweet potato relation) cousin… or something like that. I went there when i was in Penang, she gave us free kueh teow, though she probably wouldn’t know me if i went there by myself. I did feel her char kueh teow was pretty good, maybe cos it was free though… my opinion could be skewed

  10. I think the last time a torpedo was fired in combat was in 1983 in the Falklands lah. Torpedoes are not gravity bombs; you fire a ship with it, not drop it on someone’s house.
    Nibong Tebal has this strange laksa that comes with a big prawn cracker. I am usually no fan of any laksa, but this one is interesting enough for me to want to try again. Pity that place is kinda far from the island; about 45 minutes drive in good traffic.

  11. Oh man.. you make me so hungry now, Kenny. How I wish I am in Penang right now. I just love all these yummy tasty food!! Gosh!!!
    I’ve personally tried the Lorong Selamat’s Char Kueh Teow… and anywhere else’s stalls will give perfectly hands down to this one..
    Grrrrrrr…. stomach growling..thanks to u, Kenny..

  12. Although the char koay teow is damn fucking good. However, the lady and her daughter, the two fellas in the red hats/caps, are a crazy bunch of fuckers. They yell and curse at each other.
    They tell the customers, you can wait or not..? I usually go to the uncle opposite. Which is not as tasty because he uses gas to cook his char koay teow but it is good enough for me!

  13. Wow please dun urinate oil its bad for your health kenny….
    ANd as for char kuay tiao never go to sisters cuz they are wayyy tooo over rated, it doesnt taste as good as some describe em to be plus the long wait really isnt worth it….and thank god you prefer the aunty with the gogles kuay tiao…..
    oooooooooooo all the pictures of food here is making me droollll all over in my office……….cant stand it de makes me soo hungry…..dam you Kenny……

  14. That’s the best Char Kuey Teow I ever had in Penang – Lorong Selamat! Yah, they have attitude problems one. U want u come, u dun wan u siam.
    kekekeek… Torpedo….I went to that restaurant but don’t dare to eat.

  15. Why the hell didnt you try the laksa behind penang plaza?? near the swatow lane..sold by an old indian uncle but made by a chinese lady..damn famous!! damn good as well!! seriously coming from a penangite, there is alot alot more better place for all those food. The ones u reviewed are the commercialized. But great job anyway! Thanks.

  16. i totally agree wit u on the Penang Laksa. I can’t stand the taste too.. n i thought the same thing, that it looks n taste like longkang water.
    im really hungry now.. need to find some food!

  17. they do have ampala in kuching but it’s not very common there, my dad used to bring some back from his friend’s farm, it’s a bit similar to the “bachiku” in kuching.

  18. U should go to other towns in Sarawak and do some documentary style on their food too. E.g. Kuching Laksa beats any other town’s laksa, but e.g. in Sibu, the long life noodle (mee sua) is reknown all over in Msia. So does the ‘wrinkled veggie fish big beehoon soup’ (in foochow they call it Chou Chai Hoong Ngan). Of course, I love the popping hot kompia. In Ipoh, the taugeh chicken rocks ur socks off. In taiping, there cendol is really really good. But then, SS15 Subang’s roadside is just as good.
    U should take a road trip from JB and drive all the way to Perak and see which town’s food is the best (since ur so passionate about food). =)
    I say,… u should have an alliance with Ho Chiak tv show and tell them u can do the blog thingy online while they do tv show!! win-win situation. =P

  19. It is not a cendol lah, we called it ais-kepal dear. that was what my brother used to call it. =)

  20. That time I went for the Sister’s Char Kueh Teow, it was pack, everyone has to que up to order and take the food on their own.
    If you like beef noodle, I tried so many in KL and the best is in Petaling Street.

  21. Well at least you enjoy the Char Koay Teow, Wait till we let you test Seafood Koay Kak. Then u need to come and stay in Pg liao. Hahah
    Seriously you can try some other non-oily food like Bak Kut Teh with Yam Rice or simply Salt-Steam Chicken. There are some which is as good as Ipoh.

  22. hey that ice ball thing… there was something like that in kuching last time.. called kantong i think.. but not balls la. more like ice packed onto a stick. can’t find it anymore tho. or i dono where to find.

  23. kuchiki rukia is right~ the mee sua and the hoo ngan zhao cai is reli reli reli nice!!! oh, ketchup kueh teow is nice plz~ u prob nvr tasted the nice ones be4. pfffftttt

  24. O_o the chendul stall got sell snow balls wan meh??? Im a Penangite but didnt noe tht… or was it just photoshop? coz the snow ball seems 2 be floating

  25. Yes, now someone has mentioned it.
    In the first snowball picture, it seems the snowball is FLOATING on that boy’s palm.
    What’s that?!?!

  26. Air Itam’s laksa is not as good as it used to be already. Some penangites even hate it because the sauce is too thick and probably smells like longkang water as you mentioned. The one at Bukit Bendera is nicer.

  27. Hahaha, honestly, regarding the Asam Laksa, from what i know most commentators who would’ve said that the best Asam Laksa is the one near the Air Itam wet market is DEFINATELY NOT from Penang! Usually from KL.
    Because that laksa stall is “strategically situated”, thus most people will go there and get “cheated” by it. I hated the laksa there, taste really funny like something went wrong!
    Most Penang-kias, or Air Itam people, will usually go for the “Ah Kao Laksa” within the hawker area opposite the “wet-market-laksa-place”.
    That, i say, is heavenly! Though i like Batu Lanchang’s one as well =)!

  28. Hey Kenny, the Penang Char Kueh Teow looks sumpelicious! By the way, where to get best ketchup/tomato mee in Kch, loh?

  29. hey kenny.. i am a malacca, but i don’t agree with you that malacca ‘s chendol is better..penang’s much better =) i think most malaccan would think the same as me..haha

  30. i went to Penang last year Dec. I tried the Air Itam’s assam laksa and the thing my friend and i got from it, is the diarrohea for 1 week. non-stop vomitting. Argh!

  31. Why u all people so sakai? all stupid, u people better go to hell… kenny sia, fuck your mather ass hole!

  32. the laksa stall beside the famous cendol stall is nice…the hu bak is absolutely too much and this makes the laksa absolutely fantastic..

  33. I personally find that the asam laksa is a dish of going staled fish dumped into some soup. I don’t like it at all. It’s just me with fouling fish, that’s all.
    And yeah, Malacca cendol rocks to the max =)

  34. There used to be a saying for penang food.
    The more dirty the place the tastier the food is.
    Place that has most rats has the best food – this would very much describe Line Clear.
    My personal favourite food corner is the Chulia St. Wan Tan Mee and Curry Mee. I once saw rats eating on the leftover plate by the drain.

  35. kantong is still available in kuching… carpenter street right in front of the temple nearest to the post office… did not enjoy much tho and its one buck if im not mistaken..

  36. About the floating snowball… I’m sure you all know it’s not floating but the pic taken while snowball in mid air. Ice cold mah, cannot hold too long otherwise melt, and have to get the syrups all over it also, so have to keep turning it around for good coverage lor, and only got 1 hand to work with then have to throw lor…

  37. I thought you were gonna say something bad about Penang food (since you had some sort of a disclaimer before you started to talk about the food), but you didn’t after all :]
    And I agree with your whole post. In short, Penang food rocks. πŸ˜›

  38. u know why the aunty with goggles so good to people ….now …..cos he shop was almost gone to some hooligon that she was rude to …almost cause her to close shop …..that is why he attitude towards her customers ….is better ..but at the end still bo ka si la …

  39. Ive lived in Penang nearly all my life, and, I have to say that this whole food masturbation thing is just really more hype than anything. A plate of Chowkeoyteow has a basic taste, a template, with the 65thousand small and big stalls serving minor differences, further subdivided into spicy/dry/etc whatever target audience wholl like it. The great thing is the variety, but perhaps the whole food hunting thing was a product of the chinaman ‘eat anything lets try everything under the sun’ paradigm.

  40. Great post Kenny, anyway, do anyone of u guys know where to get the Char Kuay Teow in Penang with crab meat on top? I remembered having it when I was very young. Oh ya.. and which is the best seafood restaurant in Bukit Tambun? There are so many and some of them suck. Thanks in advance.

  41. Wow, I salivated looking at the food. The fact that I’m not in Asia right now, and that I’m having to eat ang moh food all the time, makes your food entry one of my favourite reads.

  42. Yo,kenny,dun make me miss the penang laksa pls(cuz i wont and nvr will).The shop hawker i bought my penang laksa in took 1/2 and hr to cook up the crap and then charged me Rm5!?!

  43. Sorry Penangites, the Best City for Hawker Fare is IPOH. You can even find the best char kway tiao in the whole of Malaysia & Singapore here.

  44. agree with chryss! why u din try the o chien???!!!!!
    zeb: why suddenly come out with ipoh pulak? hahaha

  45. OMG! you didn’t do anything on O-chien??
    I was devouring o-chien and char kueh tiow when i was there a few months ago.
    I miss MALAYSIA!!! Char Kueh Tiow in Melb gives a whole new meaning to tasteless and oily char kueh tiow…

  46. kenny..u go wrong place to eat laksa d… there is the worst laksa in penang….. u should go the place u eat ice kacang eat laksa…. or sum other place.. the shop u went… is the worst laksa in penang.. n the tauke veli kiam siap1…. n the taste weird weird….. dun go there eat anymore…

  47. lol….i remember there’s also sup torpedo & cannonball, you can fill in the blanks on the canonball πŸ˜›

  48. Kenny, you’re just making me salivate all the way from Australia. I miss my Pg food so badly…..
    If you have the chance to visit Pg again, you should try siamese laksa in Pulau Tikus. I can’t remember what’s the name of the coffee shop, but it’s a small shop next to Cheng Photocopy opposite the Pulau Tikus police station. That one is yum…..
    Pasembur and popiah at the Padang is also very nice…..
    For wan tan mee, the one along Burma Road in a coffee shop called Golden City is fantastic. The sui kow and wan tan are the best I’ve tasted in whole of Pg.
    Fried Oyster in Lorong Selamat and at Sia Bui are very nice although it’s super oily…..worse than the char koay teow

  49. Forgot to mention, there’s a perfect book just on all the hawker food in Pg and where to find them. Was relying on that book looking for all the good food during my summer vacation. Can’t believe me, a Penangnite, didn’t know all these places.
    It’s called – Famous Street Food of Penang: A Guide & Cook Book.

  50. the snowball is not floating la.. kenny took the pic when the guy was throwing it up.. that’s why look like it’s floating.. haha.. by the way.. the pics are so making me hungry>>!!!

  51. Hi! I am a food lover, food hunter, having great passion in food. Most ppl tend to focus on penang’s hawker stall foods only. I do not blog about that coz everyone (both penangites and non-penangites) knows where to get them. Do check out my site when you are free and you get to know what I mean.
    p/s: You have a great blog!

  52. i heard the CKT there is like rm5 per plate and it tasteis mediocre. gosh! so damn expensive! i’ve tried better.

  53. Oh my god.. I wanna go Penang NOW!!!!!!! I wanna eat char kuew tiao!
    But i’m afraid I won’t be able to find these places! Boohooo..
    I think I shall have to print this post out! Hehe..

  54. Hey Kenny, the auntie sounds like the Soup Nazi on on e of the Seinfeld episode.
    Soup Nazi: No Soup for you!
    Auntie: Bo char kuew tiao hor lu!
    Hahaha….

  55. funny post! yea penang has great food, i remember the assam laksa that my penangite brought me to was not bad and opposite the road from some big big school. we also tried those small malay stalls roadside on the way down bukit feringghi.
    dont know who i pity more, the bull for having losts its dick AND getting it sucked by you, or you for having to suck the chopped off dick of a dead animal…both denied the pleasure of ur act.

  56. urm.. babes, i think the mamak opened his eyes wide like that coz he was thinking along the lines of “whats IS WRONG with this girl???”
    and yeah. i finished the sup torpedo for him coz hes such a pussy (ate only two-three bites).

  57. Heheh Line Clear nasi kandar. Nice array of curries and Liverpool all the WAY!!!! Kayu is getting absurd with it’s prices.

  58. oh. my theories on why the auntie didnt get pissy with u coz:
    1-u bigger sized than her.
    2-it’s ald past lunch time, no queue mar, of coz no need to wait long
    3-u got someone holding cam to video the whole affair
    4-someone in ur group ordering from the apek also, therefore, competition
    5-u look like her long lost brother

  59. I’m a half penangite and kuchingite so i cant really take sides here…
    but penang’s char kueh tiao and sarawak’s laksa really kick ass man…

  60. You are brutally honest. I have tried Penang laksa and chendol many times and I didnt’t like it despite the hype. Maybe it’s an acquired taste.

  61. Please recycle the oil! Collect your piss and hand it back to the red hat beauty to reuse and i bet the koay teow will taste extra good. Her hat might even turn green for a change.

  62. Haha, kenny, nice recommendation there.
    Maybe sometime u can have a recommendation on the food in malacca. U could have nicole 2 help u with it though. Well, since i use 2 see her at Pure Bar so often, i presume she is an outgoing person and should have da knowledge in da various food in malacca.

  63. not fair kenny sia…
    here i m a penangnite in auckland, lusting over penang food n u go around savoring all d good food n making me saliva drool all over my desk at work…
    way to go man

  64. walae eh, u went all the way to penang n ate only tnat?
    there r still so many thing like oe jien, roti canai opposite the hospital, passembur, laksa opposite padang Brown, n HOKKIEN MEE.
    man, u still miss out a lot.

  65. i was quite shocked at 1st when i came to west msia for their “light-green-coloured” cendol…u know we kuching-nites are used to dark green cendol..hehe…

  66. i suppose the drink ur promoting is called ‘ambra suomboy’, u get this at kuching as well lar~ the 1 i noe its at the coffee shop (on the SONY Bumiko’s row of shop house)apposite of the construction site of ‘the spring’ simpang tiga.
    cheers all food lovers~!

  67. Suck your mamma’s what?! You guys are so immature and insecure! How would you like to piss blood instead of cooking oil? Sounds great, doesn’t it? We women get the blunt end of the stick. Unfortunately, we women have to deal with so many symptoms of PMS and Menstruation: Fatigue (an understatement); its more like exhaustion!, bloating, sore breasts, cravings (especially chocolate or salty foods), cramps, moodiness, lack of sex drive, depression, crying spells, sometimes suicidal thoughts, weird dreams (morbid or violent), backaches, migraines, irritability, confusion, forgetfullness, trouble concentrating, insomnia, poor coordination, inability to concentrate, hopelessness, sensitive to temperature, sensitive teeth and gums that bleed, acne, cold sores, fever blisters, feeling sluggish, lack of motivation, soggy napkins and wondering if we are staining our panties when we have our period (isnÒ€ℒt that sexy), constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, weight gain, gas (due to muscle contractions of the uterus during our period), UTIÒ€ℒs & constant urge to pee during our period) and the list goes on and on….and we women still have to function in our daily lives (working every day, taking care of our familes (children, babies), dealing with men’s shit.) Life does not stop for our PMS and our periods. We can also get sick (cold, stomach flu or whatever while having our periods or PMS as well)….howÒ€ℒs that for multi-tasking. All these symptoms are due to a lack of serotonin in the brain during our cycles. And those Ò€œhave less periodsÒ€ pills they advertise is a crock; they donÒ€ℒt tell you about breakthrough bleeding with the pill (bleeding more days than you normally would). Some women get some of these symptoms, some get them all! Fun, fun, fun!!! You guys need to just leave us alone when we have it or be caring and understanding and try to help us alleviate it in any way you can, but don’t add to it. Cindi Lauper was right when she said in her song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, Oh Mama dear, we’re not the fortunate ones. Some of us get it worse than others. Try to be understanding. What if the shoe was on the other foot, and you got it instead of us? I don’t think you could deal with it…you can’t even deal with us having it! And you’re not the ones getting it! We have to deal with it, so deal with it guys! This is not an excuse, itÒ€ℒs the real deal!

  68. A sad fat fuck like yourself, you ironically have a bad taste for food as per se after hearing you criticising the Penang elite. I chose to read on because there was a mild curiosity that deep down that thick lard of yours, you actually have the brains to justify the extra pound. How wrong was I then.
    Go back to Kuching. Yr taste buds (or tongue rather) lack a penchant for great food. And by the way, from the likes of it, your mates didn’t take you to the more quintessential spots for fine outdoor dining. Or were they just plain ignorant that the best stuff are usually hidden in between the crevices of the island? Kudos to the first image though…that roti canai stall was indeed a top spot.

  69. I don’t mine if you criticized the authorities about way they’re doing their job ! But the way you said about the food/taste in Penang was not alright ! You’re not only have no idea, you’ve no taste over food as well and have no respect for the Penang people like us ! Penang is the most famouse destination for many tourist compare to many part of Malaysia when comes to it’s culture,friendly people and famouse & good taste food ! Just becareful what you’re saying..

  70. hi kenny
    you CAN get ampala drink in kuching. its at song kheng hai near your belacan bee hoon leh.
    also at happy garden cafe at the block of shophouses past swinburne

  71. Oh, Gosh! I’m now back in Penang… And so hungry in the middle of the night, some more see your Char Kuey Teow and Ampara Sem Buey blog here. Now I know how hard is the feeling of “so near yet so far”!

  72. Hi kenny, this is the first time i’m posting a comment on your blog. Some of the penang food there really not nice, for example all the cha koay teow on top is famous, but not famous in good taste. Is expensive, not worth to try it, i think you should try the cha koay teow that sell at the same place as the Phua Chu Kang ais kacang there as well as the laksa, that laksa had been view on TV on a program “Ho Ziak”. Beside that laksa, my uncle sell laksa at “Perak Lane” near Sum Sun Primary school there. It was cheap and delicious. Not the longkang things u mentioned..hehe..You can have a try on that.
    Oh..beside that, there is a chicken rice stall that famous on their chicken gravy, you can hardly find in KL or other place, is their secret receipe. It located at a kopitiam name “xi yang yang” in mandarin, Jalan Batu Lanchang.
    Anyway, nice blog you have here..^_^
    Take care and enjoy the blogging..^_^
    Eric

  73. Dude, there’s ampala in Kuching lar.. go to Sing Chong Choon in Green Heights and order ampala or bakulung and there you have it, almost the same as what u get in Penang.. cheers and happy dining!

  74. If you all realize… Almost all the shop selling the best food in penang is located near longkang or the shop is damn dirty….

  75. Kenny Sia,
    I’m actually going to try the foul auntie’s Char Koay Teow this weekend! I haven’t been back to Penang for a long time. Line Clear is so old, it can be part of Penang’s heritage. Do u know, during the 70’s, there was a scandal in Penang when some patrons actually found bits of NEWSPAPER in their favourite Ayer Itam laksa! Apparently, as a replacement for Kembong fish!

  76. I see lots of angry Penangites here. That’s the problem with Penangites (or the Penang Kias), so proud of themselves and will never accept any negative comments about anything in the world that has something to do with their state. Penang has the best food, best scenery, speaks the ‘real’ hokkien (apparently hokkien JB or Sarawak are not the ‘true hokkien)… bla bla bla… very shallow indeed. I personally think Ipoh, KL and PJ has much better food. Maybe you guys should ask for independence from Malaysia, and be a communist country. Now that will make u guys cool… Congratulations, u guys come in second after the Frence for being the proudest people in the world.

  77. Seriously, you went to all the wrong places, or should I say, you should go for the non-mainstream places.
    Best Char Kuey Teow I had so far.. is a struggle between Ah Leng Char Kuey Teow at Dato Keramat Road opposite Honululu (morning), and street stall at Kimberley Street (Night)
    As for Laksa, my personal favourite is gotta be the one at Pulau Tikus, opposite the Police Station, I love having their Assam + Lemak combined laksa- CHUN!
    You should try the Ais Kacang at New World Park as well – with Sarsi flavour, ice cream and banana!

  78. I notice that im the 130th commenter..so im going to CAP my words to GET YOUR ATTENTION!!
    GO TRY CHAR KOAY TEOW AT ANNSON ROAD, ITS BY THE ROAD SIDE JUST RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE ELECTICAL STORE. ITS CALLED AH BENG CHAR KOAY TEOW..ITS MUCH BETTER THAN THE BLOOD SUCKING SISTER CHAR KOAY TEOW A MILLION TIMES.. I KNOW U HATED THE SMELL OF ASSAM LAKSA..BUT TO ME, THE BEST ASSAM LAKSA IN PENANG IS AT GOTTLIED ROAD..INSIDE A KOPITIAM CALLED GOODALL CAFE! ITS THE BEST, REALLY! GIMME AN EMAIL THE NEXT TIME U COME PENANG, WOULD LIKE TO MEET U THOUGH.. πŸ˜€

  79. omg..penang food..it’s been months!!i miss it sooo much..i recognise the char kuey teow aunty..haha..famous for her huge goggles and bad attitude..sumore want ppl wait in line one..got 3 ppl working there liao still have to wait in line with chopsticks so u can have the expensive char kuey teow..

  80. Hi Kenny. I’m doing a school project on food from the yesteryears. I desperately need a picture of an ice ball. Thank goodness, you have one. May I use your picture of the man making the ice ball. I will credit you in my school project. Thank you, Kenny.

  81. Aww, it’s been 7 years since i’ve tasted any kind of malaysian/singaporean food.. i miss soo much T.T! my love

  82. Sorry to break up the nice party here..
    But there’s something not so nice that everyone should know about a certain food joint in Penang..the corner kopitiam at New Lane to be exact.
    Btw, I luv luv luv Penang food and grew up eating them ..but the rumours years back about ‘politicking’ hawkers are true..I had my first ‘bite’..sob…just last week.
    I ordered Char Kuey Teow from across the road from this New Lane kopitiam ..and wasn’t quite ready to order any drink until I finished my CKT..
    3 different servers(waiters) came by to pressure me to order. I questioned their policy (which was new to me obviously) and they sent their lady boss (in her 60s) to give me a piece of her mind ..I was shocked speechless when she chased me out of her coffeeshop because I didn’t order any drinks with her. The place was packed and she said I ‘could squat across the road’ since I ordered from across the road..and she didn’t mind losing a customer of two who can’t ‘comply’ to her will..
    Heck I was polite all the way trying to reason with them ..and after the presurring..I decided to just walk away after I finished my CKT.
    Guess what? They hovered around me and asked me to clear the table myself..
    I was glad my young daughter wasn’t with me when this happened..bcos vulgarity flew from these ppl’s mouth and this was heard thoughout the street..
    The End? I refused to clear the table and walked away unscathed..but this was one harrowing perception-changing experience for me I tell ya..
    Found out later from some food blogs that the New Lane hawkers have been feuding for years and would fiercely guard their ‘territories’..some hawkers across the road would even charge extra 50cts if they bring food to you at the kopitiam..
    Hmmm…sad….but this won’t keep me away from the wonderful Penang food…

  83. Why everybody talk about char koay teow. penang is famous for its hokkien mee, curry mee and of course Ah Leng char koay teow is the best. Price reasonable not snobbish like the lady with the google.

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