Penang Food Guide : A Foodgazer Compilation

Takeaway:

As of 28 Aug 2024, our list is as per below, alphabetically. Please use Ctrl+F to read more about each:

Must Visit:

• Au Jardin
• Hot Bowl (white curry mee, one of our fave curry bowls)
• How Shy (affordable wine by the glass, weekend cocktails, horrid fried chicken, delicious hand cut fries. An idyllic dream wine-stall setup at Hin Bus Depot. Love it)
• Juju Lounge (one of foodgae’s favourite spots in the island. Super hidden, great selection of wine and whisky and jazz. Reservations a must. The 10-course “omakase” is more of a fixed tasting menu, but by god is it good. Fantastic food.)
• Kimberley Street Koay Chiap (Yum! The torn oodles of noodles not even necessary, really. Just give us that offal and soup and maybe some rice)
• Langit Senja (love the relaxed feel of this place, very different from other cafes on the island. Shame they only start brewing at 3pm. Food is solid, drinks are solid, lovely little nook along Armenian Street)
• Lunabar (stunning space, some of the best coffee on the island)
• Nasi Kandar Sulaiman (opens 4am (6am post-lockdowns) and is a must-visit. Best kuah campur around, lauk pretty good too. A lot saltier during the last visit but still great)
• Nui Kopi (cute popup at Hin Bus Depot serving up some tasty cups)
• Ome by Spacebar coffee (best coffee in town)
• Peninsula House
• Presgrave 888 (stalwart hokkien prawn mee)
• Siam Road (still the GOAT Char Koey Teow)
• Slow Coffee Person (another great coffee spot. Filter and manual espresso only)
• Teksen (fantastic dai chow)
• Yue Quan Xuan hokkien mee (much prawnier and a bit spicier than 888. Delicious)

Should Visit:

• Deen Maju (top tier nasi kandar when we last tried it, long ass queues though, probably best to just order delivery. Also, kuah campur isn’t as good as Sulaiman at its peak. Lauk definitely better though)
• Hanjan (come for the soju, stay for the food? Soju clams in particular are a treat)
• Island Problems (great spicy gyu don, very good tantanmen despite being more liquid-y than expected. Need to return for more)
• Jawi House (surprisingly great briyani)
• Jin Cafe (the “famous” Siam Road uncle used to fry across the street and you could bring it in to eat at this corner kopitiam. He’s since moved to his own stall. There’s a diff CKT stall here, it’s very good, and the uncle is very very friendly, but it’s a step below Siam Road level in our opinion)
• La Petit Four (one of our fave croissants, other solid pastries, and impressive desserts. A must-visit, surely. Mar’ 22 update – croissant quality has dipped a bit though)
• Laksalicious (fave assam laksa in Penang, but quality seems to have dipped a bit as of Mar’ 22 – either that, or our memory is hazy. A step below Ho Li Chow)
• Li Er Cafe (Aug24 update: quality of the kueh has sadly slid a bit, but still pretty good)
• The Nook (coffee from Dead Man Tongue. The round of beans they were using when we were there paired great with milk, bit one-note for the long black. Might potentially get upgraded upon subsequent visits. Nice place)
• Oh Chien @ Seng Thor (still crispy and great, minimal starch gluey-ness)

Can Visit:

• 2ft Relau (gorgeous place, quite nice coffee, decent pesto pasta. Great stop near the airport)
• The Ais (nice ice cream, interesting flavours)
• The Alley (quiet little spot for coffee, wasn’t impressive)
• Apom Guan (50 years of apom heritage. Not sure if still running)
• Archipelago (oh-my-toddy is great, other cocktails need a lot more tweaking. Nice hidden spot with lots of potential though)
• Backdoor Bodega (best cocktails – I mean pins – on the island, but recent mediocre guest shifts in KL slide this down the list)
• Budan’s Brew (matcha latte, croissant. Looks like they’ve moved locations)
• China House (come here because it’s a fantastic looking place. And the cakes can be good at times. Other than that, eh)
• Constant Gardener (always a solid cup, and a nice place)
• Dessert Old Time Delight (solid tong sui)
• Emily Darling (up and coming pastries-parlour with lots of promise, despite the questionable interiors and RM 2/cup water. Good croissants and potentially great pain au choc if they tweak the chocolate)
• Good Friends Never Bojio (chill bar)
• Hameediyah (impressive briyani, quite good kandaq)
• Hygge (promising but when we went, food was disappointing)
• Komichi Tea House (great tea – though they no longer let you “pick” the farm and types of leaves etc etc – with nice Jap desserts in a lovely spot a bit further down from Ome)
• Jaloux (generally good but pricey pasta, RM 3 water, service can be very offputting)
• La Vie En Rose (croissant ok-ok during the second try)
• Lim Sisters (curry mee, mainly for sentimental reasons / the experience)
• Line Clear (used to be really solid nasi kandar, most people say quality has dropped by quite a bit in recent years. Haven’t been back recently to ascertain)
• Moh Teng Pheow (kueh isn’t as good as it used to be. Getting close to mediocre, almost. Not near Li Er)
• Nasi Kandar Beratur (2024 update: we’re told quality has went back up!)
• Nasi Kandar Imigresen (it’s not bad)
• New Cathay Coffee Shop banana pancakes are delicious
• Old Green House hokkien mee has lots of fix-ins
• Roti Canai Jalan Transfer (good roti canai, but quality has dipped over the years)
• Shokudo Niban (bit disappointing, but lot of promise)
• Tuai Pui (curry mee)
• Yin’s Sourdough (pizza, bread)

Haven’t tried but want to / heard they’re good:

A.Maze, Gen (tasting menu), Niche, Hudsons Deli (reuben), Momokaka (craft beer), Merlin Nasi Kandar, Restoran Joo Huat (lor mee), Mews Cafe (laksa curry mee), Cafe Ete (Taiwanese beef noods), Ming Le 88 cafe curry mee (8am-10am), Rempah (pomelo kerabu, keluak chicken, otak otak), Nasi Kandar Kampong Melayu, Nada Natural Farming, Tonkatsu Ta, Trois Canon, Hudsons Deli, Le Cafe, Fuku Eatery, Kissa Koyotei, La Vie, Si Tigun, Brix and Baume, Aunty Choon hokkien mee, Caffeine Chemistry (good waffles), Otto pizza, Soundmaker Studio, The Warung, Grandfather’s Furniture, Modern Beef Bar, Komorebi, 32 Bucks (beef rendang), Oju Ojo, NEP! (Good food), Beach St Bistro, Small Places (coffee cocktails and cafe) (9am-4pm, 7pm-12am, closed Tue-Wed), Kofuku (cool casual Jap) (5pm-12am, closed Mon and Thur), Ali Capati (12.30-10.45pm): briyani, nasi tomato, kari angsa), 250C Boulangerie, Sunnyside (8am-3pm, closed Tue-Wed) (great coffee, good food), BISO cocktail bar (7pm-1am, closed Mon), Your Local Club (9am-6pm) (homemade IPA off-menu, coffee etc), Mellow (good gelato), My Own Cafe (good laksa) (10am-4pm, closed Wed), 65C Ondo (try the Cronut) (9am-9pm), Taman Emas Kopitiam CKT (11am-5.15pm, closed Monday)

Look, you can come to Penang for a myriad reasons (Penang Hill, the beaches, yadda yadda) but when we think of the state, we invariably think of the wondrous, dizzying array of Penang food. To that end, we’ve compiled here some of our favourite spots in the great city (yes, most of them are right in the heart of Georgetown) – it gets a bit disorganized and chaotic, so we recommend using lots of the Ctrl+F to look for your food of choice.

2021 onwards reviews (photos to follow soon):

2f+ Relau

A great stop relatively near to the airport. Lots of natural light, lots of plants. Quite nice coffee for a good java boost. Pesto pasta edible too, pretty decent. Interestingly enough, we had a kesum pesto pasta at Hygge too during the trip which was significantly worse.

888 Hokkien Mee

Still solid. Great broth, though pork ribs were tough / overcooked. Roast pork spot on though, one of the highlights. Sadly no intestines / pork legs available this visit.

Archipelago

Quite the enigma. Fantastic hidden location, but the drinks need a lot more tweaking / balancing. Tucked away behind Armenian street, with a wine cellar-ish seating section at the back of the bar (which would be dope as a whisky jazz bar tbh). Oh-my-toddy was the only standout drink, with a fantastic “small-batch” toddy paired wish assam boi and atap chi. Simple but delicious. The old-fashioned was quite good too, but everything else was a bit too acidic / watery / etc.

Hope they adjust, as the location and setting really is very nice.

Constant Gardener

Still a lovely place to sit at. Solid cuppa too. Nice white, good black.

Dessert Old Time Delight

Meh see guo tng. Very nice beancurd barley

Emily Darling

You don’t hear much about this place, but you should. Interiors a bit gaudy, and there’s a painful charge of MYR 2 / glass of water, but boy the pastries are promising. The croissant could do with more definition / separation of layers but it doesn’t get overly doughy in the middle, and there’s a rich buttery taste I’ve been missing since Bakerry La changed their croissant recipe.

Pain au choc was a standout too, or would be if they weren’t let down by the crazy sweet commercially cloying chocolate filling (what little there was of it). Change that choc and this would easily be one of the best pain au choc around.

Hanjan

Surprise! Ok-ok aged negroni, spicy moscow mule, decent lychee mojito, and a very enjoyable makgeolli pina colada. Quite nice k-fried chicken (although sauce was a bit sweet and ‘commercial’) and very naisu soju clams (gargantuan portion, simple but works really well).

Hot Bowl

Popular little curry mee joint. Great white curry mee with an addictively sweet broth – until you slop some chili paste in and it elevates the bowl to a fragrant, deep richness far beyond simple spiciness. Delicious stuff. Also must add on the steamed chicken IMO

How Shy

Idyllic dream wine-stall setup at Hin Bus Depot. Hard not to love this place. The fried chicken was horrid, wonder why they served it, but everything else hit the spot. Affordable wines by the glass. Cocktails on the weekend (good mimosas, for instance). Hand cut fries executed well. Here we go!

Hygge

Nice space, great logo. Nice pork belly and potatoes, but everything else was meh. Sauteed summer veggies seasoned well but bit overcooked and soft, with overwhelming amount of butter. Chorizo and chickpea stew decent. Chicken and kesum pesto meh (limpid pasta, sloppy and watery pesto, kesum a nice twist though).

Island Problems

Cute little space with some surprisingly good food. Lives upto the hype. Spicy gyu don was a great rice bowl with a good level of spice and lots of satisfying roe pops. Lovely. Beef done real well.

Salmon sashimi with thai nam-pla sauce was interesting but didn’t come off as well.

Tantanmen really good, despite being more “watery” than a traditional tantanmen. Regardless, the broth was actually real good. Lovely bite to the noods. A very good bowl.

Juju Lounge

Instantly one of our favorite spots on the island. Super hidden. Great wine collection at pretty decent prices, very good whisky and gin line-up too. Jazz. Jazz everywhere. Smol bar, no cocktails, sit and enjoy some top-tier spirits with top-tier jazz. What a dream.

Also they have a super interesting-sounding local fish omakase (10 courses of Mediterranean-inspired fare) that we haven’t got around to trying yet. Reservations a must. For food and drink. Go get raptured.

Komichi Tea House

Lost a bit of the shine, but still a very nice spot. They used to detail the types of leafs, which farms they were from etc. Not quite anymore. Still nice tea (meatiest gyokuro I’ve had!) and desserts (hojicha rum burnt cheesecake shockingly tiny but the hojicha itself is great of course)

La Vie En Rose

Raspberry beignet super sweet. Croissant dense, bit too sweet on the outside.

Le Petit Four

Croissant is great. Nicer than Croisserie IMO and slightly edges out the current recipe of Bakerry La. Old BL was insuperable, of course, but boi this one is good. Hits all the notes, though not quite as rich-buttery as Emily Darling and old BL.

Pain au choc’s chocolate is a thousand times better than Emily Darling but not as tasty otherwise. Can skip. Kouign amann quite good too, just about ties the line of being too sweet. Unfortunately, got slightly too doughy in the middle.

Apple turnover, however, was very nice. Love the apple filling. Hazelnut escargot quite tasty too. Then there’s the Enchante dessert – delicious! Love the lychee. Very high calibre stuff tbh.

Lunabar

Stunning place. Plants upon plants upon plants. Great long black. Interesting espresso “stout”. A must-visit.

Moh Teng Pheow

Highlight was the honey pandan drink – tastes like a liquid kuih talam. Quite nice laksa. Sri Muka and Kuih Koci probably the best kueh we tried. Pai tee, pulut tai tai, kuih bengka ubi not bad. Better before, this place. Li Er beats it easily if still as good as in 2019.

Ome by Spacebar Coffee

Consistently great coffee. Cakes are a must here too, especially the olive oil zucchini cake (delish). Lovely setup inside. Ecover and Method cleaners. Bamboo tissues. Biodegradeable takeaway packaging. The small things matter.

Seng Thor oh chien

Still my fave. Nice and crispy, with minimal starchy gooeyness.

Shokudo Niban

Disappointing, given the pedigree. Decent enough fare, but would have liked if it was a reinterpretation of a shokudo from aspect of local ingredients etc / some other “twist”. As it is, feels more like a rice-bowl spot.

Aubergine agebitashi was the standout, with a very interestingly cooked still-firm, almost-crunchy aubergine. Horseradish was way too pungent though. Nagaimo cold tofu bit odd but decent. Chicken tsukune and chicken and leek yakitori really tasted more like oven-cooked fare than yakitori. Not great. Skipjack tuna ochazuke was comforting though.

Siam Road CKT

New place, same GOAT. Lucky for us, the ah pek strapped on right when we reached. Wetter and less immediately-stunning as before, but still the best around tbh.

Slow Coffee Person

Another dream-like place. Smol, seats about 10 people at full capacity. Chill playlist, chill ambience, plants everywhere – including a “plant viewing window”. It just works. Handbrew filters and manual espressos only. Dope place, surely a must-visit.

Teksen

One of the best dai chow meals I’ve had in a long time. Avoid the nutmeg squash (tastes like an odd non-fizzy cola) but dive head-in to almost all the foodstuff on the menu – sweet potato leaves come with very good belacan, assam tumis black pomfret is super assam-y and super tasty, and the har cheong gai gives some of the best in Singapore a run for their money. Fantastic smooth otak-otak too. Stellar.

The Ais

Nice ice cream, interesting flavours. Good spot for a dessert to end the night. Waffle is worth getting too.

The Nook

Coffee amidst used books. Another lovely place with a nice courtyard (with seating). Coffee from Dead Man Tongue. Barista told us the current round of beans paired perfectly with milk, not so much for the espresso – was spot-on. Need to revisit. Very calming spot, understandably.

Yue Quan Xuan Hokkien Mee

Broth is a lot prawnier than 888, love it. Spicier too. And much nicer ribs. Super smooth pig skin. Very satisfying bowl, one of the best.

Older reviews:

Apom Balik: Apom Guan outside Union Primary School (10am – 5pm, closed Sundays)

Fluffy, soft, slightly sweet (from the bananas and dab of sweet corn) and slightly gritty (from the shredded coconut in the batter). Good stuff. There’s a long wait for these delicacies but they go for a jaw-dropping RM0.50 a piece. It gives you some time with your thoughts, standing there and watching him masterfully swirl each apom. You think about the last meal you’ve had here, which likely would have been pretty great unless you had it at a generic hawker centre in Batu Ferringhi. You wonder if this 5 day trip will be enough to blunt the ever-present exhaustion of existence. You think about where to go next. Penang stalls have wonky opening hours. It doesn’t matter that much when you’re on vacation. You get to stretch out your time and plan pre-lunches and re-lunches around the actual lunch crowd. You get to pencil in nasi kandar suppers for every night of the trip. You get to cycle around in the dying nights, which is generally pretty damn dangerous, but fairly fun when you get to pull it off. Cycling in general is the most fun way to get around Georgetown, anyway.

Banana Pancakes: New Cathay Coffee Shop (mornings)

It’s (kind of) worth going to New Cathay just for this. Comfort food rarely gets comfier than this. Sweet without being excessively cloying, fluffy and crispy at all the right places, and priced very reasonably too. Great way to start a morning, this.

Bar: Good Friends Never Bojio

Thought it was a random try-hard gimmicky place from IG photos. Not so, sir. It’s actually pretty cool. The ‘rum’ – probably some home brewed local rum/toddy – drinks come in 3 strengths: regular – 1 shot, kao – 2 shots, super kao – 3 shots. And they’re strong. So cheap too. RM12, 15 and 18 is a bargain set of prices.

Lovely place inside, by the way. Reminds me a lot of Saigon. Honestly another must visit place. Would go regularly if it was in KL. But come with a friend la.

Briyani: Hameediyah @ Lebuh Campbell (10am – 10.30pm)

It’s nasi kandar…but with briyani! And this is an impressive briyani that comfortably beats most of the joints in Kuala Lumpur. The mix of curries doesn’t quite reach the same heights of the best kandar joints but the individual dishes are formidable enough on their own. Go for the lamb korma, mutton and chicken curry, and perhaps the squid eggs (though Hameediyah doesn’t dish out the best rendition). Hard to be dissatisfied after gorging yourself here.

Briyani: Jawi House (11am-10pm, closed Tuesdays)

One of those places that seem designed for tourists and eschewed by locals. Don’t be fooled. It’s very, very good. The lamb stew boasts tender meat and a decent broth. The beef briyani, though, was a highlight of one of my trips. It’s incredible. It blows away the briyani at Hameediyah by a significant margin (although, in fairness, they’re very different types of briyani) and is an absolute must-try. The upstairs of the place houses a bunch of Jawi art too, which is worth a look through.

Lemuni rice with beef rendang: Very herbaceous taste. Interesting. Very tender rendang Too. Probably wouldn’t order it again but it’s a decent introduction to Jawi.
Jawi Briyani with chicken masala: Ok this is huge. Not as fluffy as I remembered. Rice still very impressive nonetheless. Very satisfying. So light without getting stuffed as one usually does with thicker grains of rice. Chicken is good but not great. Very tender to be fair. Taste of it borders on muted. Chutney adds a welcome sweetness and moistness.
Lentils soup Curry thing is delicious. Great with the saltty crispy papadum. Really really good.

They also serve a pretty interesting yoghurt cheesecake. We’re planning a return trip to explore the rest of the menu.

Burgers: Two Buns – closed down?

The curious case of two burgers at Two Buns: the Don Pablo was excellent but the Classic Beef Burger veered off-course.

The Don Pablo features crispy fried chicken (nice crunch contrasted with admirably juicy chicken meat inside), semi-sharp cheddar, smoked bacon, spicy mayo and perfect caramelized onions. It’s very nice. In fact, I’d put it up there in the top 5 burgers I’ve had in the country. And that’s before you consider the price: RM15 is a steal! Add on RM5 and you get fries and a soda. Come on, son.

Strange then that the Classic Beef Burger is (allegedly) bad. Foodgazer’s dining companion gave it a firm thumbs down and an upward tilt of the nose, and it’s not hard to see why. The beef looked dull and grey, which is always a telltale sign that the grill/pan should have been hotter. A cross-section of the bitten-in patty showed it was grey throughout. Not a good look, that. Perhaps stick to The Favourites here.

It’s a very nice little place though. There’s a vintage arcade gizmo (functional?), neon lighting, and the usual ‘throwback’ details that populate a lot of places nowadays. And with burgers this cheap, it’s hard to complain too much. Although imagine how much neater it would be if they had a proper range of craft beer here!

Milo power milkshake: Okay. Tastes like vanilla milkshake with some milo undertones. Less sweet than KGB’s. I miss the milkshake joint at KLCC.

House fries: decent. Don’t seem frozen. Seasoning bit too salty – on purpose?

Cafe: Budan’s Brew (8am – 10.30pm)

Very good green tea latte, and the croissant is flaky, crisp and almost equally as satisfying. Good luck finding the place though. It’s tucked away into a lane I can no longer recall the name of. Which makes it a great spot to cycle to and disappear for an hour or two of tranquility. Sometimes you need a short break to prep yourself for the next bout of Penang food.

Cafe: China House (9am-12am)

China House isn’t really just a cafe. It’s an amalgamation of wonderful places along a long narrow passageway that’s split up into multiple sections, each with their own distinct interiors. There’s nothing quite like it in Penang, and it should be your de facto choice if you’re looking for a cafe here.

The cakes are all generally pretty good, though the drinks and food generally vary in quality. Drop by for a quick respite from the sticky heat and take in the gorgeous ambience.

Cafe: Constant Gardener

Gorgeous place. But coffee is abit here-and-there. The Ethiopian filter came out quite bitter with a funky aftertaste. The long black is pretty good.

Cafe: Ome by Spacebar Coffee
Such a gorgeous place. Probably one of the prettiest cafes in Malaysia. Combines a very home-y vibe with bare bricks (lots of texture to them though) and an amazing art exhibition on top and some great coffee and high ceilings and light falling directly down from the top on to a wood table with a corner cut out to hold an open-air moss terrarium thingamajig.

Jazz on the airwaves here too!

Ice white: good. Ice filter: fruity. Butter cake: dense but fairly tasty. But very dense. Nitro geisha: amazing. Hot chocolate: Delicious.

Char Koey Teow: Siam Road (Opens 3pm, there’s usually a queue by 2.30pm. Closed on Mondays)

To many Malaysians, Char Koey Teow is synonymous with Penang food. And for that reason, there’s usually a great deal of clamorous debate over which stall dishes out the best plate of CKT. But here’s the thing with the venerable Siam Road Char Koey Teow – it really isn’t just about the food. It’s about the experience.

You cycle here from little India, get lost, refer to old school maps, and end up in a queue 1 hour later. The wizened uncle fans the spitting charcoal flame while two dozen Asian eyes flick across the shop, stealing stares at the master’s stall across the road (if you’re lucky, you get to seat in this coffee shop opposite the actual stall and wait for your noodles). There’s a curious glazed sheen to these eyes, a numb vacantness as they wait in despair, desperation, animal hunger. You wonder if yours look the same. Maybe less slinty.

But after the first sixty minutes, you settle into a peculiar, serene state of mind. Time slows down but it doesn’t matter because you’ve stopped your urgent glances at the clock. Instead, you watch the shadows of newcomers dance across your table. You exchange nods with your fellow waiting comrades and take sips of your ever-diluting tea. You watch the table next to you stir into a frenzy as their plates arrive. Phones are whipped out. They fall into silence as they eat, apart from the stray expletives of contentment.

And then your plate comes. The clear unmuddled cockles and charred noodles joust for prime spot, their notes dancing and intermingling with the charcoal-y, smoky aftertaste, and you’re done in a few minutes and you swear you’ll never wait that fucking long again for a plate of noodles. But you will, of course. It’s the best ckt in the world, after all. And you’ll never forget how it tasted or how it made you feel. 

Curry Mee: Lim Sisters’ Curry Mee @ Air Itam (8am-1pm everyday)

Like most of Penang’s best food, this curry mee is prepared by two sisters who look to be in their 70s or 80s, with no succession plan in place. It’s sad to think about what may happen if eventually no one takes over the reigns. Are the greatest Penang dishes doomed to fade into mediocrity? Sobering thoughts indeed.

The curry mee itself is pretty damn good. It’s lighter than some places, though this provides a good base for the chilli as well as the dried squid strips and coagulated pig’s blood. It’s also quite an experience eating it at one of the stools on the street while watching the sisters scoop and pour from their own stools. Not to be missed, even if you’re generally a fan of more potent broths.

Curry Mee: Tuai Pui @ Lebuh Kimberly (8am – 5pm, closed Wednesdays)

Possibly my favourite curry mee! Very rich and creamy broth with a mellow sweetness around the end notes. The curry chicken isn’t worth adding on, but the coagulated pork blood is one of the best in Penang and the cockles are nice and fresh. Seriously good stuff right here.

Hokkien Mee (Prawn Mee): Old Green House Hokkien Mee (8pm to 3am)

An array of porky and non-porky add-ons supplement a broth that’s not quite the best Penang has to offer, but still falls squarely within the top 5 at least. A good introduction to the delights of Hokkien Mee, given your customization options. When in doubt, max the pork options.

Always reliably good. Added pork ribs (okay, bit tough, Prawn Noodle King in OUG is admittedly much better, though the broth itself is not prawn mee at all there), pork intestines (marinated, lovely, sweet and delicious), and chicken feet (meh, skip). Good broth. Good spice. Normal noodles. Open late. Apa lagi

Hokkien Mee (Prawn Mee): Presgrave 888 @ Lebuh Presgrave (5.30pm – 12am, closed Thursdays)

My favourite hokkien mee. Add the roast belly. And intestines. And pork trotter. And ribs. Everything is great. The chili has a sharp unrelenting sting that nevertheless quickly dissipates amongst the savoury porkiness. The roast pork skin is heavenly. The broth is a mean, deep, rich concoction. That’s what it takes to be the best.

Laksa: Air Itam Laksa (11.30am – 7pm)

No real introductions required for this iconic stall. Expect a tantalizing, rich broth and decent-sized chunks of fish. A lot of detractors dislike it but I still find it a satisfying experience.

Nasi Dalca: Nasi Dalca Rahim (7.30pm-2am)

In many ways, this is rather like the watered-down version of Nasi Kandar, which admittedly does make it good for someone not a fan of the more in-your-face flavours of Nasi Kandar. The fried chicken was very dry and tough though, would recommend getting a curry chicken or something of the sort.

Nasi Kandar: RIP Line Clear

First of all, let us remember the OG Line Clear, which was truly fantastic while it lasted. The flood-mix of curries has yet to be rivalled in my experience, though there are a fair number of places I’ve yet to try out. I certainly hope the same orgasmic confluence of sauces exists somewhere else. Line Clear has now fragmented into the Kg Baru outpost (absolutely horrendous the single time I tried it) and the one that remains in Penang (which I also hear is terrible).

Nasi Kandar: Nasi Kandar Beratur, Jln Kapitan Keling (opens around 10pm)

It’s not the visually most attractive of Penang food, but taste-wise it’s fantastic. The beef curry and squid eggs are exquisite. So too are most of the dishes. There’s a long queue that only starts at 10pm (get used to the strange Penang opening hours) but good lord, is it worth it. Ask them to do a “kuah banjir” where they mix various curries and somehow end up with a greater-than-its-parts result.

For me, this is your next best bet now that Line Clear has suffered a chilling demise (although I haven’t been to a number of contenders touted as the new king). One of my favourite memories of Penang remains cycling out in the middle of the night for a Nasi Kandar supper and revelling in the simple pleasure of just how delicious it is. In many ways, Nasi Kandar remains one of the core pillars of Penang food. You can’t quite find anything of the same calibre in, say, Kuala Lumpur. Although Nasi Lemak Ong is pretty good.

Nasi kandar: Deen Maju

Blows all the rest away, even Line Clear at the height of its powers back in its heyday, pre-split (well, toher than Sulaiman). The kuah campur is borderline magical. Can eat just 5 plates of this with rice. Perfectly balanced. Not too spicy or salty or sweet. It’s too good. The squid curry: very good, but not great. Props for not being rubbery. Nice, firm, meaty bite to it. But then towards the tip I bite into some squid egg. Excellent treasure. Bonus points
Squid eggs proper: Touch me. And then just touch me. This is RM6 of luxury. Soft, slippery, bursting with salt and general goodness. Intensely pleasurable. A must order.
Chicken ’75’. Not 65 fam. Could be because these aren’t chicken chunks? Whole large drumstick instead. Tomato-tasting. Very juicy inside, very flavourful. So well marinated. Another must-order really. Truly great.
And so a new champion is crowned.

Nyonya Kueh: Li Er Cafe

The modular table thing is wild. Love it. They can drop it down and bim bam booi, a whole group of 6 or more can sit down. Pink-dyed yam thing: Aw yeah this is very good. Nice crispy charred skin thing. Soft, so soft interior. Lovely really. Creamy. Plush. Hot soya…in a bowl: Goddamn this is so good. Not artificially sweetened crap you get in KL. Real soya, sir.

Pulut Tai Tai: Mmmm lovely. The kaya is rough and chunky. The Pulut itself is…decent. Blue sago: DON’T add the gula Melaka – it’s way too sweet. The texture of the sago is incredible though. Sticky, soft, feels almost like it’s trapped in between a liquid and solid phase.

Pizza: Yin’s Sourdough Pizza @ Wisma Yeap Chor Ee (8am-10pm, closed Wednesdays)

When I went, the crust needed a bit of work (too limp for our preference) but don’t let that stop you from one of the better pizzas around. They do an impressive margherita rendition though the tomatoes were noticeably lacklustre. You need really fresh, ripe tomatoes for a good base.

Roti Canai: Roti Canai @ Jalan Transfer (7.30am – 11am or so):

It’s good. One of my favourite roti canai places, actually. I love the chicken curry in particular, whilst the mutton is still pretty good but can be a bit tough sometimes. The curries are very one-note, but luckily that’s a supremely pleasing note. The roti itself is crispy enough when ordered separately but admittedly isn’t the crispiest out there. Pares fantastically with the curries though!

More recent update: the roti canai not as great anymore but still worth going probably