Good and Bad Memories of Penang food

On my last trip to Penang in December 2012 for Christmas and New Year, I have revisited three of the restaurants that I am quite fond for its own reason.

“747″ for its excellent food. It is an unusual name for  a restaurant. I have written a previous post on this restaurant here. The food at 747 was the same as I can remember when I was a young boy. It is a unique style of Chinese food – a cross between “Hailam” Chinese infused with Malay and Indian spices – something that cannot be found anywhere else in a restaurant in Australia. Hailam is a small Chinese ethnic community group in Penang when they first emigrated to Penang. Hence, the rarity of the food and number of restaurants in Penang. At 747, the food is special passing down from generation to generation, including its homemade dipping sauce.

Penang people, a.k.a “Penangites”, love its Penang food. When Penangites living overseas go back to visit, their number 1 priority – alright, number 2 after family – is to dive into Penang food and feast themselves till they dropped!

My all time favourites at 747 are their “curry fish head”, “choon piah” and “inche kabin”, all of which we ordered that night. It was a quite weeknight. The place was almost empty. 747 has not changed with time. There is nothing pretentious about the place. It is a typical Penang style Chinese restaurant without the frills, and with the familiar pink table cloth and red upholstered metal framed chair. It is about the food, not the look.

As we left the restaurant, the owner let us know that the next time we are back in Penang, they will be relocated to a new premise. Perhaps next time, they should consider updating their decor in keeping with time, and renamed the restaurant from 747 to A380. We wait in anticipation to dine at their next new premise when we head back again in September this year.

 747 is good value for money for the quality of the food and service. It is a family operated restaurant. Hence, the food is very much homestyle and home cooked. Our bill came to Malaysian Ringgit $75, an equivalent of AUD$32! The chicken deep fried, Inche Kabin was Malaysian Ringgit $15, Curry fish head which was a huge red snapper head for Malaysian Ringgit $40, the deep fried spring roll “Choon Piah” for Malaysian Ringgit $8, and fried bean sprout with salted fish for Malaysian Ringgit $6. Where else can we find such food in Australia? None.

“Shing Keang Aun” for its nostalgic “take me back in time” type of restaurant. It is another Hailam style Chinese restaurant. This place has been around for as long as I can remember. It was one of my grandfather’s favourite eating spot. It has been in the same place as long as my grandfather’s era, in the heritage gazette part of old George Town – a prewar style double storey row of terrace shophouses. It is located in Chulia Lane, off the extremely busy and narrow Chulia Street, popular with cheap accommodations with backpackers.

I have been to SKA since I was a young boy, but could not remember what the food was like until my sister took me there several years ago. My partner has never been there. I took him there on our most recent trip. The place itself was worth the visit. The top floor has an open food shaft where the food is transported in the pulley drawn lift. The staff are all old and been working there for generations. Places like this are getting hard to find in Penang. Unfortunately, I was not that impressed with the food on this recent trip. It was average and very expensive for what we got. The place is very popular and overrated with interstate visitors to Penang, which makes the place almost a destination by itself. That is unfortunate, as I felt the owner has increased the price to cash in on their popularity, which some may argue is nothing wrong.

Their signature dishes include Asam Prawn (tamarind prawn), Curry fish (gulai tumis) pomfret, the dark soy pork and pork liver and salted mustard soup (kiam chai teng).  We started off by ordering the asam prawn, curry pomfret, dark soy pork and pork liver. They were all in very small portion. The fish cost us Malaysian Ringgit $35 (for 1 small pomfret) and the prawn dish Malaysian Ringgit $14 (5 pieces). The total bill came to Malaysian Ringgit $64, including one more dish of dark soy chicken. There was no menu in this restaurant and no written or printed bill. That was how things were done in the past. I felt we were hacked at this place being seen as tourists, even though I spoke to them in Penang hokkien. It was hard not to make a comparison with the food that we had a couple of nights ago at 747 – which was far better in serving portion, pricing and quality of the food – taste, texture and flavour. However, if you have never been to SKA, it is worth the visit for the nostalgic feel of the place – but, do ask for the price before confirming the order.   “Weld Quay (Tree Top) Seafood Restaurant” for its interesting open air rustic charm with fresh seafood. This restaurant has been around for years. It is located along the historic road of Weld Quay, directly across from the Penang Ferry and RapidPenang bus terminus. I have been to this place only once a few years ago with a friend. I vaguely remember the place was interesting but a bit on the pricey end. I thought it was a good idea to revisit this place with my partner, who has never been there before.

There were separate sections in the seating area – best on the left building away from the open kitchen and deep towards the open end framed by exposed brick walls and little passageway underneath a very large old tree with clinging roots and trunks on the brick wall – giving it a feel of a jungle temple in ancient Angkor Wat. The service was fast and chaotic. The place was packed with locals and interstate tourists alike. We ordered a soft shell crab, a steamed whole fish, a deep fried calamari and a green vegetable dish. When the food arrived, we were not as excited as looking at the bygone era of the old world charm of a run down building. They looked rough and simple. The tastes were nothing complicated. The soft shell crab was soft and soggy. We had better. The fish was the biggest letdown. It was bland with little flavour, and cost us Malaysian Ringgit $60! That was the most expensive fish I ever had in Penang, even more expensive than the best fish I have tasted at a good, proper airconditioned Chinese restaurant. The bill came to Malaysian Ringgit $124 (including 2 big Tiger beer x $13 per bottle). I was totally gobsmacked and very disappointed. We felt that we have been cheated eating here as we were seen as a tourist. If Penang’s restaurants keep this trend of ripping off tourists, they will soon do themselves an injustice and disfavour. If the food was good, it will be a different story. But, it was just so average.

This is a warning for any tourist visiting Penang and especially restaurants like Sing Keang Aun and the Weld Quay (Tree Top) restaurants, which do not offer the customer menu with prices to select, or an itemised bill at the end of the meal. Be brave and ask for the price before ordering the food. Both places may be worth the visit, but the food certainly is not worth spending that kind of money. There are plenty of good places to choose from when it comes to eating out in Penang, but may not have the same old world charm like Sing Keang Aun and Weld Quay (Tree Top).

At least, 747 has the consistency of good food and good value for money. Keeping to its tradition that has passed down the generations and still catering to the same old following of loyal customers.

Sad to say, now I am only fond of 1 out of the 3 restaurants that I have revisited.

Kong Xi Fatt Chai

Kong Xi Fatt Chai! Kong Hey Fatt Choy! Keong Hee Huat Chai! and Chuc Mung Nam Moi!…wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous Chinese New Year (and Vietnamese New Year) of the Snake. May the year 2013 of the water snake brings you and your family an abundance of happiness, good health, success and fortune!

This weekend Melbourne celebrated the year of the snake with over 40 stalls at the Crown Riverwalk with food and cultural performances – from Beijing opera to the all girls Lotus Flower Dragon Dance. But, the highlight for me was the sensational Chinese Soprano Shu-Cheen Yu who sang traditional Chinese folk songs to Ave Maria her all time favourite. I even had one of her CD – Lotus Moon from years back.  

Some video clips from the Crown Riverwalk’s Chinese New Year 2013 Hawker Bazaar festival….

Chinese Soprano Shu-Cheen Yu and The Dragon Tenors

The All Girls Lotus Flower Dragon

Beijing Opera

Breathtaking Pyrotechnic Show

 

Richmond Street Lunar Festival 2013 – Chúc mừng năm mới

Chúc mừng năm mới

That’s Happy New Year in Vietnamese. The Lunar festival is two weeks away which falls on February 10th, the Year of the Snake. The festival started early in Melbourne with the ethnic Vietnamese communities in Richmond. The popular and famous street festival ushers the snake year today on Sunday 27th January to coincide with the long weekend of Australia Day.

Richmond has a large ethnic Vietnamese-Chinese community, a suburb 3km east of Melbourne CBD. The area is rapidly changing with young professionals moving in and new apartment complexes being built pushing up the property prices in the area. The nice thing is that a small section of Victoria Street in Richmond is still the same as I can remember with the Vietnamese and Chinese grocery stores, fresh seafood and meat shops, and the many Vietnamese noodle shops – “pho”.

I went to this street festival last year for the Year of the Dragon. I still remember it was great fun and sample a few of the street food. This year was no difference. There were more street stalls – food and games, and cultural and traditional Vietnamese performances, including the best and most exciting lion dances -  pairing of eight lion dancers – I have ever seen in my life time. And, the strings of firecrackers were explosives! 

 

Breakfast with Mum

Enroute on foot to mum’s place after alighting at a nearby bus stop, there was a sense of noise and crowd with narrow road and cars and motorbikes slowly edging their way to the markets.  A large open air food court – Super Tanker – was packed with morning shoppers and hungry customers to eat at one of the 30 plus hawker stalls inside and along the street pavement, selling all the famous Penang street food. It was food seduction at its best in true Penang local lifestyle.

There are three wet markets in the area – a newer and larger wet market which is set a few blocks from the other two smaller and older wet markets. All three markets are within walking distance from mum’s place. Where there is a wet market, there is an open air food court and a few coffee shops.

Mum is the best local tourist guide anyone can ask for. She knows most of the stall owners. She told me the “Char Koay Kak” (fried raddish cake) was good. I had to sample a plate which cost only Malaysian Ringgit $2.50, or less than AUD$1! In each of my trip back to Penang, the must have street food for me is “Char Koay Teow”, “Char Koay Kak”, “Koay Teow Teng” and “Loh Mee”.

I shared another two dishes with mum – a bowl of “Koay Teow Teng” and a small plate of “Roti Canai” with curry dipping sauce.

It was a lovely memory to remember – Breakfast with Mum, a rare and precious occasion.

A Treasure of Street Arts, Tradition and Food

While waiting for dinner to be cooked by my partner, I will quickly share this post on my recent trip to Penang.

It took me a couple of days resting at home in Penang, before fully recharged and ready for my food trail in Penang. I read about this new place in the old part of George Town, and that there is a traditional style Nyonya restaurant. I went looking for it in Stewart Lane, tucked behind the historical Kuan Yin Temple. It is a row of terraces wonderfully restored and reopened as a boutique hotel with a Nyonya restaurant. The place – Seven Terraces – is a beautifully restored heritage Straits Chinese style double storey terraces. It was newly opened when we were there. Unfortunately, the restaurant was shut between lunch and dinner time.   I should make it a point to visit this place again in my next trip, and to try the nyonya food at the restaurant. There are not that many authentic nyonya style restaurants left in Penang. The last place I have tried was the “Nyonya Breeze” at Straits Quay, which I have written a post.

My partner and I were in Penang for Christmas. We were invited to join our friends, who are our Penang neighbours as well, for a Christmas buffet lunch at the Penaga Hotel’s restaurant. Penaga Hotel is another fine boutique hotel in the heart of George Town city. The buffet lunch was really cheap at Malaysian Ringgit $35 pp ++ or less than AUD$15. It was ridiculous and competitive with all the restaurants competing for the ringgit during the festive season. The food at Penaga was average and nothing to rave about. But, the place was friendly and intimate with a nice view of the hotel courtyard.    The next day after Christmas I met up with my mum and sister for a dinner at a “kopitiam” near their place. There are a number of “kopitiam” (coffee shop) in Penang that in the evening there is an open kitchen making fresh dishes to order. Between 3 of us, mum ordered “tau mew with kiam hu”, “pai kut with koh kuah” and “kari hu tau”. A simple, cheerful and cheap meal.   Penang without a doubt is a great place for tourists to experience the culture and heritage and trailing all the wonderful street arts, which are becoming the “in-thing” to do in Penang.  Penang is also about its tradition, custom and religion. I was home at the right time to pay respect to my deceased father who passed away 6 years ago on Christmas day. He was cremated and his ashes were shrined in a jar at the Khoo Kongsi Crematorium. For the first time, I have learnt how to place each of the food, tea and coffee in little saucers with candles and joss sticks on the mobile altar table. Mum always do all the arrangements. But, someone will need to carry on the tradition into the future. Religion coexists in Penang in harmony among the multicultural society. One can find a Muslim Mosques, Chinese Temples and Hindu Temples within hundred of metres from each other. There are beautiful prayers halls and buildings with architecture and heritage significance. 
Penang is full of little treasure find…wander the streets and you will be amazed by the colourful sights. It is not particular pedestrian friendly with the not so friendly motorists who do not give way to pedestrian, uneven footpath and potholes, one needs to practice lots of patience and occasional time off at the local kopitiam or the more trendy arty cafe to cool down from the heat to enjoy and experience the beauty of the place. 

Penang and Balik Pulau

Unbelievable! Where has the time gone? Since returning from Penang, and my last post which was only a week ago, I hardly have the time to write my next post with time taking me to Brisbane on a work conference for 3 days. Hopefully life will return to its normality with almost half of January gone.

It seems my last trip to Penang on 23rd December 2012 was a long time ago, but it was only 3 weeks. I remember when I arrived at the Melbourne International Airport for my MAS flight to Penang via KL (Kuala Lumpur) on a Sunday mid morning, there was a large crowd of mainland Chinese (China) tourists. The proportion of the Chinese at the airport at that time outnumbered the caucasians – at the checkin counters, immigration counters and VAT counters for GST refund. I could have mistaken myself at a Chinese airport. The fact was there were a couple of departure flights to China! Melbourne has become a popular tourist and investment destination for the mainland Chinese. I can spot them from a distance.

I was glad and relieved once I made it through the immigration. Going through the airport – queuing, waiting, bag checkin, immigration, body search, X-ray scanning, hand luggage drug swipe, answering questions, flights delay – all those are quite daunting for any travellers. And, travelling during the Christmas festive season is the worse time with a busier airport. But the thoughts of arriving at my destination was worth all the travel pains that came with it.

I spent my entire Christmas and New Year almost 2 weeks break in Penang, with a trip up to Penang Hill and a country visit to Balik Pulau. I spent a fair bit of time waking up early in the morning and taking a stroll along the coast near where I stayed – the east coast of Penang island overlooking a small island, Pulau Jerejak (“Pulau” means Island).  The weather in Penang during my visit was surprisingly pleasant. Much better than I can remember – it was breezy with cool evening and morning with a mildly hot temperature in the afternoon and lower humidity than normal. Some morning were the best I can remember – an experience of a visible large full moon setting behind a distant hill, and an eagle feeding its morning catch of a small wetland monitor lizard on top of my building.  My partner and I revisited Balik Pulau on this trip by taking a RapidPenang bus for a fare of only Malaysian Ringgit $2.70 (less than AUD$1) from Queensbay. Bus number 401E. Balik Pulau is located on the western side of the island – probably the last remaining old township on the island that managed to escape the big developers massive commercialism and destruction. The municipal surrounding is rich in history and cultural values with vast pasture farmlands of fruit plantations, herb farms, goat farm, paddy fields and traditional Chinese and Malay  fishing villages. It is an inland township close to the west coast of the island with stunning surrounding hills, state forests and the best sunset view. I love Balik Pulau and its layback lifestyle. But, land on the island has become so scarce that before long Balik Pulau may grow and prosper into another big satellite town due to its proximity to Penang second bridge opening in the middle of this  year 2013.  There are historic buildings and place of worships from the 1882 water fountain in the middle of the town to period colonial mosque, church and Chinese temple. The historic water fountain has 2 lion heads where water runs into the smallest roundabout.

Balik Pulau is well known for its Penang laksa – Asam Laksa and Siam Laksa at the Nan Guang kopitiam. A bowl cost Malaysian Ringgit $3.50 or AUD$1.20. This coffee shop is also popular with its Nutmeg juice with sour plum, which is an unusual acquired taste but refreshing for the hot and humid weather. This side of the main street in Balik Pulau has predominantly Chinese shops.

The other two streets from the roundabout have mostly Malay and Hindu Muslim shops. That was where I came about a Malay coffee shop in front of the roundabout, simply called the “Restoran Roundabout”, that sells nasi campur (rice with curries) and the traditional mee goreng and mee rebus. It was a first time I have tried the mee goreng in this shop. It was probably one of the best mee goreng I had so far in Penang. Perfect with a glass of hot “teh tarik”.  Balik Pulau reminded me so much about my time living in the countryside of Tasmania. It feels layback and relax with a slower pace and lesser traffic. One day I hope to come back again to Balik Pulau and explore this part of the island a bit further.

In the next posts, I will write on the few restaurants that I have visited in my last Penang visit. Though I spent most of my meal eating the Penang famous street food.

Going Up the Hill

On my second last day in Penang, I was determined to go up the hill – that is, the Penang Hill, 823 meters above sea level.

A few days earlier on Sunday 30th December, my partner and I went to the base of Penang Hill located 6km from George Town in the old Chinese village of Air Itam. It was in the early afternoon. The base entrance area was packed with tourists trying to buy the tickets – MR$30 per adult return fare or MR$8 for Malaysians. There was an even longer queues to catch the fairly new Swiss made funicular air-conditioned train. It was a hot day and we were not prepared to wait in the queue to buy the ticket and wait in another queue to catch the train. It was a wrong time to head up to Penang Hill – especially on a weekend, holiday season and school holiday at the same time. Everywhere in Penang was busy, and the traffic was the worse I have ever seen in my many visits back to Penang each year. This was the first time I went back to Penang during the Christmas and New Year holiday season. This is the first of a number of posts on my recent trip to Penang to wrap up the year 2012, and welcome the new year 2013.

The last time I went up to Penang Hill, also known to the local Hokkiens as “Seng Kee Sua” or Bukit Bendera in Bahasa Malaysia was more than 2 decades ago. I remember fondly it was operated by a wooden open-air coach with a midway station – the Viaduct Station – halfway up the hill, which the passengers had to disembark and embark on another coach to the top of the station. It was slow and could take almost 30 minutes to reach the top of the station. The old colonial wooden train was replaced by new coaches around the late seventies. In 2010 – 2011, the funicular railway system was upgraded with the purchased of new Swiss air conditioned coaches which became operational in April 2011. Unfortunately, the old charm and fun of riding the funicular train up the hill has disappeared with the efficiency of the modern coach  which takes slightly over 5 minutes to reach the top of the hill in a single ride. The old wooden coach may be slow, but it gave the passengers ample time to experience the slow and layback feeling of a time gone by, taking in the view and experience the sights and sounds of the surrounding flora and fauna and native wildlife – with occasional sighting of snakes, butterflies, birds and monkeys. The modern coach has removed all the experiences of the past, which I think is a great shame.

To make this journey up the hill, I caught a RapidPenang bus 204 from the city main bus terminal Komtar. The fare cost MR$2. Depending on the traffic, in off peak, it takes 20 minutes from Komtar to Air Itam. I left in the late afternoon. My reason to leave this late is to experience the city lights from the top of hill at nightfall.

The ride up the funicular railway was rapid. The view spectacular. The climate nice and cool. The pace slow and peaceful. It was cloudy and overcast with fog and rainy clouds rolling in. During the colonial period when Penang was ruled by the British empire, several bungalows were built on top of the hill and on the hillside. Once I had a very close friend whose family lived in and house minded one of the bungalow. I remember as a teenager visited her family’s home and stayed there one weekend. At the time, it meant nothing to me to stay overnight at Penang Hill except it was cold and foggy. Now that I have lived in a few cities and the country rural setting of Tasmania, I can understand why the English escaped to the top of the hill and seek the cool climate and quiet life. On my recent trip up the hill, I found the place peaceful and charming. I was alone and not in a rush and waited for the nightfall and enjoyed a lovely western style dinner at a garden restaurant. By that time, it had rained for 15 minutes and cold with temperature dropping to below twenties degree Celsius with the wind chill.  A fine way to wrap up my visit to Penang Hil was to treat myself to a dinner at the hilltop garden restaurant. It is expensive but expected as this is the only restaurant on the hill top. There is a food court centre but none of the stalls were opened. I suppose they are only open in the day time.

The hilltop garden restaurant. 

Roast lamb with redcurrant  sauce and mint sauce and vegetables for MR$72 and a glass of mojito for MY$28 plus 10% service charge and 6% government tax was the most expensive dinner I had in Penang so far.