5 eateries you should not miss out on when in Penang.....

So yours truly was on a makan spree for two days in Penang on the AirAsiaPenangTakeover with MyPenang. Everyone knows that Penang food are known and touted to be some of the very best food in South East Asia or even the whole of Asia... Not many can compare to this Food Paradise... 

So while we were there, we were allowed to eat whatever we want... and here is my list of 5 eateries you should not miss out when in Penang. 

This list was compiled and tried out by myself as well as some Penang blogger pals who were our tour guides... I am also a Penangite but have not been back to Penang for a while, so things are different but it had been amazing getting to explore and try out new things in my hometown on a traveller/visitor's point of view...

So let's go, but before we go any further, let me remind you this is my list... and my tastebuds... hehehe... and what I think should not be missed.... 

Nasi Kandar Line Clear

Nasi Kandar is synonymous with Penang as this is where it all began from. Nasi Kandar is a whole sub-set of the Indian-Muslim  cuisine in Malaysia. It is basically white rice served with a variety of curries, seafood, meat vegetables and so on. And what sets a plate of nasi kandar apart from other rice dishes which is common here in Malaysia is naturally the curries...And normally, Penangites or those who are used eating Nasi Kandar will order their Nasi Kandar with 'kuah campur' or mixed curries...and in this way, you can get to enjoy the explosion of taste unlike any you have ever tasted before...

And among the many famous Nasi Kandar stalls or restaurants in Malaysia, one of the most popular ones in Penang would be the Nasi Kandar Line Clear. Despite being just an alley eatery, you can see crowds of people there for lunch or dinner...

The curries and dishes on display are enough to tempt you into forgetting your best friend's name for a little while....Hehehe... 

And here is our dish... The thing was when we were there, we were practically all still full from our lovely buffet breakfast at the hotel we were staying, the Olive Tree Hotel in Bayan Lepas...so we did not quite have the appetite to have one plate each, but we went a bit crazy though and came out with one of the most expensive plates of Nasi Kandar yet... (well, in my case....I am sure there have been more expensive plates....)

My team mates and I ordered a Giant prawn, a piece of chicken drumstick, vegetables on the side all heaped on a plate of errmmm... Nasi Beriyani.... and this plate cost us RM39.50!!!

No worries.. it was just the prawn that costed RM30.00... One note of caution, if you are on a tight budget, you can enjoy your Nasi Kandar with chicken or meat or a piece of fish and vegetables for less then RM10.. It's only when you order squid, prawns or fish head when the prices start to soar... Hehehe...

This eatery is found at an alley next to 177 Jalan Penang...

Roti Canai Special Jalan Transfer

Seriously as a Penangite myself I was so not aware of this place, but at a glance you can already tell how popular this place was with the crowd of people there... If you want to know how good the eatery is, you can hardly go wrong if there are plenty of customers there....

It was my Penang blogger pals /team mates Xherlyn, Sock Peng and her husband KH who brought us here....

Roti Canai is also an Indian-Muslim favorite... almost 75% of Malaysians eat Roti Canai for breakfast some time or other...I would guess...It is after all a cheap and yummy breakfast ...

It is actually a kind of flat bread which is soft, buttery and fluffy on the inside but crispy and flaky on the outside, made from wheat flour, eggs, water and ghee....

The dough is very intensely kneaded before it gets tossed and spun around in the air. Watching a Roti Canai maker make Roti Canai can be very entertaining and is almost like an art form...It is then folded into a circular or square shape and fried on an iron skillet with oil and butter. 

Roti Canai is normally served with dhal - some yellowy coloured lentil gravy, chicken curry, fish curry or anchovy sambal.

In this case at the Transfer Road stall which was located by the side of the road, it was served with a generous piece of chicken and curry for RM7...

Or you could also order it with a sunny side up/ bulls eye egg for RM3.50 and smothered with chicken curry

Next to the Roti Canai stall, there was a Roti Bakar (toast bread) stall as well, selling Roti Bakar 'Telur Goyang' (wobbly eggs) or rather half boiled eggs. The bread was toasted over a barbecue coal burner and the eggs were perfectly half boiled.... and topped on the toasted bread... It only cost RM3.50 for this...

All you need to do is then just add some soya sauce and pepper and enjoy!!!

Moustache Houze

The two-storey cafe along  Campbell Street offers delicious cakes, coffees and non-alcoholic beverages such as flavored special iced cubes.

 Its interior is eclectic with pretty murals on the walls, swing seats on the ground floor and some private room seating upstairs available to anyone who spends more then RM80 in their bill... So if you are having a mini get together, or a small birthday celebration, this could be an amazing place on a budget...

It's a haven to step foot inside this pretty cafe for a dessert  or a coffee after traipsing all over the Heritage area in Penang or if you have been over indulging in the scrumptious hawker fare around Penang.

Their cakes definitely drew our attention as much as the moustache decor inside the cafe... 

And we got a couple of their Mille Crepe Cakes which are definitely noteworthy and delicious... We ordered the Neopolitan Crepe Cake and another Crepe Cake. The cakes were served perfectly sliced and so pretty...each cake is sold at RM10.90 each...

My team mates /blogger pals ordered their flavored special ice cubes because it was sweltering hot outside and we were more or less almost melting from having walked all the way from the Jetty area to here, The special ice cubes almost about the same to normal ice cubes you have but in this case, they freeze strawberries, kiwis, espresso, chocolate and matcha green tea.

KH ordered his special Kiwi ice cubes which came with a small jar of Sprite, I think.... and Khai ordered his special Matcha ice cubes which came accompanied with a small jar or milk... 

All you have to do is pour the milk or the soda over the ice cubes and .... enjoy...These Special Ice Cubes are RM11.90 for those served with Sprite and RM12.90 each for those served with milk

As for me, I did the opposite of what they did and ordered me a Cappucino instead...just because I wanted a pretty drink as well.. but I pleaded with the bartender to make it lukewarm instead of hot... heheh... my Cappucino looks so adorable right.... and it only cost RM9.90

Anyway,this lovely Moustache Houze cafe is located along.... 24, Lebuh Campbell , Penang 

Penang Road Famous Chendul and Ais Kacang 

- (but this one is at Tan Jetty)

All Penangites know that if you need a dessert away from the heat, you really have to either go for Ais Kacang or Cendol. And for the some of the top Ais Kacang or Cendol, Penang Road is the place to go and sure enough at certain times, the queue is so long you will be left wondering if they were actually giving away free Ais Kacang or Cendol...

However, they have since branched out and you can even find Penang Road Ais Kacang and Cendol in less crowded places... In this case, at the Tan Jetty area, where some blogger friends., Criz Lai, Jason, Evelyn and I wandered to...

The Cendol gets its name from the green, chewy noodle like condiment which is made from rice flour and the extract or juice from the 'pandan' leaf.

A bowl of Cendol is first filled with finely shaved ice, red beans and palm sugar syrup.Then the cendol is scooped into it and copious amount of fresh coconut milk is added, making the end result a light fragrant coconut milk  exotic dessert that refreshes not only you but also your tastebuds...

On the other hand, the ice kacang is also made from shaved ice but topped with red beans, creamed sweet corn, attap chee (palm fruit), strips of dried nutmeg, colourful jellies, peanuts and raisins, and drenched with a combination of palm sugar syrup, sarsi and rose syrup with liberally drizzled with rich evaporated milk... absolutely a delight to behold and also on your tastebuds... 

Another thing not to be missed would be the refreshing green air pegaga (ayer... or water... not air) or Indian pennywort(English), which is also a pretty healthy choice and a 'cooling' drink...ideal with both the normal white sugar syrup or the palm sugar syrup...

This stall is just next to the Tan Jetty entrance (facing the road from the Tan Jetty , the stall is on your left) and there is another stall a little further behind that sells absolutely delicious prawn fritters and loh bak... (for the non Muslims)

You can find this stall along Weld Quay near the Tan Jetty...

Gurney Drive Hawkers Centre...

When it comes to food, where else other than the Gurney Drive Hawker Centre aka the food paradise of which you can find all the cheap  and tasty signature foods of Penangites, but beware, it is not that simple, as you have to be precise as to what you order or the hawkers would take you for a ride if they could..

The Gurney Drive Hawker Centre, also called Pusat Penjaja Anjung Gurney, is one of the biggest and most famous eatery in Penang. It is located at the northern end of Gurney Drive, just before the Gurney roundabout, between Sunrise Tower and Gurney Plaza before you head up to Tanjung Bungah or Batu Ferringghi.

Photo credit to JalanJa.com / Sotong Bakar

I remember the times when I come here to eat Char Koay Teow or Penang Laksa or my mother would love to go for her Rojak Buah or Sotong Kangkong. I also love those pressed dried Sotong Bakar (baked Cuttlefish) or Grill Fish you can get here...  

Photo credit to Jalanja.com / Rojak Buah

There is just so much to choose from but make sure you confirm the price and the order before agreeing to it or some of the less honest hawkers could try to take advantage of you by sending their most expensive or biggest plate...

And there you have it, my list of 5 eateries you should not miss out on when in Penang. There is no denying there are a whole lot more to discover out there as well and I am sure I would do that the next time I am back in Penang, but this is my current list for now... enjoy if you are headed to one of the above....

And also feel free to comment or share with me your favorite Penang eateries if possible....

This trip to Penang has been made possible by AirAsia / AABC as well as MyPenang....

AirAsia has 413 connecting flights between Kuala Lumpur and Penang

For more information, be sure to check out:-

http://www.airasia.com/my/en/destinations/penang.page

http://www.mypenang.gov.my/

https://instagram.com/mypenangpgt