Scallop - Q - Gurney Plaza ( PF )

Had my first taste of Hokkaido scallops while in Japan....omg, while that was a revelation, it just doesn't taste the same outside of the country.

Still, let's try this Taiwan franchise out today.

Besides the very attractive kiosk, the owner's bubbly face is one of the draw factors.

 

Check out the prices.

 At $5.80 per stick, it's definitely cheaper than other street vendors in Taiwan itself.

Wang Chau Jun ( NH )

The owner is formerly a chef from Carnation Cafe in Gurney Drive.

 Back then ( the 90s) he was good enough to make an impression on these people pictured below.

 Today, this is where you can find him.

Under the staircase, counting money.

G Hotel - Room Service ( Part 2 )

Love to order room service.

Especially when it comes in looking like this.

 Our spread looks impressive.
I mean, out of so many hotels we've stayed, none have failed us so far.

Our eager smiles soon turn upside down.

Chicken Curry - Teluk Intan style ( PF )

Was seated near the entrance, when the aroma whaffed over and drove me half mad

 " Who's cooking chicken curry ?" 

Someone seated one table behind me was the culprit who ordered this

Hokkien mee with the fullworks - Jalan Burma ( NH )

Heading towards the ferry terminal , when we came right smack into an out of the ordinary jam. Suddenly recalled that some japanese festival ( Yosakoi ) was being held at the Esplanade today.
Decided to turn back and eat here.

They've grown by leaps and bounds.
Stretching past the five foot way of so many shoplots.
Easy to find ( it's diagonally across Tune Hotel ) but poses a real challenge to find legal parking space for.

7 Village - Abu Siti Lane ( NH )

7 Village is a real godsend to Penang Island.

Apparently they have been open for around 2 or 3 months already, but I just found out about it today.
Better late than never.

Yes, someone up there heard the islanders cries, for great damn blady shiok koay teow thng ( so hard to find nowadays ),with really,truly absolutely fresh ingredients ( even famous stalls dare give us rotten fishballs and pork that has been fed a cocktail of dangerous drugs ) , that we don't have to cross the bridge for.

Sin Kim San - Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken Rice ( NH )

While there are plenty of pakcham keh fans on the island, this is the first time I am seeing two older Japanese ladies, enjoying this dish so much, they just had to snap pics.

Kafe Kheng Pin - best prawn fritters in Penang (NH)

There is no fight. The loh bak stall here wins hands down.

Best there is on Penang island and I dare say the whole of Malaysia

Fok Kee Restaurant, Pitt Street ( NH )

Fok Kee has been around for ages, but lately I see the crowd thinning as more and more people have shifted away from the inner city to places like Jelutong and Air Itam.

YEA- Shabu Shabu christmas ( NH )

YEA's got a way of showering their customers with small surprises...

 ...especially when it comes to festive periods.

Umay - Sri Lankan Briyani ( PF)

Always itching to try something new.

That's how I ended up in a foodcourt again although I totally detest the characterless, sterile environment.

Would prefer to eat by the roadside anytime...but hey...let's give it a go .

Offering Sri Lankan , Western and Arab food on the same menu , sounds as though it's gonna be a tall order, for the chef to pull off, right ?

But I'm willing to give everything a try once.

Settled on the Sri Lankan Briyani set.

Sin Tai Tung ( NH ) - affordable meal at Macalister Road

This restaurant is famous for a dish called

Crispy Chicken.

But tonight it was sold out as there are tons of visitors on the island.

Opted for the Beef with spring onion and ginger.

Always dependable.

Comes with glossy, cookbook perfect, mouthwatering looks

Shirley's Nyonya Place -" What in the...?" ( NH )

Update : 

The noodle stall below has ceased operations. In their place are others selling stuff I don't even feel like trying out.
In fact we're all a little suspicious of new operators who shouldn't even be given the licence to cook.
So, in the meantime, you're on your own to venture into this unchartered territory.

Earlier post :

Brace yourself, you might be distressed to know, that the old lunchtime Nasi Melayu stall is no more here .

So were we, but curiosity got the better of us and we decided to come at night, to give this newly refurbished shoplot a try.

But wait a minute....how come no one seems to be going for the Nyonya food ? 
There's a bowl of seafood noodles on every table.

Headed to the front portion of the shop, and discovered , that the chef with the misai, and another lady, came over from Lok Soke seafood chu char stall, in Gurney Drive.

There's a fresh selection of seafood and ingredients and this is what I ended up with.

Superb deep fried fish in a clear tomyam like broth with kiam chye ( my request) thrown in.

Very, very nice in the sourish, refreshing kind of way.

Seeing that we used to trust her interesting suggestions, he ended up with this.

" What in the world ????"

Duck Meat Koay Teow Thng - Super Suck XXX ( NH)

Oily....sweet.....wrong recipe.

Most horrible ktt !
few fishball,small fibres of meat ....Costs $5 !!!

Who would have thought of using the thng for boiling kai see chook (chicken porridge) to cook koay teow thng ?

Koay Teow Thng - Kimberley Street (NH)

This was actually a very quiet street before a tv programme made a bunch of hawkers here so famous

Sadly, the stall in the picture below, 
is one of the last remaining handful that offers a decent bowl of koay teow thng , today, on Penang island
(there are so many horrible ones , let me tell you )

Glad to say that the owners have not let success go to their heads.They're one of the most humble, friendly and patient stall owners around.

My order comes complete with sliced red chillies ( rare ! )

Ros Mutiara - Lemony Pickled Tandoori & Naan ( U )

I've never liked the tandoori , sold in the popular shop opposite Ros Mutiara.



Maybe because this place is frequented by less people,

 you are rewarded with the rare sight of a street chef , lovingly slaving over the clay oven like this.

Hainanese Delights - $60 ? Are you kidding ? ( PF )

Mind you, the restaurant is located within a budget hotel , so excuse me, for complaining that I find the bill a bit too much.

Our order

• 3 drinks - 2 hainanese kopi ( 1 hot, 1 cold), 1 orange juice
• 1 dessert - 1 small bowl of sago with gula melaka
• 3 mains - 1 fried rice, 1 fried rice with salted fish, 1 fried beehoon
• 1 appetizer - 2 spring rolls

Fried rice. Tasty and nice with prawns and chicken meat.

 Deep fried onions were so hard , I spit them out in disgust.

Fried beehoon. Crunchy sawi, nice fluffy scrambled eggs with prawns and chicken meat.

Again, the onions spoilt the whole dish.

Boiling inside.

Transfer Road Roti Canai ( U ) -Tomorrow You Will Know...

You might wonder why everyone is lined up against the wall, facing the dusty road like this.

In case you decide to join in the sweatclub , never take their

"ok ajer" face for granted.

Actually their insides are exploding and they're their best trying to maintain their composure

Others prefer to pour the meat and curry on top of the roti for that extra power kick.

But we're keeping the curry and bread separate.

Our breakfast.....

3 pieces of canai, one piece of chicken and one serving of mutton - all for $11

Close up of the roti canai. Looks burnt, oily and tiny.

Right on all counts. Add salty to the list.

Although this might be a borderline case in the hygiene and cooking school department , you can't help but wonder,  how on earth can something so unappetizing looking , taste so damn gooood ?

The best durians outside Balik Pulau ( U )

There are vendors in town who have the privilege of reserving some of the best trees from the area, to their customers convenience, and this is the one, you have to look out for.

He is "expensive but good " 
gushed an old achim who recommended this place to me.

Select your fruit, get it weighed, pay for your purchase, then sit back and enjoy the view as you dine beneath the canopy of umbrellas and trees

Jasmine Garden Cafe ( PF)

7th January 2013 :

I don'tknow what's happened. Whether the kitchen is on strike or the chef has got a better offer elsewhere but the usual foods below which we ordered were dissapointing.
No taste. Not salty enough. Rancid char siew. Undercooked chicken. 

Earlier post :

Although YMCA lies just a little further down, across the road , most tourists give this a miss, preferring to venture elsewhere without ever realising, that they have a gem right at their doorstep .

Instead a bulk of their customers nowadays, consists of Indonesian medical tourists and staff from the hospital nearby.

Belacan chicken is excellent.

No overpoweringly, bitter belacan flavour.

Just heavenly.
You absolutely have to try this dish when you're in Penang.