Wan's Nasi Kukus Kelantan - Island Glades

Update : they are closed till the 14th of May ( I assume it is because the boys are going back to vote ) so please hold your horses and drop in only after that date 

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Last night I was actually on the lookout for a chu cha place which could whip up something with soy sauce for me , when I stumbled upon this stall right smack inside the circle of neighbourhood shoplots in Island Glades .

Nasi Dalca Rahim - Lebuh Queen

Well ,right now , I'm at Nasi Dalca Rahim . Not very difficult to find , just look for this Indian temple on Lebuh Queen , which Prince Charles and Camilla , the Duchess of Cornwall visited on their maiden trip to Penang , the open air stall which opens for business in the evening , lies directly across the road from the entrance of that said temple .

Abang Jit Ikan Bakar - Lilitan Stadium

Exactly how long has it been since I've had a serving of ikan bakar that is not done Chinese or Portuguese Malaysian style ? Too long .

Let's try Abang Jit Ikan Bakar tonight now shall we ?

Photo credit : Abang Jit Ikan Bakar facebook

Umi Sekha Catering

I've never ever written anything about caterers as I honestly have not had any good experience with them .

Bland menu , nothing very special .

Not so the case with Umi Sekha , they are THE exception . 

Turns out the catering boss also personally will come and oversee the overall operation he is entrusted with , and he is quite a noticeable figure even if you may not know who he is at the moment .

Simple as the menu offering was , two meats , one vegetarian dalca , a briyani , raw salads , 2 cordials and dessert to be exact , it was delicious , I really wished I could take the entire chaffing dish containing the beef curry and briyani away and forget about my new resolve to not do supper  .

Original Kayu Nasi Kandar - my search for the perfect nasi briyani ends here

I was bragging about Tajuddin Hussein's nasi briyani the other day , to this Malay lady , one of the exercise kakis in my fitness circle , when she told me that Kayu's is the best .

" You must go there " 

" Ya meh ? " I huffed .

" Yeeeee betulllllll " she insisted .

So here I am , so obedient yet curious if what she said is true or not , staring at these lovely grains , in shades of orange , white and yellow with raisins and cashewnuts , saying my prayers and hoping that this will not be a disappointment .

Nasi Dalca Briyani - Kampung Masjid

Nasi Dalca is uniquely Penang . It's not as famous amongst out of state visitors but it sure has a hungry hoard of local fans right here on the island .

Nasi Kandar Simpang Ampat

Before you think that I am crazy for liking this place , I want you to take a good look at the server in the skullcap kopiah , and tell me if you see a glowing complexion or not ? Next , take a peep at his helper and see how clean , ironed and neat his clothes are .

Tajuddin Hussain - mood lifting kandar and briyani

 Many operators claim to offer nasi briyani in Penang , but I've always walked away disappointed . 

 Well , my search ends here . This plate is Da Bomb ! 

Suuuuuper delicious , so addictive and soooooo satisfying , I wish I could eat this everyday without murdering my hips .

Olala Cendol - Mergong

Wanna know how I sometimes sniff out some of the best hawker places on my own , even when I'm on unfamiliar ground ?

Here you go . 

I always keep an eye out for unusual traffic .

Restoran Berkat - Malay beef noodles

You've tried the Vietnamese version , as well as a few Chinese versions .

Let's go Malay now shall we ?

The Malay version of beef noodles , is much simpler . There's that all important soup base concocted from mixed spices stuffed into a muslin ball , the trademark turmeric coloured vermicelli noodle , other condiments such as an extra dollop of chilli for that added kick and beef of course .

Wingstop - VivoCity

Confronted by the sheer numbers of dining options at VivoCity , we finally decided to stop at Wingstop . Yeah , I know , it sounds so corny but that's what we did . Really .

Mami Midah Briyani - quite easy to find

Originally from Geylang Serai , this stall is rather easy to find via the MRT .

Just get off at Eunos and walk past the first visible foodcourt you see , 

proceed past a row of small retail shops , turn left and you will soon see another foodcourt complex .

Highly recommended by local folks , this was our second choice stop , on the Briyani hit list . First preference was for one place near Paya Lebar MRT station , third option was all the way on the other side at Tanjong Pagar 

Salmon Steak Bowl - Fish Fest at Yoshinoya Hanamaru

Just when I thought we'd be relegated to just Udon , Beef and Japanese curry  variations forever and ever , the good people at Yoshinoya Hanamaru Malaysia decided to spice things up a bit . 

And Penang has the honour of having 2 out of 3 outlets in the entire country to introduce this brand new menu .

However , given the history of how  Salmon is served ( so unfresh with such an unpleasant smell in this country ) , we approached the promising looking menu with much trepidation .

To think of it , it does seem pretty ambitious at first glance .

Saba Flake Bowl 

Salmon Saba Mix Bowl

Saba Kabayaki Bowl

Saba Fillet Bowl

Salmon Steak Bowl 

That's a whole lot of fish for an outlet that is famed for beef !

Decided on the Salmon Steak Bowl .

Upon scrutinising the pricing , the thought of going 3 levels up to Sushi Tei for our grilled Salmon Teriyaki fix did cross my mind .

MYR 19.80 for a Salmon Steak bowl was a little steep when you compare the 2 outlets side by side .

Sushi Tei is a full serving restaurant while Yoshinoya Hanamaru is a self service place . 

I knew I could depend on Sushi Tei for fresh fish , but having fish in Yoshinoya ? This was going to be a gamble on my part . I'd either love it or live to regret it .

 

Anywayyyyy , the first nibble put all doubt to rest  .

Yes I love it. 

Served in a cast iron pot perched ontop of a wooden pedestal , with a small portion of short grained rice at the bottom accompanied by spring onions , a dab of wasabi , some maddeningly addictive Japanese mayo and a pinch of cut seaweed , 

is the salmon steak .

I'll say , I wasn't at all impressed with the portion . However the creamy taste , seared light smokey sweet sauce put the smile back on my face .

Didn't try all of the other fish dishes since we all have our individual addictions , 

but the fact that the fish is so fresh ,not overdone , with the skin still a little sticky... fatty underlayer intact , you can't go wrong with this for a change , even for someone like me who prefers raw sashimi to a cooked salmon . 

This one's good . All good .

Thumbs up . Gulping my saliva as I recall the flavours . Very nice . Good job !

Location : Gurney Plaza , Penang 

Available in these other following outlets : Sunway Carnival , Aeon Shah Alam .

6666 for Nasi Padang

This semi makeshift restaurant has been operating for the past 3 years already and the prices are so reasonable , it left me speechless when they passed us a chit of paper with the total bill amount scribbled on it . 

I'll begin by listing out my favourite dishes then show you what the shop looks like at the end .

Bergedil .

 Finely mashed potatoes with teeny weeny chunks of beef and celery embedded in a pattie that's deep fried with a thin egg batter coat .

Packed , fragrant and delicious , I absolutely love this as the few places that serve bergedil in Penang seem to be slacking these days . Don't be surprised to get some that are swimming in oil , coated in chewy batter and as well as those that fall apart when you try to lift it up  .

This one's good .

KSB Cahaya New Abu - finally , some real mamak food

You have absolutely no idea how difficult it is to find a good mamak stall selling yummy roti canai , mee goreng and maggi sup , at night , in Georgetown these days .

 A lot of the former haunts now rely on factory produced roti canai dough which tastes really awful and the cooks under their employment have tastebuds that are world's apart from us regular Malaysians hence the decline in orders , when it comes to those 3 dishes .

Until you swing into Macalister Lane .

It's close to 11 pm but this quiet lane is filled with hungry owls  .

A scene that is increasingly rare nowadays . 

Waaaaaaa.....will you take a look at the beaming crowd ?

Nasi Kandar Misai Chowrasta - my favourite hideout

The nasi kandar dished out here is as wholesome , hearty and addictive as the Nasi Ganja in Ipoh .

The more you eat , the higher you get .

However , of late , the stalled market complex construction as well as their competitors , have seemingly muscled them out of the lion's share of customers . Yet , as a regular patron , I tell you , I absolutely love this little nook because 

they've neither skimped on the ingredients nor upped their prices and most of all , the food still tastes as fantastic as always .

What you see now is their new premise . Much smaller than the last causing a lot of their regulars to do takeaways .

Restoran ZJ Bahagia - a massive kampung feast

Had stumbled upon this place by chance. Was teeming with sooo many people , I just had to try it out .

Eel or Snakehead soup anyone ?

Muah : " I'm gonna try the sup campur with beehoon . What would you like to have ? "

Him : " Same lah....I'll have the same as you "

Muah : " Sure ah ? "

He nodded in agreement .

Not long later , the mixed bowl of beef offal soup with yellow coloured vermicelli arrived . 

Not to say that his understanding of Malay was poor , he understood what Campur meant. However, the more he drank , the more he slowed down .

So I asked him " What's wrong ? "

Him : " These are beef BODY PARTS you know ?  Every part of the cow is in this soup !!!"

Muah : " Oh come on....it's not THAT bad . Besides, the meat is fresh and most important of all , it doesn't smell like it's celebrated several birthdays at the bottom of a freezer "

Him : " I can't stand the jelly like parts " 

Muah : " Oh you think that's bad ? " 

( I should have pointed out the tongue at the counter to him. Big ass bad it was )

" Look over there where the tanks are . Wanna have those instead ? "

His eyes almost popped out and maybe he lost his appetite for good . 

Fresh from the paddy fields. 

Freshwater eels .

Which resemble snakes. Which we don't eat. Well maybe other Chinese do , just not us .

Yeah , don't put your foot in the rice fields if you don't know what lives there ( snakes , eels , snails , dung ) How the eels get in the waterways , I don't know but no matter how good they are for my health , I'm not having them in my soup . Na ah . No thank you .

Maybe when I'm up to it , I might give the Snakehead aka Haruan fish soup a try . The finned species that can walk on land . 

You go ahead first . 

Anyone ? 

Location : Gerai Lee Koi Sup Asli ,

Sungai Petani , Kedah

Abang E Capati

The best way to bridge any rift , when bridges are being burnt is through good old tasty food .

 If we are intent on a tit for tat , then much will be lost . When we can sit down on one table ( ok let's be more current and realistic , under one roof ) and eat as one family , things can get as good as the old days and suspicions can go fly kite so to speak .

Caprish ? Once you have read between the lines , here let me show you another of the most under rated cuisines in Malaysia .

These Kedah folks , they do not ever brag about their cooking . Never 

 And I don't understand why . 

Maybe they were taught to be humble about it . Maybe they think their skills are nothing to shout about  .

Thus , it was a long time coming and this year has finally revealed itself to me as to just how good the Kedah Malay chef really is .

Laksa Dusun Mini Stadium

The original plan was to go pay the very addictive Laksa Tempurung a visit. But since it was closed , I decided to give this place a try . 

Run mostly by a bunch of men except for the sole woman chef who occasionally hovers near the stove , some of their takeaway customers like to give the hanging plastic birds a little squeeze . Makes for a lighthearted moment then .

 From the price list , I'm guessing that they produce the noodles themselves. Name of the shop , makes me wonder if I'll get farm fresh produce in my noodles , since Dusun means Orchard in Malay .

Malay style chicken rice and nasi goreng fried with salted fish is also available but I'm just going for the fishy spicy noodle today .