Ka Bee Cafe - Chew Jetty ( NH )

While Kar Bee Cafe's owner always makes the newspaper headlines for buying the largest grouper in the wetmarket, they don't just serve fish noodles.

Super fresh squid, prawns, fish maw ( very in demand by local gourmets ) etc are available too.

Just take a look at the size of this prawn ! 

Noor Bee Nasi Melayu ( U )

Because they churn out some really fine foods,

I sometimes wish they were located somewhere far better than here.
 

It's a small family run business, well known amongst the islanders.

Comfort foods, so typically Tanjung Tokong style, yes that's what they serve here.

That means a great, winning hodgepodge mixture of Mamak , Pakistani, Penang and Kelantanese Malay, all mixed together, producing very unique ( but no less delicious ) curries with a hint of bitter.

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.

Mouthwatering Jackfruits - Tg Bungah night market

It's not easy trying to get the fruit out from it's compartment and not get a layer of sticky gum all over it.

Requires a fair amount of skill to do so. 

That's why most prefer to buy it from traders .

Besides, one fruit holds so many seeds, it's quite impossible to finish .

I thought I'd eaten it all, but this batch, hawked by these traders at the Tanjung Bungah pasar malam,

knocked me off my socks !

Bear in mind that the brilliant, almost fluorescent yellow colour you see, is not touched up.

All natural !

Can you believe it ?

Feels like Kaoshiung ( NH ) - Tg Bungah pasar malam

The Tg Bungah pasar malam is slowly evolving.

The entrance has lost its Malaysian-nes already with more young entrepreneurs introducing a lithany of creative dishes to us. 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining.

I do find the change quite exciting.

And so do others. As evident from the little patient queues forming at the new outlets.
But it does feel like Kaoshiung, minus the cold weather.

The mysteriously good looking Oink Oink burger chef, kinda makes you wanna look twice.

Haven't tried this yet, but I am sure it 
( the food, yo, not the chef, whatever were you thinking,haha) must be good, judging from the crowd

( U ) Nasi Kandar Jelutong - Penang's No.1 Nasi Kandar

Update 26th May 2013 :
Massive development in Jelutong has swallowed up this place. The entire row of shophouses have been boarded up. 
If I ever locate their new premises, I will post it up here

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This Nasi Kandar stall is rated by many as the Number One Nasi Kandar in the whole of Penang.

The frenzied pace at the counter, starts as early as 6am here.

Right here is the kandar or carrying case which sellers of old, used to lug around town,hawking their wares, especially around the port area.

When you see this in a nasi kandar shop, it speaks volumes of the long history they have being associated to this dish.

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

Kuta Bali , Paya Terubong ( NH )

Besides the usual Penang fare, this place also offers un-Penang dishes such as KL Rojak , Sarawak Kolo Mee and Filipino food .

I should have scooted off like this lady in the picture, once I saw those dishes above but I didn't

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 ! )

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

Fried chinese pastry van outside Lye Lye ( NH )

Didn't take much notice of this white mobile van on the left hand side of the building, until today.

Because, I had initially come to this kopitiam for some loh bak .

Don't know what happened, only the tofu and century egg was edible this time around.

It was good last time but now beh chiak already.

The fishball was sour, the small popiah like getah.

Why oh why ?

Restoran Sup Hameed ( U )

 Although this is the best place for sup kambing in Penang, I usually resort to takeaway because the whole restaurant from outside to inside is infested with smokers .

Thus today is the first time after many, many, many years, that I am eating in .

But it doesn't take long for me to regret that decision especially when I'm drinking mutton soup, under a choking haze of Marlboro and keretek.

Char Mee Suah - Cecil Street ( NH )

While Penang is reknowned for its char koay teow, have you ever tried char mee suah ?

There's sawi, pork slices, prawns, eggs and taugeh inside.

All nicely charred and very yummy.

Noodle is of a thicker texture than the usual variety you find in soups.

A rare dish that's in danger of disappearing but available here.

There are two stalls in this wetmarket, hawking this dish.

Both are just as good.

Just look out for the sign hanging high above and you will find them

So many rude hawkers at Gurney Drive

26th October - Public Holiday.... yet I suffered from temporary amnesia when I suggested that we eat here tonight.

As we walked from Gurney Plaza towards the hawker centre, it became apparent that I had chosen the worst possible time to eat .
Scream ! Look at the crowd ! All I saw was a sea of heads bobbing up and down, ahead of me. Still we dove in.

Passing the first koay teow thng stall, I witnessed a drink stall hawker forcing a 20 something non customer, off a chair that he said belonged to him. Where did he expect him to sit ? He didn't care if he had to stand eating. Oh boy.

Weaved our way out of this mad sector and finally found a space somewhere in front of  Pasembor stall in front of G.P.Soon Rojak ( my fav) . Only problem was, the table was laden with every kind of dish, bowl and utensil which remained uncleared.

A 'looking' match began between us and the drink hawker next door to the pasembor. After a while it became obvious that they DID NOT want to clear the table for us and we had to do it ourselves. Giving up, we used a tissue to wipe the surface clean .

While my partner,  joined the queue at Stall no 71 (nice ckt for $5 with 3 huge prawns ), the owner (male) finally came over and showed me the menu.
Still seething over the 'waiting game' which I had lost earlier, I told him I didn't want to order. It was then he unleashed his barrageful of nonsense in Mandarin ( 3 quarter of which was lost on me but not the meaning ).

"You mean after having to clear the table FOR YOU, you now want me to place an order ??? LATER ! I'm waiting for someone to return "

He backed off leaving the menu behind on my table. I must have been loud as the table of Ah Bengs across me had begun grinning, after seeing our 'little exchange' as though I was some Ah Cher about to parang him in half and they were just waiting for action to unfold or tables to topple . Whatever.

Undettered by the promise of fat profit, this time he sent his wife in to eyeball me. I swear she looked deep into my iris to come to some sort of analysis.
" Wait ..." I told her. She swiped the menu. Someone's pissed..... No, She didn't take it out on me since her hubby probably warned her about my ' nice mood ' . Probably she saw the growl in my eyes . Instead, she took it out on a new arrival in front of G.P.Soon.

" Are you ordering any drinks " she asked them . I didn't hear their reply but I soon heard her banging plastic chairs she had pulled from them to stack up . She even went to the extreme extent of folding up the table,right under their noses as they looked on in shock .
Wow....real gangsta this woman. Repulsive behaviour.

It was only later, that I discovered that they had the audacity to compell me to order drinks, even though the table I was sitting on, belonged to the Pasembor stall ....not them. While that explains why they refused to clear the table at the time, it's certainly no excuse for them to force drinks down our throat.

So how'd I not get the short end of the stick ?
First of all , I was sitting on another person's table.But most important of all, when in Penang, you have to show some balls and give a loud rebuff with a good measure of outrage thrown in.
It's perfectly acceptable to show and sound ( don't bang, don't get physical, just use verbal)  your displeasure publicly , especially to hawkers or traders who like to shortchange or ill treat their customers.
Or else you will be clearly bullied like that family and man above.

Location : Gurney Drive Hawker Centre

Chowtime : night

Free View , Cheap Food near Queensbay ( U )

Chances are most of you would not know that this place even existed .

There are a few pasar malam style traders that open here on a daily basis and I guess you have to try them out one by one first before you find one that you like the best.

The main draw however is the fact that you get to dine on a sandy beach with a free view of the Penang Bridge. Simply spectacular ....how can you beat that?

Penang Kueh at Cecil Street Market ( NH )

There are not many good kueh stalls around nowadays.

Although there are 2 operators in this afternoon market, I prefer to buy from this one.

Pasar Air Itam Laksa ( PF )

This famous stall needs no introduction

Apparently it's their prawn paste which makes them famous