Penang, Malaysia: A Long Weekend Spent In Food Heaven

Since moving to Malaysia a few months ago, we have been told that Penang is THE place to go for food. Not only is it world-renowned for it’s amazing street food vendors, and seafood, but pretty much every Malaysian/Singaporean dish originated from Penang. We visited the city of Georgetown for a long weekend, and had a blast eating our way around town with our friends.

As soon as we arrived mid-day Friday we went right for the street food. We had our cab driver take us to Penang Road, a famous street with hawker stalls and cart vendors, and we found the perfect place to try multiple dishes. One of my favorite things about eating street food, especially in Malaysia, is you get a sense of how food is an integral part of their culture. You see everyone there: families, friends, tourists, backpackers, all enjoying the delicious food at super cheap prices. We sat at a typical SE Asian flimsy table with plastic chairs, tissues as napkins, a couple of Tiger beers and all different kinds of vendors around us. First up, we tried Penang Asam Laksa, the famous Penang version of this very popular Peranakan dish. Laksa is a spicy noodle dish served in a sour, fish-based broth, topped with prawns, chilis, onions and more. The flavors in this dish are just incredible!

Next, we tried the dish we were most excited to try: White Curry Mee. What makes the curry white is the fact that they use a coconut milk as the base, which adds a sweetness and richness that is very unique. It is served with tofu puffs, prawns and cuttlefish and typically comes with a mixture of two different types of noodles: yellow noodles and vermicelli. What makes Penang’s version over-the-top special and delicious (and this sounds super gross, I know, but trust me it’s amazing) is that their curry is served with a spoon full of coagulated pig’s blood and chili paste. This adds massive flavor to the coconut broth, and takes this dish to another level of deliciousness. If you are ever in Penang, I highly recommend this dish as it was our favorite!

The last dish we tried was just pure deliciousness in a bowl: Char Kway Teow. This is a VERY popular noodle dish in Malaysia and Singapore that originated in Penang, and can be found everywhere around Georgetown. Char Kway Teow literally means “stir-fried rice cake strips” and consists of flat rice noodles that are fried over very high heat in dark soy sauce and chili paste, then tossed with prawns, chives and bean sprouts…YUM! In Penang it is typically served with a banana leaf underneath it to enhance the flavor. We really enjoyed this dish, and watching a couple of the older ladies make it.

After sampling the amazing street food and filling our bellies (for less than $15 for 4 of us!), we decided to walk to Armenian Street in downtown Georgetown. Walking the streets, we saw the beautiful colonial architectural influence in many of the buildings and understood what makes this area a UNESCO World Heritage site. I was a bit disappointed that most of the buildings were very rundown. It seems to me like having such a beautiful and historical place like Georgetown, the city would want to fix up and preserve these beautiful buildings, but they were still interesting to look at and worth seeing.

When we arrived at the narrow Armenian Street, we stopped for a cocktail at a historical, yet trendy place called China House. They had amazing cocktails, and the ambiance was just what we were looking for: laid-back and good vibes. After a refreshing cocktail we walked out in the SE Asian heat to hunt for the famous Penang street art. There are awesome, interactive murals throughout the area and down narrow alleys. We had so much fun finding them and taking pictures! We even hopped on the Georgetown mode of transportation: a trishaw. A lot of them are decorated and it is a fun way to ride around town.

After all the walking around, it was time to, you guessed it- eat again! We made our way to Bali Hai Seafood, which is a famous seafood restaurant and market located on the famed Gurney Drive. Here, they had an incredible selection of seafood: huge lobster, all kinds of fish, crabs and what we came for, the Mantis Prawns. Mantis Prawns are HUGE shrimp that have extra long, powerful claws used to attack and kill their prey. A few in our group ordered the prawns fried, but we got ours steamed with butter and garlic. That was the way to go! They were so sweet and juicy, some of the most delicious shrimp I have ever had! The only complaint I had with this restaurant, was their prices. I think they used their location and popularity to drive up the price and it was really expensive. Next time, I think we would try another seafood place, but the experience was nice.

After all the eating, we headed to check out the nightlife in Penang. We quickly found out that Penang does not have the vibrant nightlife like Kuala Lumpur has, and many of the bars were pretty empty. We made the best of it, and had a few drinks, then headed back to our place. We stayed at an Air B&B, and for the price, the place was quite nice. It was a two bedroom, two bath place that was right on the water and had an awesome view. It was a great place to stay for the couple nights we were there.

The next day, we decided to do some sight-seeing outside of the Georgetown area. Our first stop was Kek Lok Si Temple, which is the largest temple complex in all of SE Asia. It was about a thirty minute drive outside of Georgetown, but well worth it! It is a Chinese-Buddhist temple and is beautiful, intricate and has stunning views. We enjoyed wandering around the complex and taking in all the detailed beauty.

After the temple, we decided to hit the beach! We made our way to one of the most popular and prettiest beaches on the island, called Batu Ferringhi, but unfortunately it started to rain as soon as we arrived. We snapped a few quick photos, then made our way to the beach bar at the Hard Rock Hotel, which is right on the beach. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon away from the city streets of Georgetown, but neither the beach nor the hotel were that impressive.

Our last night in Georgetown was spent eating even more delicious food, finding a really great bar/cafe called JUNK, and listening to some live music outside an old historic building. My kind of Saturday night! The next morning, our friends took off early for their flight, while Luke and I went to check out a part of Georgetown called the Chew Jetty. The Chew Jetty is the oldest Chinese settlement in Penang, and all of the houses are built on the water. You can walk through and see how the people live, how they work and fish, and how they live in a very simple and pure form. It was really neat!

Overall I think a weekend in Penang is enough to see and eat your way around Georgetown. We enjoyed our time there, but the best part about it was definitely the food. The food has amazing flavors and truly tells the story of Malaysian culture. So if you go to Penang- go ready to eat!

Happy Travels,

Courtney