Penang Food – Page 4 – Peter Tan – The Digital Awakening

Genting Cafe Wan Than Mee And Chee Cheong Fun

A trip back to Penang is not really a trip back to Penang unless I get to savour some of the popular hawker food. Wuan and I went to Genting Cafe the last time we were back. She has never eaten there before. Ask any Penangite and they probably would have eaten there one time or another, or least heard of it before. This typical coffee shop is at the corner between Lorong Delima 6 and Lorong Delima 3, and opposite the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Hamid Khan field.

The road is narrow and car parking bays are limited. The times that I wanted to eat there, we could not find a place to park. It must have been our lucky day that morning. We got a space just across the road from the coffee shop. I had to negotiate around stalls and puddles of dirty water to get in. While we were looking for an empty table, one of the hawkers offered us the table he was occupying.

Wan than mee (wantan noodles) at Genting Cafe in Penang.

It has been a while since I last had some nice tasting wantan noodles and decided on a plate of kon lou. Incidentally, the hawker who gave up the table for us was the stall owner. The small serving I ordered cost RM2.50. It came with deep fried wantan, chai sim, char siu slices, shredded chicken and pickled green chillies. The noodles were springy like how I liked them to be. I would have preferred the wet wantans but the deep fried ones were nice, too.

Chee cheong fun at Genting Cafe in Penang.

Wuan had a bowl of something that did nothing to impress her taste buds. So we ordered the chee cheong fun which was very popular as evident by the queue at the stall. (My previous entry on this is here). The small serving of two rice rolls was RM1.70. The strong aroma of the prawn paste was subdued and there were hints of peanut butter. I could make do without the peanut buttery taste. A more distinct prawn paste aroma would have tantalised my palate more, although I always hated how my breath smelt of prawns afterwards. Having filled our tummies with some “authentic” Penang hawker fare, we took a leisurely drive to town to run some errands and experienced, yet again, the crazy traffic this island has become famous for.

Banana Leaf Rice At Passions Of Kerala

Sometimes, it is very difficult to elucidate why I like food from a certain place. Perhaps, it is the taste. Perhaps it is the presentation. Perhaps it is the ambience. I have eaten a lot of banana leaf rice in the Klang Valley but none come close in deliciousness to what I have eaten at Passions of Kerala at Gelugor in Penang. The simplicity of rice served with chutney, a variety of vegetables, beancurd, papadam, and generous ladles of dhall curry, chicken curry and fish curry on banana leaf kept me going back to this restaurant. Perhaps my first taste of banana leaf rice was here and that was how my preference has been influenced since.

Wuan, Reallybites and I went to the restaurant’s other outlet at New World Park at Swatow Lane for lunch one afternoon. As usual, I ordered my vegetarian meal and an extra dish of deep-fried bittergourd that Wuan and I shared. Reallybites had Mcnair fried chicken to go with her rice. The meal still tasted as good as the last time I had it many months back at Gelugor. I also like how the bitter gourd was fried till crispy and could be eaten just like that. I did not try the fried chicken as I was already too full when I finished everything that was on my banana leaf.

At RM5.50 per serving of vegetarian banana leaf rice, it is a bargain as one can have as much rice and its accompaniment piled up on the banana leaf as one can eat. Now I have learnt to stop the food server from giving me too much rice but at the same time asking for a little more chutney. I like their chutney very much. I also like the plain lassi they serve which is thick and flavourful. However, I have cut down on the lassi due to my dietary restrictions. Most of all, do not be surprised when or if you ever find out who cooked all those delicious food. Will I go back for more? Definitely. Passions of Kerala – the best banana leaf rice in Penang, and maybe Malaysia too!

Famous Penang Seafood Porridge At Sungai Tiram

Joo Leong Cafe, Sungai Tiram, Penang.
GPS: N5 18.160 E100 16.552
Photo by Wuan.

My trips to Penang can never be complete without a visit or two to Joo Leong Cafe at Sungai Tiram for a bowl of seafood porridge in the evenings or buttered toasts for breakfasts. The shop is located just beside the busy Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah on the way to the Penang International Airport. The airport runway is a short distance away behind the shop from which the sounds of jet engines can be distinctly heard.

Joo Leong Cafe seafood noodles.

Wuan and I had seafood porridge at the shop two Sundays ago when we were in Penang. I ordered fish maw and fish slices to go with my porridge while Wuan had the same for her instant noodles. While waiting for our orders to be served, we had buttered toasts for starters. The porridge and noodles came garnished with chopped Chinese parsley and tang chai (preserved vegetables) to make the soup even more appetizing.

Joo Leong Cafe seafood porridge.

Apart from fish maw and fish slices, diners can also select crabs, deep fried fish slices, frogs and prawns to go with porridge, instant noodles, mee suah (flour vermicelli) or bee hoon (rice vermicelli). The bill for the seafood porridge, seafood noodles, three glasses of leong fun (RM3.60) and two slices of buttered toasts (RM1.60) came to RM23.20. At RM9 per bowl for fish maw and fish slices, it was not exactly cheap but the ingredients were assuredly fresh. The only grouse we have is the lack of parking spaces and the sometimes long wait for a table. Otherwise, our trips to Joo Leong Cafe had always been pleasant experiences.