226 286
TRAVEL
226
June15
Food Frenzy
Penang has a formidable reputation for
food, from hawker classics to value-for-
money Western fusion, and top-notch
local cuisine in fine-dining restaurants.
After check-in, we made a beeline
to the yellow-and-green shophouse
eatery
Hameediyah
for a late lunch of
cheap and delicious Indian fusion food,
murtabak
. We’d eaten there previously,
on the recommendation of British chef
Rick Stein, and were not disappointed
with the large buttery
roti
stuffed with a
choice of meat or vegetables, and fiery
curry sauce as accompaniment.
Sharing the limelight with
char koay
teow
as Penang’s signature noodle
dish is
assam laksa.
Substantially
different to the coconut-milk version
served in Singapore, this iteration is
based on a tamarind and fish broth,
with mint, cucumber and chilli for
zing and sweetness. Hawkers all over
Georgetown sell the dish for about four
ringgit (S$1.50), and we recommend
enjoying it with a traditional nutmeg
juice – the spice is grown locally.
I’ll confess that the kids were not
keen on these spicy delights, so they
fell back on ever-reliable Hainanese
chicken rice, which is ubiquitous too.
Pick up the handy
Penang Street
Food
brochure, which lists the outlets
where many popular hawker dishes are
sold. A word of caution: Red Garden
Food Paradise is a large, evening-only
hawker centre that’s popular with
tourists, but we found the quality not
up to scratch.
Want to take it easy? Dine in at the
E & O Hotel for an all-inclusive family
buffet lunch or dinner at
Sarkies
, or,
for something special, at
1885
, the
fine-dining restaurant. Guests staying
in the Victory Annexe receive one hour
of complimentary drinks and small bites
at
Planters Lounge
every night. Sitting
outdoors overlooking the straits and
catching a breeze as the sun goes down
is highly recommended.
A unique all-rounder, offering
something for everyone, is
China
House
.
This building occupies a
shophouse the length of an entire block,
with access from Victoria Street or Lebu
Pantai (Beach Road), and is absolutely
worth a visit as much to check out the
multi-restaurant building as for the 40
varieties of cake that the bakery section
offers each day (yes, 40 – daily) and the
excellent coffee (made with beans from
Singapore roaster, Nylon and Toby’s
Estate). Breakfast, lunch and dinner are
taken care of with top-notch fare, and
kids are well catered for.