Penang - Food Hunting Trip (4D3N)

Here is a list of the foods we tried and enjoyed throughout our four days and three nights in Penang. On our first day in Penang, I only had time for a tea break at The Founders because I had a migraine attack and had to forego dinner that night. The Founders is around a 4-minutes walk (270m) from The George, Penang. The cafe was crowded on a Sunday afternoon, but the server found us a small table by the window. I suppose that's how my migraine started, due to the heat and lack of air conditioning sitting on the side.

We ordered a cinnamon roll and a slice of burnt cheesecake. The cinnamon roll tastes good. It's soft and fluffy. On the other hand, the burnt cheesecake is creamy and rich, similar to a thick custard, but we couldn't finish the cheesecake because it was too filling.

The Founders Hutton

Cafe ambience

Drinking water

Classic cinnamon roll - RM 7.90 and burnt cheese cake - RM 12.90

Cafe ambience (outdoor)

Cafe ambience (outdoor)

Address:

The Founders Hutton

17, Jalan Hutton, George Town,

10050 George Town,

Pulau Pinang

The next day, we had our breakfast at Toh Soon Cafe. It is about a two-minute walk from The George, Penang. It is hidden in a narrow alley with a zinc roof top. When we got there at around nine in the morning, there was a queue, but it moved quickly. My partner ordered their eggs on toast while I decided to go with the whole wheat bread steam with homemade peanut butter. The half-boiled eggs are simply excellent. The egg yolks are runny, with some parts starting to solidify, while the egg whites are not totally set.

However, my favourite was the whole wheat bread, which was really soft and fluffy. Their homemade peanut butter is a bit runny and slightly sweet for me. Additionally, they sell pre-packed nasi lemak, which my partner decided to give it a try. He fell in love with it and went for a second serving. The coconut rice is fragrant, but the anchovies aren't crunchy enough for me. Apart from that, their sambal is sweet and not spicy. Overall, it's just okay with me.

Toast and steam breads come with your choice of free spread (maximum of two). Any extra spread costs RM 2 each.

a) Homemade kaya

b) New Zealand salted butter

c) Homemade peanut butter

d) Condensed milk

e) Cold-sliced butter (1 slice) 

Campbell St. Mall

Toh Soon Cafe

Cafe ambience

Teh ice (less sweet) and teh o limau ice - RM 2.80 each

Whole wheat bread steam with homemade peanut butter - RM 5

Eggs on toast - RM 7.60

Nasi lemak - RM 2

Address:

Toh Soon Cafe

Lebuh Campbell, George Town,

10450 George Town,

Pulau Pinang

Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay is approximately 6 minutes walk (450m) from The George, Penang. This shop is rated Michelin Star for the two consecutive years 2023 and 2024. We ordered a bowl of asam laksa, kuih talam, kuih bingka and fried popiah. We were given a sheet of paper by the waiter so we could write down our order and then give it to them at the counter. We waited for quite some time, and I noticed that the lady seated next to us who arrived later actually had her food served. So we asked the waiter for our order, and they were having trouble finding our order form. We had to go to the counter to help them find our order sheet, which we eventually found at the bottom of the stacks.

Finally, our food arrived, and it does not taste good at all. The asam laksa is too sour for my liking, and the noodles are too soft. Kuih talam is unevenly formed, having a thinner santan layer and a firm top. Apart from that, it is a little too salty. Whereas the pandan layer is rather sweet for my taste. On the other hand, kuih bingka (baked tapioca cake) is just too sweet and soft. The fried popiah (stuffed with jicama) has a crispy skin, but it's just too oily with no dipping sauce.

Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay

Cafe ambience

Cafe ambience

Asam laksa - RM 7.50 and cold water - RM 0.50

Kuih talam - RM 0.60 each, kuih bingka - RM 0.80 and fried popiah - RM 2.20

Making of kuih talam

Address:

Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay

Lebuh Chulia, Jalan Masjid,

10200 George Town,

Pulau Pinang

Our next stop is Hameediyah Restaurant, a 7-minute walk (500m) from Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay. My partner is a huge fan of nasi kandar, and I believe we tried most of them in Penang. There was a queue when we arrived, although it was shorter than the one at Nasi Kandar Sulaiman. My partner had nasi biryani, beef rendang and duck. While I had rice with fried chicken, salted egg and pickled cucumbers. His curry duck is fresh and slightly salty. The same applies for the beef rendang, which is flavourful but too salty for me. The beef's texture is tough but chewable. The biryani rice is soft and fluffy, although a little oily.

My fried chicken is freshly made and perfectly golden brown. However, flavour is simply normal. The salted egg is really salty, and I believe it is the saltiest egg I have ever tasted. Unlike my partner, who enjoyed "kuah banjir," I prefer to separate my curry gravy, which is a little spicy for me. 

Total bill - RM 47.10

Hameediyah Restaurant

Hameediyah Restaurant

Pickled ginger

Choose your sides

Hameediyah Restaurant

Nasi biryani (half portion) - RM 3.20, beef rendang - RM 5 and curry duck - RM 25

White rice (half portion) - RM 1.20, fried chicken - RM 8.50, cucumber - RM 2.50 and salted egg - RM 1.70

Curry gravy

Iced water

Address:

Hameediyah Restaurant

164A, Lebuh Campbell,

10100 George Town,

Pulau Pinang

After a sinful meal, it's time to burn some fat by walking. We walked to Penang Bazaar, followed by Chowrasta Market. This bazaar along Penang Road sells local products such as clothing, bags, shoes and souvenirs. In contrast, Chowrasta Market sells dry foods, pickled fruits, spices, sauces and local snacks. The pickles are colourful, but the flies make it unappealing.

Penang Bazaar

Address:

Penang Bazaar

Jalan Penang, George Town,

10050 George Town,

Pulau Pinang

Colourful lane

Colourful lane

Chowrasta Market

Address:

Chowrasta Market

Lot 124, Jalan Penang, George Town,

10100 George Town,

Pulau Pinang

We had the famous Teochew Chendul from Penang Road, and it's good. The chendul is light in colour and delicate without being overly sweet.

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul - RM 4.70

Address:

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul

27 - 29, Lebuh Keng Kwee, George Town,

10100 George Town,

Pulau Pinang

We had our dinner at OO White Coffee. We got a Grab there from The George, Penang (Grab fare - RM 7). However, I believe this will be our last time here because the char kueh teow is no longer tasty. One major turnoff is that they do not remove the excrement from the prawns. Hence, biting on it causes gritty texture. I suppose the only thing that I enjoyed that night was the ambra juice with sour plum. Neither overly sweet nor sour. On the other hand, my partner prefers their tea with condensed and evaporated milk. The tea is slight bitter, but it is thick, smooth and creamy.

Tea with condensed and evaporated milk - RM 5.10 and ambra juice with sour plum - RM 5.80

Char kueh teow with chicken egg - RM 11.50

Address:

OO White Coffee Waterfall

29 & 31, Jalan Gottlieb,

10350 George Town,
Penang

We took a Grab ride from OO White Coffee to Roots Desserts Bar, but the watermelon cake was already sold out (Grab fare - RM 7). So we walked to Passion Heart Cafe. Despite the abundance of cakes, I ultimately chose Tiramisu. That night, I regretted my choice because it has a strong alcohol flavour and the cream is excessively solid and thick. Apart from that, the fingers are all quite squishy, saturated with alcohol. In the end, I couldn't finish it and had to throw it away.

Tiramisu - RM 20

Address:

Passion Heart Cafe

23. Jalan A. S Mansoor,

10050 George Town,

Pulau Pinang

Chulia Street (night view)

One Corner Cafe is about a 13-minute walk (1km) from The George in Penang. My partner and I decided to walk there for breakfast. Since this is the first stop of our food journey on that day, we decided to try a bowl of prawn noodles and ordered a glass of teh c ping without sugar. I just had a sip of his teh c ping and it's quite mild and bland. Our prawn noodles come with bean sprouts, prawns and slices of pork. The vermicelli is a bit hard, but overall it's quite flavourful and not too spicy.

One Corner Cafe

Teh C ping kosong - RM 2.40

Prawn noodles - RM 8

Address:

One Corner Cafe

No. 12, Jalan Bawasah, George Town,

10050 George Town,

Pulau Pinang

Our next stop is Kedai Kopi Genting Cafe. We took a Grab ride there (Grab fare - RM 10). This time we finally get to eat the chee cheong fun. It has a soft, smooth and slightly chewy texture. It pairs well with their thick sauce and sesame seeds.

Barley iced and herbal drink iced - RM 1.80 each

Chee cheong fun (big) - RM 9.60

Tree has key nailed to it

Address:

First Genting Cafe

3K, Lorong Delima 1,

Taman Island Glades,

11600 George Town,

Penang

We had our tea break at the Siam Road Charcoal Char Kueh Teow. We reached there around 3pm and the queue was crazy. They changed their ordering system and currently one person needs to stand in line. My partner actually stood in line for this plate of char kueh teow for almost 1.5 hours. I would say it's good, but not worth the wait. 

Chinese tea - RM 1.20

Char Kueh Teow - RM 9

Address:

Siam Road Charcoal Char Kuey Teow

82, Jalan Siam, George Town,

10400 George Town,

Penang

We had our dinner at this Dai Fatt Lala Pot with Wilson and his wife. If you cook your own lala pot, you will get an extra 500 grams of clamps. The cooking is fairly simple. Just pour some oil into the clay pot and add the ginger, chile and garlic. Fry till aromatic, then pour in the clamps. Pour in their homemade broth and finish with some Chinese wine. The pot is ready for you to add your steamboat components. Overall, the clamps are fresh and the broth is very flavourful.

Dai Fatt Lala Pot

Sauce self service

Sauce

Pickled cucumber and sauce

Iced water

Clamps

Chinese wine

Sausages and ring rolls

Lala pot

Fried lobak

Tiger prawns and Australian beef

Hokkaido scallops

Grouper fillet

Shrimp meatball

Iberico pork

Black fungus

Address:

Dai Fatt Lala Pot

No. 27, Jalan Sri Bahari, George Town,

10050 George Town,

Pulau Pinang

After dark, we hang out at Shill 90's. Currently, one of the best spots to hang out with friends and listen to live music.

Shill 90's

Singha Thai beer

Address:

Shill 90's

No. 3, Jalan Transfer,

10050 George Town,

Penang

On our last day in Penang, we walked to Tok Tok Mee Bamboo Noodle for brunch. My partner ordered their Signature Tok Tok mee dry while I had the Classic Tok Tok mee soup. The noodles have a nice chewy texture. Not very hard nor soft. Apart from that, the soup is flavourful, but the wonton skin is a bit too thick and the minced meat has a lot of tendons. My partner's dry version of the noodles tastes better than mine. His noodles come with char siew (bbq pork) and wonton (dumplings). We shared a glass of barley without sugar and it's tasteless. Overall, we enjoyed the noodles very much.

Tok Tok Mee Bamboo Noodle and barley iced - RM 3.90

Restaurant ambience

Signature Tok Tok mee dry (small) - RM 8.90

Classic Tok Tok mee soup (small) - RM 8.90

Address:

Tok Tok Mee Bamboo Noodle

No. 37, Lebuh Campbell, George Town,

10200 George Town,

Pulau Pinang