PART 2: Makan-Makan.
As-salamu'alaikum.
As was mentioned in PART 1 of this blog entry, the purpose of this trip in particular is to MAKAN, MAKAN & MAKAN! Penang is considered by many to be the number 1 food haven in Malaysia, and Georgetown is its main hub for diverse delicious halal & non halal cuisines. I personally love Chinese food, but according to the locals and also from reviews and findings done on the internet, it's hard to find Halal Chinese food in Georgetown. This time around, we're headed to Georgetown to experience Indian Muslim food and other local cuisines. So, here are the eateries we went to in no particular order..
1) Restoran Kapitan, Lebuh Chulia
Almost everyone I know seems to know this place. When I told close friends about my plan to head for Georgetown for end of the year holiday, they all told me "You have to to try the Tandoori and Naan at Restoran Kapitan." Well, that is one of the more useful recommendation I got from friends. Kapitan is also famous for its claypot Briyani which I've also tried, but I guess I'll stick with the Tandoori chicken & Naan bread. The price itself wasn't that bad. I wouldn't say cheap but given the quality of the foods, the price is very reasonable. Kapitan is just a few hundred metres away from our hotel. And since the parking was hard to come by during the day, we just walked from the hotel.
Walking towards Restoran Kapitan. It is located in the Little India part of Georgetown.
Kapitan during late afternoon. The first thing we did when we arrived in Georgetown was to look for this place. We had late lunch on the first day. The Tandoori was sooo gooood I ordered the Tandoori twice plus the Briyanis. Another recommendation is their Almond milk (Badam milk).
They also have nasi kandaq on their menu but didn't get the chance to taste it yet. Thought of having their nasi kandaq for dinner on one of the nights we were there, but apparently nasi kandaq is available for lunch time and not dinner time.
The ever delicious Kapitan's Tandoori chicken and butter Naan. They're famous for its cheese Naan, but cheese is not really my thing, I'm more of a butter Naan person. The Naan is typically served with Dhal curry and mint sauce. The size of the Naan bread is comparatively small than what you get in most restaurants but Kapitan raise the standards when it comes to taste.
An absolute delight. The best tandoori chicken I have ever tasted. I couldn't get enough of it. The tandoori chicken we had in Kassim Mustafa just a hundred metres away on the same street was pale in comparison. We ate here for lunch (first day) and for dinner (second and third day) during our short stay.
I'm not really into their claypot Briyanis. but at least the chicken Briyani fared much better than the mutton Briyani. Like their Tandoori chicken, the meat is tender and succulent. The Briyani doesn't come with Acar (vegetable pickle) or Papadom. It only comes with Dhal curry and a type of soury white sauce.
Claypot mutton Briyani. The meat's portion is quite small, chewy and a bit dry. This Briyani dish was not up to my expectation. Didn't enjoy it as much as I would want to. I've tasted better Briyani dishes elsewhere.
Tip:
* Do not expect friendly and fast service here. Yes the food itself is amazing but like most (not all) restaurants we'd been in Georgetown, the service was poor. The only reason we came here three days in a row was because of the delicious Tandoori chicken that we can never get enough of. The staff wasn't rude or anything like that, it's just they are not attentive enough to tend to your needs (especially to the local patrons, they seem however to favour Caucasian tourists more). On one incident, I called on four waiters to take our orders, but one by one they just walked by while waving their hands (in the negative), the fifth person who finally came and took our order was the cashier and not the waiters. Also don't expect smiley faces from their waiters and kitchen staff. That said, I will definitely come here again for their 'World Class' Tandoori and Naan.
2) Hameediyah Restaurant, Lebuh Campbell
This eatery is a new favourite of mine. Hameediyah is the oldest Nasi Kandar establishment in Penang. The've been around the block since 1907. This is another must-try if you're in Georgetown. Located in Lebuh Campbell, the original Hameediyah is in close proximity to Nasi Kandar Line Clear in Jalan Penang. Besides nasi kandaq, Hameediyah is also famous for its Murtabak and Briyani dishes. The service was good and the staffs were approachable. We enjoyed our lunch and had a pleasant time here. Highly recommended.
The building on the left of picture is the original place, and on the right of picture is the extension of the old building which is only three doors away. For takeaway or if you want to personallly select your nasi kandar dishes, you'll have to queue up at the old building, and they will bring the dishes for you to the new building. The new building is where they have the table seatings with air-conditioning. If you're not particular about selecting your nasi kandaq dishes, you can just grab a sit and order the food on the menu without queuing up.
Queuing up or my order. The selection of dishes at Hameediyah are mouthwatering, the cleanliness is impressive and the overall place itself is presentable. We came in half an hour before noon, and that is the best time to come and have lunch here. By noon the place was already jam-packed with patrons. Plan your timing when you want to come here for lunch.
My menu on that day: nasi kandaq + medley of curry gravies with curried chicken, curried mutton and salted egg. The curry was a bit watery but the taste was really good.
The place was clean and the ambience was pleasant. A conducive environment for families to eat.
The wife had Beef Briyani. I didn't taste it but the wife said it was delicious
3) Restoran Tajuddin Hussain, Lebuh Queen
Tajuddin Hussain is a hidden gem. This nasi kandaq eatery is one of the best I've been to. Another new favourite of mine. Tajuddin Hussain is right around the corner from Restoran Kapitan. The place opens at 11AM. So on the third day we head towards Tajuddin Hussain for brunch and by the time it was open, the place already had patrons queuing up for takeaway. I had the opportunity to talk to a local Penangite who was sitting next to our table. He told us, as a local Tajuddin Hussain is his favourite nasi kandaq place in Georgetown since he was young. And according to him, the place is relatively unknown to outsiders. Most who comes to Tajuddin Hussain are local Penangites or outsiders who work in Penang. And only recently Tajuddin Hussain started to become known to outsiders especially after a food/travel blogger, Mark Wiens from migrationology.com posted a video of his food experience at Tajuddin Hussain. You can watch the video here
Tajuddin Hussain from the outside.
Tajuddin Hussain's menu and price list. The price is quite reasonable for its quality.
Patrons queueing up to get their takeaway orders.
The selection of dishes here are excellent. I ordered my nasi kandaq with Ros mutton, fried chicken and Ros chicken. I'm not sure what Ros stands for, but the Ros dishes are highly recommended by food bloggers and even the waiter who took our order. In terms of flavour, the Ros dish is basically a type of spicy curry with extra hotness than your typical curry. The nasi kandaq here is being served with the rice and the dishes separate unlike most nasi kandaq where they mixed everything in one plate. For drink I ordered Teh Tarik. Nice.
The Ros mutton was 'out of this world'. The meat was so tender, it literally fall-of-the-bone. And the taste of the curry was just amazing. They really know how to cook their mutton curry. Alongside Deen Nasi Kandar in Jelutong, Tajuddin Hussain makes the best nasi kandaq curry dishes in town. The fried chicken was also excellent, crispy skin on the outside and tender meat on the inside. Even without the mutton or chicken, eating the rice with medley of curries was satisfying enough. For me it was a mindblowing experience.
Tip:
* The way they do things here are not the same as other nasi kandaq place. If you're eating at the restaurant, you don't have to queue up to get your nasi kandaq. Just take a seat and ask for a waiter to take your orders. The queue is for those who want to have takeaways. The service wasn't that bad but don't expect a warm smile from the workers.
4) Deen Nasi Kandar, Jelutong
Deen is my all-time favourite nasi kandaq. Now I have 2 on my all-time list. Deen & Tajuddin Hussain. I have mentioned Deen Nasi Kandar in the Penang 2015 (Part 2) blog entry. But it's worth mentioning it again since I couldn't get enough of Deen's nasi kandaq. Jelutong is not exactly located in Georgetown but it is close enough to get to Jelutong from Georgetown. According to my GPS, Deen is only 4KM away from Georgetown. Deen nasi kandaq's speciality is the medley of its curry gravies. We waited until the final day of our stay in Penang to come to Deen. We had breakfast here and then had a takeaway for lunch.
My fixation for nasi kandaq started here..
Waiting for my turn to get my daily dose of nasi kandaq for breakfast.
For breakfast on the final day, I had nasi kandaq with dark curried chicken, fried fish and boiled egg. The robust looks of the curry combinations might be an overkill but trust me, the flavour is superb.
The RM12 fried udang galah (giant freshwater prawn) came on a bit late after I had finished my nasi kandaq, but I needed to savour this mouthwatering prawn before leaving Penang, otherwise I will regret not having it..
Tips:
* The best time to eat here is in the morning when the queue is not that long. By 9AM plus, the nasi kandaq dishes are mostly ready for serving. The long queue usually starts at lunch hour and at dinner time. On the final night in Penang, I drove to Deen at 2AM just to check out the place and saw around 20 people queuing up for nasi kandaq. Yes, even at 2AM. So go there early to avoid long queues.
5) Medan Renong Hawker Centre, Padang Kota Lama
There are a lot of food stalls serving a variety of foods in Medan Renong. But this food court is mostly known for its Rojak Pasembor and Char Koay Teow/Mee Udang stalls, but we did not come here for that. Here lies my favourite cendol stall in Georgetown.. Din Ais Kacang. As for the wife, she loves the laksa Penang from one of the stalls (I don't remember the name). This place was also mentioned in my Penang 2015 (Part 2) blog entry.
Din Ais Kacang on the left of picture.
The place is crowded with tourists and locals especially after office hours.
The wife loves the laksa Penang here. And the price is cheap.
The wife ordered the Lychee Kang for dessert from Din Ais Kacang.
My favourite cendol pulut in Georgetown, Din Ais Kacang. After having late lunch somewhere else in Georgetown, I would normally come here to savour this guilty pleasure of mine.
Coconut shake is also available at the hawker centre. So if you crave coconut shake, you know where to get it if you're in town.
Tip:
* If you come in a group, the hawkers (competing with each other) will most probably swarm your group to take your orders and at times it can feel as though they're forcing you to order from them and this can be very uncomfortable for most most people. So just be cool and decline their offers nicely and take your time to decide what you want to eat.
6) Sri Weld Food Court
Located in Lebuh Pantai, Sri Weld food court are comprised mostly of non-halal Chinese hawker stalls. But at the entrance of the food court there is a Halal nasi lemak stall that is popular among the locals. Ali Nasi Lemak Daun Pisang. The nasi lemak packages are wrapped with only the coconut leaves which adds pleasantness to the aroma and taste.
If you don't want to queue, you can just get the prepacked nasi lemak + side dish...
...or you can customise and choose your own side dishes to add to your nasi lemak.
The beverages stall in Sri Weld food court is Halal in case you're wondering. The ambience can be deceiving with the surrounding stalls mostly serve non-Halal food.
Nasi lemak ayam. The portion is small but it costs about RM1.80 per pack. Even if you buy 3 packs of this nasi lemak ayam it would costs less than RM6. And 3 packs are more than enough to fill up your stomach.
7) Nasi Kandar Line Clear, Jalan Penang
On the second day, we went out from the hotel just before 7AM to look for Hameediyah. We knew Hameediyah opens at 10AM but we just wanted to know the location as we have never been to this part of Georgetown before. As we were cruising, we passed by Line Clear Nasi Kandar. They operate 24/7. We didn't intend to have breakfast here but since we were in the area and most restaurants are still closed, well why not? But at 7AM the nasi kandaq lauk pauk (dishes) are limited and most of their signature curry gravies are unavailable. Still I got myself a plate of nasi kandaq. Insha Allah on the next trip to Penang, will have another go at Line Clear and will make sure to get the full range of the dishes and its medley of curry gravies.
Line Clear is situated in an alley off Jalan Penang. Right next to Nasi Kandar Yasmeen.
Line Clear at 7 in the morning. Not a lot to choose from the menu at this hour. In few hours time it will be jam-packed with patrons.
Faree'ah having teh tarik
A plate of nasi kandaq + curry gravy with fried chicken and boiled egg.
Nasi kandaq for breakfast is the way to go in Penang.
8) Penang Street Famous Roti Canai & Roti Jala, Lebuh Penang
Located along Lebuh Penang, this roadside stall is a stone's throw away from our hotel. Don't let the nondescript facade fools you. They make nice roti canai (Indian flat bread) and dhal curry. We didn't get the chance to taste their roti jala but I'm sure they're nice too. Connected to the roti canai stall is another stall that sells beverages. They also have nasi lemak available at the stall. They only open for breakfast.
Patrons queuing for roti canai takeaway. Do stop for breakfast if you're in the area.
9) Restoran Mohd Raffee, Jalan Burma Pulau Tikus
Restoran Raffee is located in Pulau Tikus, still within Georgetown area, but it's some distance from the heart of Georgetown. I came here to try out their nasi kandaq based on good recommendations I've read on a couple of food blogs. But the nasi kandaq here wasn't up to my expectation. Not that the nasi kandaq was bad or anything. First, I asked for a mutton dish but the staff said they were out of mutton. So, I had to settle with a fried chicken and a boiled egg. The fried chicken was average at best. And a boiled egg is a boiled egg. Maybe I should've gotten the curried chicken instead. As for the flavour of its medley of curries, it didn't jibe with me. Different people have different taste. Just a matter of preference I guess.
Nasi kandaq at Mohd Raffee
10) Restoran Nasi Dalca Kassim Mustafa, Lebuh Chulia
I'm not going to say much about this eatery, because our experience here was not a favourable one. I've read some negative reviews about this place before I came here, yet I was trying to be fair and would give this place a chance. So we came here to try their nasi kandaq and Tandoori chicken. What was mentioned specifically on the negative reviews happened to us. I won't mention it in details but the quality of foods we had ordered was below average and the service was substandard. Overall it was an unpleasant experience for us.
Nasi kandaq + kari banjir with curried chicken and fried chicken at Kassim Mustafa.
Tip:
* Give it a pass, there are some truths in most of the negative online reviews plus you're not missing out on anything here. There are other eateries nearby that you can explore. I have no resentment towards them but please improve on the quality of foods and the service in particular.
Extra Note: The Eateries We Had Missed Out On This Trip
Of course one could plan so much but Allah is the best of planners. Besides the list of eateries above, there are other eateries we have aimed at during our stay but for some reason or other, we missed out on these places.
1) Restoran Liqayat Ali (Nasi Kandar Beratur) next to Masjid Kapitan Keling
2) Ali Ameir Nasi Kandar, Jelutong
3) Restoran Sup Hameed Nasi Kandar, Jalan Penang
4) Restoran Merlin Hotel Nasi Kandar, Lebuh Penang (our hotel, our room was directly above the restaurant)
5) Kassim Nasi Kandar, Jalan Gurdwara
6) Gem Restaurant Indian Cuisine, Lebuh Bishop
7) Sri Ananda Bahwan Restaurant, Lebuh Penang
Insha Allah we will make the list above a priority for our next travel to Penang.
Next up.. Taiping
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