• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
  • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Copyright
  • Contact
  • Malaysian Chinese Kitchen
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
Malaysian Chinese Kitchen

Malaysian Chinese Kitchen

Food • Culture • Stories

  • Video Recipes
  • Web Stories
  • Recipe Index
    • Main Ingredient
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Fish
      • Shrimp
      • Shellfish
      • Eggs & Tofu
      • Rice
      • Noodles
      • Vegetables
  • Tutorials
  • Journal
    • Culture
    • Stories
    • Glossary
  • Ingredients
    • Beans and Seeds
    • Dips and Sauces
    • Dried Fruits
    • Dried Seafood
    • Eggs and Tofu
    • Herbs and Spices
    • Melons and Tubers
    • Noodles
    • Vegetables
Home / Travel / George Town, Penang – My Hometown

George Town, Penang – My Hometown

By: 👩‍🦳 Paul · Published: 🖨 November 9, 2017 · Updated: 💻November 9, 2017 · 🗨 6 Comments

George Town, Penang – My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit.

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

Some people spend the first half of their lives getting away from their hometown and the second half trying to return to it. The latter may not necessarily be a physical “move back into town”, but rather an emotional touchstone kind of thing. I am most privileged that my work allows me to get back to George Town on a regular basis. To me, this is a happy mix of necessity and personal re-connection to my birth place. My visits are often a happy reunion with family, friends, and most of all, a part of myself.

Staying in the City

I always stay in a hotel in the city center rather than at the beach hotels in Batu Ferringhi. I spend my days at work and only have the evenings and weekends to explore. Hence, it is more convenient to be in the heart of the old city so that I can get around easily.

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

George Town – a Hawker Food Haven

George Town is famous for its hawker fare. Local favorites like Asam Laksa and Penang Hokkien Mee (a.k.a. Hae Mee to non-Penangites) are must-haves for me.

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

I am most fortunate that my Penang friends are more than happy to oblige. Depending on who takes me around, I do end up at different places each time. There is strong partisanship when it comes to the best Asam Laksa on the island. Some will swear by the coffee shop in Pulau Tikus, others Air Itam Market, and yet others require us to make the journey to Balik Pulau.

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

Seafood Restaurants

There is no shortage of seafood restaurants in George Town. I generally avoid the big ones that draw lots of tourists. Usually friends will bring me to the current local favorite. One such place in Tanjung Bungah is a boat repair workshop by day and a seafood restaurant by night!

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

Along Gurney Drive there are several good ones, including my favorite place, Island Café which serves seafood and Bak Kut Teh.

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

So, what should one order in a Penang seafood restaurant? Bali tong clams in spicy sauce and oh chien (oyster omelet) are good choices for starters. Local mud crabs fried in chili paste or steamed with garlic and seafood beehoon for the main course. Ask for only the freshest catch of the day for Teochew style steam fish.

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

Steamed Nyonya Cakes

The other must-eat when visiting George Town is Nyonya kuih (Steamed Nyonya Cakes). The good ones have become pretty elusive these days. Fortunately, there is still a push-cart stall that sells these delectable treats in the morning from 7:00am at the Pulau Tikus market. He is pretty much done by 10:00 am. There is another one that opens up for only about ONE HOUR at the Anson Road Padang starting from 1:00 pm. My favorites are the Kuih Talam and Pulut Tai Tai but I am more than happy to settle for Kuih Lapis and Pulut Inti. Despite their diminutive size, these steamed delights are very dense and can fill you up quickly. So, they are best enjoyed in small helpings.

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

Confectioneries

One place that I do make a point to drop by is the Him Heang biscuit store, at Burma Road. To get the best Tau Sar Pneah (Fried Green Bean Biscuit), baked without preservatives you will have to get there before 9:00am. They come out fresh from the oven and get promptly wrapped in wax paper cylinders in rows of 5 each. People place their orders for the day by phone, so a large number do not even make it to the counter. The ones that are available are eagerly greeted by a long line of buyers consisting of locals and tourists from Singapore, China, and yours truly from the USA.

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

Dried Seafood

Apart from having my fill of hawker favorites, I also look for some ingredients to bring home. Premium grade salted fish is top on the list. In the old days, Penang produced its own salted fish on the southern stretch of Beach Street. Hence, its Hokkien name Kiam Hu Tnia or “Dried Fish Court”. Today, Penang is still the regional center for the salted fish trade where one can find many different varieties all in one place.


My favorite store is Eng & Company established since the 1920’s situated next to Chowrasta Market. It is here that I replenish our stock of Mergui salted fish, dried scallops, and dried silver fish.

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

During market hours, the place is a hive of activity. The nearby side street is packed with clothing vendors and fruit sellers. I strongly recommend it as a place to see how the locals shop.

Having had my fill of local goodies, I retrace my steps to my grandfather’s old village but that’s another story…

Postscript: Shortly after my visit back to Penang, the island was struck by Typhoon Damrey causing major flooding and landslides. We appeal to our readers to donate to help this beautiful island recover from this disaster. Donations can be made online at Mercy Malaysia. For the type of donation, please choose “Penang Relief Fund”. THANK YOU!

George Town, Penang - My Hometown is a short roundup of places to go, food to eat, and ingredients to buy whenever I visit. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

Categories: 🗂 Stories, Travel Tags: 📋 George Town, Penang

About Paul

Paul is co-author of Malaysian Chinese Kitchen. He also runs his own scale modeling blog at Paul Ooi Modelworks.

Malaysian Chinese Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Previous Post: « Nasi Ulam (Nyonya Herb Rice)
Next Post: El Dorado Wine Country »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Sew yen says

    November 10, 2017 at 6:05 am

    Thank you very much for showing me all the Penang foodies. This is great. Thanks alot.

    Reply
    • Paul says

      February 5, 2018 at 6:12 pm

      Dear Sew Yen,

      Penang is really one of the top street food destinations in the world. Most of the locals are also quite willing to tell you where to find their favorite stuff.

      Paul

      Reply
  2. D Masuda says

    November 28, 2017 at 6:18 pm

    Excited for upcoming travel to George Town. Spending one full week and saved your dining spots to Google maps. Will you be posting “grandfather’s footsteps”? I’d like to retrace those steps too. Are you familiar with any night markets in city centre?

    Reply
    • Paul says

      February 5, 2018 at 6:15 pm

      Dear Masuda,

      Sorry it took me so long to reply. I hope you enjoyed your one week in Penang. My article on my grandfather’s village is now available as “Ah Kong’s House”.

      Paul Ooi

      Reply
  3. francis weng says

    February 1, 2018 at 4:59 pm

    i just located a duck egg lady in medina ohio and anxious to youtube for advice.
    a stroke of luck i ran across your website.

    i grew up in penang, went to st xaviers, my family lived between st xaviers soccer field and e&o hotel. i am given to understand the seafront houses are no longer there.

    i walked all over the city on saturdays mostly visiting the pet shops.

    much memories.

    Reply
    • Paul says

      February 5, 2018 at 6:20 pm

      Hello Francis,

      I remember the pet shops (lots of birds and fish), and my favorite one was behind Penang Plaza facing Nagore Road. After the end of the Penang Rent Act, a lot of the pet shops disappeared when the population moved to those high rise apartments and the old town property prices went up.

      You mention the seafront houses near E&O. Because of the high premium for seaside property, these areas are being re-developed into high end apartments (mostly bought by rich folks from China, Taiwan, and Singapore).

      Paul

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

Linda and Paul

Linda and Paul inviting you to discover the world of Malaysian Chinese cuisine.
Read about us here →
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Malaysian Chinese Kitchen

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Copyright

© 2015–2023 · Malaysian Chinese Kitchen · All Rights Reserved