Noor Bee Nasi Melayu - Tg Tokong

This is a hidden jewel of the island... Delicious home cook malay food which is quite sold out by 12.00pm. Economy food style @ very very reasonable pricing.

We were there at about 12.00pm and 60% of the tray were quite empty.

Bits and pieces here and there... We'll have to come again and try!

But this 'kacang botol' cooked with onions and red chilli is yummy! It taste like laksa! Yumm!

Chicken, some vege and tau kua.... @ RM3.50; reasonable what right? Drumstick some more..

Location: At the traffic light before Penang Chinese Swimming Club, turn right into Tg Tokong old flats. First turning on the right, turn again and start looking for car park :) Then look for Noor Bee's Nasi Melayu. (Not diff - go where the crowd is! Advise is to go early)

Pricing: Reasonable

Rating: 7.5/10

Claypot Chicken Rice @ Golden Sands Tg Tokong

Most place, the claypot chicken rice tastes burnt, over cooked or sometimes, the rice is very soggy. This one is different. It is just right. The taste, the texture... overall it is really yummy! Can be better but after so many disappointments, this is a great change! Worth trying. Will definitely go back for it - hopefully it is CONSISTENT!

Location: Golden Sands Tg Tokong (in front of Naza Hotel)

Price: TBA

Rating: 7/10

Char Siu, Siu Bak & Siu Ark @ Wai Kee

Located along Chulia Street, it is quite difficult to miss this blue-ish green 3-storey building. The 1st & 2nd floor is the sky hotel while the ground floor is home to WAI KEE, Penang's dee-licious char siu (bbq pork), siu bak (roast pork) & siu ark (roast duck).

We arrived at about 12.00pm and it was already full house. Kia-su we might have to wait long, we ordered even before getting a seat. We were estimating a 20-min lunch coz our coins for parking can only last that long! The place was packed; customers queuing up to buy takeaways were also long. Mostly motorist who stops by to takeaway as it is quite difficult to get parkings around this area.

Half hour passed... and we were still waiting. Changed coins and added for our parking meter.. then finally it was here. FINALLY - FOOD!

Siew Bak (Roast pork)'s most important element of a good roast pork is a balance of the meat and the fat. What we love most about it is the fact that the fat is cooked to perfection thus it is not all oily and chewy but instead, it is very aromatic. The skin is roasted just nice - crispy! Just the way we like it.... (7/10)

"Char siu" literally means "roasted on a fork," the traditional cooking method for the dish. Long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire. The meat, typically a shoulder cut, is seasoned with a mixture of honey, five-spice powder, fermented tofu, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, red food colouring (optional) and sherry or rice wine (optional). These seasonings turn the exterior layer of meat dark red, similar to the "smoke ring" of American barbecues. The char siu is really yummy... Don't really know how to explain the taste but it is very well marinated. Once you start, it is really very difficult to stop. It is not over burnt like most place. It is slightly burnt which enhance its taste. Very NICE!!! (7.5/10)

The siu ark is very popular but we found it to be average only. It doesn't smell very ducky like some places and the meat is very tender. But besides that, the taste is just so-so... (6/10). It is perhaps slightly above average.

To complement & balance up our meal is a plate of vege!

And a bowl of soup with pork intestines!

Overall... we will definitely come back again! Mainly for the CHAR SIU! We finished at about 1.00pm. Make sure you have enough patience & time at hand before coming... :)

Location: Chulia Street

Price: RM2.50 (1 type of meat); RM3.50 (2 types of meat)

Macalister Road - Bah Kut Teh

Bak Kut Teh is a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia, Singapore and also cities of neighbouring countries like Batam of Indonesia and Hat Yai of Thailand. The name literally translates as "pork bone tea", and at its simplest consists of meaty pork ribs in a complex broth of herbs and spices (including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui and garlic), boiled together with pork bones for hours. However, additional ingredients may include offal, varieties of mushroom, lettuce, and pieces of dried tofu. Light and dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking, with varying amounts depending on the variant.

Bak kut teh is usually eaten with rice, and often served with youtiao (strips of fried dough) for dipping into the soup. Soy sauce (usually light soy sauce, but dark soy sauce is also offered sometimes) is preferred as a condiment, with which chopped chilli padi and minced garlic is taken together.

The bak kut teh here is really nice. Not oily, doesn't leave you feeling very thirsty (not much MSG) and the taste is consistent. It is usually packed for dinner and very popular among business people as well.

Location: Macalister Road, opposite Agora Hotel
Price: RM17.00 (for 2)
Rating: 7.5/10

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Nasi Kandar Deen

Despite the fact that there are many nasi kandars in Penang, this one in particular is clean by about 10am. Unbelievable! We were there about close to 10am and there was a long queue. By the time it was our turn, only fish and some beef was left. Before we finished eating, they were already clearing their stall. It is indeed very aromatic & tasty...

Location: The intersection of Argyll Road & Transfer Road
Price: RM4.90 (rice, egg, fish & beef)
Rating: 6/10

Hainan Chicken Rice - Goh Thew Chik

Located right in the heart of town, this is one of Penang's hidden jewel. Packed even till after lunch hours, this place caters mostly to people working around Chulia Street. The tenderness of the chicken is what makes it special. We found it to be a bit too salty. Carpark can be quite a challenge especially during lunch periods.

Location: Chulia Street, at the intersection of Jalan Pintal Tali
Type of FOOD: Chicken Rice (Roasted/Pek Cham Ke)
Price: RM6.20 for 2 plates of rice & a plate of chicken
Rating: 5/10

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