By 
ANTHONY BOURDAIN once said, “Penang is the kind of place that ruined me for an ordinary life . . . The food is generally thought of (even by many proud food nerds in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur) to be among the very best in the Straits”. Having recently spent a couple of days in the Malaysian state, it’s not hard to understand why. Here, the culture around food forms a social and communal haven – it’s informal, inexpensive and downright delicious. And Penangites take their food, especially street food, seriously. In 2014, following a ban imposed by Penang’s Chief Minister on foreigners working as the main cooks of hawker food – so as to preserve “local taste” – the government declared as many as 13 dishes to be ‘heritage dishes’.
Being of East Asian descent, I feel a constant pull to reconnect with my roots, which is usually satisfied only by regular visits back to the continent, indulging in all its delectable offerings. For me, travelling around Asia is a culinary expedition, a quest for nostalgic tastes and sensory overload. With its famous food scene, cultural density, suffocating humidity and friendly chaos, George Town – Penang’s capital and the second-largest city in Malaysia – had been on my list for some time. So, when making the trip from Sydney back to my adopted home of London recently, my partner and I decided to bypass the typical Singapore or Dubai layover in favour of a few days in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed city – the perfect setting for a trip that revolves around eating.
Here, sitting alongside historical temples, mosques and traditional shophouses are once-dilapidated colonial buildings that, over several decades, have been turned into multi-storey, multipurpose buildings that function as residences, restaurants and stores. We check in to The Edison, a grand mansion built in 1906 for a Chinese tycoon before it was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. Now a spacious boutique hotel, it retains the charm of an opulent home from a bygone era yet with all the modern amenities, such as a shade-lined swimming pool that’s perfect for escaping the heat in between mouthwatering meals.
In the late 1700s, George Town was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and an entrepôt for both goods and cultural ideas between east and west. Waves of migration from China, India and Singapore formed and strengthened new cultural identities, including the local ‘Peranakan’ – a native-born person of mixed Chinese, Malay and Indonesian heritage.
The rich ethnic diversity of its people is reflected in the George Town food scene and its hawker centres, in particular. The public dining rooms of Asia, hawker centres represent a harmony of culinary delights, selling a mix of richly flavoured yet affordable Asian dishes and drinks which start from as little as RM4 (roughly $1.30). In Cecil Street Market, one of the biggest and most vibrant hawker centres in town, the stalls are packed tight, offering a mesmerising view of dishes being prepared side-by-side. We watch as an ‘uncle’ hovers over his wok, masterfully tossing fresh ingredients for Char Kway Teow (stir-fried flat-rice noodles), sparks flying from the charcoal with each deft flick of his wrist. Nearby, a stall owner pours rich curry sauce over succulent lamb, ready to be dunked with roti canai, a fluffy Indian flatbread. To watch an assembly line of cooks crafting Nasi Lemak – the national breakfast dish, comprising fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and wrapped in pandan leaves, and served with a side of spicy sambal, eggs and crispy anchovies – is to witness a kind of artistry. Everyday scenes like this are just one reason the phrase ‘melting pot’ is commonly used in reference to Penang.
While street food may dominate the offering here, a new generation of local chefs has elevated the cuisine, with a bunch of fine-dining establishments opening around the city that draws on the region’s multicultural influences. Rina Teoh, the executive director of The Edison, confirms that “Penangites eat an average of five meals a day. We’re always thinking about food.” If this sounds like a way of life you could get behind, Penang might be the perfect destination – or extended stopover – for you, too. But we do recommend doing it soon – with food this mouthwatering, and a culture this dynamic, Penang won’t stay a best-kept secret for long.
The best places to eat in George Town, Penang
1. Seng Thor Coffee Shop
On the corner of Kimberley Street – a famous food strip in George Town – is a small kopitiam (which translates roughly to coffee shop) called Seng Thor. Kopitiams are like hawker centres but more intimate, holding as few as four stalls. They serve coffee, among other delicacies, and open early, before the humidity really kicks in. Many people come to Seng Thor for the oyster omelette, which the store owners make from an almost century-old recipe. But the standout meal for me is the Wan Tan Mee – a simple egg-noodle dish doused in a combination sauce of sweet kecap manis and light and dark soy sauce, topped with blanched greens and thinly sliced char siu (BBQ pork). Locals recommend adding the silky wontons, too, which are made fresh daily. With his cheeky smile, ‘uncle’ cooks on autopilot, effortlessly performing multiple tasks, from folding dumplings to dunking noodles in hot broth.
160, Lebuh Carnarvon
2. Presgrave Street Hawker Centre
Not quite a row of street food stalls nor an open hawker centre, Presgrave Street offers diners the opportunity to eat in several small restaurants or be seated among the hawker stalls out front. Here, a must-try is another version of the Penang signature dish, Char Kway Teow, wok-fried flat rice noodles drenched in soy sauce and lap cheong (Chinese sausage), chilli, bean sprouts and fresh prawns. What makes this dish unique is the Chinese skill of wok hei, which translates to ‘breath of the wok’. The technique is performed on the noodles, which are cooked until they acquire a charred texture. For a soup-based dish, visit 888 Hokkien Mee, where Hokkien-style noodles are served in a rich yet sweet umami prawn broth. Like many local specialities, it’s an adaptation of a dish that was created during a period of food scarcity. For 30 years, the small stall – which is now Michelin-awarded – has been serving this same dish, adding fillings of choice such as braised pork ribs or roasted pork.
67D, Lebuh Presgrave
3. Tek Sen Restaurant
From humble beginnings as a simple stall that opened its doors in 1965, to now occupying two open-air buildings, Tek Sen is a Chinese restaurant popular among locals and visitors alike. There’s always a line, so best arrive at least 15 minutes before they open. The food is classic Cantonese fare with Penang twists. Must-tries: the Char Seoh Bak (double-roasted pork chilli padi) and potato leaves with sambal sauce and prawns.
18, Lebuh Carnarvon
4. Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery
Malaysia’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, Auntie Gaik is also one of the vaunted list’s most affordable selections. It serves Peranakan food (also called Nyonya cuisons), which is unique to Penang. Melding Chinese and Malay tastes, the cuisine is tangy, herbal, aromatic and spicy. Chef Gaik Lean’s son, Adrian Tan, set up the restaurant in 2013 so his mother could return to Penang and cook her decades-old secret recipes, and there’s rarely an empty table inside. Made from fresh local produce, the authentic cuisine feels familiar but new all at once in both flavours and presentation. Try the famous Nasi Ulam – an aromatic fried rice with herbs, vegetables, galangal and fried assam prawns, marinated in a spicy yet tangy tamarind paste.
1, Bishop St
5. Gēn 根
Once named among the Top 100 Best Restaurants in Asia by website theworlds50best.com, Gēn means ‘ground roots’ in Chinese. Set next door to luxury hotel The Pretige, it is a hidden oasis, with its calming and modern ambience concealed behind exterior curtains, and caters to only 26 guests per seating. Having previously ‘staged’ (interned) at Copenhagen’s Noma and worked at Sydney’s Rockpool, chef Johnson Wong founded Gēn in 2018 to retell the story of Malaysian produce and local foods. Steeped in creativity, Wong showcases traditional culture and nostalgic tastes through a menu that is refreshed seasonally, with most dishes highlighting a local ingredient. On the evening we visit, the Malay herb kesum is presented in its original form in addition to being whipped into a sorbet and displayed on a spoon camouflaged as a stick. The food – surprising, delicious, inventive – pairs perfectly with the knockout wine list.
8, Gat Lebuh Gereja
6. Restaurant Au Jardin
One of Malaysia’s four Michelin-starred restaurants, Au Jardin is housed inside an old bus depot-turned sleek art space. Created and run by chef Su Kim Hock, its sophisticated menu changes monthly, combining French cuisine with local Malay traditions. The team whisks dishes from the kitchen to the table in a synchronised dance. A standout is the Hay-Aged Duck, a whole duck aged for eight days, served in a magician-style box and unveiled with theatrical smoke. In a nod to the area’s street-food roots, Au Jardin even elegantly packages up any leftovers to take with you.
125, Jalan Timah
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