Line Clear has to be the most publicised Nasi Kandar outlet in the net. Yes, it is actually nice but there are better. I usually patronise Kassim Nasi Kandar in Brick Kiln Road (just in front of Gama). Well, last time when I was staying in Penang, my wife does shopping there and I just pop over there for a meal. The food is nicer here , in my opinion off course. The real nasi kandars are actually in Tamil St. beside Chowrasta Market. They are still there but has fallen in favour of the usual crowds. Till today, the best nasi kandar I have had is still Kassim Mustaffa in Bayan Baru. I don't know if they still maintain the quality but I has the best nasi kandar there.

There are so many actually and I tend to think that, just like Prawn Mee, if you see any stall in Penang, it will always be better than any in KL. Likewise nasi kandar, any of them beats most of the outlets in KL.

There's a good one in front of Continental Hotel, Penang Road, another good one in Hotel Merlin, Penang Street, another good one in Burma Road just a few steps from Him Heang biscuits and many many more.

When I was staying in Penang, there was this 'makcik' who sells her nasi on her front porch. The 'chicken Kapitan' I thnk was fantastic. I even ate the bones. That was before the place was demolished for newer buildings. I heard that she is still selling in Tanjong Tokong and anyone from Penang knows where?

This post has been edited by etigge: Mar 7 2011, 10:52 PM

Opposite! Odeon cinema car park where the famous 'roti chanai' is situated. The roti chanai is also quite over rated. LOL

Yes, yes I heard about it too. Once it was also filmed in a documentary. I been there once but was deterred by the long line. Might try again next time I am in Penang.

Same thing with the pasembur too.

In Penang they called it 'pasembur' where else in KL it more or less 'Indian Rojak'. Pasemburs are mainly Indian or mamak fares but the chinese used to make and sell it and those days they are called 'chneah hoo' or literally green fish. I always patronise the one in Fettes Park near the housing playground in those days but I doubt it is still there. I hear there's another one chinese selling in Padang Browns hawker center. Can anyone confirm?

I find that nowadays the standard of living or rather the standard of consumer spending is higher in Penang. The real estate rental is definately higher, the food almost the same as KL, I mean the usual places where normal people eat not tourist areas, transportation cost is even higher if compared to KL. The age of the 'kiamsiap' is gone, nobody can help it. Imagine during my schooling days, I eat 'chap fan' or 'wanton mien' for only 30 sen. Even the assam laksa is RM3.00 but the portion is a small one which is comparatively higher than KL if you compare the same portions. Langkawi is not far away and Cameron Highlands is also getting higher.

More like 35 years ago. I am a Xavierian. Cycling home after school from Farquhar St. to Boundary Road and on the way stop at Swatow Lane for 'ice kacang', the ice kacang only 20 sen. Those days, a meal in Eden, Transfer Road was like heaven.

There's a blog in Star's citizen's blog regarding the exhorbitant price of food in Penang.

http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp?id=34960

'Char bor kia or char boh' is always an attraction to any stalls. I remember I usually ride my bicycle from Boundary Road till Hamilton Road Flats just for an ice kacang. Why? "char boh kia' lorrr.

PS/ During my childhood whenever there was a 'Phor Torr' celebrations there is always a bunch of stalls set up beside them. Usually they have this 'lin chee kang' or 'geng geng' and porridge stalls . Are they still in practice nowadays? Big tents are also set up as it might be rainy too. Also alot of 'char boh kia' ronda ronda also. Other than Penang, I have never seen anything like it in other states.

This post has been edited by etigge: May 8 2011, 03:12 PM

Two and a half days, can you do it all? The whole trip, my guess is you will be glued to the GPS. You barely have time to sample the flavours and you will not be relaxed enough to actually enjoy the food. I have taken friends to Penang and many places otherwise, I know that if you want to cover everything in a short span of time, you are going to ruin your holidays. My suggestion is tour it in a relaxed way, enjoy and if you can't make it, Penang is not going to sink into the sea. There's always another trip.

You are on a holiday and not doing the Amazing Race.


I grew up in Penang, most of my schooling years and a few years after 4 years working in KL. Later on I moved back to Kl but missed Penang dearly. Whenever I visit Penang again, I wanted to eat all the food I sorely missed in Penang. I wanted Hokkien Mee, I wanted assam laksa, I wanted ice kacang, I wanted Pasembur in fact I wanted everything in 2 days that I visited. The one thing that is a must was, " Sor Nya Chu, norr chiam" in Gurney Drive. I don't know it is stil available now but that was the way I ate rojak those days, not mixed but tangy little mangoes, slitted and deseeded, skewered onto a coconut stick. On top, prawn paste, rojak paste, chilly, seasame and crushed peanuts

In the end I ended up having diarrhoea back at the hotel.

This post has been edited by etigge: May 16 2011, 10:22 AM

I sold prawn mee before and KL peoples' aquired taste for it is different. Try O&S restaurant in Paramount PJ. Opined on it, do you like it? If yes, then Penang's Hokkien mee (as they cal prawn mee in Penang) is good. Penang's prawn mee stock is clearer and sweetish with some amount on spiciness with just a hint of prawn taste. They are served with lean pork or ribs or both, hard boiled eggs and shrimps ( note that I say shrimps ).

When it came to KL (it originates from Penang) it became 'mee yoke' starting with hawkers on three wheeled cycles. Then other hawkers non-Penang ones started to learn them. They infused more heavier prawn tasting concoction into the stock which what KL people likes now. Then they became so heavy tasting they taste like 'roasted belacan' soup. I suspect they add a lot of 'belacan' too. This is KL's version and when they eat in Penang they say Penang's prawn noodle has no prawn taste at all. They also started to add large prawns but at one stall minus the large head so they can use the head for stock. Then the bowl of noodle is priced at RM9.00 per bowl.

So, that's how prawn noodle and 'Hokkien Mee' differs now. KL version and real Penang version.

Kafe Kheng Pin. Quite OK but not the best. Most popular nowadays is the one in Perak Road in front of Padang Brown, beside Tan Bros. with the huge Sony sign. Parking is also easy there with a public car park in front. Another of my favourite, I don't know if it is still operating is Classic Cafe in Komtar. Located on the first floor where there is a road going under the shopping complex at the bus station. Another one is the coffee shop opposite Agora Hotel.

Use the GPS converters.

http://www.csgnetwork.com/gpscoordconv.html

Brings memories During my schooling times, gangster area. Never dared go there but a lot of my schoolmates stays there but tak ngam one. The Pesta Pulau Pinang was also there when I was a kid. Anyone knows where to get goreng pisang, Penang style like the ones in Tangjung Bungah bus station. Most of the goreng pisang here in KL , yucks!

I used to like the one in Argyll Road but eversince they shifted opposite the flavour has degraded a bit.

There was only one last time, if you look from the front it was in the coffeeshop on the left. Then the Koay Teow Th'ng shifted opposite and another stall took over the place. That's why there are two now. Have you notice? In penang the fishball (self made, I think) are not springy?

Probably is Hutton Lane but round the corner is where Swatow Lane ice kacang was. Yes, you are right, it is Hutton Lane. Not used to Hutton Lane on this side, I think of Eden all the time.

You mean the 'balai' in Air Itam itself or the 'balai' in Kampung Baru. The food court 'sa kak heng'. If it is the former, I never tried but parking is a pain there. Just before the Ambassador roundabout there's also a good 'Hokkien Mee' in one of the coffee shops. It is on the left side coming from town.

Gurney Drive Hawker Center...............hmmm! I still prefer it when the hawkers were hawking by the esplanade by the sea. Right from the roundabout till the other end near Pangkor Road. As a school kid, we used to cycle along the road and stop to eat at whichever stall we fancy. I even did fishing there too. There's still people selling sea worms till today. When I was transferred back to KL, I used to come back here to eat reminiscing the good olde schooldays. I even burnt fire crackers and fireworks into the sea on CNY. There were stalls selling fireworks

I also remembered Chow Yun Fatt filming there in one of those coffee shops. Then in the name of development, all hawkers were moved to an empty space in front of Sunrise Tower. Even the Char Kway Teow at the junction of Cantonment Rd and Gurney Drive were moved there. In one hand, it was good as the esplanade was infested with rats but on the other hand it destroys the atmosphere of the place.

The last time I went there was eons ago when I ate a RM8.60 'kway teow th'ng' and a 'pasembor' in the umpteen ringgits. Never been there since. Too packed and hard to find a good place to sit. I don't really blame the hawkers either, it's their chance to make money. Tourist can be real suckers.

I think in Malay terms, " Char Koay Teow " is a bit watery with gravy but when they say " Koay Teow Kerang ' then it is CKT. Soya sauce is an important ingredient and to some extent to Southeners "Dark Soya Sauce" is also important. In fact these two ingredients ranks highest in importance even when compared to lard that the Chinese swears by. Thing is both the "Kicap" is a chinese origin ingredient and therefore the highest quality is therefore made by chinese factories. In fact the best I tasted is still cottage industry where they market themselves and not available in any supermarkets or mini markets. The ones produce 'halal' is inferior so you can't expect much when compared to Penang or Johor CKT for that matter.

There are exceptions though but I have only tasted it in Penang but not in KL. In Penang, the one in Bridge St. is still frying using the old way where the 'koay teow' is fried till fragrant in oil just like in Cantonese Fried before anything else is added. This itself makes the koay teow has a slightly fragrant burnt tasting. Everything is evolving now but actually changing to easier and faster way of cooking.