First of all, welcome to Penang! =))

Not sure if you're Muslim but looking at your food choices it seems like you could be one. But do correct me if I'm wrong ya! (Which I could very well be haha)

Restoran Kapitan @ Chulia Street (Within walking distance from where you're currently staying. Famous for tandoori and nasi briyani)

Mee Sotong Hameed Pata @ Padang Kota Lama (Also within walking distance from Love Lane. This is a food court beside the field. Just look for the stall with the longest queue. Closes on Sunday though. The coconut shake right beside the mee sotong stall is also nice!)

Air itam laksa, as others have mentioned =))

Penang Road Cendol and laksa @Lebuh Keng Kwee (I really love the cendol here! Dayummm )

And many many more. Do comment if you need more suggestions!

For epic sceneries you can go up to Penang Hill where you can have spectacular views of the entire Penang Island =)) It is quite tourist-y and the queues can get quite long especially during peak seasons as of now but it is quite worth it IMO. Recommend to take the tram at around 4 p.m. and stay till the sky turns dark so you get to see how Penang's like both in day and nighttime.

New Year spot in Penang includes Padang Kota Lama and Straits Quay.. Not too sure about any other "hotspots"

You're welcome, brightshade! =)) For banana leaf you can try Sri Ananda Bahwan in Little India, which is also within walking distance from Love Lane. Uhm I guess Penang is indeed kinda small. Hahah

Not too sure about Malay rendang and pork free thai food.. Hmm maybe some other Penangites here can help?

Pork free chinese food is indeed hard to come by here. Most of the famous delicacies like Char Koay Teow, Hokkien Mee, Loh Mee etc are non-halal. I remember having a big headache when my Muslim friend came for a visit last month haha. But we came across Bee Hwa Cafe in Lebuh Dickens which serves pork-free version of Chinese food (Pretty close to the cendol place which I mentioned earlier). One dish which particularly stood out was the Hokkien Mee (Prawn noodles soup). I heard that the Char Koay Teow is also nice though. Also, there is a roadside stall selling fresh and delicious samosa nearby which you would not want to miss. The best route would be to go to Bee Hwa cafe first, then pick up some yummy samosa on your way to the Penang Road Teochew Cendol place. And also a bowl of assam laksa, if there is still room in your stomach =) Oh and the main bus terminal, Komtar is just a few steps away as well=))

For beautiful temples I would suggest Kek Lok Si Temple (https://www.google.com/search?q=kek+lok+si+temple&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjLy9aK2IHKAhVHCo4KHURKDjgQ_AUIBygC) which is very close to Penang Hill. Could easily combine Penang Hill + Kek Lok Si temple for a half/full day trip.

If you're interested in New Year countdown then it would be Padang Kota Lama or Straits Quay. Straits Quay on its own is quite a cool place to be in, considering that there are plenty of restaurants and bars or you can just take a stroll and look at the yachts there. The New Year Countdown there will start at 8 p.m. this year (https://www.facebook.com/StraitsQuay/photos/a.175843579099126.47311.174240635926087/1288614927821980/?type=3&theater) so you can just join in the crowds. Or you can go to the bars nearby if you change your mind later on =))

P/S: While you're in Penang it is worth looking into the Peranakan or Baba Nyonya culture, which is unique to Penang, Malacca and Singapore. Perhaps a visit to Peranakan Mansion and yes definitely try some Peranakan food, which is basically a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine. You can try the pork free version at Ivy's Nyonya Kitchen, Chow Thye Road or Hainantown Restaurant at Weld Quay (Slightly pricey).

This post has been edited by Doku_Kinoko: Dec 30 2015, 11:40 AM

Hello =) For shopping malls the better quality ones would be Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon which are close to where you'd be staying.

Or Prangin mall(Cheaper clothing)/1st Avenue(Quite small.. But has the basic common brands like H&M, Cotton On, Brands Outlet, Padini) /KOMTAR (nothing much here) in the town area.

Queensbay mall is also fine but you'd need to travel a bit and considering that you only have 3D2N, time might be an issue but if it's solely a shopping trip, yeap do go ahead =))

For food.. If you're looking for hawker food you can try Bee Hooi Restaurant close to where you'd be staying. Here is the link:
https://foursquare.com/v/bee-hooi-restauran...37ca59357d7ae92

Definitely less touristy and the fried oyster, wantan mee, char koay teow, loh mee and chicken rice there are yummmy! =)

Another hawker place to go to would be Cecil Street Market Food Court for lunch. Go for the curry mee, duck meat koay teow th'ng and pasembur. These 3 are the must trys! Also less touristy but full of local crowd!

Others which are worth trying would be New Lane Food Court (quite touristy and food is slightly more expensive but taste is still good. Lotsa varieties). For chu char Tek Sen Restaurant is good =) If I'm not mistaken there is a really popular char koay kak stall close to the hotel you'd be staying at. And also apam balik or something.

Do comment if you need more recommendation for food! =) For things to do you can check out Tripadvisor =))

Seems that we did not manage to reply to your question on time. Sorry about that =( Hope you enjoyed your stay here nonetheless =)

For all those three items that you mentioned, you should have no problem finding them in KOMTAR (ICT section)/Prangin Mall/ 1st Avenue (for sports shoes). All these malls are linked to one another and are within walking distance from where you'd be staying.

Heard that there are several camera shops along Penang Road as well. Close to Komtar so you can walk there no probs =))

For more options you can also take rapid bus 101, 103, 104, 10 to Gurney Plaza from Komtar bus terminal. Or rapid 304, 102 if you are waiting at the Penang Road Station.

Armenian street is kinda close to KOMTAR so it should be convenient to move around using rapid penang. And plenty of good makan places around as well so I don't see a need to rent a car (Which costs around rm 90-100 per day not including parking fee/petrol..). In case you get tired/lost in the middle of no where, can just use your phone to get an Uber driver to pick you up =))

You can also browse through tripadvisor to see if there is any new attraction that you/your wife would wanna visit yaa. Have fun! 😊

This post has been edited by Doku_Kinoko: Jan 6 2016, 03:36 AM