CRIZ BON APPETITE

If you are in Malaysia, you should try out the famous local fried chicken, the Belacan Fried Chicken. Belacan is actually a shrimp paste or sauce, made from fermented blended shrimp, sun dried and then cut into fist-sized rectangular blocks. It is raw and need to be toasted before use. Many foreigners are unfamiliar with this condiment as the smell could be too repulsive for them but it is one of the most important ingredients for most of the Malaysian cooking. Nowadays, you can get the processed version of the belacan (Maggi) in bottles, selling widely in the local supermarkets.

I have tried many of such belacan fried chicken stalls in Penang but none can beat the taste and crispiness of the one selling along Kimberley Street. The chicken meat is tender and the belacan taste is well marinated into the meat. The taste is just nice for my taste bud as it is not overly pungent. There are many choice of the chicken that you can buy from the stall, namely the chicken wings, drumsticks, thighs, breast meat, etc.

If you are in for other parts of the chicken, there are also the bishop noses, necks and other intestinal parts.

While you are there, do try out their homemade salty fish tofu. The tofu cubes are deep fried until golden brown color. It has the softness of tofu and the fragrance of salty fish. This stall can be considered for party ideas as the food here is cheap and good.

The stall is situated by the roadside along the busy hawker area of Kimberley Street. If you are coming from Penang Road into Jalan Dr. Lim Chwee Leong, turn left into Jalan Sungai Ujung. When you reach the junction of Kimberley Street, turn left and you will see the stall.

Name: BELACAN CHICKEN HAWKER STALL
Address: Kimberley Street, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 016-451 5007 (Ah Tong)
Opening Hours: 5.00pm – 11.00pm (Closed on Friday)
GPS: 5.416478, 100.332298

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 9/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Maybe some of the foreigners may not know what is Tang Yuan but I can assure you that this dessert is very delicious. Tang Yuan is made out of glutinous rice flour mixed with water and form into small balls, either plain or colored. They can also be eaten unfilled or filled. You can opt for plain syrup or brown syrup cooked with or without old ginger slices. The most common filling would be red bean paste, black sesame paste or peanut paste. My grandmother used to fill them up with minced pork, cook them in boiling water and served them with chicken soup and vegetables. I really missed that and could not find anyone else selling it this way. I guessed the recipe went with her as well.

Anyway, Tang Yuan was originally served only during Lantern Festival, Winter Solstice and Chinese New Year. Today, they can be found easily in the frozen food section of any Asian supermarkets around the world. No matter what, I would still prefer those made fresh as they are softer. It has always been a tedious job and time consuming rolling the glutinous rice flour into balls but now you can just get them easily throughout the year. Where would you find the best Tang Yuan shop in Penang? The stall is right in the heart of Georgetown.

Recently, I visited the famous stall to savor the yummy dessert. My friend and I ordered two different combinations just to show you what Tang Yuan looked like. One bowl was filled Tang Yuan in gingered brown syrup whereas the other was unfilled Tang Yuan in plain syrup.

Just look at the fully filled Black Sesame and Peanut Tang Yuan. Don’t they look yummy?

Do not miss the opportunity to try out this wonderful dessert when you are in town during dinner time. The stall is situated by the roadside just diagonally opposite Traders Hotel, Magazine Road as well as Lebuh Lintang leading to Sushi King Prangin Mall. It is right after the second traffic lights on your left if you are coming from Jelutong Expressway towards town.

Name: TANG YEN HAWKER STALL
Address: Magazine Road, Penang, Malaysia. (Opposite Traders Hotel)
Opening Hours: 7.00pm – 12.00am (Closed on Wednesday and Sunday)
GPS: 5.413039, 100.330603

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 3% [?]

There are also many different versions for the Curry Mee of Penang. You get the salty, sweet, salty sweet, spicy with lemon grass or chicken curry. Some would be cooked with thick creamy coconut milk, evaporated milk, full cream milk whereas some could be of almost clear soup type. Some stalls would also have an array of curry chicken, chicken legs, fish/meat balls, chicken intestines, squids, cuttlefishes, clams, tofu balls, prawns, pig blood gelatin, processed pork skin, long beans, etc for customers to choose.

The one I went to was located along Chulia Street. The crowds there were usually big and waiting for a bowl of noodle would take up to half an hour or more. The Curry Mee soup is not like those selling elsewhere. It has the taste of some curry spices and comes with a big fish ball, garnished with lots of tofu balls, cuttlefishes, clams and pig blood served with a spoonful of fragrant chilly paste. We ordered four bowls and they cost us on RM10.00. Do try this stall out when you are along town area. The Wan Than Mee and Apom stalls there are just as good.

The location of the stall is very prominent. As you move along Chulia Street towards Weld Quay, you would see lots of hawker stalls on your right. The stall is just right in front of a furniture shop. Next to it is the famous Wan Than Mee stall.

Name: CHULIA STREET CURRY MEE
Address: Lebuh Chulia, Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 7.00pm – 10.00pm
GPS: 5.417892, 100.336595

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 5/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 2% [?]

NOTE: Effective 19 December 2009, Francis Fusion Western Food will be relocated to Poly Cafe (opposite the present location, directly next to Bellisa Row/3rd shoplot after Lorong Leandros) GPS: 5.432602,100.310738)

Name: FRANCIS FUSION WESTERN FOOD @ Kedai Kopi Guan Hiang
Address: 38 Jalan Burmah, 10350 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 012-4930554 (Francis Cheah)
Opening Hours: 5.00pm -10.00pm (Closed on Monday)
GPS: 5.431613, 100.311613

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 9/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 9/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Name: MEE MANJA @ KEDAI KOPI CLG
Address: Lebuh Clarke, Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 5.00pm – 11.00pm (Closed on Tuesday)
Contact: 016-480 3568 (En. Aman)
GPS: 5.420195, 100.330775

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 6/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: unranked [?]

How would you like to have Japanese food without paying the price at a lavish Japanese restaurant? You can always try out this stall at the Macallum Street Ghaut hawker centre. There are many selections to choose from and all come with a touch of local flavors – sambal belacan (chili prawn paste) and lots of fresh vegetables garnishes. You would not believe that I have paid only RM6 for the two plates of Fried Japanese Udon and Teriyaki Fried Rice and it is tax free.

On top of the two orders I have made, you can also try out their Tori Teriyaki (chicken served with teriyaki sauce, salad and rice), Sakana Tei (breadcrumb fish with salad and rice), Salmon Teriyaki or Unagi Teriyaki (most ordered dish from the stall). As for price, nothing from the stall cost more than RM6 per plate.

To get there, just use Weld Quay and move towards the Jelutong Expressway. Turn into Macallum Street Ghaut and move towards Habour Trade Centre. The hawker centre is just your first turning on your right. There are many delicious food in the hawker centre too such as Thai Braised Pork Leg Rice, Salt Fish Fried Rice, Curry Mee, and Hokkien Mee. You should not miss the Fried Radish Cake, Fried Rice Cake and Fried Potato Groundnut Cake stall as the stall served one of the best fried local delicacies around town.

Name: KEDAI KOPI MING HOOI (Japanese Food Stall)
Address: 258 – 260 Macallum Street Ghaut, Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 5.00pm – 10.00pm (Closed on Thursday)
GPS: 5.406641, 100.332255

RATING:
Ambience: 5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 6/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 3/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Popularity: 1% [?]