CRIZ BON APPETITE

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% [?]

Will you like the thrill of dining in a place that you would never want to be in? Try out the Obake-Ya Japanese Restaurant in Penang which will provide you with the ultimate jailhouse experience. As you walk up to the main entrance, you will see a Japanese style arch with lots of lanterns. Passing through the arch, you will see a beautiful Japanese Garden.

Along the pebble filled pathway, you will see a grill door. Open the door and you will be in hell. A gruesome prisoner with chains on an electric chair will surely drill the chill and shrill into your bones.

The layout of the “jailhouse” restaurant is rather unique. They have the main “canteen” which any couple or small group of 2-3 persons can sit comfortably under the dim lighted atmosphere. The restaurant even caters private rooms for groups as many as 20 persons.

Even the restrooms have some Japanese accent to them. Be careful if you plan to relieve yourself as there will be a bridge leading to the restrooms and it will shake and rock you.

After experiencing the wonderful atmosphere, you can start ordering your food. There will be a long list in the Ala Carte menu ranging from meat dishes, seafood dishes to sushi. There will also be the set meals menu. You should try out their house specialty which is the Jailhouse Curry Chicken Rice. You will be amazed on how they present it to you. Haha!

Other than that, there are many interesting sets in the menu. Most of the sets will come with Miso Soup. If you are a rice eater and want to fill up your tummy till the brim, do try out their Chiki Ban Ban Bento. The Japanese rice is real filling. It comes with meatballs, chicken cubes, cold sweetened ham, salad and fruits. It surely worth the price you are paying for.

Finding the way to the restaurant would not be hard at all as it is strategically located just opposite the big blue Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. In case you are a foreigner and do not know the location, here is a map to guide you there. Do enjoy your new experience there!

Name: OBAKE-YA RESTAURANT (Opposite Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion)
Address: 9 & 11 Leith Street, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-262 4772
Opening Hours:
12.00noon – 3.00pm, 6.00pm – 12.00am (Sunday – Thursday)
12.00noon – 3.00pm, 6.00pm – 1.00am (Fri, Sat & Public Holiday Eve)
GPS: 5.421188, 100.335217

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

Popularity: 1% [?]