Penang is easily one of the top foodie destinations in the world. This is just a starting point for getting lost in the culinary wonders that exist on this little island off the western coast of Malaysia. Take some suggestions from here, but while you are at the markets, the temples, the bars, the restaurants, or the tourist sites, keep asking others to add to your to-do and to-eat lists. The best use of your time at lunch is to figure out what you are going to do for dinner.

 

Char Koay Teow At New Lane Street Foodstalls

“Char” meaning stir-fried and “Kway teow” referring to the nice big flat rice noodles, this is one of the key dishes when visiting Penang. Basically a stir fried noodle with lots of garlic, chili paste, chives, and bean sprouts cooked in a mix of dark and light soy sauce, this is the best plate to start with when wandering Georgetown. Usually served with prawns or a kind of local muscle type shellfish, you can also get it with chicken or just vegetarian as well. Give it a shot with some of the other local delicacies at the New Lane Street Foodstalls.

 

Hokkien Mee At The Jetty Food Court

Hokkien Mee is a soup made with rice and egg noodles together. As usual, the composition can vary widely so try to get a good look at what you are ordering before committing. Accompaniments might include fried prawns, morning glory, boiled eggs, or sometimes delicious slices of fried pork belly. Make sure to get the extra spoonful of chili paste if you need the extra kick. It can sometimes be cooked a little mild on purpose as the chef anticipates the patrons to add spice to their taste.

 

Asam Laksa Chulia Street Food Hawker

Asam Laksa is another dish that made Penang famous for food. Laksa is a noodle soup made with heavy coconut milk to cut through some of the spicy heat. “Asam” laksa refers to the addition of tamarind to the mix, which is a remarkable twist on an already great recipe. Laksa is popular throughout southeast Asia, but “asam laksa” or “sour laksa” is pretty unique to Penang island. I like the version I found at Chulia Street Hawker, but as the recipe leaves a lot up to the chef, every time it is going to be a bit different.

 

Rojak At The Campbell Street Market

Rojak Penang is the Malaysian answer to this dish that really hails from Indonesia. Rojak is a salad type plate made out of green mangoes, very tart apples, and possible other tart fruits. This is topped with a ridiculously good gooey black sauce that is somehow sweet, salty, and spicy at the same time. Top the whole thing with roasted peanuts and you have Rojak Penang. You will see this all over the city, but another great market with street food to check out is the Campbell Street Market.

 

Warung Teh Tarik Hamid

Not actually on the Penang island itself, Warung Teh Tarik Hamid is a necessary stop if connecting through Butterworth for the train, bus, or other transfer option out of Georgetown. Teh Tarik or “pulled tea” is a milk tea with sugar that is poured from one cup into another over and over (usually with a distance between the cups for show). This “pulling” technique looks a bit like stretching taffy and gives the beverage a wonderful light and frothy texture. Again, it can be found all over the city, but this has to be the best place to try it out.

 

Ali Nasi Lemak Daun Pisang

Nasi Lemak is a beautiful food found all over the peninsula and is actually considered the national dish of Malaysia. It is a remarkably simple, cheap, and versatile meal. The core is simple white rice cooked in coconut milk and wrapped in pandan leaf. This is accompanied by any combination of cucumber, eggs, peanuts, dried shrimp, fried anchovies, or even alongside more substantial dishes like beef rendang, fried chicken, or curries. At Ali Nasi Lemak Daun Pisang in downtown Georgetown, the options can vary day to day, but it is always cheap and great and filling.

 

Chee Cheong Fun From Chowrasta Market

Visit some of the stalls around Chowrasta Market for yet another opportunity for excellent street food. My next suggestion for something truly different would be Chee Cheong Fun. This fun dish translates as “pig intestine noodles” but is simply made with thick coiled rice noodles, prawn paste, and spicy chili sauce. Sometimes it ended up topped with sesame, sometimes peanuts, sometimes bits of pork belly (if you pay a bit extra). All are good.

 

Clan Jetties Of Penang

The clan jetties that sit on the eastern side of Georgetown are a collection of stilt house villages that stretch out from the land into the water. There are one or two boardwalks that are setup for tourists with shops and vendors and even a house or two that have been converted into cafes. But walk down the road a bit and there are several more jetties where you can walk among the houses that are still used for living and have not been dressed up for the cruise ship tourists.

 

Marking Georgetown

As you wander about the streets of Georgetown, you might notice iron sculptures that look like bits of comic or caricatures on street corners, outside windows, or along street lamps. These are all part of a large scale art installation called “Marking Georgetown” and they show different elements of life through the ages of this city. The tourist information center has a map to find all of the scenes or you can do your best to uncover them on your own.

 

Penang Hill

Penang Hill is a small mountain in the north of the island, a few kilometers west of the Georgetown area. A hike up the hill makes the views well deserved, but the usual and much more comfortable approach is the Penang Hill Funicular Train. This brings you to the summit overlooking the city where a few different attractions can fill up an afternoon. A garden centered around “monkey cups” or pitcher plants, several temples, an owl museum, a few cafes, and a couple of mountain resorts lie on top of the hill. When you are done, head back down the funicular and maybe look to Kek Lok Si temple to the south if you have time left in the day.

 

Kek Lok Si Temple

Kek Lok Si temple was one of the most impressive modern temple complexes I have seen in southeastern Asia. And surprisingly, many people do not include it on their itineraries. It is a bit far from the tourist section of Georgetown, but it can easily be reached by public bus or by grab. The complex itself is quite sprawling. It starts with a turtle pond with bridges and islands at the base of the hill. Then there are stairs and stairs to many buildings with idols and lanterns stretching on and on. And outside, there are amazing views looking back to the city and over the island. Then, more stairs up to the giant buddha at the top of the hill. Plan at least an hour or two to wander all of the levels.

 

Lifestyle Graffiti

Outside of the ironworks called “Marking Georgetown,” Penang is truly covered in graffiti. Much of the subject matter for these illustrations centers around life and tradition in the city and its history. And it really gets involved with the environment; dressing up buildings that have fallen into ruin, using windows and doors for characters to interact with, even going across streets or between structures. Some of these works are organized, others were from before there was a theme. All can easily be found with online guides or with a map picked up from the tourist information center or probably your hostel.

 

“Eat your way across Penang, Malaysia” by Creed Evans was originally published on Wanderdash (follow Creed @creedevans)