nonthaburi

Whereas in a larb the meat is chopped up into very small pieces and then cooked with onion, coriander, chile and a few other things with a namtog the meat is BBQued first and then sliced into pieces so you get bigger pieces of meat and it tastes a bit different too. Very nice. My wife is from the NE so I get a lot of Isaan / Laos food.

Stay off the ' balaa ' though ! Fermented fish isn't for everyone and it stinks. I don't know any foreigners who actually like it. My SIL calls cheese 'ferrang balaa' though so it's all relative I suppose.

bakedbean

I wonder if Balaa is the same as Blachan or Belacan that we get here. Best laxative known to man That's a bit pen and ink too until you cook it.

bakedbean

Went to a great little eatery in Tanjung Bungah last night called Yyu Yuan. I really shouldn't recommend it as I don't want it to get too packed out but, hey, they had plenty of tables and nice aircon and ceiling fans too. Huge menu of Chinese, Local and Western dishes. Slightly more than foodcourt prices but not outrageous. Two of the dishes we had (a very big Yang Chow Fried Rice and Sotong Curry) tasted quite like the HK Chinese dishes that you get in the UK (or maybe I should say Used to get, since I've not been to UK for donkeys years). Very nice.

Anyway, the 2 dishes above plus a Sambal Kang Kung and a large bottle of Carlsberg came to 37 Ringgits (only GBP 7.50) and me and Mr bakedbean were completely stuffed... big meal. Not bad, huh?

Strider24

Meant to tell the story of a place stumbled on by accident when we found the Hot Wok had closed down. It was the Golden Steamboat in Jalan Nagor near Penang Plaza. A bunch of us were wandering down Nagor past masses of people eating alfresco, when a big Chinaman working a huge wok of famous Penang Char Keow Teow, when he thrust a plate into our hands with 1/2 doz takeaway chopsticks and said eat and enjoy. Must say it was very good. Meanwhile "the wife" who had been looking for a table realised the big guy was THE BOSS. He immediately "made room" for the two table as there was 7 of us and we set to for RM22 all you can eat (including cordials, tea and ice creams and do it yourself Ice Kajang)

Literally 100's of plates or food on 4 large counters to choose from. All set out to be easy to find, meats, veg, seafood, huge variety of "balls", sweet corn...the list goes on.

The steamboat was gas fired, but unusually was a central bowl, (tom yam or chicken broth...or a 2 part bowl with both) and round the outter edge a BBQ hotplate covered in foil. So we BBQ'd giant prawn and corn cobs etc while steam boating pork, chicken, lamb, fish....oh and veg.

Of the 6 adults and one child (who was virtually free) the 3 guys had 3 small bottles of Tiger each, ladies tea, we stuffed ourselves rotten and divided to RM66 a couple....and a great night had by all.

Atilla

Just under two weeks before I visit Malaysia to see if it measures up to what I need from life (though not sure where to consider if it doesn't!! ) and I'm having a flick through a few of the guide books to try and get a list of some eateries to try and indeed, identify any "must do" places. These books date quickly I find so am wondering if any of the following are still going and how they are rated (most around Georgetown unless otherwise stated and specifically does not include hawker stalls, for now, unless the books have them listed wrong!!):

• Tho Yuen (Lebuh Campbell): Chinese - dim sum
• Teik Sen (Lebuh Carnavon): Chinese
• Madras New Woodlands (Lebuh Penang): Indian
• Restoran Kapitan (Lebuh Chulia): Indian - tandoori and biryanis
• Spice and Rice (Green Hall): Indian
• Sarkies Corner (Lebuh Farquahar): Mix
• Palace (BF): Indian
• Ship (BF): Steaks etc
• Ferringhi Garden (BF): Steaks etc.

Any comments appreciated and any thoughts on "must do" places particularly, Chinese, Indian and any good Thai Golden Steamboat is on the list!

Strider24

Haven't been to any on the list, but I'm a confirmed foodcourt/stall guy. Enjoy the trip. I'm about to head toward big bird landing area for 2 planes, 2 trains and 2 km walk with backpacks...for 2 months away

bakedbean

I ate at the Ship once only as we were hot and it was the only place with aircon. Expensive by Penang standards and steak just average. Hey why do you want to eat steak in Penang??

I hope I don't upset anyone on here, but that bit of Bt Ferringhi, the central part around Holiday Inn and includes those eateries Ship, Palace, Ferringhi Garden, it is a Tourist Spot, usually packed with Kuwaitis (there's a very loud mosque there) and the prices are way higher than anywhere else it seems, especially for drinks. I really wouldn't bother Atilla. Honest.

Eden Parade area which is a little further out of central Bt Ferringhi (going towards Miami Green area) has a got a fab choo-char called Golden River. It only opens in the evenings and is right in front of the Nasi Kandar eatery.

The first 6 places on your list, I've not been to as I don't go into Georgetown in the evenings. The traffic is just awful.

There's an absolute ton of eateries around Tanjung Bungah and Tanjung Tokong and that's where we usually eat.

If you're after a "proper" eatery with aircon try No Eyed Deer in Tanjung Tokong (all kinds of dishes - there's a website if you google), if you like fish and seafood - Blue Reef at Straits Quay is nice and nice view of the new marina and, unlike a lot of the S Quay eateries, reasonable prices, Yyu Yuan mentioned in my posting above will give you a good mix of both local dishes (Mee Goreng, Char Kway Teow etc) and Chinese dishes too (and Western). Recommend all those. Happy eating!!

Atilla

Well, sometimes I like steak, sometimes I like Chinese, sometimes Indian. I just eat what I want, where I want and when I want and can cook most of it too Same as sometimes I like to eat curry in the UK and Lebanese in Paris, on the days when I'm not inclined to cook (and generally better) No offence but personally I can never understand this business (generally an expat habit) of you shouldn't want to eat this or that here or there, often offered up as if it's some kind of right of passage to a "we're integrated" badge Not saying that it's meant that way here by the way, just one of those 'expat' things that grates. I find it much the same as the some of the self-righteous Brits who move to France and have the audacity to say they don't want to be over-run by any more immigrant Brits. Pompous twats!!

Thanks for the comments on BF. Most places listed are in Georgetown and I do intend to visit the parts I might stay out of more if I live there, just to get a feel for the whole place. Will try all the places you suggest on the Tanjungs so thanks for the tip there. I tend to be able to get by in basic Chinese where ingredients are concerned (Mandarin rather than Hokkien though) so no great worries there, at least in the Chinese restaurants!!

bakedbean

Ha ha, I was being sarcastic about steaks Actually you can get a very nice black pepper steak in No Eyed Deer. I'm not going to tell you it's as good as a Scottish fillet steak. It is not. But it tastes like a good sirloin I would say and Ken does a fab black pepper sauce. I was in there last night actually, but had the Chicken Kapitan Biriani - very nice and Mr bakedbean choked and spluttered his way through a Laotian Laksa.... verrrrry spicy.

Ya, we eat everything too. There's a place opened up in Tg Bungah called The Yorkshire Cafe - if you get a little homesick for ol' Blighty. I've not ate there yet but I see they do Bangers n Mash, Shepherds Pie, Fish n Chips etc etc. There's sooooooo many places to eat here.

ex reg

Can the board do 'stickies'?
A thread that stays at the top of the particular forum and which posters don't do much discussion in but just add their favourites etc.
Say one on food places in Penang and one on places to visit in Penang.

I wouldn't have to trawl through to many posts to find places to eat when we go up to visit Penang.

bakedbean

I think the answer is probably Yes. I think I've seen some stickies elsewhere. But I certainly cannot do them. In any case, once you get started, where do you stop? Quite a few people on here who are located in or near KL. So.....

Anyway, I can keep this thread going for years... one of my favourite subjects.

Atilla

@ ex reg: Sticky would be a good idea.

@ Bakedbean: I know what you meant with the steaks, not directed at you. Some forums and sites do get heavily visited by people who mean it in a different, almost looking down the nose, way. Sadly in the UAE I found with many that the attempts at integration ran merely to adopting the arrogant nature of many of the locals. I'll have to make a mental not of the steak, and the biryani. I'll bear in mind the Yorkshire Cafe too. One thing I know I will never have a craving for is 'Toad in the hole'. A dish I could never get the point of and never enjoyed the few times I tried it

bakedbean

Yes, toad in the hole is strange. I like a nice Fish n Chips but avoiding at the moment as I've put on weight (unfortunately, downside to Penang is weight gain).

I think I mentioned Blue Reef at Straits Quay. They do a lot of fish dishes (and other stuff too) but they do Fish n Chips with a choice of 3 different types of fish, and choice of breaded or battered. I've always gone for the cheapest which is mahi-mahi (or something like that) and perfectly okay. One of my pals said that their portions are a bit stingy, but it was enough for me, and you can sit and gaze at the new glitzy marina whilst eating it.

My pal reckoned that the fish n chips at Dome (just along from Blue Reef) was better, but Dome has some strange drinks policy. Beer n wine prices much more civilized at Blue Reef.

TopHattedCat

One of the great things about Malaysia is the wide choice of food available & I love nothing better than venturing into the culinary world of Penang & discovering another hidden gem of an eaterie.

Not every gastronomic experience is great, but nothing ventured nothing gained is my motto when it comes to devouring food & there are some fantastic places waiting to be discovered.

bakedbean

I was wondering if the lamb thing is something to do with Malay language. According to my little Malay dictionary, the word for both lamb and goat is "kambing". So do they think lamb means goat? Any Malay scholars on here?

Anyhow, the Lamb Shank at Blue Reef is really fab and very filling and I could say a touch expensive too, but worth the money. I didn't know they had Happy Hours. Maybe they let lingerers linger on past 11pm??

I remember one time at the old Blue Reef (which was in Tg Bungah hillside) we overstayed with a group of friends. They started stacking up chairs on tables and we figured we'd better stagger home.

THC - trying to remember - did you say you're down Queensbay way or was that someone else? A senior moment . That would be a bit of a drive to S Quay and No Eyed Deer too.