Penang's Chinese gourmet dishes
Chinese gourmet cuisine is widely regarded as one of the world's finest and the fine dining establishments in Penang mostly serve this cuisine in its authentic form with recipes handed down through generations. In general, there are four main influences in Chinese gourmet cuisine originating from the different regions of China – Hakka, Cantonese, Hokkien and Teochew.
With its roots in the imperial palace and filtered down to the private homes of the rich and powerful and to the restaurants where the privileged entertained, Chinese gourmet dining tends to be lavish and opulent affairs with 8-course and 10-course menus. Peking duck, Beggar's chicken as well as abalone, scallops and fish maw-inspired dishes are some of the more popular choices among the locals.
Chinese restaurants in Penang are popular for banquet functions such as weddings and anniversary celebrations or business lunches or dinners where deals are clinched and favours curried. But for the occasional diner who just wants to have a treat, Chinese gourmet cuisine is still very much affordable with a la carte choices or set menus. Here is a list of restaurants in Penang serving great Chinese cuisine (in no particular order):
Besides Chinese banquets, here are some recommended Chinese dishes at street stalls and hawker centres.
Bak Kut Teh
Chunks of pork ribs, pork belly, assorted mushrooms and bean curd slow-cooked in a dark, aromatic Chinese herbal broth infused with spices is served with plain steam rice or yam rice. Bak kut teh literally means “meat bones tea” in Hokkien. On the side, mix up a batch of your own dipping sauce with diced garlic, sliced red chilli, bird's eye chilli, dark and light soy sauce. Remember to order a plate of eu char koay (deep-fried puff breadsticks) which goes well as a side dish. Bak kut teh is popular in Penang for breakfast and supper.
For the best bak kut teh in town (in no particular order):
Bak Chang
Steamed glutinous rice with soy sauce wrapped in bamboo leaves and stuffed with pork, mushroom, dried prawns, salted egg yolk or just white beans. Oily and high cholesterol delight which is a specialty during the Bak Chang festival (fifth moon of the Chinese calendar). Available all year round at roadside stalls in Swatow Lane in the afternoons.
For the Nyonyas they have their own version of chang – pua kiam tea. Still made of glutinous rice but the stuffing differs from that of the traditional bak chang. No soy sauce is being used, leaving the chang white.
Dim Sum
Translated literally means “to touch your heart”. Many beautiful variations of small steamed dumplings made with pork or pork ribs, and dough with meat and prawn fillings. Try also chee cheong fun, broadsheet rice noodles rolled and steamed with prawns, served with light soy sauce. This breakfast fare is now available in the evenings as well. Price differs from restaurant to street stalls, depending on the number of variations consumed.
For the best dim sum in town (in no particular order): Tho Yuen at 92, Campbell Street; and coffee shops along Chulia Street, Kimberly Street, Gottlieb Road, Anson Road and Bali Hai at Gurney Drive.
Dumplings or pau
Dumplings with meat – the Chinese version of the American burger. Other variations include sweet paste instead of meat. Best eaten when warm. Available at most food courts and coffee shops.
Char Koay Teow
The original recipe was said to have used only garlic and soy sauce with lard and was rather popular among labourers. The high-fat content and low cost of the dish made it attractive to them as it was a cheap source of energy. Today, this plate of flat rice noodles has succulent prawns, a handful of bean sprouts, seeham (cockles), a few slivers of Chinese waxed sausage, a dollop of ground chilli paste, kuchai (garlic chives) and an egg, all fried up with chopped garlic in a large spoonful of lard and some good black soy sauce.
Char Hor Fun (Sar Hor Fun)
This dish consists of thick flat rice noodles accompanied by vermicelli wok-fried on high heat with lard, seasoned with dark and light soy sauces until slightly charred. With a good bone broth (either pork or chicken), a tasty gravy is cooked with a host of ingredients including chai sim (choy sum), prawns, thin strips of pork and slices of pig’s liver as well as fish cakes. The gravy is then thickened with tapioca flour and egg (if desired) before being poured over a plate of smoky hor fun. Prior to serving, the dish is topped with slices of char siew (Chinese barbecue pork) and a dusting of white pepper. It is also served with some slices of preserved green chillies.
Chee Cheong Fun
Chee cheong fun is a thin sheet of steamed broad rice noodles rolled into a thick stick. It is served with a sweet sauce, a chilli paste and topped with sesame seeds. Chee cheong fun is available at most food courts, each stall offering their own secret sauces. One of my favourite stalls is located at Genting Cafe in Island Glades. The peanut butter sauce is truly delicious. If you come across chee cheong fun served with cockles curry, order and relish it.
Curry Mee
Wheat base mee in spicy coconut curry soup, garnished with beansprouts, prawn, cuttlefish, cockles, beancurd and mint.
For the best curry mee in town (in no particular order): Corner coffee shop in Lorong Seratus Tahun off Macalister Road in the mornings; hawker center opposite of the Ayer Itam market in the mornings; hawker centres at New Lane, Bangkok Lane and Gurney Drive.
Fried Oyster
Oyster omelet with spring onions and mixed sauce. High cholesterol goodie for the brave-hearted glutton. There is only one stall in Penang that stands tall when compared with others here in Penang. Situated in Carnarvon Street, he sells only in the afternoon and you must taste it to believe it. Also available at most hawker centres.
Hokkien Char
Fried wheat base mee with dark soy sauce and strips of meat, prawns, liver and vegetables. Goes very well with sambal belacan.
Hokkien Mee
Wheat base mee in a special prawns and pork bones enriched soup garnished with beansprouts, kang kong, prawns, egg and pork.
For the best Hokkien mee in town (in no particular order): Coffee shop along with the Ayer Itam bus terminal in the mornings; hawker centres at Gurney Drive and New Lane.
Jawa Mee
Blanched noodles served with tomato-based gravy, garnished with beansprouts, potato, beancurd, egg, prawns, deep-fried flour paste and sprinkled with groundnuts. The fried version is also available on request at most places. For extra kick squeeze in a little lime juice.
Joo Hoo Eng Chye
Steamed cuttlefish served with hei tay (jellyfish), kang kong, sesame seeds, groundnuts and sweet sauce. Available at most hawker centres.
Koay Chap
A special rice noodles (different from koay teow) served in a soup-based dish with duck meat, beansprout and hard boiled eggs.
Koay Teow Th'ng
Rice noodles in savoury soup with beansprouts, fish balls and slices of chicken.
For the best koay teow th’ng in town (in no particular order): Opposite of the Ayer Itam Police Station in the mornings served with slices of pork, minced pork, liver and fish balls; Coffee shops in Hutton Lane, most hawker centers and New Lane hawker centre served with duck meat.
Lok Lok
Lok lok means "dip dip", a hawker version of a steamboat dinner. A wide selection of fresh uncooked food such as seafood ranging from cuttlefish to crabsticks, meat and vegetables are dipped into a central pot of boiling soup to cook. The cooked bits of food are eaten off the skewer after dipping into a nut-based sauce and the cost is calculated according to the number of colour-coded skewers used.
Wan Tan Mee
Cantonese egg noodles served with soup or “dry”. Garnished with pork or wan tan – shrimp balls wrapped in thin dough, vegetables and char siew, strips of sweet grilled pork meat. Try the green preserved chilli. It goes well with the noodles.
For the best wan tan mee in town (in no particular order): Corner coffee shop in Pulau Tikus opposite Church of the Immaculate Conception in the mornings and hawker centres at New Lane and Gurney Drive.
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Written and photographed by Adrian Cheah © All rights reserved
Updated: 5 April 2019
Chin's Cuisine represents owner Dave Chin's unique interpretation on Chinese cuisine, primarily inspired by Sichuan and Hunan flavours. Dave and his team of chefs draw inspiration from the vast treasure trove of Chinese cuisine, a culinary tradition that has evolved over thousands of years.
Zen Xin Vegetarian Restaurant is a vegetarian restaurant located along Nagore Road in the heart of George Town. One thing that strikes me when dining at a Chinese vegetarian restaurant in Penang is the creativity involved in preparing innovative vegetarian alternatives that closely resemble traditional faux meats or seafood dishes. It is almost like you are eating the real thing, from texture to taste! Using various plant-based ingredients such as tofu, seitan, mushrooms and soy-based products, the chefs are able to create wonderful dishes.
When choosing a venue for her birthday celebration, my daughter Jean immediately suggested Maple Palace and it is easy to understand why. Located in the heart of George Town, Maple Palace Chinese Restaurant goes beyond traditional boundaries, offering avant-garde dishes that redefine Chinese cuisine in terms of both flavour and presentation. Under the guidance of owner Loy Tan and his skilled chefs, the restaurant's innovative techniques and use of authentic ingredients create an unforgettable and mouth-watering dining experience that leaves a lasting impression.
Mum turned 89 this year and I was only too glad that I was able to celebrate her birthday at Maple Palace Restaurant with a scrumptious top-notch feast. Although owner Loy Tan was overseas when I contacted him, he was obliging enough to curate a luxurious 6-course menu for Mum. The individual serving of each course was beautifully presented, making it a delightful visual feast to whet the appetite.
Hai Onn Restaurant at Jalan Burmah is one of the few Hainanese kopitiams (coffee shops) left in George Town. Although there are two original signages at the entrance of the kopitiam with "Hai Oan", the correct spelling of this restaurant is actually "Hai Onn". This only goes to illustrate how forgiving the owner was in agreeing to carry on with the typographical error in the company name.
In the 1920s, the Hainanese were among the last Chinese immigrants to arrive in Penang. Since other dialect groups had already established control over most trades, the late comers ended up as cooks and houseboys (domestic helpers) in British homes and establishments. The Hainanese cooks were taught on-the-job how to prepare British dishes and were also introduced to local ingredients and spices. They eventually evolved their cooking repertoire, infusing their creations with local flavours to suit the taste buds of Penangites and the colonial British. Thus, Hainanese cuisine in Penang, and at large, in Malaysia and Singapore, is unique in its own way and cannot be found elsewhere, not even in Hainan Island.
Although the signboard on the right of the restaurant reads "Beoy...", it was a typo error Mr Boey Chong, owner of the restaurant must have missed when he commissioned it in the 1960s. “Kee” stands for 记 which means shop in Chinese. Serving classic no-frills Cantonese-style cooking, this quaint restaurant is located at one of the shop lots on the ground floor at People's Court off Lebuh Cintra/Campbell. Till today, it is still very much a family business and is run by Mr Boey’s granddaughters, the Chan sisters.
Muah chee, a traditional dish made of glutinous rice dough that stretches like elastic bread dough, is moist, soft and pillowy. The bite-size pieces are coated generously with a powdery mix of toasted crushed peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and granulated sugar. Prior to serving, some fried shallots (optional) could be added along with a sprinkling of white, or black sesame seeds.
Hor fun is a versatile type of rice noodles made from rice flour, water, salt and cooking oil. Although hor fun in itself is rather bland, it is able to absorb the flavours of any meat or stock it is cooked with. Its soft, slippery yet chewy texture is key in a few popular street food specialities here in Penang – char hor fun, dry stir-fried beef hor fun, steamed fish over hor fun and hor fun with pek cham kay (poached chicken).
If the truth be known, a bowl of piping-hot plain white moi (congee in Hokkien) is unpretentious and is as bland as ever. Yet through the millennia, it has become a comfort food that has no equal. Moi has become the food of love, health and of the home for millions. At times, I marvel at how food this simple can be elevated to taste so deliciously divine.
Dining at Maple Palace has always been a satisfying experience. The elegant 6-course omakase dinner celebrating my 54th birthday was such a delightful encounter. Lavished with priced ingredients, the flavours of the scrumptious feast were top-notch!
Dim sum ("touch the heart" in Chinese) refers to an array of dainty bite-size snacks enjoyed all over the world, especially among the Chinese communities. In Penang, dim sum is available for breakfast, lunch and even dinner from push-cart vendors, coffee shops, tea houses, restaurants and fine-dining establishments. Although the price difference can vary dramatically, there are many options for one to enjoy dim sum according to one's budget.