Below post is my trip to Lumut and Sitiawan. This post is not a usual travel post. Instead this is a post that will give you a guide to most of the dishes that are available in Lumut and Sitiawan.

The first post is the mouth-watering Hock Chew creation biscuit in Sitiawan, which is known as “Gong Pian”. To go to this shop, you need to drive to the main road of Jalan Sitiawan from Jalan Lumut.  Once you see Wisma Ganda which houses Courts Mammoth, turn left to the alley which is Jalan Tok Perdana. Just a few metres after turning you will see the shop with the name “Cheong Cia Gong Pian”.

There was a Chinese legendary story saying about a boy who was too pampered by his mom. He was too lazy to do anything and all he needed to do was to sleep on the bed and wait for the food to be fed directly to his mouth by his mom. Until one day, when his mom needed to go back to her own mother’s house, she made him a giant Gong Pian that looks like a donut and placed it on his neck so that he could eat them when she was away. However when her mother came back his son had died off of hunger. He only managed to eat the gong pian within his reach but he was too lazy to reach for the rest of it.

Back to the main topic, this stall is a very old and classic family business stall. It has been on business here for decades which has been passed down from generations.

The specialties of this shop is it has various types of Hock Chew biscuit. Below is the price list:

• Hock Chew Gong Pian (Big) – RM1.00
• Hock Chew Gong Pian (Small) – RM0.70
• Hock Chew Fo Pa (Big) – RM3.40
• Hock Chew Fo Pa (Small) – RM1.70

There are 2 types of Hock Chew Gong Pian, one is sweet base and another one is salty base. The sweet base gong pian is made into a donut shape with lots of sesame seeds sprinkled on top of it.

The taste of the sweet base gong pian is like a crunchy donut skin with bread-like texture.

In contrast, the salty base gong pian is hard and crispy on the outside, while inside is stuffed with salty fried onions.

In fact, the salty taste of the gong pian comes from the salted onion fried in lard which makes it undoubtedly so delicious.

Hock Chew Fo Pa (Torch) biscuit, is one of the Hock Chew clan specialties. The biscuits are made of twisted sticks which are then baked until crunchy. It also brings some slight sweetness taste in it. The best part is the biscuits have no preservatives. Surprisingly, after a few weeks the biscuits still remain crunchy and delicious if kept in a air-tight bottle.

These savoury biscuits are one of the oldest favourites brought by the Hock Chew settlers from China. This shop successfully tweaked the original “Gong Pian” recipe to create what you will find sold at their shop today.

Overall, the taste of the Hock Chew Gong Pian is so special and delicious. In fact I prefer the salty base of Gong Pian biscuit compared to the sweet base one. Unfortunately, this traditional making of Gong Pian has gradually lost its presence in Sitiawan. It has become impossible to have one of such store in Penang.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation

Operation hours: 9:30am-5:00pm (Close on Sunday)
Contact: 019-558 9228
Address:12, Jalan Tok Perdana, 32000 Perak.

The name of the restaurant is called First Famous Restaurant, it is located at Lorong Susu. To go to this place you need to drive through Macalister Road. Once you see Menara Umno on your right and before arriving at Dim Sum Food Restaurant you need to turn left to Jalan Kak Chuan. Once arriving at Jalan Irving turn right to Lorong Susu.

The boss of this stall Eddie, is a very friendly person. Once arrived at the shop he will ask you what do you want to eat and he will get someone to lead you to your seat.

One of the main reasons that the skin of the roasted duck is so crispy is because it is deep fried in a boiling oil right before it is served.

The color of the barbecue pork is very natural, rather than the artificial colouring that most of the stalls are using.

Roasted Duck Rice – RM3.50 per plate. The taste of the roasted duck was very delicious. The skin was very crispy and the meat was juicy and succulent. The sauce mixed well with the duck meat and the style of roasted duck is abit like the “Pi Pa Duck”.

The cut of the duck is in chunk as well. However to some people, this might not be too attractive as the deep-fried crunchy skin might taste a little too over done. But I am cool with the taste as I love the crunchiness of the skin and succulent of the meat.

Barbecue Pork Rice – RM3.50 per plate. The barbecue pork was well marinated with fresh thyme, garlic clove, honey and some lime.

The taste was delicious, especially the gravy that topped on top of the barbecue pork together with spring onion as garnish. The chili sauce is a great complement to the dish if you are a fan of chili sauce.

“Chai Boey” (in Hokkien) soup is a complement with any order of duck or pork rice.

There were plenty of vegetables in the soup and all the vegetable were in very big portion. The soup tasted slightly sweet and sour, which some people didn’t like the sweet taste. However, for me it is an excellent and appetising starter.

Overall, this place serves great duck and barbecue pork rice. However, different people have different taste. Not everyone will appreciate the taste of the duck and “chai boey” here. The place can cater 20 – 30pax which is quite cozy inside. There are 2 drawbacks to this place, first the cooking by the coffee shop is done right at the back of the dining area which makes the surrounding smelly and oily. Secondly, there are not many parking spaces available. Either you have to go earlier or later to be able to find a proper parking space.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room

Operation hours: 11:30am – 9:30pm (7 days a week)
Contact: 016-454 5847 (Eddie)
Address:No 3, Lorong Susu, 10400 Penang.

All the while, there were many people had blogged on Sri Bahari Road Kheng Pin’s Chicken Rice and the drawback about Kheng Pin’s chicken rice is the long wait time that makes most of the people frustrated. However, not many people had blogged about their branch which is located at Midtown Cafe Lorong Selamat.

If you are going to Midtown Cafe via Macalister Road, drive along Lorong Selamat and 100 metres ahead you will see Midtown cafe is on your right.

The Hainanese Chicken Rice stall is located on the left once you entered the cafe. This stall is run by the son and daugther in law of Kheng Pin’s Chicken rice owner.

Most of the people only know the name of the coffee shop of the main branch, which is Kheng Pin Cafe at Sri Bahari Road. Not many people are aware of the name of the stall which is Foong’s Hainan Chicken Rice Stall.

The serving is similar to the one at Sri Bahari Road. Price per plate – RM4.00, bigger portion – RM4.70.

The texture of the steamed chicken is of course similar to the main branch. It is famous for its soft and “jelly” feel in between the chicken skin and the meat. The soy sauce is also similar, with spring onions and ginger slices sprinkled on top. The only difference is the cut of the chicken is not as even as the main branch’s. This might be due to the experience and skills of the owner. Besides, the rest are still intact with the main branch.

If the delicious Steamed Hainanese Chicken Rice is still unable to satisfy your crave, you can always order additional side dish such as fried oyster.

The price for the fried oyster: RM8.00 (small), RM12.00 (medium), RM16.00 (large) and RM20.00 (extra large).

The taste of the fried oyster here is much better than any average stalls in Penang. At least, the oysters are fresh and they are sticking together with the egg. Even the size of the oysters is big too.

Besides the oysters and the egg, the chili sauce also goes well with the dish.

Overall, this place has plenty of parking lots along the road side and there are also a few private car parks available. This place is still new and not as crowded as Sri Bahari Rd’s Branch. For those who hate to wait, this branch is the place to try out with similar taste and serving. There are also other choices of food available here too.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room

Operation hours: 10:30am – 3:00pm (Close on Thursday)
Contact: -
Address: Lorong Selamat, 10400 Penang.

The place below that I am introducing will be the stall that sells traditional and authentic type of Hakka Noodle. The Coffee shop of this place is called Beng Chin Garden and is located at the junction to Kek Lok Si at Air Itam.

By going to Kek Lok Si, you will definitely pass by Jalan Pasar, where turning left will be going to Kek Lok Si Temple and turning right will be heading back to the roundabout that leads to Penang Hill. Beng Chin Garden is just on the right of the junction.

Beng Chin Garden is operating on breakfast and lunch hour only. For those that want to try out the good food here please be aware of your timing.

The stall of Hakka Noodle is located just at the front corner of this coffee shop. It is a very humble little store that operates here for more than a decade. I still remember the first time I tried the Hakka Noodle here was during my secondary school days which dated 15 years back.

Since then, Beng Chin Garden Coffee Shop had undergone renovation and gave the shop a new facelift compared to few years back where it looked like an old and classic coffee shop. In fact it looks much better now.

Usually for me to start off the day is a cup of nescafe and it has been a norm for me to have a cup each day. Some of the coffee shop makes very mild nescafe which they are too stingy to provide an up to standard cup of nescafe. However, Beng Chin’s nescafe and milo are up to par for a great start of the day.

Authentic and Traditional Hakka Noddle – RM2.50 per bowl.

The noodle was homemade and the minced meat had been marinated with fermented soy bean in paste. The minced meat had a slight pork odour that made it tasted authentic. 

The texture of the minced meat was very chewy and delicious. It actually blended very well together with the noodle. As for the chili sauce it was spicy and sour and had a bit of sweetness in it. It mixed perfectly with the noodle and the meat.

Overall, the price is very reasonable and the taste of the food is very authentic. The service is good too. The cafe surrounding has many parking slots, but this only applies to normal days. When it comes to public holiday and weekend the parking slots will become limited.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room

Operation hours: 7:00am – Until Sold Out, usually 2:30pm (Close on alternate Tuesday)
Contact: -
Address: Beng Chin Garden Cafe, Jalan Pasar, 10400 Penang.

The place that I’m recommending on this post is somewhere under the tree. To go to this place you need to go to St. Anne’s Church first which is on your left. Keep driving straight and after 2 traffic lights turn right on the second traffic light which will divert to Jalan Rozhan. From Jalan Rozhan, keep driving for another 1km and you will see there are many people dining under the tree.

The name of this place is called “Ji De Chi” and it means (Remember To Eat)

There were few specialties there, the most famous would be the drinks and dessert stall which offered some unique desserts not commonly available elsewhere.

Besides the drink and the dessert stall, the laksa stall was also one of the recommended stalls, though there were something which I felt too awkward when they served.

If laksa is not your cup of tea, you could opt for dried or soup Hokkien Mee as well as Jawa Mee.

For the drinks and dessert corner, they have the following items:

• Leng Chi Kang with fresh fruits
• ABC (Ais Bandung Kacang)
• Ai Yu Jelly
• Sweet and Sour Ice

Each dessert costs RM2.00 for Small and RM3.00 for Large.

Leng Chi Kang with Fresh Fruits is a very new concept in town where you will see watermelon, honeydew and leong fun in the dessert.

The Ais Kacang with usual bandung (red color syrup) and diluted milk is very common everywhere.

Instead of that, you can try the ABC with Gula Melaka (coconut sugar) instead. The strong taste of gula melaka with refreshing ice almost melted in the mouth which reminded me of ABC at Melaka.

The list of food available for the Hokkien Mee stall is as below:

• Dried/ Soup Hokkien Mee
• Jawa Mee

Small – RM2.50, Big – RM3.00 (add ribs – RM4.50).

People always say dried hokkien mee at B.M is the best, which I have no doubt with this statement. I feel that the dried hokkien mee here is one of the top ranking ones.

Besides the dried hokkien mee, the jawa mee was equally good as well. The prawn crackers were very fresh and crunchy. The gravy was not too sweet which was perfect for my taste bud.

Other than the Jawa Mee and Dried Hokkien Mee, Laksa is also available at this place. However, the awkward thing which I mentioned just now was on the chili sauce which had been added to the Laksa soup. The chili sauce was similar to the one normally served with chicken rice. I was not too comfortable with this new fusion of Laksa. Anyhow, minus the chili sauce the taste of this laksa was still acceptable.

Overall, most of the food here are very creative. Some really made a creation out of the conventional way of serving it. Other than that, some turned out to be another failed ‘project’. I personally love to dine at this shady place away from the hot sun. The price of the food here is very reasonable. The drawback is not much parking space available for the patrons.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room

Operation hours: 1:30pm – 6:30pm (Tuesday and Wednesday OFF)
Contact: -
Address:Jalan Rozhan, 14000 Penang.

Though there are many restrictions to beef, there is one good place for beef lovers. In fact, this place serves variety of beef in different dishes and style. The name of this shop is called “Kang Beef House”. It is located at Perak Lane. If you are driving from Penang Bridge to town via Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim, you will come to a junction which will turn left to Perak Road and right to Jalan Jelutong. Take the left turning where you will see the Police station is on your left. Keep driving for another 20 metres and you will see Kang Beef House on your right.

Kang Beef House is located within the town area. It is very easy to be spotted if you are driving via Jalan Jelutong. However, finding a parking space will be a challenge for those who visited this place during dinner time.

Mr. Kang was busy preparing the beef dishes. This beefy business has been passed down from grandfather to father. They were known as the beef specialists.

Crystal Beef Fried Rice (+ Meat Ball Soup) – RM12.80. You might think that this is a very normal fried rice with some slices of beef and some chili and veggie as garnish. However, this is not what you think. There is some meaning for the crystal. The fried rice had the texture of crunchiness rather than the usual rice texture. I have the feeling that the crunchiness of rice is either deep fried rice or dried rice.

Black Pepper Beef – RM15.00 (S), RM28.00 (B), the beef had been sliced into pieces and were fried with black pepper sauce. The tenderness of the meat was soft and the black pepper was not too overwhelming. Although to some the starch might not be enough, but to me the taste was just find and it was delicious.

Crispy Beef Ball (6pcs) – RM4.80. It was quite unique that the meat balls were covered with croutons and flour and then brought to deep fried. Dipping the beef balls with their home made chili sauce was very delightful.

Beef Koay Teow – RM6, 8, 10, 12, 15 is one of the koay teow soup which had a mixture of various beef parts like beef slices, meat balls and some intestines. The bowl shown below was the largest bowl. You can always order for smaller one if you think you couldn’t finish it.

For those that don’t eat beef, there is always other option for you to try out. The Dry Fried Hor Fun Kosong is one of it. There was no pricing available for this dish as they  seldom provide this unless requested. This was a purely vegetarian dish. The Hor Fun was fried with mushrooms and bean curd.

Other than all the dishes above the one which is the most famous here is the Beef Steamboat – RM20.oo each person. The soup base of the steamboat was boiled with radish and preserved vegetable. The taste was slightly sour and salty. It was very suitable to be cooked with red meat.

The ingredients for the steamboat include:

Tenderloin, one of my favorites. Texture was soft and tender, tasted great when dipped in the hot steamboat.

Raw Meat

Beef Intestines

Beef Tripes

Sirloin

Beef Balls

Beef Ribs

Enoki Mushrooms

The preparation of steamboat is very simple. First make sure the water is boiled and then place all the meat inside the hot pot and wait for it to be cooked.

For those who do not want their beef slices to be overcooked, use your chopsticks to dip the meat into the pot for 30 seconds.

Steve Kang, one of the marketers for Kang Beef House. Special thanks for his arrangement of this review.

Overall, the food here is nice and the service is great. This place is specially dedicated to beef lovers. However, the price of the beef is a bit pricey compared to pork and parking is a constraint for patrons.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room

Operation hours: 12:00pm – 2:30pm; 4:30pm – 10:00pm (Close on Tuesday)
Contact: 04-2810892
Address:474, Jalan Jelutong, 11600 Penang.

The location of this place is at Chai Leng Park, Prai. If you are driving from the Penang Bridge to Chai Leng Park, you need to make a U turn on the flyover before entering to  Chai Leng Park. Once turn left to Chai Leng Park, make another left turn on the first exit. Keep driving until about 300 meters and you will see Leng Heong Coffee Shop just on your left and Lekker Claypot House is just located at the shop.

Lekker Claypot House (美味砂煲之家) is the only stall selling food at this coffee shop. Either you can order claypot chicken rice or curry fish head. Both dishes are famous and delicious.

Claypot chicken rice, one of the signature dishes at Lekker. (RM4.50 Small, RM8.00 Medium and RM12.00 Large). The claypot chicken rice had generous portion of chicken, Chinese sausages, salty fish, onions and the rice was well mixed with evenly colored rice. On top of the rice was placed with an egg which covered the rice. The taste of this claypot rice was simply delicious.

The aroma of the curry fish head (RM15.00 and above) was very strong and the spiciness was moderate. The taste of the curry was slightly creamy and was cooked with lady’s fingers and garnished with onions. It was a very seductive dish. For those who are unable to stand the hot and spiciness, do remember to prepare more tissues.

Besides claypot rice and curry fish head, there was also a plate of boiled lettuce with oil garnishing. It was just a simple plate of Boiled Lettuce (油菜) (RM3.00 Small and RM5.oo Big) with some oyster sauce and small fried onions.

Overall, this place is very famous and is packed with crowd. Parking might be a concern for patrons. Nevertheless, the food here was delicious. If you want your food to be served fast, either you beat the crowd by arriving before 11:50am for lunch or 2:30pm for tea time.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room

Operation hours: 12:00noon – 2:30pm; 5:30pm – 9:30pm (2nd week of Tuesday Off)
Contact: 016-456 8073
Address:121, Jalan Chai Leng, Taman Chai Leng, 13700 Perai Penang.

Looking for a place which serves more than just Penang food and which is less crowded yet with plentiful of parking space? A place which is romantic enough to spend some quality time with your special ones and where the food is great and price is affordable?

It is not easy to find such place with all the requirement above. However, this  time I managed to discover this place which is Brown House. The location of Brown House is very easy to be spotted. It is located just opposite 1-stop Midlands Park Complex in Pulau Tikus.

The building is a big mansion with huge parking space.

Ground floor, the common dining area which is fully air-conditioned.

First floor, with private rooms as well as open-space dining area.

Main Courses:

Pork Chop – RM17.90, this is one of my favorites. Although it may have the plain Jane look, but the taste was definitely not plain. The pork chop was marinated with lemon grass and spices. It was than deep-fried and served with fries and salad. The crust was very crunchy while the meat was very soft and juicy. Therefore, never judge a book by its cover.

Kampong Nasi Lemak – RM7.20, other than the “plain look” pork chop, Kampong Nasi Lemak is also one of the tasty dishes. The curry chicken had a very strong curry aroma, while the level of spiciness was not too over whelming. It was a great combination with the coconut milk rice (nasi lemak), anchovies (ikan bilis), half boiled egg, fried peanut and spicy condiment (sambal).

Hanoi Roll (5 pcs) – RM11.90, These are the deep-fried spring rolls stuffed with meat. It went well with the chili sauce provided. It was a nice and delightful starter.

Puff Pastry Chicken Stew – RM12.90, the best part was the hot and crunchy pastry, when dipped into the soup it became semi-crunchy. The taste of the soup was not as thick and rich as the usual chicken mushroom soup. It was a fusion style of soup and definitely a pleasant starter.

PHO Beef – RM10.90. Compared to puff pastry chicken stew, I still prefer the chicken stew. Although this is an authentic Vietnamese food with tasty beef slices.

Braised Pork Ribs with Nuts – RM10.90. The pork ribs were braised until the meat turned soft. It had a nice aroma from the nut which were boiled together with the ribs. Still puff pastry chicken stew is my favourite.

Ee Chee Lou Fun – RM10.90, exclusively Hong Kong style, rice pagoda on shark’s fin soup. The shark’s fin soup was the usual one that we tried had at any Chinese restaurants while the rice was fragrant rice. There is a slight drawback on the shark’s fin as it was slightly overcooked and the texture became too soft without the bouncy “Q” feeling.

Baked Macaroni Cheese – RM12.90. Nicely baked macaroni and minced meat, it mixed really well with the paste. However, if you are a cheese lover you may not enjoy the mild cheese slices used on this dish.

Starters:

Potato Skin – RM11.90, the potato filling was removed and potato skin was used to stuff in minced meat with potato paste and topped with cheese. The drawback is also same as the baked macaroni cheese - the misuse of cheese type.

Arabian Toast – RM3.60, the unique factor was on the toast itself while the kaya and butter was just the usual stuff. The toast was crunchy and with some sweetness on the toast itself.

Potato Wedges with Paprika – RM6.90, The potato wedges were dipped with paprika powder which tasted like curry powder, then topped with mayonnaise. The taste is acceptable as starter.

Hot and Spicy Chicken Wing – RM11.90, this hot and spicy chicken wing has the taste of KFC, very suitable for kids who love crunchy and spicy chicken.

Honey Chicken Wings – RM11.90. For kids that don’t enjoy spicy food, honey chicken wings is another option.

Drinks:

Curacao – RM7.20, one of the very unique drinks. The color of the drink was blue with some lemon slices. The taste was surprisingly good as I thought all the while drinks with such color will have the taste of detergent. But not for this one.

Full Moon – RM7.20, it looked like the moon was on top of the white cloud. This ice blended drink is to wake someone up when he feels sleepy. It was sweet and sour. It is also a preferred drink for ladies who care about their diet.

Other varieties of drinks are also available as below:

• Ice Honey Lemon – RM3.60
• Ice Lemon Tea – RM3.60
• Ice Jasmine Tea – RM3.90
• Ice Traditional Coffee with Milk – RM3.30
• Ice Milk Tea – RM3.30
• Strawberry love – RM7.20

Overall, this is a very new and uncrowded place. For those who always travel outside and need a place for shelter or internet access, this is the place for you. Certain food are very good and the price range with such ambience is acceptable.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Pork Free
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room

Operation hours: 12:00noon – 11am- 1am (7 days a week)
Contact: 016-494 4972 (Cynthia)
Address:2, Brown Road, Pulau Tikus, 10350, Penang (Opp. Berjaya Hotel & 1-stop)