Classical and Traditional Nyonya Food @ Nyonya Breeze, Abu Siti Lane

There are less and less people know how to cook nyonya food nowadays. The reason being is not because of difficulty to get the ingredients but instead it is due to the preparation process. From marinating the ingredients to slicing and cooking, it takes not just hours but days. Although the preparation is long, the enjoyment of the food is just within minutes. No wonder not many restaurants are willing to prepare authentic nyonya food.

For those that have time to prepare these complex dishes, you can always try out the cooking. For those that have no time to cook, but still want to enjoy the lost track of nyonya food, you can always pay a visit to Restaurant Nyonya Breeze.

Locating Restaurant Nyonya Breeze is very easy. If you are driving through Macalister Road, Menara Umno is on your right. After a few junctions Abu Siti Lane is on your right. Turn to Abu Siti Lane and keep driving for another 100 meters, you will see Restaurant Nyonya Breeze  on your left.

The signboard and the logo are in green color. If you are not observant enough, you might think that it is another pharmacy or vegetarian restaurant.

The restaurant is specious and it can cater for around 18 tables and there are also some private rooms on the second floor. However, you need to pre-book for the private rooms.

Nasi Ulam, steamed rice tossed with salted fish, dried prawns, balacan, “kerisik” and assorted local herbs. RM7.00 per plate. This is the most tedious to be prepared among so many nyonya dishes. The preparation time for this fried rice takes almost half day. Anyhow, the taste of nasi ulam here was great and it’s hard to get it at other places.

Sambal Goreng, cooked with prawns, eggplant and cashew nuts in a savoury, tangy sauce with chilies for garnishing. Small – RM14.40 Large – RM19.20. Although the name of this dish is called sambal, there isn’t any sambal trace on this dish. In fact it is one of my favorites. As a grandson of a nyonya. I never had chance to taste this dish cooked by my granny.

Pork Cincaluk, thinly sliced pork belly stir fried with “cincalok” (thiny shrimp) and chilies. Small – RM12.00 Large – RM16.80. This dish was good. However, the cincaluk was not enough for me. If the owner could add more cincaluk on the dish it will be much better.

Inche Kabin, Nyonya deep fried chicken served with prawn crackers and a dipping sauce of “ang mo tau eu” (Lea & Perrins Sauce). Small – RM12.00 Large – RM16.80. This is a hainanese + nyonya dish and I simply love this dish a lot. Different restaurants prepare it differently. In fact the taste of inche kabin here is a bit sweet base, which I feel not bad at all.

Pee Hu Char (Fried Dried Sole Fish with Mix Veggie) – Dried sole fish stir fried with pork slices, turnips, carrots, cabbages, onions and mushroom squares. It is best served with a slice of lettuce and sambal belacan. Small – RM8.40, Large: RM12.00 Add Lettuce: RM2.40. A traditional dish that I have been eating since I was a kid. Too bad the fried dried sole fish slices were not enough.

Gulai Tumis Fish, Fish steaks cooked with a thick, spicy, tangy curry with lady’s fingers, onions and tomatoes and a smattering of ginger flower. Small – RM19.20 Large – RM30.00. Sweet, sour and spicy. It has the combination of all the senses. For those that love excitement, this is the one that you should not miss out.

Nyonya-style Mee Sua Tao, Rice vermicelli in a thick, savoury sauce with sliced pork, local melon and prawns – RM6.00 per plate Add Crab Meat – RM2.40. Acceptable dish, for those that dislike rice or spicy food, this is one of you could order.

Seh Liu Chi, pomegranate-flavored jelly and jackfruit served cold in coconut milk – RM2.50 per bowl. Very interesting dish. According to the owner, the coloring is not artificial, instead it is cooked from pomegranate fruits and that is why the color has become pinkish.

Overall, this place serves great nyonya food. In fact, you could find that they still serve some nyonya dishes which are nearly in extinction. It is a great place for nyonya style food. Again, the drawback of this place is the limited parking space.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

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

Operation hours: 11:30am – 2:30pm; 6:30pm – 10:00pm (Close Every Tuesday, Except Public Holiday)
Contact: 04-227 9646 (Rosie or Gerald)
Address:No 50, Lorong Abu Siti, 10400 Georgetown, Penang.

8 thoughts on “Classical and Traditional Nyonya Food @ Nyonya Breeze, Abu Siti Lane”

  1. i’m doing my Sivic subject course work and researching about baba and nyonya dishes. i just wanna ask whether all the food in this writing were all baba and nyonya’s. Hope to have feedback soon coz’ I want to finish my homework in two days >,< Waiting..
    Thank You!

  2. Hi Diyana, yes those dishes that listed above are authentic baba and nyonya food. However, to the extend of how accurate all the ingredients used to cook like olden day, I can’t guaranty. Anyway, 90% of the ingredients for the dishes are authentic.

  3. I went to this restaurant during my trip @ Penang. The waiters were very friendly but the food was so-so. The one who prepared drinks for us had an extremely bad attitude towards customers! They even mixed up our food! I would say this restaurant is overrated.

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