Penang Picks

I simply cannot get enough of Penang, Georgetown. It is officially my new favorite getaway.

From Singapore, it only takes about a 1.5 hour flight to one of the best hawker makan I have ever had. I love the ambience, quaint shophouses, mix of hawker street stalls and cafes, genuity of the people, and the fact that I can enjoy my cup of coffee, toast and eggs for one hour, rather than a rushed 10 minute gulp. Best part is, you can walk all over town – a near equal dose of walking and eating makes a balanced holiday.

So for all my friends hoping to head down to ‘a taste of my childhood’ according to my mum, or ‘true kampong spirit’ according to my dad, here are my top must-walk-to-eat picks:

For breakfast:

I always head to Toh Soon.

In Singapore, I just rush breakfast before heading to work. Sometimes I even skip breakfast. But only in Penang do I actually look forward to this ten-minute morning stroll to…

From Bayview Hotel, it is only a 15 minute walk to this little alleyway along Campbell Street.

They serve a variety of bread, either steamed or pengkang (toasted). You can have it with butter-sugar or kaya. The kopi and kopi cham (tea and coffee mix) are great, only that you might have to tell them to put less sugar. And there is definitely something different about the eggs. It is fluffier and has less of that horrid eggy smell. I don’t eat eggs in Singapore, but I will definitely have Toh Soon eggs everyday.

For about RM4, you can enjoy your breakfast at this quaint little coffeeshack, coffee-alley… I have no vocabulary to call this place.

It cannot get any more authentic when you pengkang your bread in a tin like this!

Toh Soon Cafe 多春茶座                                                                                             Campbell Street, Off Penang Road, George Town, 10100 Penang                           Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Closed on Sundays)

If Toh Soon is closed on Sundays, head to Kedai Kopi Kheng Pin for chicken porridge – just about 10 minute walk from Bayview Hotel. For the marble tables, 1960s chinese music playing in the background, geometric tiled floor, and my chicken porridge – this is an awesome alternative.

Kedai Kopi Kheng Pin                                                                                                           Jalan Penang (Jalan Sri Bahari) George Town, Penang 10000                                       Opening hours: 7am-3pm, closes on Monday

After Breakfast:

1. Head to Lebuh Chuliah, Armenian Street, Lebuh Pantai to hunt for the wire art and murals. Don’t forget to bring your camera and a handful of poses!

2. Head to the Blue Mansion, and view the legendary house of Cheong Fatt Tze. It is the only ‘educational’ thing I do in Penang, and it is a really pretty mansion from the 1880s.

Cheong Fatt Tze                                                                                                                     14 Leith Street,10200 Penang, Malaysia                                                                       Opened daily for tours at 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3pm for RM12.

For Lunch:

If you are around Lebuh Pantai, take a breather at Kedai Lam Ah for these foods:

Unfortunately, I cannot remember the exact cost of these awesome makan, but it should range between RM2.50 for a drink and RM6 or 7 for the Beef Noodles.

I really like the Kedongdong juice. Unlike the ones in Singapore, the ‘siap’ taste of this Kedongdong juice attests to the fact that they juice real Kedongdongs, rather than simply add a whole lot of sugar water to a little bit of Kedongdong juice. 

The nutmeg juice is just novel to me, because I haven’t tasted nutmeg juice before. It is pretty refreshing though. 

 Kedai Lam Ah                                                                                                                    194 Lebuh Pantai, Georgetown, 10300 George Town, Penang, Malaysia               Opening hours: Mon-Sat, 10.30am-4.30pm; closed on Sun and public holidays

If you prefer some Roti Canai, head to Kassim Mustafa. It is just behind Kedai Lam Ah. I like their Roti Canai because it is not oily and really cheap! I also like the fact that there is variety, and the place is relatively clean compared to the other roadside stalls.

A plain Roti Canai costs only RM1.

I don’t have a picture of my Roti Canai, but don’t forget to top it off with Teh Tarik!

Kassim Mustafa                                                                                                                     No. 12 Lebuh Chulia, 10200 Penang

On the edge of Georgetown, head to Lorong Selamat for the famous Two Sisters Char Kuay Teow. Just try it, because everyone back home will ask you if you had this famous Char Kuay Teow. I find it overrated and overpriced though – RM7 for one plate is just too touristy for me.

So, what I found more delish was the Yam Cake and Orh Jian.

Kafe Heng Huat                                                                                                                    108 Lorong Selamat, Georgetown, Penang Island, Malaysia                                     Opening hours: Opens daily from 11am – 6pm. Closed on every Tuesdays.

For Char Kuay Teow, my personal favourite is at Joo Hooi. Just a 15 minute stroll from Bayview Hotel to Lebuh Keng Kwee. I find the portions less oily than the Two Sister’s, while still maintaining fresh and crunchy prawns.

But Joo Hooi is not famous for its Char Kuay Teow. In fact, the Assam Laksa is a hot favourite of my dad. According to him, it is the best he has ever tasted.

The Rojak is also a must try at Joo Hooi, complete with crispy Yew Char Kuay and Kedongdong.

Just outside Joo Hooi is the famous Teochew Chendol. Ensure that you buy the BLUE BOWL goodness, and stand along the roadside to eat it. Apparently due to stiff competition, the blue bowls of Teochew Chendol are not allowed into Joo Hooi.

Hawkers also got ‘territory’.

Joo Hooi                                                                                                                               475 Jalan Penang (at Keng Kwee St). George Town, Penang 10000                             Opening hours: daily 11.30am-5pm

For High Tea

China House Bakery has the largest assortment of cakes I have ever seen in a cafe. There are just too many to choose from! It is spacious, airy, and one of the few eating locations where you can actually feel the air-conditioner, at midday.

Good place to bring along a book to read.

If you do not have a book, just pick up some mahjong paper and doodle to your heart’s content.

The Sticky Date Rum cake and the Lemon Poppy cake was light and served in generous portions. They cost about RM10 for a cake. The scones are more savory than sweet though.

Chinahouse                                                                                                                             153 & 155 Beach Street and 183B Victoria Street, GeorgeTown Penang. (It is actually two shophouses combined together. Walk out the back entrance, and you find yourself on the other side of the street.) For more information: http://www.chinahouse.com.my

Another cafe that I love is the Mugshot Cafe. The homemade yogurt is a must-try. I don’t quite like yogurt, but I would eat their yogurt anytime. Thick, and creamy goodness topped with fruits. To perfect it, I usually ask for a teaspoon more of gula melaka in my yogurt.

The Mugshot Cafe                                                                                                                 302 Chuliah Street, 10200 GeorgeTown Penang                                                               Opening hours: Daily, 8am-9pm

If you still have not had enough of street food fare, sit along the roadside at Ais Tingkap and order an RM1.50 Ice Sherbet, complete with selasi seeds, coconut and rose syrup.

It is really really sweet, and not exactly thirst-quenching. Those with a sweet tooth should try one whole cup on your own, otherwise – just share it.

Ais Tingkap                                                                                                                             177 Jalan Penang, Georgetown, 10000 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia                      Opening hours: 12pm to 8pm, except on Sundays

For Dinner

After hanging out with a book at the cafe for about two hours, I am pretty sure we would be hungry again. So take a 20 minute walk back to Lebuh Kimberly for a variety of street food!

Lebuh Kimberly comes to life starting from about 5pm, and the stretch is full of roadside stalls. If you are traveling with friends and family, order a variety to share and try.

This Hokkien Mee is from Bee Hooi, which is the food centre along Lebuh Kimberly. 

Cannot have too much of this Duck Kuay Chap, because it is too salty. But it’s all good if you were to share it. 

The Belachan Chicken Wings is a MUST TRY! The best fried chicken wings I have ever had. Initially my parents wanted to share one wing, but alas, they ended up having one each. Just too delicious, why share?

And it is only RM1.60 each.

This Barely Fuchok is the best I have ever had. Thick, smooth and sweet. Yums. For RM2.50, I had this for dessert every night.

For a nice Tze Char meal instead of a buffet of street stalls, head to Tek Sen for dinner. This was a really sumptuous meal, and one of the best Tze Char that we had.

Must order the double roasted pork, tofu and the fried rice. For drink, try the Ribena-Lychee. The tamarind prawns were overpriced.The next time I am there I will order the Cincalok Pork. If you do go, please let me eat vicariously through you.

Tek Sen                                                                                                                                   18-20 Carnavon Street, Georgetown, Penang Island, Malaysia                                   Opening Hours:                                                                                                         Mon: 12:00 – 14:30, 18:00 – 21:00  Wed – Sun: 12:00 – 14:30, 18:00 – 21:00

If you are sick of chinese hawker food, head to Line Clear Nasi Kandar. Just opposite Kedai Kopi Kheng Pin, for some curry goodness.

For somewhere around RM40, we ordered a fish head curry. And they serve the whole head – bulging eyes, tongue and all!

Line Clear Nasi Kandar                                                                                                       177 Jalan Penang, Georgetown, 10000 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

After a full day of feasting, take a happy stroll back to your hotel, ponder about the poor state Singapore’s hawker fare is currently in and aspire to buy a house in Penang for your retirement.

 Just joking.

Worth The Flight

It is beautiful. It is heart-wrenching. It is safe. It is wild. It is cobbled. It is paved.

Eastern Europe harbors the liberty of fashion, the toughness of its communist past, the scars of the holocaust and the whispers of an artist carving the future.

Despite the 24-hour journey from Singapore to Munich, and the long/train rides to Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg and Frankfurt, it was an eye-opening journey and very much worth the trip. There were some days when we did not do much – but just being in a different city and taking the metro from the train station to the hostel already offers a glimpse of the people, culture, relationships, architecture and beliefs

The obvious differences from city to city made me realize, not just the differences between the various European cities, but between how Singaporeans would treat a tourist and how they do it.

Next time I meet a lost tourist flipping his map 1000 times and trying to pronounce the names of streets that just would not roll off his tongue, I am going to say, “Hi, can I help you with that?”, and even walk him to that MRT station or shopping mall if I need to.

Travelling makes me realize things about Singaporeans I never thought of before:

There can be millions of Singapore Kindness Movements, but there is nothing like experiencing a kind act when we are desperate to find a place to eat or rest.

There can be thousands of 5-year plans about the purpose of the arts in Singapore, but a look around a beautiful city inspired by its history makes me realize that the arts cannot be merely economically driven.

There can be so many speeches about how passion fuels volunteerism and how we need to improve it, but the tip-as-you-like tour guides challenged me to think about how much I am passionate in something to make it ‘free’.

It is a long flight across continents, but really it is worth it. Sometimes we really do not realize things about ourselves, culture and traditions, till we take a step halfway around the world and still dare to come right back to where we started.

Perth

The first time I went to Perth, I was 14.

I was looking forward to it, because it was my first trip to some Ang Moh country. It was a strange sight to see a skyline untouched – no tall buildings and concrete jungle. Just vastness.

But I grew weary of the fascination quickly. After 5 days, I concluded that it was a boring place.

Last week was the second time I’ve ever been to Perth. I was looking forward to meeting up with friends. After 6 days, I’m thinking: maybe it would be nice to stay there for a while.

Perhaps, I’ve grown so used to the fast-paced and bustling city life, where progress and consumerism are the insatiably hungry monsters. Nothing seems to satisfy and I’m never good enough.

Perth on the other hand, is where the cars go at 60 km/h and the weather’s so good, we have picnics in the park or eat freshly picked strawberries.

Maybe it’s because it’s the first trip I’m using an SLR film camera. Every shot is a wound-up mystery. Pairs well with the Aussie culture of being laid-back and go with the flow – no need to make sure each photo is taken to perfection, no need to be all in control.

It also could be the friends. A familiar handwriting, embrace and laughter, that reminds me of being fifteen in a blue pinafore with a white belt. A friendship that is timeless, constantly in the making of new memories and yet always relishing the old days. Nostalgia.

I don’t think Perth changed much. Unlike Singapore, where every building is higher than the next, Fremantle market hasn’t changed a much (the shop where I bought a wooden signage with my name inscribed on it, is still there. And it still looks exactly the same).

Perth City

But I have changed, grown, and journeyed.

While it definitely has something to do with the company of my very short trip to Perth, I think my new perspective on the place has something to do with who I have grown to be and what I desire of my future.

So I’ll walk a little more with a camera in my hand and see where the road leads me, then.

Let Us Be On A Mission

I have been back for two months, but I’m still reflecting on the three weeks that I have spent in Thailand. Three weeks is the longest that I have ever been away from home and on a mission trip, and I am beginning to realize the impact it has on my perspective of God and His work here on earth. May I suggest a few reasons why you should go on a mission trip, if you have the opportunity:

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1. It impacts the way we respect others.
Experiencing a different culture, and learning how to do things their way, rather than insisting that our way is always the right way, is a humbling experience. In Singapore, we take pride in always being on the verge of cutting edge technology and being able to keep up with the fast-pace of innovation. But when we visit a village that uses a scoop for a flush, and live in hut houses, we learn to live without 3G and Facebook at the tip of our fingers. We learn to respect another way of living, acknowledging that sometimes we are not better than another culture – after all, they are the ones who pluck fresh fruits from their gardens, feed us homegrown rice and freshly slaughtered chickens straight from their fields, these villagers are where food cannot be any fresher.

And we bring this respect back to Singapore. When I hear about the kind of issues maids construction workers in Singapore encounter and how they deal with it, my experience in Thailand reminds me to be humble and respectful. They come from a totally different culture, and have a very different perspective of life. They come from villages, while we come from the city. They come from rural areas, while we come from the urban. They come from forests and huts, and we come from reclaimed land and high-rise flats. Who is to say that they are wrong, and we are right? It’s just different, and they still deserve our respect.

2. It impacts the way we show compassion.
One of the things that I have never done before till this mission trip was to meet and interact with HIV/AIDS patients. After all the moral, and social stigma surrounding this disease (especially on the point that it is not curable), I truly felt a little daunted to meet HIV/AIDS patients. My friend and I were extra conscious not to bump into them physically, which made our interaction with them awkward and self-conscious. But as we listened to their stories, we realized that a lot of them were born into the disease, had unfaithful spouses, or were raped.

It was injustice, that spurred compassion. We learned that the very basic element about compassion is that it does not judge, but gives love freely.

In Singapore, my church is located at a place with nightclubs and sleazy bars, where scantily-clad ladies line the walkways after-hours. When I look at the closed doors of these shops on Sunday mornings, I’m reminded to show compassion by not judging the women behind those closed doors.

3. It impacts our perspective of God’s church.
After attending church services, bible study meetings, and hearing stories from the missionaries, I begin to see that the body of Christ is so much bigger than just my church and the churches in Singapore. Worshiping in a different language and hearing the encouragement of ministers over the pulpit or just a dinner table reminds me that every tongue, tribe, nation and land has a place in God’s heart and kingdom.

I learned to treat the friends I made in Thailand as part of the family of God, respecting the sermons that are being preached and the way they made church relevant to their context. I learned that people are still thrown out of communities, villages, and families for their faith, and admired the way they would not give up, despite having a gun pointed to their head.

4. It impacts the attitude and the way we give.
Because I have experienced God’s goodness in the mission field, and I know that there is so much to be done to help the people in Thailand – be it medicals, education, or administrative help, it impacts where I choose to go for a holiday, or how I would use my talents and finances.

So when I came back, I continued to help out with some of the projects my friend and I started – from editing a video to designing a calendar. Honestly, trying to work from Singapore, with friends who do not have a constant stream of wifi in Thailand can be very frustrating – especially with the amount of changes that had to be made. There were many moments when I wondered if what I was doing would make any impact, and if all this hard work was worth it? Most of all, it was so frustrating that I felt like giving up.

But I learned that perhaps, we should not always think of measuring the worth of our giving in terms of the magnitude of change we make in the mission field. Rather, we should give wisely to real needs of the ministry, generously not expecting anything in return, and measure its worth against God’s supernatural power to feed 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes.

In many ways, I think this mission trip is not over and is one of the many experiences that shapes me to be the person I am. For many of us, we debate over who should go for a mission trip – which age group, income group, maturity…etc. But, I think that at some point of our journey, we all ought to go for a mission trip, because it is only then that we see so much more of God’s heartbeat and His mission of truth, justice and mercy.

Watch what the rest of my friends share about their mission trip experience: