Penang : An Adventure of Taste and Beyond

Food, besides its basic needs as a nutritional support for the body, also functions as a way to find joy and happiness. Nowadays, the popularity of food not only serves to help human being stay survive but also has largely become a lifestyle. Take the examples of the rising fame of celebrity chef, culinary tour, food blog (visit my sister’s here), and the hype of cooking competition shows which have become part of our daily talks. Food has simply become the universal language to appreciate life.

So far, my most favorite city to indulge in the delight of cuisine is Penang. Located in the northwest coast of Malaysia, Penang is a former British settlement and nowadays become a vibrant city with multiracial population. Its diverse culture is perfectly represented by two components that make the city become noticeable: the rich architecture style and the irresistible cuisine.


Looking around Penang, people can easily observe many iconic places which reflect its multicultural history. Well-preserved colonial buildings such as Penang State Museum, State Assembly, Court Building, E&OHotel (one of the most beautiful hotel I’ve ever seen. Wish I could stay here someday!) are some of the examples. In addition, plenty of authentic Chinese architecture style homes and Islamic style buildings are everywhere. Due to the vast number of Buddhists, people can easily find many pagodas such as Kek Lok Si and Kuan Yin Temple. Therefore, it’s not surprising that since 2008 Penang has become one of UNESCO World Heritage City.

beach - temple - E&O Hotel

For more natural landscape, people can take fresh cool air in Penang Hills, either to enjoy the panoramic view by train or experience the adventurous hiking and jungle trekking. There is also Batu Ferringih area where lots of high end resorts located. The area is more suitable for laid-back tourist who wants to admire the crystal clear private beaches. For more lively activities, there is the famous Gurney Area which is popular for sightseeing and jogging track. Plenty of food vendors, commercial buildings, hotels, and apartments are also located along the Gurney Area.

Although it doesn’t counted as main shopping destination (compared with Singapore or Jakarta), Penang still has something to look on. Besides its several modern shopping malls, you can find authentic beautiful India textile and garments along Campbell Street.

Because of its strategic location, Penang could become a great base to explore South East Asia. There are many offers on cheap package tours to several nearby areas such as Phuket, Bangkok, Hatyai (Thailand), Aceh, Medan (Indonesia), Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Ipoh, Trengganu, Malaka (Malaysia), and Singapore. Usually, the tour service provides super comfort night buses with great facilities. The newly built Penang MRT also adds the convenience to its citizen and tourist to go around Penang.

Despite of the city’s physical characteristic, the highlight still lies in the variety of mouth watering food. The rich combination of Chinese, Malays, and Indian food are the best for people to experience the unique taste of Asian cuisine.

The hawker food is so amazing and located in all over area in Penang. People can find plenty of simple yet so tempting food stalls which provide various styles of foods to eat. Budget travelers don’t need to worry since the price is relatively cheap and it’s clean. 24 hours food stalls are everywhere which make it convenient for people to eat supper. There are several famous dishes in Penang :

hawker food paradise - seafood - popiah

Nasi Lemak : one of the most famous dish in Malaysia served with coconut and customized accompaniment. The price is very cheap, start from RM 1 per dish

Chicken Tandoori : an Indian dish specialty consists of roasted chicken with yogurt and spices

Kwetiaw : a mix of noodle and sautéed ingredients

nasi kandar - satay - laksa

Laksa : Laksa is one the most favorite dish in Penang. It tastes is spicy and sour, usually served with noodles and prawn.

Teh Tarik : Yes, teh tarik is everywhere. While we can easily find instant teh tarik in supermarket , experience the authentic teh tarik is still a pleasure.

cendol - kwetiaw - tandoori

Roti Canai : flat bread served with curry and herbs

Seafood : Seafood are always superb. Although I still think that seafood in Medan are the greatest of all, Penang also has wide section of seafood. Located in coastline, Penang has complete variety of fresh seafood with lot of style (steam, grill, or with spices).

Nasi Kandar : a mix of with choice of curries on the top of the desih . It’s like the Indian version of nasi padang. We can choose the vegetables and meat.

So, here’s my advice for people to go to Penang : don’t calorie counting. Just eat the good food and celebrate the beauty of life by indulge in the adventure of taste :)