I lived for seven years in Malaysia and developed an addiction for the food. A multi-ethnic country may lead to political and social problems; but it does wonders for the choice of food and I was completely besotted with Chinese char kway teow, Malay desserts, and Indian roti canai. The latter was a particular favourite and every Saturday I would pop down to the local roti shop for a couple of roti canai and a bowl of chicken curry. The absence of this dish in Thailand has been a constant source of heartache, so any chance to indulge is always welcome.
The Son and his girlfriend made a trip to Penang as part of their recent Asian tour. Five minutes after checking into his hotel, he sent me a mail to inform me that there was a roti restaurant right over the road. Oh, and the hotel was very good too.
Driven more by the former fact than the latter, I therefore booked a trip for a couple of days, emphasising to she who must be obeyed that it was all about soaking in the culture and not about eating roti.
The hotel was indeed most pleasant. Only opened a few months ago, it is the result of an extensive refurbishment of a block of old Chinese shophouses.
The rooms are what the guides would call “tastefully furnished” and the bathrooms have both a jacuzzi and a shower with jets that are permanently set to “stun”. Best of all, the hotel is situated right next to a roti shop the World Heritage designated part of Georgetown.
Unfortunately, the room rate included breakfast; so the first morning we felt obliged to partake. But the next two mornings it was over the road for roti canai, curry sauce and a mug of teh tarik (or cha chak as the Thais call it).
I then did my Oliver Twist impression and asked for some more. Then I did it again. Much to the surprise of the shop owner, I wolfed down three roti canai each morning as an excellent start to the day. Unconnected to this consumption, I also appear to have gained some weight in the last couple of days.
There wasn’t just the roti of course. There was a banana-leaf vegetarian meal, cendol, cendol with ice cream, gula melaka ice cream, ayam laksa, and more than one plate of char kway teow. Perhaps most charmingly, there was lunch in a tea house, where sun shone through the open courtyard inside the house and everything was served with a measured calm and stern instructions on how to prepare and serve the tea.
The man in the white top is keeping an eye on me to ensure I serve the tea properly. Doesn’t he realise I am British?
Some eateries were stumbled across by chance; but our main guide was Beyond Sustenance, a site maintained by The Son’s better half and extensively updated during the tour around Asia. We were also pointed in various directions by Michael, the barman at the hotel.
Michael, like most Malaysians, has an obsessive interest in food and mixed recommendations of places to visit with recommendations of which food to eat when we were there. He borrowed our map and wrote little messages, like “eat laksa here” against various landmarks. A grandson of one of Penang’s pioneers, he has had an interesting life and regaled us with stories every evening whilst knocking out the best of cocktails. I can only fault him for the promised “no kick” gin and tonic he made for me as a gift from him on the second evening. As I attempted to stand and leave the bar, he admitted it was actually made with four shots of gin. As a result, I didn’t enjoy my last morning in Penang; even after (especially after?) three rotis.
And what of the culture? Yes, there was that too; but that’s another post.
Comments 🔗
2011-06-24| Wally saysHope you complained about the sloppy delivery of the curry sauce ! You can get a similar dish here, although I doubt it tastes quite the same, in an Indian/Pakistani takeaway in Soi Nern Plub Whan. My favourite when I lived out that way was Malaysian beef curry with all the ‘simbals ?’ Anyway, welcome back.
2011-06-24| Spike saysWould that be beef rendang? Mmm, I love that too! Good to be back; many more smiling faces here.