Great food started onboard as I was told that Air Asia plane food is actually good. I am not exaggerating when I say that the nasi lemak I had was really good!
We took the first flight at 1:10 a.m. to Kuala Lumpur to connect to Penang and arrive at the UNESCO World Heritage Site George Town in time for breakfast. UNESCO states that George Town “represents an exceptional example of a multicultural trading town in Southeast Asia, forged from the mercantile and civilization exchanges of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European influences.”
Our hotel was The Wembley-A St. Giles Hotel, which was clean and very centrally located. It was pretty much walking distance to everything, as I love to walk. The nearby Chowrasta Market is both a wet and dry market that has been there since the 1980s. On the second floor are used and new books and a lot are in English! There is a lively breakfast scene here — we ate and chose whatever we wanted, from dim sum and char siu (Cantonese-style barbecue pork) to stir-fried classic noodle dishes char kway teow and char hor fun.
Wonderfood Museum showcases larger-than-life food replicas, where several Instagram-worthy photos can be had. It also shows various types of food found on this island that is a food lover’s paradise. We stopped by Chew Jetty, where houses on wooden stilts are built around a walkway on the most popular water village in George Town. There are several shops and some places to eat around this small water village.
Lunch was at Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery, a family-style restaurant that got a Michelin star last year. Auntie Gaik’s Chinese Peranakan cuisine is from recipes passed down from older generations and is one of the best in town and an affordable Michelin-starred restaurant. Auntie Gaik runs the business with her son. Get the Baba Delight consisting of spring rolls, lor bak (chicken roll), cucur udang (similar to our okoy or shrimp fritters), and acar awak (pickled vegetables). She has a wonderful dish called “curry kapitan” and fish-head curry as well.
We had a totally contrasting dinner at Jawi House serving Indian Peranakan cuisine. Jawi House was established by the Karim family of Punjabi-Jawi Peranakan ancestry dating back six generations. Chef Nuril Karim (who is married to a Filipina) uses local and sustainable produce to create food with balanced flavors. Specialties of this Michelin Guide restaurant are biryani and curry dishes, but I really loved the Malay-style fried chicken! Two types of Peranakan cuisine for lunch and dinner made me realize that there was so much more to this type of cuisine than I thought I knew.
I also stopped by a supermarket and made sure to get local spices (nutmeg and white pepper are cheap here) and Ghee Hiang sesame oil (get the red label), known to be one of the best in Asia.
This was only the first day in George Town, Penang.
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This summer, TWI will be organizing a Penang food tour led by foodie Angelo Comsti. Contact Junmar Capuli at 0927-7387162 or email junmar.capuli@twi.com.ph for inquiries. Visit https://twi.com.ph.
Air Asia flies daily from Manila to Kuala Lumpur twice daily (1:10 a.m. and 12:55 p.m.) and Kuala Lumpur to Penang seven times daily. Visit airasia.com. Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.
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Credit belongs to: www.philstar.com