Besides being a tourist magnet for its many heritage buildings, Penang is teeming with hawker centres and restaurants that cater to the many differing tastes of its visitors.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that CNN Travel listed Penang as one of the best street food destinations in Asia. However, one can get overwhelmed by the sheer number of hot spots to eat at when there.
So if you find yourself in Penang for just one day, here are two places that you simply must eat at.
1. Mee Sotong Hameed Pata
Mee Sotong Hameed Pata or Hameed Pata’s Cuttlefish Noodles is sandwiched between other eateries at Penang’s Esplanade’s food court.
Judging from the outside, it’s hard to believe just how famous this place actually is. Looking ordinary, pretty much like any other Ali, Muthu and Ah Hock hawker around, Mee Sotong Hameed Pata is however “the” place for the best noodles in town.
Be prepared to stand in line patiently, because the queue here is long no matter what time of the day or night. Best eaten hot, the noodles are cooked upon order which probably explains the long wait.
Mee Sotong Hameed Pata is a simple dish consisting of noodles, cuttlefish sambal and some garnishing. But don’t be fooled by its simplicity – this dish is bursting with flavour.
A single serving is RM5 and if you ask for extra noodles, it’s RM9 per plate. A rather reasonable price for a truly delectable dish, so it’s no wonder the number of people who drop by here daily.
2. Nasi Kandar Deens Maju
Nasi Kandar Deens Maju at Jalan Gurdwara is really the place to go for lunch and dinner when on the island.
Penang has a huge number of Indian Muslims who introduced their Nasi Kandar dish to the local population when they first migrated here years ago.
Open for business from 2.30 pm to 11.00 pm and during peak hours, this eatery is bursting with customers whether for lunch or dinner.
While all nasi kandar eateries serve curry and fried chicken, what make Deens Maju different is their unique version of fried chicken.
Cooked perfectly with herbs cleverly infused into the meat during the marinating process, there are practically no words to describe just how delicious the end-result is.
The ideal way to enjoy a plate of Nasi Kandar is to ask for “kuah campur”, which consists of a variety of curries poured together directly onto the rice.
Deens Maju is also available on Grab Food, which means that if you’re too worn out from sight-seeing to wait in line for your meal, head back to your hotel and have nasi kandar Deens Maju delivered to you instead.
This article first appeared in kakijalans.com