IT’S no secret that the Pearl of the Orient is a food lover’s oyster. Many KL-ites will not turn down the opportunity to go on a food excursion to Penang, if only to pig out for a day or two. “It’s a must-go destination at least twice a year,” says Daniel Ooi, an IT consultant with a multinational company.
L.Y. Wong concurs, saying that the best street food in Malaysia can be found on the island. “Hopping from stall to stall for a day or two is simply pleasure,” he says. For those with time to spare, the northern state is just a four-hour drive from the federal capital. But if time is a luxury, then perhaps the next best thing is to check out places that offer Penang fare.
Over the years, many restaurants promising “authentic” Penang food have been set up in KL and Petaling Jaya but only a handful have survived. Their best critics are perhaps the hordes of Penangites who have migrated to the big city and are able to compare the quality of the food with that back home.
Sunday Metro surveys five “Penang” restaurants – Little Penang Cafe; Penang Village, LST Cafe (previously known as Lorong Seratus Tahun Curry Mee), Seri Penang and Penang Flavours – to check out the secret of their endurance and how they manage to keep pulling the crowd.
All the restaurant operators hail from Penang, with the exception of Seri Penang where one partner is from KL and the other from Penang.
Penang Village co-founder Connie Su says her customers are always curious as to whether they originate from Penang.
“They even go to the extent of speaking Hokkien with us to see if we’ve got a Penang accent,” says Su, who runs the outlet with her husband Tonny.
And like most Penang people, these owners are equally fastidious when it comes to quality. They spoke extensively on the importance of maintaining the taste of the food that are served in their restaurants and cafes. Some, like Little Penang Cafe, even refuse to open new outlets beyond their current three because they want to keep it within the family!
Sunday Metro goes the whole nine yards to find out about their specialities and sample some dishes.
First in town
Many may wonder where all those years have gone to but Little Penang Cafe has been with us for 11 years now! It claims to be the first to introduce the Penang-delights-under-one-roof concept, with its first outlet opening in Nov 1999, at the then-quiet Mid Valley Megamall. Though it was situated in a tucked-away corner, customers found it soon enough and within a short span, business boomed.
Co-owner Cecelia Chan says that when she first moved to KL in the mid-1980s, she yearned for good Penang food but could not even find any restaurant serving it in the mall.
So Chan, from Tanjung Bungah, Penang decided to set up her own restaurant, despite having no experience in the F&B business.
Business was so good that she subsequently opened two more outlets at The Curve shopping mall, Petaling Jaya, and Suria KLCC, KL, with her sisters Vivian and Josephine.
“Many of our regulars have been with us since Day One,” she says.
She adds that neither she nor her sisters had any experience in running a restaurant when they started.
“Vivian owned a construction company, Josephine is a housewife and I was from the advertising industry. But we shared a passion for food and we could all cook, having learnt from our mum who handed down most of the recipes, including Devil’s Curry.”
“We’re very hands–on; most of the sauces and dishes are prepared by us and we go to the restaurants every day to ensure that the quality is maintained.”
Despite the good-sized crowds, the sisters are contented with their three outlets and have turned down countless offers for joint ventures and franchises.
“It’s more important to have three and run them well than to have 10,” Chan stresses, adding that they are assisted by immediate family members.
Their specialities include the fruit rojak, char kway teow and prawn mee and they stress a lot on quality.
“If they’re not good, we can close shop!” Chan quips.
After testing the food, Henry Lee, a consultant with an oil and gas company, gives his verdict as “not bad, considering that it’s pork-free”.
“The char kway teow topped with crab meat really gives it a Penang touch,” he says, adding that it reminded him of the famous Sisters Char Keow Teow at Jalan Macalister on the island.
More than Penang
While Little Penang Cafe is very focused on single-dish meals, Penang Village takes a different approach by offering 86 items on their menu!
“We try to accommodate everyone. Although Penang hawker favourites are a must, we also cater to those wanting full meals and local favourites such as nasi lemak,” says managing director Tonny Leow who runs the business with his wife Connie Su.
Both are from Air Itam in Penang.“After spending about 11 years in Auckland, New Zealand, Connie and I returned to Malaysia because we believe it’s a better place to raise our two children. Although we were also in the restaurant business in New Zealand, the thought of starting another one from scratch didn’t cross my mind,” he explains.
But soon, Leow became very frustrated with the food selection and felt uncomfortable in hawker centres because of the humid Malaysian weather.
“If tourists were to come and dismiss the idea of eating at these hawker centres, then we lose the opportunity to showcase our food,” he adds.
The couple opened their first restaurant at Desa Sri Hartamas in 2000. A year later, they had a second outlet at Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL. To date, they have five outlets, one franchise in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and three franchises in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Their newly refurbished Great Eastern Mall outlet has a heritage touch, reminiscent of the colonial era. “This colonial heritage is a part of Penang,” says Leow.
Su chips in: “There are so many types of food in Penang – nasi kandar, nyonya cuisine and hawker specials. Some people think they know Penang food but are disappointed when they are served a different thing.”