Touching down in Penang, Malaysia, I had but one mission:
Eat.
An island at the northern tip of Malaysia, Penang, Georgetown in particular, is world renowned for its mesh of cultures that results in delectable delights down every street and around every corner. Sautéed with a little street art, the city of Georgetown buzzes with character and charm.
Indian, Chinese, and a plethora of Southeast Asian influences made it difficult for me to decide which curries were on the menu each day. Thankfully, I only made one mistake during my 3 days, as I don’t think my lips could have handled another attempt at the fiery inferno held within the Spicy Noodle dish I ordered. It took more than just one Chendul, a shaved ice / coconut / gelatin / bean curd dessert concoction, to cool off after that one. My two favorite dishes happened to come from the same place, a 100+ year old restaurant still serving from the same kitchen, though they’ve expanded the dining area a few doors down. Nasi Kandar, a mix of 5 different curries over rice with lamb, held flavors I don’t think I knew existed, which might explain why I’m having a hard time trying to think of words to describe it. Let’s just call it scrumptious and leave it at that. On my final day, I ventured back to the same restaurant, to find a gentleman at the front cooking up a batch of what I can only describe as an Indian Crunchwrap Supreme. Egg, meat, onions, some kind of curry, a couple quasi-tortillas, all wrapped up in a thin dough layer and pressed on a skillet, portable and delicious as ever.
Aside from the food, the relaxed, but still buzzing, nightlife of Georgetown made for some enjoyable beers over live music at Ex-Pat bars scattered throughout the city. Now joined by a friend from my working days, the conversation flows at about the same rate as the beers…