*Note: This trip was partly sponsored by Malaysia Airlines. Go check out the best fares at www.malaysiaairlines.com
I was in Penang last month for a short holiday + attend Peter Tan‘s wedding dinner. I asked my dear Shirley to come along with me because we were in Penang the same time last year and it could be an annual thing! Provided she doesn’t do something like migrate to somewhere really far away lah. Who knows, women… hearts very far away one 😛
My flight to Penang was at 10 something in the morning. As usual I took my own sweet time getting ready. Sis sent me to a nearby LRT station, I stopped at KL Sentral and went on the KLIA Express to get to the airport. The line at the MAS counter was pretty long and I panicked for a bit. Out of time mah. Then I heard an announcement for my flight’s final call which led me to an empty desk, and wahey! I made it on time! Go me 😛
(But okay, next time I’ll start getting ready earlier.)
I’ve not been on a MAS aircraft for a while. So when I stepped into the plane, I was a bit surprised by the colourful seat covers. Quite nice lah, makes the atmosphere happier. My sister went to Bangkok not long ago and she also commented on the covers. She also took a photo of herself camwhoring with the seats but I don’t have her permission to post it here. If you ask her nicely, maybe she’d show you. Just maybe.
It was a short flight, drinks were served, reached Penang International Airport in less than an hour. Waited around for Shirley’s flight from Singapore to arrive. Called Hot Chick to let her know I’m in her state, and the woman swung her car around (she was nearby the area) to pick us up. That was so nice and generous, thank you so much!
Called Cheesie who was in Penang that day with Taka, but leaving for KL in the afternoon. Still had time for one last meal, so we went to Padang Kota Lama for…
Mee sotong!!! Oh man, Hameed’s mee sotong at Padang Kota Lama was the first thing Shirley and I craved for when we returned to our respective homes last year. Took us one whole year to be able to eat it again, and it still tasted GREAT! Slightly spicy with a generous serving of cuttlefish. Super delicious, RM3.50 a plate. Goes down well with our coconut shake from the drinks stall nearby.
Padang Kota Lama’s food court is just next to Fort Cornwallis. The place looks a little run-down, but then that’s where you get the most yummy food! 😉 GPS coordinates: 5.4206, 100.3429.
After our (first) lunch, Hot Chick dropped Cheesie and Taka off somewhere because they needed to catch their flight home. We then went to Jalan Hutton because I’d booked a room at Hutton Lodge for the night. Why? Because I rely a lot on Trip Advisor, that’s why. A restored heritage building in the middle of Hutton Road, Hutton Lodge is clean, minimalistic and inexpensive. A twin room with an attached bathroom costs RM90 and dorm beds go for RM28 a night. Cheap or what? GPS coordinates: 5.4196, 100.3308.
While Hot Chick was finishing up some work, Shirley and I walked along Hutton Road to check out the neighbourhood. By the way, I can safely say that Hutton Lodge is pretty much in the middle of town and it’s a good place to stay, location-wise.
Bought some drinking water at a 7-11 and spotted loaves of Gardenia Butterscotch bread. Shirley never had it before and wanted to try, so we got a loaf. Don’t think she was all too impressed, heh.
After Hot Chick was done with her work, she took us to Lorong Selamat for… what else? Penang char kuey teow lah!
The famous unfriendly auntie was still there, now operating next to an open car park. Apparently she is less unfriendly now (note the difference between friendlier and less unfriendly) because it’s her own shop and she can’t go around offending people, can she?? RM8 per plate, I think it’s worth it for a tourist like me. I know many Penang-nites would shake their head and refuse to pay that kind of price, but we don’t have the luxury of living in Penang okay! Of course the char kuey teow was super delicious! But I suppose most of you who have been to Penang have eaten there. GPS coordinates: 5.4171, 100.3247.
Hot Chick ordered a bowl of laksa lemak from the opposite stall, a mix of assam laksa and curry mee. It was superb! The gravy was super addictive and they were generous with the fish. RM4.50 per bowl, very worth it! Of course cannot eat this everyday lah, it’s akin to inviting a heart attack.
An auntie came around our table to sell her goods, pork floss. She was really funny: went into songs and rhymes of how delicious her pork floss is, how you would be beautiful and wonderful after eating her ‘bak hu’, that she went to school and didn’t study so cannot be ‘cikgu’ (teacher) hence have to sell ‘bak hu’… It was quite delicious so we bought some from her. Of course her charms and saleswomanship were the more influencing factors, heh. She also readily posed for photos and told us to catch her on TV.
More food? Yes please. Shirley wanted some fehmes Penang cendol, so Hot Chick took us to Penang Road for THE famous cendol. GPS coordinates: 5.4171, 100.3306.
It was nice, but I prefer Melaka-style cendol along Jonker’s Street. If you’d notice, they have a photo of Gurmit Singh as Phua Chu Kang eating a bowl of cendul at their stall. Think Shirley took a photo of that to show her dad.
Went back to Hutton Lodge for a short rest before dinner. I think we were knocked out for a bit. A couple of hours later, Hot Chick and Aaron came to pick us up for MORE food. We went to Zealand Seafood restaurant along Gurney Drive, which is owned by a friend of Aaron’s. Next door was also a restaurant with a stage for people to display their… uh, limited vocal abilities. Surprisingly they got a lot of customers that way. Anyway, check out our dinner!
Balitong, mantis prawns, kum heong lala, frog’s legs (which I didn’t touch), vermicelli, drunken prawns and grilled crabs. Fresh, delicious and inexpensive, though I suspect our bill was discounted because of Aaron. Check out the sign at the female toilet!
Bloody bottomless pits for stomachs we have, right? Here’s dessert! 😉
We walked down Gurney Drive to The Crepe Cottage, kononnya want to walk off dinner so we’d have space for dessert. Don’t think it worked very well, but we downed everything at The Crepe Cottage because it was very yummy! Also had a lot of fun photographing the resident fat cat.
Can you eat as much as we did in one day? Heh. Second day in Penang: Parkroyal Penang and more food, of course.
