Kyspeaks and masak-masak blogs were really helpful, as these blogs mainly focus on great food places in Malaysia including those in kl, penang and malacca. They do food reviews on the must visit restaurants for food enthusiast like myself, and also provide directions in a map format on the websites which I find really useful.

The few things that I want to try are the satay celup, chicken rice balls, and the cendol with gula melaka! Have you been to Malacca before? Any other suggestions on what else to try??

Today, once again I was craving for it. So I went over to co-op to get them. They were buy 2packets for £1, each packet contains 5 donuts, and cost £0.72. Obviously I’d buy 2; I gave one to the people at work, and brought the other one home for myself.

The only disadvantage is that they are short dated, so you can’t keep it for long, only last for 2 days. I think the custard donuts are as good as krispy crème original donuts with sugar icing. How about you? Do you like custard donuts?? Have you had one before??

Penang is a state in Malaysia, located on the northwest coast of peninsular Malaysia by the straits of Malacca, it is second smallest after Perlis.

                                 Picture shows – regular hawker stalls in Penang

Penang island is a food paradise for Malaysians. It was recognised as having the Best Street Food in Asia by TIME magazine in 2004, citing that nowhere else can have such delicious food and yet so cheap. Penang’s cuisine reflects the Chinese, Nyonya, Malay and Indian ethnic mix of Malaysia, but is also strongly influenced by the cuisine of Thailand.

Picture Top Left – Char Koey Teow, Top Right – Lor Bak, Bottom Left -  Barbequed chicken wings, Bottom Right – Oysters fried with Eggs aka O’chien

Places to savour Penang’s food are Gurney Drive, Pulau Tikus, New Lane, Swatow Lane, Penang Road and Chulia Street.  Be sure you check my food blog before visiting, then you can make the most out of your trip, you have not been to Penang if you have not tried the Char Koey Teow, O’ chien (oysters fried eggs), Prawn mee better known as Hokkien mee, ikan bakar (barbecued fish, normally sting rays), Lorbak, Chicken wings and Laksa. Another site that I strongly recommend is www.what2seeonline.com, where this Malaysian lady tells you all about the great food in Penang.  

Left Pic – Bayview Resort, Right Pic – Golden Sands Resort

Where to stay in Penang? I would suggest you to stay away from the centre of Penang, for a relaxing holiday and a good sea view. Well Batu Ferringhi has many great hotels with beach front, and a lot of great hawker food stalls to dine in as well as night market to visit nearby, the few recommended luxurious hotels include Golden Sands Resort by Shangri-La, ParkRoyal Penang, and Hard Rock Hotel Penang. For a more budgetted accomodation, you may find these ideal, they are 3 star hotels on the beach front – Holiday Inn Resort Penang and The Bayview Beach Resort, both with good reviews.

Picture – G Hotel in Gurney, next to Gurney Plaza Mall

If you prefer the convenience of the shopping malls, then find a hotel in Gurney area, e.g. G hotel, or Evergreen Laurel Hotel Penang,  are just a 5-10 minutes stroll to the mall, and there are also hawker food stalls around the area which opens till very late at night, and the famous seafood restaurant just about 10 minutes walk away– Bali Hai which is overlooking the sea, it is always crowded with locals as well as tourist, I’d recommend you go there if you love seafood.

The disadvantage of staying in Gurney is  you don’t get a beach there, so if you are looking to stay in a hotel with a beach front, this isn’t the place, but it is only about 15-20 minutes drive to Batu Ferringhi and Tanjung Bungah where you can enjoy laying by the beach or even enjoying the water sports.

Eventhough this Island is fairly small, it is rich with history and sights, and it offers a large variety of places to visit, from cultural temples to historic buildings. Find out more where you should visit in Penang here

Stay tune for my next post – Nearby places to visit – Langkawi, Lumut, and Pangkor Island