Chinese New Year threw a huge monkey wrench into my Penang plans; something like 75 percent of the restaurants I tried to go to turned out to be closed.
But in the case of Tong Lek 8 Cafe, I’m not even mad. I randomly found it after the place I wanted to go to turned out to be closed; I’m so glad I got to try out their amazing food.
I wasn’t planning on going to Kafe Ping Hooi, but the restaurant I wanted to go to turned out to be closed (thanks again, Chinese New Year!), and it was right there. I figured I’d give it a shot.
I had the misfortune of coming to Penang right during Chinese New Year. It’s a pretty big deal here, apparently, because once it starts, the city basically shuts down for a couple of days.
It’s tough to find anywhere to eat during this time, because if there’s a restaurant you want to check out, odds are that it’s closed. It’s way, way too hot to walk around until you find one that’s open.
I Love Yoo is a Malaysian breakfast chain that specializes in youtiao (fried dough sticks) and rice porridge. I’m really not sure why it’s not called “I Love You,” since youtiao is almost always spelled starting with y-o-u and not y-o-o, but that’s neither here nor there.
I stumbled onto Koon Kee Wan Tan Mee completely at random while wandering around Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown. I was basically just looking for a place that was busy; if you don’t have anywhere specific in mind, following the crowd is generally a good idea.
Every now and then I eat something that really rocks my world. The nasi lemak with ayam goreng at Village Park Restaurant was one of those things. Holy moly, it was so good.
I’m not gonna lie, I had very low expectations for Ah Cheng Laksa.
I had just arrived at Kuala Lumpur’s Sentral Station, which is attached to a fairly large mall. I was about to head to my hotel; it was late, and I wanted to get a quick bite to eat before I checked in.
Beef noodle soup is a classic Taiwanese dish, and at Gang Yuan, they serve it with a bit of a twist — you can order it dry (though the classic soup version is also an option).
It’s tasty, but I’ll admit it — I kinda missed the soup.
I stumbled onto this delightful little hole-in-the-wall gem while walking to Lotus Pond. It looked busy — that’s my main criterion for picking a restaurant if I don’t have a place in mind. If a place is packed with locals, it must be doing something right.
And indeed, it was quite tasty. I ordered a noodle dish with pork, and it seriously hit the spot.
Featuring some of the ripest, sweetest mango that I’ve ever had, the mango shaved ice at Gao Xiong Po Po Shaved Ice is exceptionally delicious.