Penang is a heaven for supper lovers, and if Gurney Drive is your destination, there isn’t a better place for these few yummy late night dishes than at Song River, one of the old school bangalow turned kopitiam eateries that has been gracing the 1-mile sea side road for decades.

ikan bakar stall at Song River, choices
ikan bakar stall does offer quite a few choices of fish, Haze & my sister

During our stay at Penang over Chinese New Year, we were lucky to be within walking distance from this place, the photos on this post were compiled from a few visits. Though I’d love to eat all these in a single seating… only my limited stomach space saves me from doing that.

The first must-have at Song River is the ikan bakar/ikan panggang (grill fish). As with most other places, you get to choose from 3-4 different types of fishes as well as prawns or squid. My go-to choice is always sting ray.

ikan bakar - positively hot
ikan bakar – positively hot

The wait time at this stall can sometimes be quite substantial, but the honest (or sometimes very blunt) operator will usually tell you up front: “have to wait 30 minutes wan”. Fine with me.

The grill fish here tastes almost completely different from anywhere else. The fish is covered in a special sauce that has a strong presence of fermented beans, belacan, chili, and shallots. The flavor is so intense that very little of the sauce on the side (which is probably made from similar ingredients) is needed.

This will leave the weak with inflamed tongue, but definitely worth it!

Song River bbq chicken wings
Song River bbq chicken wings

While waiting for the ikan bakar, you should grab some bbq chicken wings as appetizer.

For RM 2.20 a pop (or was it RM 2?), this is also one of the best chicken wings in town. The operator has perfected the BBQ timing to give the skin that crispy texture that you get just before screwing up and burning the whole thing (I usually mess this up).

This while the meat is tender, juicy, and the accompanying chili sauce is yummy too. They also serve BBQ drumstick and thigh.

cuttle fish with kangkung, classic Penang "junk" food
cuttle fish with kangkung, classic Penang “junk” food

And while you’re at it, why not some cuttle fish with kangkung too?

The version here is not shabby either. This plate was RM 10 and came with plenty of cuttle fish with kangkung soaked in delicious prawn paste and chili sauce, good stuff.

You usually won’t need to wait for more than 5 minutes for this dish.

and this is how you have supper in Penang :D
and this is how you have supper in Penang 😀

All that is missing from these supper is of course, some ice cold beer. Damn it I am missing Penang food again.

Address:
Song River Cafe
65 Persiaran Gurney,
Georgetown, Penang
GPS: 5.432392,100.31738
Tel: 012-488 8275
Tel: 017-477 7938 (chicken wings)

KY eats – Ikan Bakar, Chicken Wings, and Cuttlefish Kangkung at Song River, Penang
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17 thoughts on “KY eats – Ikan Bakar, Chicken Wings, and Cuttlefish Kangkung at Song River, Penang

  • February 14, 2012 at 9:54 am
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    Wow this looks really nice!!

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    • February 14, 2012 at 10:39 am
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      Simon: and tastes awesome! 😀

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  • February 14, 2012 at 2:21 pm
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    wow, you managed to discover the secret ingredients of the special sauce for the fish! maybe can replicate at home (just need to find some really good belacan!) 😀

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    • February 14, 2012 at 2:53 pm
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      Sean: the ingredients… are completely made up from my guesswork, try at own risk. lol

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  • February 14, 2012 at 3:41 pm
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    I remember this place! 🙂

    I’ve been here once only, had the ikan bakar and chicken wings but unfortunately not the cuttlefish.

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    • February 14, 2012 at 5:03 pm
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      Huai Bin: the cuttle fish is a weaker of the three anyway. 😀

      Reply
  • February 14, 2012 at 3:52 pm
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    okay the fact that you drew the sea really cracked me up. ignore me pls

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  • February 16, 2012 at 9:26 am
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    i don’t think that the cuttlefish and kangkung is “junk food” la… so healthy – got iodine and vegetables! hehe

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    • February 20, 2012 at 8:02 am
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      eiling: haha healthy? cholesterol! 😛

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  • February 20, 2012 at 1:08 pm
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    😀 I just had a great bakar stingray in Meldrum Walk JB. The meat was thick and juicy. They also have a super BBQ chicken stall. But they don’t have any cuttlefish kangkung 😕 Haven’t found any good one in Johor. Here’s what I think of the bakar stingray and the BBQ chicken http://johorkaki.blogspot.com/search/label/BBQ

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    • February 20, 2012 at 1:55 pm
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      Tony: that looks positively yummy!

      Reply
  • February 21, 2012 at 10:48 pm
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    you should try the fried oyster mee which only opens in the afternoon. It’s one of the best i’ve tasted in penang.

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    • February 22, 2012 at 7:35 am
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      jian: I’ll keep that in mind! thanks 😀

      Reply
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