I guess this whole food thing is starting to run in the family. My sister became the restaurant manager at Roadhouse Grill Gurney (Penang) just a few months ago, so naturally I had go to there to taste the food, snaps some photos, and tell you guys all about this place!

My sister the restaurant manager at Roadhouse Grill

Before I start, lets just give you a good news. By mentioning that you read about this place from this blog, or telling my sister (Mei Fang) that you know me, she will give you a 10% discount on the bill (only in Penang branch). Just like that, now isn’t that great?

As the name suggests, Roadhouse Grill specialized in no nonsense American food. Main dishes come with some excellent yeast rolls baked fresh everyday on location. The warm roll with lotsa butter is really addictive.

nachos, yeast roll, (golden) fish and chips

Plenty of peanuts is served at every table despite what you order. The best thing is, you can just throw all the shells on the floor and let the waiters do the cleaning later. My sister won’t mind at all since she said she doesn’t need to clean them, and it’s sort of a Roadhouse style anyway. The peanuts do go very well with cold beer.

bbq onion burger, roadhouse burger, teriyaki chicken, black pepper chicken

I have tasted a few dishes here, the ribs, fish and chips, teriyaki chicken, and nachos. So far the dishes were all rather tasty, and the nachos really up to par with what I had when I was in the states. Plenty of cheese and actual Jalopeno peppers! The fish used for fish and chips are sourced at local markets (with the help of my mom), so I know they are actually fresh and not some stuff that are frozen for months.

kid’s menu, endless peanuts, and my gang in Penang

Rest assure that quality control, as far as food goes, is pretty good in my family. My sister will not disappoint you with the dishes at the restaurant she is managing. The menu is pretty extensive, you can dishes from mouth watering burgers to juicy steaks to pizzas and pastas here. The interior resembles a cowboy bar and there are tables outdoor as well, a pretty nice set up.

Roadhouse Grill is situated right at Gurney Hotel

Price wise, it is actually pretty reasonable. Entrees are from RM16.90 and there’s even kids menu (like the howlin hotdog on the picture for only RM5.90). Set lunch goes for RM 17++ with an entree, soup, coffee or tea. Pretty good deal for the quality of food served.

Give it a try!

Address:
18-G-E Persiaran Gurney,
10250 Penang
GPS: 5.430192, 100.318887
Tel: 04-370 1872

Tags:  american food,  beef,  discount,  ribs,  roadhouse grill,  western-food

Posted by KY | 24 Comments »

Whenever I go back to Penang, there are a few hawker food that I usually do not miss. The char kueh teow, curry mee, mee goreng, and also kueh teow soup such as the one at Lebuh Armenian. The other dish would be this famous dried kuey teow at the Mt. Erskine road side hawker center.

the kueh teow soup stall

This particular stall has been in operation for at least the past 20 years or so, back when this make shift hawker center only had a couple of stalls operating under the trees. There are many places that sells kueh teow soup, but when it comes to the dry version, this place probably came up with the best concoction.

dried kueh teow, with soup on the side

Much like wantan noodle , this dried kuey teow is served with a bowl of 4 types of fish ball soup on the side. The kueh teow then is served with some dark sauce, shredded chicken, and raw vegetables.

The different types of fish ball has their own unique texture and taste to it, some softer, some firm and bouncy, and all very delicious. I particularly love the sambal belacan that is served as the condiment, made from fresh red pepper, belacan, and lime that is rather spicy and perfect with those fish balls.

my favorite sambal.. slurps

A bowl of the dried kuey teow goes for RM 3.50, but as with most Penang hawker dishes, the portion is quite small, which is just as well so that I can order another bowl of curry mee or mee goreng to fill up my stomach.

map to the hawker centre at Mt. Erskine

The hawker centre operates from around noon to 4-5 in ther afternoon.

Address:
Jalan Mt. Erskine,
Tg. Tokong, Penang
GPS: 5.450560, 100.302064

Tags:  hawker,  hawker-center,  kueh teow,  mt erskine,  penang-food,  road side

Posted by KY | 15 Comments »

I remember having Fatty Loh chicken rice since I was a little boy, and the stall was always super busy with quite a few chefs chopping away chicken, and at least a dozen workers yelling around trying to satisfy hungry customers. It was rumored that the business was so good internal revenue sent a guy to count the number of chicken sold in order to ensure that Mr. Loh pay his taxes.

chicken rice… yum

Fast forward to over 30 years since their establishment in 1969, the original Mr. Loh and the 2nd generation (who expanded the business tremendously) has already passed away and the business is now split into two, run separately by each brother or the 3rd generation Loh, both claimed to be the “original”. I have tasted both places, and found that they are almost identical in terms of taste and price.

coagulated chicken blood, *slurps*

I went there alone to have lunch the last trip back in Penang. Since it was just myself, I only ordered a plate of steamed chicken drum stick, and a coagulated chicken blood side dish. Other side dishes offered there include salted vegetable, kerabu chicken leg, steamed soup, pork knuckle, bean sprouts, and so on.

The set, of course, come with a bowl of chicken soup, and traditional chicken rice chili paste. Now one of the things that is quite unique to Fatty Loh is the way their serve the chicken, the chicken is usually stripped of all bones. I haven’t found a place that can do the same in the Klang Valley, it is a lot less messy to eat chicken that way.

Fatty Loh is just around 2km from Gurney Drive

The taste of the steamed chicken I ordered was pretty good, and I have always enjoyed the smoothness of the chicken meat, and the sauce that came with it. The coagulated blood is obviously something that is not for the faint hearted, and again, this is a dish that is quite difficult to find elsewhere. I enjoyed every bite.

If my memory serves me correct, the lunch costs me around RM 7 or so, with an extra order of a small bowl of rice.

Address:
21, Jalan Fettes, Fettes Park,
11200 Penang, Malaysia.
GPS: 5.452685, 100.302848

Tags:  chicken,  chicken-rice,  hawker,  kopitiam,  Penang

Posted by KY | 14 Comments »

One of the least appreciated hawker food in Penang is Koay Chap (粿汁), a dish that is not offered at many places in Penang, and so far I have not been able to find any place that sells this in Klang Valley.

the stall is located at Wah Meng kopitiam

One of the most famous Koay Chap stalls is at Air Itam, I remember being introduced to this dish by my parents before the Penang Bridge was built. It seems like the stall is being operated by the younger generation these days.

The dish has a slightly different type of “noodle” that has the characteristics of both pan mee and kueh teow, a sort of thicker kueh teow with different texture (refer to the photo below). Duck meat, innards, coagulated blood, and hard-boiled duck egg makes up the rest of the ingredients. All these are served in a bowl of duck flavored soup that is darkish in color. Thai chili and soya sauce accompanied the dish.

all the good stuff from duck, nothing is wasted

If you are a fan of duck meat and has the nerve to try all the innards and all, this is definitely the dish you should not miss when heading up north. I personally love the taste as well as the uniqueness of this dish. The less adventurous can still order the same dish with only duck meat and the egg.

this stall is just a stone’s throw away from the laksa place

This stall operates in the morning, the same time as the morning wet market. If my memory serves me correct, a bowl goes for RM 2.50 or 3.00.

Address:
Jalan Air Hitam,
Ayer Itam, Penang
GPS: 5.400296, 100.277903

Tags:  air-itam,  duck,  hawker,  koay-chap,  kopitiam,  Penang

Posted by KY | 10 Comments »

One of the must-eat item (especially for females, I don’t know why) in Penang is the Asam Laksa. The most famously stall would be this one at Air Itam, walking distance from the Kek Lok Si temple, by the alley across the morning market.

a walkway packed with hungry people

The place is not particularly hygienic or comfortable, just some tables and the stalls by the busy road, partially exposed to the element. But hey, we’re here for the food anyway.

The Penang Laksa, popularly referred to as Asam Laksa in other parts of the country, comes in a sourish fish (ikan kembung) based soup with thick rice noodle, plenty of shredded pineapple, lettuce, red chili, cucumber, onion, galangal (curry flower), and lemon grass. All these are topped with some mint leaves and the thick shrimp paste with a very distinctive love-it or hate-it smell.

yumm… *slurps*

Our order was served up in just a few minutes’ time. Simmering hot and oozing with the glorious laksa smell, we attacked the bowl like a vengeance. There were nothing left 5 minutes later. The combination of sour and spicy soup with the fresh produce and the thick rice noodle was perfect. I never waste the soup either, thick with shredded fish, it has a very unique texture and taste that I find very nice.

the map of air itam laksa!

The smallish bowl of laksa is yours for RM 2.40. I would never recommend this as a main meal due to the sour and spicy nature of the dish, but it does make a nice afternoon snack. This Air Itam stall serves in the afternoon to evening.

Address:
Jalan Pasar,
Ayer Itam, Penang
GPS: 5.401386, 100.277377

Tags:  air-itam,  asam,  chili,  fish,  hawker,  laksa,  Penang,  shrimp-paste,  spicy

Posted by KY | 16 Comments »