Penang hawker fare @ New Lane

Normally, we non-locals would head straight to Gurney Drive but locals recommend New Lane for better Penang hawker fare. And so, New Lane it was for us.

There were many stalls hawking a variety of local fare. There was a continuous stream of diners from all walks of life, too.

We found a table and then took turns to order food. We stopped at every stall to order one serve of every thing.

The system here is that you place your order at the stall, they will give you a number and when your food arrives, you pay for the food and return the number to them.

And boy, did we just order non-stop!

If you are feeling a little hungry and it is late at night now, please do not scroll down any further. You will regret it.

From here onwards, I shall let the photos do more of the describing...

Char kway kak (Fried radish cake)

Ikan bakar (Grilled fish)

Deep fried chicken

Sotong kangkung (Cuttlefish salad)

Char kway teow

Popiah with century egg (recommended)

Heko (shrimp paste sauce) chee cheong fun (highly recommended!)

Prawn noodles

Pork and pig intestines satay

O-jian or oyster omelette

Curry laksa with pig's blood jelly

Ais kacang with a dollop of optional strawberry ice-cream

New Lane Hawker Street
Lorong Baru (New Lane), Off Jalan Macalister (Macalister Road), 10040 Georgetown, Penang. 
*Look for Sunway Hotel
Daily 5:00pm to 11:00pm
**Cash only (duh)

Petaling Street: Malaysian Hawker Food @ Haymarket

My Melburnian friends used to take pride in the countless Malaysian makan places they have down south. One particular place that I constantly hear is Petaling Street. Therefore, when they were opening an outlet here in Sydney, I was keen to give them a try. Even more so when I found out that a friend is one of the shareholders.

They sure know where to place themselves - the busiest street in Sydney, George Street and facing Market City. Definitely going to call out to the local Chinatown and visiting backpacker crowds.

Ranging from $10 to $30, I personally think that pricing is a plus point for the portion and the taste. Another plus point is the ambience, as it reminds me of home because of the constant Manglish/Singlish conversations jabbed with random words in Canto, Hokkien, Hakka and Malay. Here are some of the things I have tried over multiple visits:

Something like a rojak with lots of tofu minus the rojak sauce is the Malaysian Hawker-Type Deep Fried Bean Curd ($6.50). Eaten with thin strips of cucumber and blanched bean sprouts, this can be treated like salad.

I am a big fan of their Chee Cheong Fun which they call Steam Rice Roll ($6.80). Texture of the rice rolls covered in sweet sauce combined with the beancurd sheets, ah, perfect for a Malaysian-style arvo tea break. Every time I have this dish, I would recall the chee cheong fun aunty come round on her modified motorcycle with a giant brollie and a signature poh-peh-poh-peh honk. I would run out to flag her, run back in to grab a plate and then run back out to fill the plate up with awesome chee cheong fun and steaming hot chew bouncy fishballs!

I prefer their version of Chicken Satay ($6.80 for 4 skewers) to that of PappaRich's. The reason is because the taste of turmeric is not overpowering and the peanut sauce is of the right texture, one that is sauce-like and not jam-like.

Michael loves their Short Rice Noodle in Claypot ($11.80). I was excited about it too until I realise how oily (and fatty) it is! It is, however, a generous serving with a good amount of Chinese mushrooms and minced pork. The KL versions would give you a raw egg on the top of the heap for you to stir in on your own.

My favourite and most recommended dish would have to be their Char Kuey Teow ($9.50). It comes with big prawns, superb wok hei and of course, deep fried pork lard pieces. The duck egg version costs a few dollars extra.

Omelette Rice ($10.90) is a simple dish of fried rice wrapped up in an omelette. It's a tad spicy, if you're not into chillies.

But if you are big on chillies, the Sambal Kangkung ($14.80) would make you a very happy person. Crunchy and yes, very spicy.

The Sizzling Minced Pork and Bean Curd ($16.80) comes sizzling on a hot teppanyaki. My bro loves ordering this dish back home. Here, other than the price which is a little on the high side, it tastes exactly like home.

Fancy some Steamed Fish with Malaysian Soya Sauce ($14.80)? For the price, it actually is a pretty good catch. The sauce was cleared till the very last lick. Goes down very well with white rice.

To end any meal, do order their ais kacang ($5). It comes with a lychee at the peak of the colourful shaved ice mountain.

Petaling Street: Malaysian Hawker Food

760 George Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000, Australia

T: +61 2 9280 1006; E-mail: petalingsydney@gmail.com

Sunday to Wednesday 11:00am to midnight

Thursday to Saturday 11:00am to 2:00am

*Cash transactions only

Ma'leisia Cafe

The opening of Ma'leisia Cafe came just at the right time - when the Parramatta branch of Istana closed down. So in addition to Temasek situated just a stone's throw away, the 'youngest' supply of Malaysian food in Parramatta is Ma'leisia Cafe.

We were there for late lunch on a weekend. Pretty empty, only one other table taken. Very airy space, with French windows, which I like because then the smell of food does not get trapped indoors. This prevents patrons smelling like food when they leave the premises.

Michael wanted to satisfy his nasi lemak craving and he was not disappointed. Generous serving with good portion of chicken rendang.

I, on the other hand, had my prawn noodle craving satiated. However, perhaps I was comparing theirs to Lees Malaysian's version, I was left  a tad disappointed with how the soup could have been boiled longer with more prawn shell to bring out more flavour.

We were happy with their home-made sambal, though.

And when you dine with Michael, you must always make room for a shared something else. One order is almost never enough for him. We both shared an order of roti telur with beef rendang. Hm, not too bad la...

And ah, yes, a trip to a new Malaysian eatery is never complete without ais kacang. Haha.

Ma'leisia Cafe
5/2 Horwood Place, Parramatta, NSW 1740, Australia
Tel/Fax: +61 2 8677 9575, E-mail: maleisia@hotmail.com.au
Open for Breakfast and Lunch from Tuesday to Sunday, Dinner only on Friday and Saturday

Mamak Chatswood

Seems odd that I do not include a post on a place I frequent. Maybe because I dine here pretty often that I think, why bother, right? And they already have made their name. Oh welllllsss.....

It is always this crowded, especially during weekends.

Most people who come here only have their rotis. Very few know that their other main dishes are pretty good, too. Take their nasi lemak ($8.50) for example. Add fried or curry chicken/fish/lamb/vegetarian for $3 or sambal prawn/cuttlefish for $4 and heaven!

This is my must-have - their mee goreng ($11.50), wok-tossed Hokkien noodles with eggs, prawns, fish cake slices  and fresh bean sprout. Other than the ambience and price, it is exactly what it is like back home.

Similarly, I also recommend their Maggi goreng ($11.50). Just like the above but using Maggi noodles instead. Sometimes, I wish they had Indomie goreng, too.

In Sydney, I still think they make the best rotis. All their rotis are served on stainless steel plates, just like those back home and with standard fish curry (which I absolutely love!), dahl and a dollop of sambal at the side.

The original Roti Canai $5.50

Roti Planta $6.50

Roti telur bawang, the classic egg roti with sweet red onion $7.00

Roti tisu, an extra thin, extra crispy, extravagant version of roti canai $9.50

Roti kaya served as dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream $7.50

I think the ais kacang ($6.00) and cendol ($6.00) desserts need no intro here.

And all Malaysian drinks on their menu are priced at $3.50 per mug. I almost always ask for teh halia (ginger teh tarik).

Depending on the team on duty, service can be responsive while at times, not so. Be prepared to queue on weekends, although I still wonder why they would rather have a few tables left empty to have a longer queue outdoors. Winter now, so hopefully they won't make diners wait in the cold when there are tables indoors.



Mamak Chatswood
Shop P9, 1-5 Railway Street, Chatswood, NSW 2067, Australia
Tel: +61 2 9411 4411
Open daily 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30 to 9:30pm (10:30pm on Friday and Saturday)
*Reservations not accepted