A Day in Penang

Everyone got up earlier on the Saturday after having a nice rest at the hotel the night before. We were up in plenty of time for breakfast before joining my Mum and Aunt again at her place. Then came the plan to head to Penang Island to visit more relatives. My Aunt tagged along as well.

We arrived at my other Aunt's place well before lunch - there was hardly any traffic getting there. We decided to have lunch at one of the nasi kandar shop near my Aunt's apartment and it was a delight. Irfan especially felt sleepy after the curry and ended up on the sofa while we were waiting for Zohor prayers.

Irfan contemplating what to try next ...Then came the sotong kangkung ...Making acquaintance with the local wildlife ...Next stop .... Padang Kota. As per custom, we would order pasembor, laksa, sotong bakar, sotong kangkung and ais kacang; not necessarily in that order. It was gorgeous although the laksa could have been better - it didn't come with shrimp paste.

We just sat at the esplanade after the meal with the boys playing with bubbles and running around the place.

Nah! We stick to the bubbles ...That's Butterworth at the far end ...Let's start ...

Next stop was at another Aunt's place in Kepala Batas. They had recently moved there from Butterworth and this was the first time I came over to visit them at their new place. More food and by this time, the boys were already getting grumpy. When we finally dropped my Mum and Aunt, it was already past sunset. Another early for the long journey tomorrow ...

Cendol Hawa

This was a little known gem in Damansara Damai. Anita learned about it from one of our ex-schoolmate and before long, she took me along to the place a few Saturdays ago when we happened to be driving around the area. It was a discovery!

They had a couple of main specialties. Cendol of course and Penang laksa - the proper ones!

The instructions are clearBon apetit The place was pretty simple but both the cendol and the laksa was amazing. The cendol had proper santan in them and the green cendol bits were crispy and crunchy! Not too sweet but it was definitely full of fat!

As for the laksa, it came with the shrimp paste! How can it go wrong?!

Would definitely be coming back to the place again in the future. Despite how popular it was, on that particular Saturday we didn't have any issues getting a parking spot or a table. I can't really tell where the exact location was as I was not familiar with Damansara Damai but over there there was only one bus terminal and the stall was located there! So ask around. Highly recommended!

Padang Kota

A trip to Penang for me won't be complete without a stop at Padang Kota for laksa, sotong kangkung (squid and spinach) or sotong bakar (grilled squid). But most of the time it would be all three - like today.

After an afternoon nap, we set off for a ten minutes drive up the street to Padang Kota. Still early, we managed to get a spot to park without much hassle. Sat down, ordered the stuff and enjoyed the food. The boys only stared at us at the beginning although later Irfan joined us for laksa.

We tended to order from the same stall every time we came here. It was located at a corner, away from the sea front where most of the customers usually sat. It was good again today, although the squid was rather overcooked. The laksa was still the bomb though.

Sotong kangkungSome proper laksaOf course, some sotong bakarNext came the walk along the beach front. There were many vendors selling toys, and my boys went for the bubble guns. Before long, it was mayhem!

It was still an overcast day, with not much wind, making the weather rather muggy. A strong breeze would have been better. Once the bubbles dried up, we took a drive towards Batu Feringghi. It was almost Maghrib when we reached there, and Anita decided against getting off. There was a night market near the main intersection and the traffic was already starting to build up.

Time to head back to the hotel then ...

Laksa Anyone?

One of the main attractions at Kuala Kangsar was its laksa. But as usual, it was pretty difficult to get the authentic taste. Most of the joints seemed to be commercialised and you'd be better off getting laksa in KL which tasted better.

We stopped at the main bazaar complex in town as it was open on the Sunday evening and left disappointed. Maybe we should've been picky. The stalls nearby was closing up when we passed by and we didn't have much of a choice.

Off we went to order some laksa. It was not exactly tasty, the portion was pithy and it turned out to be more expensive than we expected and the place was dirty and full of flies. No win unfortunately.

Irfan was unstoppable soon afterThat didn't stop Irfan from enjoying his afternoon meal. He finished his plate of laksa, with extra bits of egg yolk. He sampled my ABC and decided against it after a few sips.

So, we should've done some homework and find a better stall. Better luck next time.

Guilty!

It wouldn't be a trip to Penang without the customary binge on laksa, cendol, nasi kandar and the likes. I was guilty of that, even though the purpose of coming back this time was for the funeral.

We had a late lunch after all was settled. Nasi kandar, cendol, and of course soon to be laksa ...... help!