A Week in a Food Paradise

A hidden gem known mostly to South East Asians - the country of Malaysia offers an amazing blend of culture and food that is hard to replicate elsewhere.

Most people don’t think of Malaysia when deciding on a vacation spot for their family. It is usually overlooked by its more popular nearby countries such as Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc. However, Malaysia is a hub for many flights within South East Asia so we extended our layover for 8 days to see what the country had to offer.

As US citizens, Malaysia does not require a visa, so it was a fairly easy process getting in. We just needed to provide proof of vaccination through Malaysia’s MySejahtera app prior to boarding our flight there. Once in Kuala Lampur, we hired a taxi from the airport to our hotel in the city center. This was pretty easy to do as there was a main taxi kiosk where you get a set price based on your destination. Not needing to haggle on price was a welcome relief. Our one-way fare cost 119 MYR, or about $27 USD, for our 1.5 hour ride.

We stayed at the Four Points Sheraton Chinatown and were really surprised by the quality of the hotel. It was an outstanding property with great decor, high level offerings, a nice pool and gym and kind service. The breakfast buffet was also incredible with tons of local eats. I especially liked the Malaysian coffee called Kopi Tarek, which was like a Turkish coffee, and so many of the delicious baked goods. The croissant was equivalent to some of the best I’ve had in France. For the price, ~$50 USD/day, it was an amazing deal and worth a stay if you’re ever in KL.

Once we checked in, we immediately hit the town for some eats. Comfort food was what we were all searching for so our first meal ended up being a Korean bbq spot right down the street from our hotel. We had some good bbq and drinks and ended up spending about $35 USD to fill our bellies.

The next day we ventured out into Kuala Lumpur for some more native eats. We were in search of some local street foods to partake in the wonderful flavors that we had read about. So for dinner , we ventured out to a “famous” street in KL called Jalan Alor but would discover this would be a huge mistake. Jalan Alor food was just a touristy food trap. There were restaurants up and down the street promoting themselves as the best the area had to offer, but seemed nothing more than a marketing ploy. The random spot we chose wasn’t the quality local meal we had hoped for. We left feeling dejected and starting to wonder if all the things we had read about Malaysia’s food culture might have been just hype.

It was so disappointing that we didn’t even take any pictures. Haha.

If at first you don’t succeed…

The next day, we took a train down to Penang - an island about 4.5 hours train ride away from Kuala Lumpur. The train we took was pretty nice and quite affordable as a round trip fare for all of us came out to about 510 MYR or about $115 USD. Like a lot of asian countries, they also had cheaper child ticket prices which helped.

We first chose Penang as we read that it was a nice beach destination. What we did not realize until we arrived was that Penang is considered to be one of the world’s best food destinations because of it’s beautiful mix of cultures and cooking styles.

Malaysia is a very multi-cultural society so the country’s cuisines are infused with parts of Malay, Chinese, and Indian influences. This unique combination breeds an unbelievably rich and flavorful cuisine that, in my opinion, seems unmatched anywhere else in the world. How lucky were we?!

The moment you venture around the city, your senses are overwhelmed with a multitude of food stalls and all their delicious smells. The stalls look basic but their dishes far from it. The old men and women working the stalls whip up their dishes with ease and watching them do it is a bit mesmerizing. You fall in love at first bite.

We started our street/hawker food tour at Cecil Market with some Char Koay Teow, a stir fried flat rice noodle dish with shrimp, sausage, chicken, and bean sprouts, cooked in a wok heated by charcoal.

It comes out of the wok scalding hot so fresh and rich in flavors that it leaves you wanting more. This delicious dish cost a whopping ~$1.50 USD! I highly recommend getting it with a duck egg as it adds a nice creamy texture to the noodles.

Next we sought out a cold dish to help us with the day’s heat. One of the most well known dishes in Penang is Cendol. Cendol is a a timeless Malaysian dessert of shaved ice dessert with soft fresh pandan-flavored palm flour noodles immersed in light coconut milk, sweetened with a brown sugar syrup and soft and sweet kidney beans. Seems a bit much in one dessert right? But, just like Penang food culture, this dish is a stunning blend that just can’t be denied.

We visited a few cendol stalls but the most famous was the Penang Road Famous Teochow Chendul. The cendol stall worker is so quick and efficient that, although seeming chaotic, is incredibly precise and somehow satisfying to watch as well. Trust me when I say that this dessert was SO GOOD. Everyone of us still yearns for more of it to this day.

After our initial exposure to Penang’s street food scene we were on the hunt to see what else was out there. Our next stop was 888 Hoikken Mee for some prawn mee with pork belly. Prawn mee is a spicy specialty noodle soup that carries a deep and colorful flavor that I’ve never experienced before. To say it was delicious is an understatement. It’s spicy, salty, and umami with crunchy bits of dried shrimp, tender pieces of chicken and a chili sauce to die for. They give you the option to add pork belly for an extra cost that is a must-do. With pork belly included, the price came out to ~$2 USD. This was my favorite street food dish in Penang.

After scarfing down a spicy dish like prawn mee, in the sweltering Malaysian heat, we had to visit the random cendol stall in front of the 888 Hoikken Mee to cool ourselves with another cendol, an ice jelly and also an ice kecang. Each one was so satisfying and refreshing it’s almost a must after every meal due to the heat. We thought the famous chendol place was amazing, but this place was our all time favorite and it doesn’t even have a stall name.

As much as I would love to go on and on about all the other wonderful street food dishes we ate, I’ll just leave you with this. Penang has become my favorite foodie destination. Even more than San Sebastian, and trust me it pains me to say so. The stalls are hyper focused on each of their specialties and the variety of foods is enough to satisfy almost any taste bud. There are just so many amazing eats all over the city at an average of $1-3 USD. The whole Byean crew ate our hearts out and we spent about ~$25/day. That’s a family of four eating non-stop!

Although we had to deal with the “beat down” Malaysian heat and humidity - it was so worth it.

Travel Tips: When in Malaysia and Penang, you should visit the malls to get out of the heat. If it wasn’t for us taking cool-down breaks at the mall in-between food stops, it would have been hard to handle. Also, make sure to take the ferry vs. taking a taxi from the Buttersworth train station to Georgetown (Penang). It cost 1.50 MYR ($0.30 USD) for an adult and the ride back to Buttersworth is FREE. The ferry only takes about 10 minutes and runs every 30 minutes during normal hours and every hour during off hours.

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