Restaurants in Malaysia
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A
Sky Hotel
It’s incredible that this gem sits in the middle of the greatest concetration of travellers in Georgetown, yet is somehow almost exclusively patronised (in huge, enthusiastic numbers) by locals. People – what’s happening? Sigh. It is incumbent on you to try the char siew (barbecued pork), siew bak (pork belly), siew cheong (honey-sweetened pork) and roast duck. Order your pork pun fei sau (half fat, half lean) to get that proper combination of slightly wet and firm roasted goodness.
reviewed
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B
Sri Ananda Bahwan
Basic Indian eatery, seemingly forever full of chatting locals, serving up tandoori chicken, roti canai (unleavened flaky flat bread) and murtabak (roti canai filled with meat or vegetables). There’s an air-con dining hall if you prefer more comfort.
reviewed
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C
Tho Yuen Restaurant
Our favourite place in town for dim sum. It's packed with newspaper-reading loners and chattering groups of locals all morning long, but you can usually squeeze in somewhere. Servers speak minimal English but do their best to explain the contents of their carts to the clueless round-eye. Do try the steamed sticky rice with mushrooms but remember not to take too much from the first cart that comes by, although you'll be tempted - save room because there's more to come.
reviewed
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D
Kaliammans
Smart, air-con restaurant serving North and South Indian cuisine, as well as Western food such as pizza. It's regarded as one of the better Indian budget places in town. The best value is the tasty banana-leaf set meals, but the garlic naan with palak paneer (spinach and cottage cheese) is to die for.
reviewed
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E
Restoran Sup Hameed
With sprawling tables well beyond the actual restaurant like a trail of busy, dining ants down the sidewalk this ultrapopular smorgasbord at the north end of Jln Penang has everything from spicy sup (soup!) and nasi kandar to roti canai. Curried squid is the house speciality.
reviewed
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F
Nerovivo
Nerovivo is adept at turning out delicious, authentic Italian staples.
reviewed
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G
Olé Café
One of the few bona fide chill-out spots along a busy strip, this quiet cafe has free internet access, nice teas and coffees, and cakes.
reviewed
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H
Siu Siu
On the way to the Tian How Temple, this is a deserved local favourite. Order the milk curry prawns with buns to soak up the tasty gravy or any type of fish.
reviewed
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I
Ikan Panggang Stall
Join the locals enjoying spicy fish and seafood dishes from the Ikan panggang stall outside Hong Leong Bank, unsigned and tucked behind the stalls on the corner of Jln Petaling and Jln Hang Lekir. Order ahead –it generally takes 20 minutes for your foil-wrapped pouch of seafood to cook, allowing time to explore the market. Wash the meal down with a glass of mata kucing (cat’s eye), a refreshing Asian fruit drink, also bought from a stall on the same corner.
reviewed
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J
Nasi Kandar Pelita in Bangsar Baru
Serves exquisite Indian Muslim food, including magnificent roti canai and hariyali tikka (spiced chicken with mint, cooked in the tandoor)
reviewed
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K
Nasi Kandar Pelita in KLCC
This swish, fan-cooled pavilion near the KLCC is probably the flashiest of all the mamak canteens in KL.
reviewed
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L
Tang City Food Court
Set back from the main drag is the old-style Tang City Food Court.
reviewed
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M
Bing
Bing is a stylish, dimly lit café in the heart of the Jln Padungan nightlife zone. It's equally good for an afternoon cuppa or an evening tipple. Wi-fi on premises.
reviewed
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N
Black Bean Coffee & Tea Company
Serving fresh, fair-trade coffee, this quaint cafe, housed in a converted Chinese shophouse, strikes the guiltless balance between Starbucks and Sarawak.
reviewed
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O
Hawker Centre
The best hawker centre in town, with both Malay and Chinese sections, is in the west end of town near Kuching Mosque (locals sometimes refer to this as the ‘open-air market’).
reviewed
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Jing-Si Books & Cafe
A stylish oasis of spiritual calm, this outlet for a Taiwanese Buddhist group’s teachings is a wonderful place to revive yourself over a pot of one of its interesting teas or coffees (all only RM3).
reviewed
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P
Ecco Cafe
We’d normally be wary of a place selling pizza in the heart of backpacker land, but Ecco shows up our prejudice for the small-mindedness it is. Equally popular with hip locals and travellers, there is some damn fine thin-crust European-style pizza on offer in a cosy space that’s as contemporary as it is intimate.
reviewed
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Q
Gurney Drive
Penang's most famous food area was once known as North Beach but was later named for Sir Henry Gurney, a British High Commissioner who was assassinated by Malayan communist guerrillas in 1951. Today it's a mish-mash of the city's most modern high-rises and some of the grandest colonial mansions on the island. It's posh for a hawker area so the food is a bit more pricey here than elsewhere but it's worth that few extra ringgit to have a table facing the sea.
You'll find absolutely everything from Malay to Western food, and it's known for its laksa stalls and good people-watching. For the best rojak try the Penang-famous Aye Chye stall. The area around is also home to the…
reviewed
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Khan’s Islamic Restaurant
This simple canteen is one of Miri’s best Indian eateries, whipping up tasty treats like mouth-watering tandoori chicken and aloo gobi (Indian potato and cauliflower dish), as well as the usual roti canai. It’s opposite Mega Hotel.
reviewed
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R
Kheng Pin
This hawker stand has a few specialities locals swear by, most famously lorbak (spiced ground pork wrapped in bean curd dipped in black gravy) and Hainan chicken-rice, one of the great fast foods of East Asia. The latter is deceptively simple – steamed chicken and rice cooked in chicken broth – easy to muck up and so good when executed right, as it is here. The state government sends Kheng Pin’s owner to Adelaide in Australia every year to promote Penang cuisine, so you know he’s doing something right.
reviewed
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S
Padang Brown Food Court
Everyone in town knows that this is the spot for delectable popiah (spring rolls) although the won ton mee (egg vermicelli served with pork dumplings or sliced roast pork) and bubur caca (it's pronounced cha cha - don't be so childish - and it's a delicious dessert porridge made with coconut milk and banana) is another good reason to try the food in this area. In the afternoons try the yong tau foo (clear Chinese soup with fish balls, lettuce, crab sticks, cuttlefish and more).
reviewed
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Tai Fatt Restaurant
Next door to the Orchid Hotel, this simple Chinese place does a good plate of mee goreng (around RM4). The owner speaks English.
reviewed
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T
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
This popular chain coffee shop offers free wi-fi and air-con surroundings.
reviewed
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U
Lorong Selamat Food Stalls
This is the place to go for the city's best char kway teow, but you'll also find lip-smacking won ton mee and other Chinese Penang favourites. The setting, on a dingy lane off of one of Penang's busiest streets isn't spectacular but the locals' enthusiasm for the food here creates a lively ambiance.
reviewed
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V
New World Park Food Court
Every stall serves something different (as opposed to the centre having a particular speciality) at this ultramodern, covered food court with mist-blowing fans and shiny industrial décor. It's new, spotlessly clean and garnering a good reputation among Penangites. The ais kacang (shaved-ice dessert with syrup, jellies, beans and, sometimes, even corn on top) here gets particularly good reviews.
reviewed