Friday Flashback: Our Favourite Penang Food Part 2
Hey, guys! I'm back with a FF post for you. Back in 2016, we used to do breakfast food tours as well as the current lunch and dinner hops. It was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed doing it. But we've had to put it on hold so we can concentrate on making the lunch and dinner hops the best they can possibly be. I'm really looking forward to doing it again soon, though!
Breakfast in George Town: Chowrasta Market
I took these pictures sometime in 2016, I think? They've been sitting on my hard drive since and I thought this is a good time to put them up! The Chowrasta Market in George Town is a historic site and the original site was founded in 1890. It was named for the South Indian Tamil community that made up most of the vendors at the time.
These days, it's represented mostly by the Chinese small vendor community. The structure itself has been renovated, but is a press of stalls crowding the surrounding streets in the morning. You'll find everything from produce to plastic pails to underwear here! I'm mostly here for the food though.
Penang Curry Noodles
The curry noodles at the Chowrasta Market Food Stalls is really popular. It's a creamy, sweet broth of coconut milk and curry accented with spicy shrimp paste on the side. It's served with seafood, egg noodles and vermicelli.
Penang Chee Cheong Fun
Chee Cheong Fun is flat rice noodles served with sweet, tangy, sour and soy sauces. You'll find this dish in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur as well, but in Penang we like to do it a little bit differently. The local version is served with thick sauces that includes either a sweet chili sauce or a spicy sambal. This place is just around the corner from Chowrasta Market, on Lebuh Kimberley.
I'm going to have to visit the Chowrasta Market again sometime soon. It's best to drop by early-ish in the morning, and I feel like a good time is around 8.00 a.m. By then, the usual crowd is mostly done with their grocery shopping, but the stalls are still open and ready for the breakfast crowd. Go take a look when you can!
There's a lot of good food in Penang. The Friday Flashback series will help recap some of our recommendations and help you decide which delicious dishes to have on your trip to Penang. For more breakfast favourites, read Part 1 of our Friday Flashback series.