The Island Is Quite Big

Okay so I spent my entire morning searching for the closest Or Chien stalls. Yes I have suddenly turned this trip into my personal hunt for Not just GOOD OR CHIEN, but I want GREAT OR CHIEN

1. SearchMyWeb Gave me a lot of YouTube videos but I needed information! Like fast!
2. Foodadvisor was pretty great because there happened to be this fantastic article on the Best Or Chien in Penang.
3. Tripadvisor
   Yes, Tripadvisor has a lot of advice. Check it out!

So I pick the Song River Cafe which was RM24 by Grabcar. Never go to a restaurant and not check the opening hours first!
I get there and guess what? The Or Chien stall only opens at night! Bummer.
I walk up Gurney Drive and looks like nothing is open at 2 pm.
I whip out my Grabcar app and call a Grabcar to the next hawker centre. Thank God I got an old Chinese gentleman as my driver and he told me that I was going to the wrong place. He then offered to take me to a good kopitiam which according to him has the best Or Chien!
We arrive at Lorong Kimberly at this place:

Kedai Kopi Seng Thor (Yeah Asgard! Where’s Loki?)

Apparently the Or Chien chef is 3rd generation. Both his Grandfather and Father were Or Chien chefs. I mean secret recipe modified, perfected and passed down over 90 years!

They haven’t changed the menu sign board either!

I order the smallest plate at RM11 and sit down at a table to wait. I can't understand the menu on the wall so I just order a nutmeg drink. Say What?!! I never drank nutmeg before in my life so I thought i’d give it a go.

The menu board

The Chef making My Or Chien

The Oysters are pretty Big

It’s Done!!!

Wow Mom! Looks Great.

Look at the Oysters!

Gone in 60 Seconds...Okay 5 minutes.

This Guy has got the perfect Or Chien recipe! Just the way I Love my eggs, Frambled and slightly charred and crispy! It’s so good. Sorry make that GREAT! YEAH! The oysters, all six big succulent pieces were juicy and tasted like the kind of oysters you would get in a Japanese restaurant. You know the battered and deep fried ones? Not as sweet as the baby oysters last night. These oysters tasted of the sea. The one taste I couldn’t quite place was the taste of melted grilled cheese. I didn’t get to ask him if he had added cheese into the mixture, but It sure as hell tasted like cheese.

After lunch I walked all around that area and ended up checking out some nice old buildings which have been restored like these beauties

It seemed like a good idea to walk around a little bit after the deep fried oyster lunch. I was in the mood to get a little touristy and looked around to find a tour bus and found a whole bunch of tourists walking around that part of town.

Got a little lost, but it’s okay because sometimes when you’re lost you end up finding some pretty cool new things.

An old well inside a shop selling dried guava.

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A Shop Selling Handmade Beaded Shoes

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Trishaws decorated with flowers.

I just kept walking until I was drenched in sweat. The Malaysian sun can be pretty cruel this time of the year. Finally I gave up and called a Grabcar from the BHotel lobby where a nice lady let me wait for my Grabcar.

The ride back to Batu Ferringhi was pretty cool and I got to take more photos of those massive new developments along the way.
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Wow Penang has really changed! I felt like I was in the middle of Mont Kiara or something with all the luxury beachfront, seaview condominiums and developments.

Back At The Golden Sands

The return trip cost me RM24 and it’s the same price as going from Ampang to Bangsar.
I decided to put on my swimmers and head out for a dip in the pool or a walk by the beach.
I ended up doing both!
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Fantastic! I absolutely love this shot of the beach.

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The sand is pretty rough to walk on here, no soft sandy white beaches in Penang.

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View from the deck chair I planted myself on after swimming around the pool

Back in the room I see that storm clouds have gathered and it’s starting to rain quite heavily.
No beach party tonight then!
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It starts pouring and I’m talking lighting and thunder!
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Lightning and Thunder.

Finally at about 9pm it stops raining so I head out to the night market again. There are so many of the same shops. Feels like Petaling Street and Kenanga Wholesale Mall spread out along the entire Long Beach Road.

I see a really cool shop selling decorative lights.
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Lights in a gazillion shapes.

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More lamps just like the ones I saw in Chiang Mai three years ago.

I spot a foot massage spa and decide to try it out. The lady is either not very good or the state of my internal organs must be super bad because I was in agony the entire time.
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30 min Foot Massacre RM40.

It seems like a lot of things in Penang go for RM40. I am sure it’s because it’s RM10 less than RM50. It’s Chinese businessman mentality. Like how they love to sell stuff at RM99.90. Just 10 cents short of a nice clean 100!

And I still haven’t eaten my dinner. What should I try this time? It’s too far to try the other Or Chien joints in Georgetown and I think I shouldn’t be eating too much oyster all at once?

On the way back from the massage parlour I stop by a kebab stall because what’s PENANG without a bit of Doner!

Lamb Doner for Dinner at RM14.

And then more Petaling Street type stalls all the way back to the Golden Sands Resort.

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Goodnight Penang! I say goodbye tomorrow and probably see you in another 10 years! By then you would have cut ties with the rest of Malaysia and become your very own country! Just like Singapore.

If you are enjoying my travel miniseries, look out for Part 5 - The Journey Home. Leave a comment or tell me about your last visit to Penang! Have a GREAT day!

Check our my other works at @nikisteem