599394 Thu Feb 26 06:08:36 -0800 2009 11 12 Boston Area 0 4453538 I've been going to Penang for years and usually get the same standby dishes--Buddhist yam pot; mango chicken (or shrimp); nasi lemak; roti canai. I've also seen recs on this board for the mee siam and the eggplant with basil, as well as the bone-in chicken curry. But their menu is so enormous that I'm sure I'm missing some great dishes. Any recommendations for other excellent things to eat at Penang? Thanks! Thu Feb 26 06:08:37 -0800 2009 231787 AnyaEssen 1 4453548 I do the same thing at Penang that I do at other restaurants: don't actually order anything off the menu. Just tell the chef or waiter to kill me. They usually get it. Thu Feb 26 06:11:04 -0800 2009 4453538 16490 Bostonbob3 1 4453580 They used to have an appetizer of raw cuttlefish in peanut sauce; if they still have it, get it. Also, their whole steamed fish used to be excellent. Thu Feb 26 06:21:42 -0800 2009 4453538 11108 galleygirl 2 4454834 second the cuttlefish with peanut sauce and chinese watercress - though i'm sure that the cuttlefish is not raw. other picks - achat, chow kueh teau, indian mee goreng, mee siam, claypot noodles, prawn mee, penang assam fish head claypot, nasi lemak, beef rendang, shrimp with okra, malaysian buddhist, kangkung belachan, penang dried curry squid, steamed bass teau chew style, sizzling japanese bean curd with pork and shrimp. Thu Feb 26 12:04:56 -0800 2009 4453580 106428 nasilemak 1 4453637 Like you, I order the same dish every time I'm at Penang - their Seafood Tom Yum Noodle Soup. Thu Feb 26 06:44:04 -0800 2009 4453538 73324 y2000k 1 4454962 watermelon drink (bone-in) chicken curry hainanese chicken hainanese chicken rice beef rendang chow kueh teow hokkien char mee indian mee goreng mee siam nasi lemak kang kung belachan whole fish in belachan sauce frog legs with ginger and scallion Thu Feb 26 12:35:54 -0800 2009 4453538 47608 galangatron 2 4455124 Thanks for all the great suggestions! I'm heading there tonight and will try at least one or two of these ideas! Thu Feb 26 13:18:15 -0800 2009 4454962 231787 AnyaEssen 1 4455259 the tom yum seafood soup, the squid in house sauce I think (sorry i'm not sure of the name but is a black beany kind of squid) and the whole fish - yummm Thu Feb 26 13:50:46 -0800 2009 4453538 14809 teezeetoo 1 4456666 as a former resident of malaysia i can safely say most of Penang's menu actually isn't Malaysian, but some conglomerate of southeast Asian foods. eggplant with basil is kind of taiwanese and tom yam is thai, for instance. nevertheless, the more malaysian/singaporean things on the menu include roti canai, mee siam, char kueh teow, claypot vegetables (ugh they really should throw the rice into the claypot instead of serving it on the side, so it gets crispy too, that's the traditional way to do it), satay, indian mee goreng, . can't advise too much on seafood or meat specific dishes though -- i like vegetables so much more than meat and seafood that i'm effectively vegetarian because of my tastes. char kueh teow and mee siam are probably my favourite dishes in penang because they more closely matches the taste i remember in malaysia than their other vegetable dishes... Fri Feb 27 00:00:52 -0800 2009 4453538 229289 yuanzhoulv 2 4457326 Thanks to yuanzhoulv and the other posters. I wound up getting the mee siam--really tasty rice noodles with shrimp and tofu. The noodles were kind of pungent, which scared me at first, but it turned out to just be fish sauce. They were amazing with lime juice squeezed on top. My DCs and I also shared the steamed cuttlefish app. It was very much like squid--the chewy kind, not the crispy calamari variety. The cuttlefish was served in a thick, tasty peanut sauce on top of Chinese watercress. We finished up with the "ABC" dessert--a truly bizarre and awesome concoction of finely chipped ice, coconut milk, tapioca, black beans (!) and corn (!). It seems to be modeled after Taiwanese and Chinese desserts, which sometimes combine savory and sweet in that way. We ate tons of food, had lots of leftovers, and wound paying $15 per person including tax and a generous tip. That place is such a good deal! Fri Feb 27 08:06:10 -0800 2009 4456666 231787 AnyaEssen 1 4458517 an enormous bowlful of curry mee with coconut milk-based broth is a wintertime fantasy. rice and egg noodles, several permutations of fried puffy tofu, shrimp-fish-paste-filled bitter melon, plump slices of eggplant, bean sprouts, fish balls, and lots of sinus-clearing spice. Fri Feb 27 13:07:10 -0800 2009 4453538 15776 liuliuliu 2 4459631 OMG, you had me at shrimp-paste filled bitter melon...I'm so in love! Must try it! Fri Feb 27 20:09:21 -0800 2009 4458517 11108 galleygirl