PENANG - Edison branch

Penang has always been our favorite Malaysian restaurant ever. There are a few branches in the NY/NJ region but our favorite is the branch in Edision. It's closest to us and it's a little bit cheaper compared to the one in Lodi (also pretty close to us). The Malaysian food served in Penang is as authentic as you can get here in the States. Trust me, I was born and grew up in Penang (yes, the island in Malaysia, not the restaurant). I know the difference between authentic Penang food and rip offs.

My mother in law was in town a couple of weeks back and we decided to take her to try some Malaysian food. Penang is always crowded on weekends, so you have to be patient and wait a while for a table. We were pretty lucky that night cos we didn't really have to wait THAT long for a table.

The servers were bubbly and helpful, as always. They took our drink orders and gave us a few minutes to look through the menu. My MIL had a fresh coconut ($3.50) and Kevin had a Coke ($1.75). Chinese tea and ice water is on the house.

We started off with some Roti Canai ($3.95) and Satay ($7.50). The roti canai was very close to the ones we have at the mamaks back home. It's really good. I felt that the Satay wasn't really worth the money. $7.50 for 5 sticks of satay? It's almost sinful to spend so much on 5 sticks of satay. The taste was so so, it taste almost the same as the ones we make at home (with the instant satay marinade).

We also ordered some Penang LorBak ($9.95). The lorbak wasn't really that good. It tasted weird, not like the lorbak I know. However, the home made deep fried tofu and prawn fritters was really good. I am a little disappointed with the dipping sauce though. It came with chili sauce and some tee cheow (sweet sauce). How can they serve lorbak without the 'lor'? Oh well :(

Of course we had the Char Koay Teow ($7.95). Kevin loves the Char Koay Teow in Penang. I kinda like it too, it's better than the one in Nyonya or other Malaysian restaurants in the city.

My MIL had Wonton Mee ($7.50). It was alright, generous amounts of wonton but it wasn't really the Malaysian type of wontons. The wonton noodles were springy and good though. I liked the soup base, it was really flavorful.

I ordered the Penang Fish Head Beehoon ($7.50). That's my all time favorite dish in that restaurant! I would usually substitute the beehoon with yellow noodles. It's really really good, with lots of deep fried fish head pieces and salted vegetables.
One of the desserts that you MUST order when you are in Penang is the Peanut Pancake ($7.95). It's actually roti canai stuffed with ground peanuts, butter and sugar (something like the filling for Ban Chang Koay). It might seem a little bit expensive for dessert, but it's worth it. The mamaks in Malaysia should start making this, it's soooo gooooood.
We also had Pulut Hitam ($3.50) and Bo Bo ChaCha ($3.50). They both tasted great, almost as good as how my grandma used to make them while I was growing up. I would always order the Pulut Hitam when ever I need a little dose of home :P

Overall, you can see why Penang is our favorite Malaysian restaurant. They serve really authentic Malaysian food and the prices is pretty good on the pocket. Just remember to go early if you do not want to stand in line to get a table on weekends. Oh by the way, there is a great Asian supermarket just next to Penang called Kam Man Foods. You can get really good roast pork (siew yok) and bbq pork (char siew) by the pound there. There is also a Hong Kong style bakery in Kam Man that sells really good pastries and buns. You should try the BBQ pork puff ( char siew soh) and egg tarts. They are to die for :D



PENANG - Edison branch
505 Old Post Road,
Edison, NJ 08817
Tel: (732) 287-3038
Web: http://www.penangcuisine.com/