I’m facing down an incredible breakfast buffet at one of the hottest luxury hotels in George Town, Penang -- the Eastern & Oriental.
Cheese, pastries, curries, French toast, beef sausage, dim sum, fresh fruit.
The problem is, I don’t want any of it.
I’m preoccupied with what’s waiting for me outside -- some of the finest street food in Asia.
Penang food is a mix of traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes, as well as fusion cuisines such as Baba Nyonya, or Peranakan, which incorporates regional ingredients and Chinese and Malay cooking methods.
All of it can be found in hawker centers and shop houses throughout George Town.
Combine this with the city's collection of historic buildings in
various styles, from old English colonial mansions to classical Chinese
shophouses and Islamic mosques, and you have a city made for walking and
eating.My first meal in the city is a plate of lamb rendang, a traditional Malaysian curry made with coconut milk and spices, slowly simmered to allow the meat to absorb the flavors.
From that moment, I'm like a kid seeking out a sugar rush.
Stomach space becomes precious. I obsess over where and when I'll have my next meal.
My mission: to enjoy as many of the island's famed dishes as possible in three days.
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