Penang

[Rachel Perlow]

This restaurant has been mentioned in several other threads but never got one all its own. First off, let me say that I have frequently heard poor comments about the Penang in NYC, but I have never been there. I have only ever gone to the one on Route 10 West in East Hanover, NJ, and there is a location in Edison as well. Every time we visit, I say that Bergen County sure could use one too, it’s not like the East Hanover location is likely to suffer too much. It is always packed, usually with people waiting for a table as well. It is a loud, raucous, but family oriented BYOB restaurant. The Malaysian cuisine served there seems like a cross between Chinese, Indian and Thai for the newcomer. After a while you start noticing the nuances that make this a unique style of food. When we lived in Morris County, Jason and I went to Penang numerous times.

We’ve probably tried about half of the extensive menu. In the beginning we tried some of the most “authentic” dishes, such as those with the Malaysian Shrimp Paste known as Belacan, but that taste was just a little too strong for us. Another thing we’ve noticed is that they only have one truly vegetarian dish on their whole menu, Buddist Delight with Bean Curd. All the other vegetable dishes have at least bits of dried shrimp for flavor. We particularly enjoy the String Beans with Dried Shrimp and Chili.

Here are some other dishes that I particularly recommend you try at Penang:

• - Any of the jumbo shrimp dishes, especially the lemongrass one – get them with the heads on! These shrimp are huge and very tasty.
  - Tofu Nyonya – a complex mix of pressed tofu, onions, pork and I’m sure many other things with a dark rich sauce.
  - Beef Rendang is one of Jason’s favorite curries. The chicken curry served with the Roti Canai (an appetizer) is very good too.
  - Most of the chicken dishes are stellar. We particularly like the Mango Chicken, which is stir fried with multi-colored bell peppers and julienne mango and served in a mango shell. The Pineapple Chicken is also served in its namesake fruit shell, but it is more of a typically flavored curry with pineapple chunks and diced green and red bell pepper, it is also just a little hot.
  - Several varieties of fish are available, including whole bass, red snapper and buffalo fish. These can also be served filleted if you prefer. The fish can be served fried with various sauces, there is even one that is served on fire (any dish with Volcano in the title is served on fire). However the Ta Chien (sp?) style is the one we’ve been ordering most recently. It is a whole steamed fish served with pickled cabbage, tomatoes and tofu.
  - My favorite soup is the Clay Pot Noodle Soup. A richly flavored thick broth studded with shrimp, squid, pork, chicken, etc, and lots of noodles. A meal for one, or a nice appetizer when shared between 3 or 4 people. The Clay Pot Pearl Noodle soup is similar, but with a different kind of noodle.
  - There are lots of noodle dishes available. We like the Stir-fried Pearl Noodles and Jason loves the Chow Fun.
  - They have some interesting drinks available with litchi or soy milk with or without grass jelly. The most popular dessert is Ice Kacang, which is “Shaved ice with red bean, corn, palm seeds, jelly, red rose syrup and condensed milk” but we prefer the simpler Peanut Pancake.
  

Penang Malaysian Cuisine

200 Route 10 West (in a strip mall just to the west of the Home Depot)

East Hanover, New Jersey 07936

Tel: 973-887-6989 or -3806

Cash Only - But they have an ATM next to the register if you forget.

[Rachel Perlow]

One of the reasons for me starting this thread with the above, is that 7 of us went to Penang for Chinese New Year on Friday and I couldn't figure out where to post about it. So, this post is specifically about Friday as opposed to the one above which is about the restaurant in general.

They had a list of Chinese New Year specials, but most of it was similar to the regular menu and we mostly ordered from that. We had:

• - Stir-fried Pearl Noodles
  - Coconut Fried Shrimp (from the special menu) - I didn't taste much coconut, seemed like just a pile of fried shrimp to me. These shrimp are smaller than the Jumbo ones I described above, but you get many more in an order so it is easier to share with a large group.
  - Jumbo Lemongrass flavored Shrimp - Eight appear in an order and everyone was suitably impressed with the size of these prawns - but is the flavor of them and the sauce that really wins people over.
  - Pineapple Chicken
  - Beef Rendang
  - Volcano Spareribs - One person wanted ribs, so I thought "let's get the one that's on fire!" But the Golden Spareribs I've had in the past may have been a better choice. The Volcano ones were a little steamed tasting from being wrapped in foil.
  - Tofu Nyonnya
  - Sea Bass Ta Chian - this really is an impressive dish if you can deal with the skin and bones.
  - Malaysian Fried Rice - this is a curry flavored rice dish and has cucumber and hard boiled eggs as garnish.
  - String Beans with Chili & Dried Shrimp
  - Okra with Chili & Dried Shrimp - they only have the straight vegetables two ways - this way or with Belacan, so we stuck with the same flavor with a different vegetable. They were very young okra, cut diagonally/vertically in half and flash fried, then mixed with the flavorings. Crisp-tender and not too slimy.
  - Peanut Pancake and an assortment of interesting drinks rounded off the meal.
  

Oh, what I forgot to mention above is how cheap this place is. I would say the majority of the menu is under $10 per dish, the only items over $15 are the jumbo shrimp dishes and the the fish which are around $18-20. Our banquet was $27 per person with tax & a more than 20% tip.

[scarlet knight]

If I recall correctly, as of last year, they did not accept credit cards. Still true?

[Jason Perlow]

Cash only but they have an ATM up front.

[Rachel Perlow]

See the bottom of the first post.

[Rosie]

Penang, East Hanover received a "Good" from Restaurant Reviewer David Corcoran in the NJ section of the New York Times 1/9/05.

[Rachel Perlow]

If I recall correctly, as of last year, they did not accept credit cards.  Still true?

←

Actually, they recently started accepting credit cards.

[howard88]

Perlow's

Good review and description of the dishes.

I had lunch,( a noodle dish with pork, chicken

and shrimp, very spicy and tasty) a couple of years

ago. It was a weekday and the place was packed.

After hearing about your recent experience I have

to get back and try some of the dishes you had.

[Jason Perlow]

The NY Times is now posting the main reviews the day they come out. Here's the one for Penang:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/nyregion...html?oref=login

[MarketStEl]

The NY Times is now posting the main reviews the day they come out. Here's the one for Penang:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/nyregion...html?oref=login

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I see you and yours are featured dining companions in the article.

There's one of these in Philly too, in Chinatown on North 10th Street; it's been open for at least six years.

I don't think it's been reviewed recently; it got decent writeups when it opened.

[Rachel Perlow]

My full quote should be "We ordered and ordered," Rachel said of their early visits. "Everything is so cheap, if we didn't like it, so what?"

That was the visit when I learned they now accept credit cards.

I'm always hearing negative comments about the Penang in NYC among others, but we've always enjoyed in the one in East Hanover, and went there very often when we lived in the area. Everytime we go back, I remind the manager that they need to open one in Bergen country. That's how he remembers me.

[menton1]

I'm questioning the authenticity of this Penang-- There is a "Penang" restaurant in Greenwich, CT that we go to as often as possible, even though it is a 45-50 minute drive from No NJ. The Penang in CT is not affiliated with the other Penangs. They have a signature dish in Sambal Sauce, which I understand to be the definitive Malaysian sauce, a dried-shrimp flavored sauce. It is fabulous, as are most of the other dishes at this Penang.

If the Jersey-ites here ever feel like a sprint over the Tappan Zee, this Penang in Greenwich CT will not disappoint!!

Here is a NY Times article about this Penang, even though it is a couple of years old, the place is still great!! Penang Greenwich article

[Jason Perlow]

I don't think that one is related. The Penang in East Hanover is definitely related to the others, however.

[menton1]

I don't think that one is related.

The Penang in CT is not affiliated with the other Penangs.

Definitely worth the ride, if just for the Sambal sauce dishes!! (About 45 mins from Bergen County)

Edited January 10, 2005 by menton1 (log)

[jb_973]

We've been to Penang in East Hanover a couple of times now, and have been quite pleased with the experience. As I think has been mentioned before, the place can get a little noisy (much like the Mexican restaurant next door), however not to the extent that it spoils the visit.

We've tried the Roti Canai - the Roti was a little on the tough side, but the curry dipping sauce made up for that. We also had the Mango Chicken, which was very enjoyable.

Anyway, we were talking to our waiters at Penang, and he mentioned that they have an annual Chinese New Year celebration. I understand that they also have a similar celebration at Bill & Harry's. Does anyone have any information on these for 2005?

[jb_973]

I managed to drag a couple of my colleagues out of the office for lunch today, and persuaded them to try something different. Everyone in my office is a Mie Thai diehard (not that it is a bad thing!), however a bit of variety is never a bad thing.

So, we went down to Penang in Edison (our office is near the Woodbridge Center Mall, so Penang is only about a 5-10 minute from us.) Very similar in style to the E. Hanover outlet, the Edison one is located next to a non-descript strip mall (and just like the one in E. Hanover, a few steps away from a Kam Man Food grocery store?!)

We had the Roti Canai for an appetizer (better than I remember the last time - Roti was a good mixture of soft and crisp). Entrees were the Mango Chicken (definitely a favorite dish of mine), Captain Noodles, and the Rendang Lamb - a recommendation of the waiter that turned out to be absolutely delicious. The Rendang sauce was equisitely spiced, and the lamb melted in my mouth. Everyone concurred that this was the best part of the meal.

Definitely adding it to the lunch time list (along with Mie Thai, Moghul, Moghul Express, Swagath, Franco BBQ etc :)

[JohnnyH]

I tried the Penang on W. 72nd St in Manhattan, as well as the one that used to be on 3rd Ave in the east village. I found both very disappointing and never gave either one more than that one shot. I'm in Morristown now and am happy to hear the E. Hanover branch get good reviews; I'll have to check it out.

[Jason Perlow]

Johnny, I havent heard great things about the NYC branches either. But don't let that deter you from the East Hanover one, I think its run by a totally separate tree of the family.

[laurenmilan]

I go to the Penang in Edison whenever I can, and I love taking friends there... not to mention the Kopi Sua Da gives such a first-class buzz that I've since learned to make it at home.

[Pan]

[...]not to mention the Kopi Sua Da gives such a first-class buzz that I've since learned to make it at home. 

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Buzz? What is "Kopi Sua Da"? It has some kind of alcohol in it? I never heard of it, nor is "sua da" anything I recognize as a Malay word (it's probably an expression from one of the Chinese dialects commonly spoken in Malaysia).

[spaghetttti]

I believe Caphe Sua Da/Nong is Vietnamese-style coffee, using individual-portion stainless steel drip filters and sweetened condensed milk. It's one of my favorite coffee preparations, good with ice (Sua Da) or hot (Sua Nong).

[laurenmilan]

I believe Caphe Sua Da/Nong is  Vietnamese-style coffee, using individual-portion stainless steel drip filters and sweetened condensed milk.  It's one of my favorite coffee preparations, good with ice (Sua Da) or hot (Sua Nong).

←

Yeppers, it's the same thing in Malaysian restaurants, only the "Cafe" is swapped out with "Kopi" (I remember "Kopi Lewak" - cat poop coffee - to help me keep it all straight!)

[Jason Perlow]

I believe Caphe Sua Da/Nong is  Vietnamese-style coffee, using individual-portion stainless steel drip filters and sweetened condensed milk.  It's one of my favorite coffee preparations, good with ice (Sua Da) or hot (Sua Nong).

←

In addition to Vietnamese and Thai iced coffees, I like the Malaysian style iced tea as well. Similar to the Thai variety, but it has more of a tannic taste to it.

[Jason Perlow]

Penang in East Hanover is consistently turning out excellent Malaysian food. Tonight was no different:

Malaysian Ipoh Bean Sprouts

A noodle dish with shrimp and squid.

Thai Basil Beef

Ginger Chicken, which is poured over rice

Shrimp Puffs wrapped with Bacon

My only wish is that they open a restaurant in Bergen County -- which, if the moons are aligned correctly, may indeed happen. The owner is currently investigaing spaces in Englewood.

[Dana329]

Based on what I read here, I took my (adventurous) 16 year old there for lunch a couple of months ago. He still talks about the chicken curry with roti! We also had the Ginger Chicken, Buddha's Delight and a beef dish. Everything was great, large portions (enough to feed a 6 foot adolescent with leftovers). I would love to go with a large group so I could sample more dishes.