Penang

[hitmanoo]

I've been to Penang in East Hanover a couple of times, and I've enjoyed it each time. They do a good job with the dishes, and the prices are so cheap. So cheap in fact that I can't understand how they are able to do the job they do at such low prices. In fact, I feel that the cost is unreasonably low.

You can have dinner for two for less than $40, and you'll not only stuff yourself, but have ample food to take home with you.

[MJP]

The girlfriend and I trekked out from a friend's place in Morris Plains to Royal Buffet in East Hanover (We had a gift certificate; it was a little better than Majestic, but that's another thread) and saw, in the same mall, not far from Kam Man Market, Penang, a Malaysian restaurant. I haven't had good Malaysian in NJ... not ever, I think.

Has anyone been? Is it worth the drive out from Lyndhurst to go again? I would kill a human being to have char kuey tiow like they did it in Australia when I was studying there for a semester.

[menton1]

Don't knowabout this one, but I go often to a Penang in Greenwich, CT that makes a killer awesome sambal sauce that they use in several dishes. My mouth is watering now... (Less than 1 hour from Bergen County)

[bobferdon]

food is great but bring your own glassware if you plan to drink good wine. They only have short 5 lb libby glasses

[BeeZee]

I've been to Penang in the Princeton area (Nassau Park shopping center, just off Rt.1)...in fact was there Sunday.

Love the eggplant dish which is quartered japanese eggplant barely coated with a thin crispy shell, fried, then topped with chopped chilis and dried shrimp. Yum, we like to order it like you'd get a side of fries.

The pearl noodles are cool, really thick and chewy (like worms). When you order, they bring it out as it's done, so if you want separation between dishes, better to order in phases!

[wilsonrabbit]

Don't knowabout this one, but I go often to a Penang in Greenwich, CT that makes a killer awesome sambal sauce that they use in several dishes.  My mouth is watering now...  (Less than 1 hour from Bergen County)

←

No need to drive that far. You could always just hop over to Chinatown. I was told by a friend that it started off as a family venture but after disagreements or something or another, the family members split off the restaurants so each one could be slightly different even if it's just a few streets away. Though some (one?) member(s) changed the name from Penang to something I forget now. Something like that... Personally, I've only been to the one in Chinatown and Boston. I'm so full of half information.

[hitmanoo]

The Penang in East Hanover is pretty good, and you get a tremendous amount of food for a very low price.

It's not spectacular, but you get a pretty good meal if you order right. I can't recall any recommendations at this early hour off the top of my head, as I haven't been in awhile.

[Laksa]

The char kway teow in Penang, East Hanover is different from the CKT I had in Melbourne many years ago.

I'd say it's closer to the CKT you find in Penang and KL. The difference is mostly in the texture of the noodles. The size (width) is also different, but I don't think that's as noticeable.

Regardless, IMHO Penang's CKT is certainly good enough to justify a trip from Lyndhurst. Hell, I used to drive 80 miles from Poughkeepsie.

They have a lot more than just CKT on the menu, though. They also have homemade (restaurant-made?) kueh bangkit for sale.

The one in Chinatown is sligtly cheaper.

[MJP]

Every good thing that's been said about Penang (East Hanover) is true. We went last night, and this was my first actual Malaysian experience. I've had bits and pieces of Malaysian before, but never the whole shabang. It was my girlfriend's first Malaysian ever, period.

We started pretty basic with roti canai and chicken satay. They'd been turning out a lot of the stuff and we had ours about two minutes after we ordered it. The roti was flaky on the edges and perfectly chewy in the middle. I think the chicken curry was a little on the mild side, the girlfriend (spicy-sensetive) thought it was a bit spicy. She really dug the satay.

We had recommendations from everyone in the thread: tofu nyonya, Penang jumbo shrimp (shells/heads on), and char kuey teow. The jumbo shrimp were absolutely delicious. I loved how they blended the spice, the shrimp paste, the onions, basil, and galangal... it became a thin paste that the shrimp were stir-fried in, and peeling off the heads and shells gave us the chance to go primal and lick off the sauce. The shrimp were split, so peeling was easy - and boy, did they mean it when they said jumbo shrimp.

The tofu nyonya was equally delicious. It kinda reminded me of the Chinese "ants climbing a tree" dish with a very Thai flavor, only with fried tofu instead of noodles. I think it'd be good for more people, since it was pretty substantial and protein-laden.

Finally... the CKT. I took one bit of this and it took me back to Brisbane: I'd get CKT take-out from a hole-in-the-wall Malaysian place, walk over to City Hall Park, and sit next to the bronze kangaroo statue while I tossed bits of noodles to the ibis. It was so delicious, and I could tell they used the dark soy that made it perfect.

We can't wait to go back. This was very much worth the trip. BYO made it only better, although next time I'm not bringing a gewurztraminer. It was pretty overpowered at some points, pretty overpowering at others. I'm still a wine n00b, so this serves as a good learning experience.