TASTE OF MALAYSIA
Busy eatery Penang Delight specializes in authentic, flavourful and affordable cuisine
Penang Delight Cafe offers authentic and affordable cuisine.
Icaught a whiff of Penang Delight Cafe en route to Sushi Kimura on a commercially orphaned block of Rupert Street. The latter, as said in a previous column, was a great find, especially the good- value omakase ( chef- inspired Japanese tasting menu, for $ 30 to $ 60).
When leaving, I detected tantalizing aromas drifting from the next- door Penang and a good sign: it was busy. Reserve or you might find yourself salivating and waiting while others eat.
It’s been open for over a year; owner Jack Tan visited Vancouver a few years ago and saw a niche for “100- per- cent Malaysian” food here. “Sometimes, it’s a mix of Thai, Indonesian food,” he says.
He hired Suzan Chan as head chef and manager.
“Since I was young, I lived in a restaurant family so when I grew up, I was a very passionate cook,” Chan says. “My mom and dad sent me to Vancouver to culinary school.”
She graduated from Vancouver Community College’s culinary program, adding to her Malaysian culinary back. She swaps ideas with four brothers back home, all chefs. “One of my brothers is very expert with Hainanese chicken,” she says. It’s on her menu.
Her menu of 60- 70 dishes and lunch and dinner service means long hours, so it’s good she’s motivated by passion.
“We put our hearts into it,” she says. “We want customers to eat quality food.”
I certainly enjoyed it, starting with the roti canai, which are big and fluffy and served with a curry sauce. Penang tofu was beautifully handled, battered and deepfried with a delicate crisp and golden exterior and served with sweet chili sauce and a tumble of cilantro. Kung pao squid with dried chili in “chef’s special sauce” proved to be tender and the sauce was gutsy.
The marigold- hued seafood laksa in a coconut curry broth was very good. Nasi lemak rendang chicken ( a rendang dish with a chili, tamarind, ginger, garlic and shallot- based marinade and sauce is a Malaysian must) was delicious with deeply marinated chicken, sambal ikan ( spicy fish), peanuts and a disk of rice.
While the seafood is generally tender and fresh tasting, I was surprised at the whole fish with mango, which was overcooked in fry oil, quite chewy and had very little flesh left to eat.
Desserts came unbidden ( the owner Tan seemed to be in generous mood both evenings we visited). Squares of pandan and coconut layers of jelly were nice and refreshing.
Tan hopes to open another Penang Delight and talks of a franchise.
Chan suggests, for a taste of everyday Malaysia, try the nasi lemak: coconut milk rice with sambal, ikan bilis ( anchovies), boiled egg, peanuts and cucumbers.
“Everybody has it every morning for breakfast,” she says. “Long time ago, it was served in banana leaf.”
And to steer you through the varied menu, she suggests roti canai and a rendang dish.
“The Chinese population here like the Asam laksa, which is made from fish broth. It is a Malaysian landmark.
“It’s sweet and sour and very popular in Penang.”
Another popular dish among the Chinese of Malaysia is the K. L. hokkian mee, with egg noodles, shrimp, squid, pork, fish cakes and vegetables in a dark soy sauce- based sauce.
Part of the reason for the restaurant’s popularity is the pricing. Most dishes, except the seafood, are about $ 10. Seafood dishes are $ 12 to $ 14 and appies are $ 5 to $ 6.
The room is colourfully eclectic ( photos of Malaysia and food, perhaps too much clutter) and Tan, when present, is friendly and warm and gives that extra level of care of ownership.