Ever since reading the book, A Gift of Rain, by Tan Twan Eng, Nick has had a deep desire to visit Penang, Malaysia. A Gift of Rain is set on the lush Malayan island of Penang during the tumult of World War II in 1939, and tells a riveting and poignant tale about a young man caught in the tangle of wartime loyalties and deceits.

So, it was that we found ourselves making our second trip outside of Singapore since arriving in February to visit Penang to experience the rich history, culture and food for which it is well-known.

Pulau Pinang

Pulau Pinang, or as it’s commonly known in English, Penang (Pulau is “island”), is located on the northwestern shores of Malaysia in what is known as the Straits of Malacca. Most people think of and visit Penang Island but the Malaysian State of Penang is also comprised of Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula.

Penang’s population is at approximately 1.8 M as of 2018 and George Town, on Penang Island is Malaysia’s second largest city after Kuala Lumpur.

Penang's modern history began in 1786, upon the establishment of George Town by Francis Light. Penang formed part of the Straits Settlements in 1826, which became a British crown colony in 1867. Direct British rule was only briefly interrupted during World War II, when Japan occupied Penang. The British retook Penang in 1945. Penang was later merged with the Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia), which gained independence from the British in 1957.

Like most of the coastal cities we’ve seen throughout the Asia Pacific region, Penang’s history and growth as a city is directly related to its strategic location as a port city as well as its importance in the spice trade. Light founded George Town as a free port to entice traders away from nearby Dutch trading posts. Simultaneously, spices were harvested on the island, turning it into a regional centre for spice production. As a result, maritime trade at the Port of Penang grew exponentially over the years. Following the decline of the maritime spice trade towards the 1970s, Penang's economy was reoriented towards hi-tech manufacturing.

Peranakan Food and Culture

If you ask most people in Asia about Penang, the first thing you’ll probably hear them talk about is Peranakan food and culture.

Peranakans are an ethnic group descended from Chinese settlers from the southern provinces who came to the Malay archipelago as early as the 1500’s. The Peranakans, also known as the Babas and Nyonyas, were a prominent community of acculturated Chinese unique to this part of the world, especially in the Straits Settlements (Penang, Malacca and Singapore) hence its other name, the Straits Chinese. Adopting selected ways of the local Malays and later, the colonial British, the Peranakans created a unique lifestyle and customs and not only left behind a rich legacy of antiques but also cultural influences like cuisine and language which are still evident.

More loyal to the British than to China, the Peranakans were mostly traders and were often English educated. Because of this, they almost always had the ability to speak two or more languages. When they settled, these early Chinese migrants to Penang ended up inter-marrying with the local Malays.

Given its history of migration and the influence of the spice trade, it easy to see how Peranakan food emerged as a unique part of Penang’s history. Generally, Peranakan food is a fusion cuisine which combines Chinese ingredients with Indonesian and Malaysian spices and Malay cooking techniques. While we tend to find Chinese dishes to be a bit bland, Peranakan food is aromatic, spicy and herbal. And though we’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg, in our short time here in Asia, our favourite Peranakan dishes so far are beef rendang (yum!) and assam fish or chicken.

Ted and Lisa… a Local Experience of Penang

Thanks to our new friends, Ted and Lisa, we were introduced to lots of wonderful cuisines in Penang. Ted is a transplant to Penang from Texas and has lived in Penang for 20-odd years. Lisa, his wife, is a local, 3rd-generation Penang resident. Introduced to them by our long-time Singapore friend, Daphne Wee, Ted and Lisa were the perfect hosts and took us out for every dinner that we had in Penang. It’s not often that you meet two people and instantly strike up a friendship but after a short weekend in Penang, we felt like we knew Ted and Lisa for years.

In case you’re in Penang and want to check out some varied cuisines, a few of the restaurants which they took us to included:

Winn’s Cafe: Winn’s, a Peranakan restaurant, was one of our favourites. We went there for lunch and had a set menu. All of the dishes were super-healthy with fresh ingredients, and had amazing and unique flavours. Plus the lemongrass tea was wonderful. Check it out when you visit.
Soon Lai Seafood 顺来本地海鲜: Ted and Lisa took us out with their friends to this bustling Chinese restaurant hidden away in a local neighbourhood. Our favourite dishes from this meal included the crispy mantis (the prawn’s brother) and the crabs/chili crabs. The crabs reminded us of our days in Maryland where we’d crack and eat crabs over newspaper with an ice-cold beer in hand.
Zheng Xian Ge 蒸鲜阁: In a nondescript location that looked like a strip mall, this place topped the list as one of the healthiest meals we’ve had because all of the food was steamed using a type of cooking called Steam Pot. What they did was put a bunch of rice, water, and a few spices in a bowl which sits in the middle of your table. Then they put a metal grill on top of it where they steam all kinds of fresh fish, vegetables, mushrooms, chicken, etc. As the food is steaming, the juices drop down into the rice to create a porridge which is eaten at the end of the meal. While it might sound a little strange, the meal was wonderful!

We are fortunate to have met Ted and Lisa and are grateful that they shared their experience of Penang. Thanks!

Reclining Buddha Temple (Wat Chayamangkalaram) and Dharmikarama ဓမ္မိကာရာမမြန်မာကျောင် Burmese Temple

After lunch at Winn’s Cafe, Ted and Lisa suggested that we visit the Reclining Buddha Temple, apparently the second largest reclining Buddha in the world. Also known as the Sleeping Buddha by the locals, this Buddha measures 33m in length. The temple was built in 1845 on five acres land given by Queen Victoria to the Thai community.

Even more beautiful is the Dharmikarama Burmese Temple, a Burmese temple located directly across the street from the Reclining Buddha Temple. This is the sole and oldest Malaysian Burmese temple in the state and, unlike it’s sister temple, it has a standing Buddha as it’s centrepiece along with beautiful gardens surrounding the temple. The Temple has also become a focal point for the annual Water, Songkran and Mid-Autumn festivals as well as Buddhist Lent and Candle Lighting Days within the city suburb.

Penang Hill

We always go on at least one run when visit a new location and for this trip, Ted and Lisa steered us toward Penang Hill. Penang Hill is series of hills that stand out from the lowlands of downtown Penang. Used as a retreat during the British colonial period, Penang Hill now operates as a tourist site and a place for locals to hang out.

After running about 5k to the base of Penang Hill, we decided to visit the top of Penang Hill and took a short-cut to get there. To do that, we rode Malaysia’s first-and-only funicular which included a 5-minute train ride from the base up 2,007m (or 1.25 miles) to the top.

Once on top, we saw shops, restaurants, look-out points, and lots of events for the local community, We also discovered a nicely paved road called lower tunnel road which had little to no traffic and wound its way around Penang Hill right below the top. The road allowed us to run another 5k in what was refreshingly cooler weather than the base.

If and when you visit Penang, we highly recommend venturing over to Penang Hill and, if you’re adventurous, put your hiking shoes on and a water bladder on your back and make your way up from the base of the Botanical Gardens.

Botanical Gardens

We also did a second run while in Penang to the Botanical Gardens. While much smaller than the gardens in Singapore and way less impressive (though there are not many gardens throughout the world that can top the Singapore Botanical Gardens), it was fun to run over to the gardens on a Sunday and see all of the local community walking and jogging on the paths and exercising.

Pinang Peranakan Mansion

To learn a bit more about Peranakan life, we also made a visit to the the Pinang Peranakan Mansion. Located in downtown George Town, this lime-green mansion offered a glimpse into the life of a typical rich Baba and Nyona of a century ago. Well worth a visit, walking from room to room, you learned a little bit about the lifestyle, customs and traditions of the Peranakan people from about a century ago including things like food, clothing, trade, marriage, crafts, business, religion, etc.

MacAlister Mansion

During our brief and relaxing visit to Penang, we stayed at the MacAlister Mansion which offered a beautifully appointed modern room in an old colonial style hotel. The hotel was small with only 8 rooms and included a lovely sitting room/bar along with a relaxing cafe where you could get breakfast, lunch, and mid-afternoon tea. Plus the service and staff were very attentive and friendly.

So, our assessment of Penang… thumbs up. We certainly need to go back and explore more of George Town, to discover more Peranakan restaurants, and to learn more about the past and current history of Penang. It’s a lovely city with friendly people and a warm culture well worth a visit.