This was our last day in Penang, to be more exact, only half a day remaining to tour around before we had to catch the flight home from the airport. We woke up early in the morning to pack up and check-out of our Airbnb apartment. We placed our belongings on our driver's mini-bus and off we go for our breakfast.
Roti Canai @ Jalan Transfer
We requested our driver to bring us to Jalan Transfer to have the famous Roti Canai (also known as Roti Prata) for breakfast. When we alighted at the place, we could immediately see a long queue in front of the Roti Canai stall, with another long stretch of tables and chairs along the roadside, all fully occupied.
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| Long queue at Jalan Transfer Roti Canai |
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| Rows of tables and chairs stretching along the street |
We split ourselves into 2 groups, one to scout around for any empty tables and the other to join the queue to place our order. After some waiting, we finally found a table at the very end of the stretch. At the same time, the other group also managed to buy the food.
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| At the stall |
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| Staff busy flipping the Roti Canai |
All of us ordered the Roti Canai and Ayam (curry chicken) set. My first impression was the hygiene was not good, as the empty plates, fork and spoons given to us were still oily, which they were not properly cleaned. We had to clean them by ourselves with tissue papers. Putting the bad initial impression aside, the Roti Canai and the curry chicken taste good and the serving was also generous.
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| Roti Canai |
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| Curry Chicken |
The food lived up to its name as a long establishment in Penang and a popular Roti Canai place in the hearts of many locals and tourists.
Chew Jetty (姓周桥)
After breakfast, our driver brought us to the Chew Jetty (姓周桥), one of the largest and most famous clan jetties along the coast of George Town. It is actually a Chinese ethnic village built on stilts (similar to
Kukup in Johor), with the households having their surname as "Chew".
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| Chew Jetty |
The village is not really big, just walk straight along the main path and we will reach the end of the jetty in no time. Along the sides of the main path, many of the households have been converted into retail shops, selling souvenirs, accessories, snacks and food.
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| A noodle shop along the main path |
Somewhere in the middle of the village is the location of a famous mural "Children on Boat", which was painted by Ernest Zacharevic. Unfortunately, the mural had already faded and we could barely see the image now. You can see the photo below on the original look.
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| Original look of the mural "Children on Boat" (Source: Photo from OnlyPenang.com) |
At the end of the jetty, we could see the city of Butterworth across the Selatan Strait while enjoying the windy sea breeze.
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| View of the houses built on stilts along the coast |
After some shopping and light snacks in the area, we turned back to the entrance and waited for our driver to pick us up to the next destination.
Pinang Peranakan Mansion
We visited the last attraction of our trip, the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, which is located not far away from the Chew Jetty.
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| Pinang Peranakan Mansion |
The mansion was constructed by a rich Chinese man Chung Keng Quee in the late 19th century, and later passed down through his descendants. The mansion was acquired in the 1990s and then redeveloped into a museum we see today, dedicated to the Peranakan heritage. The mansion was also the filming site of the famous Singapore MediaCorp's 2008 drama serial "The Little Nyonya".
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| Entrance |
When we arrived at the mansion, a guided tour just started and we quickly paid the entrance tickets and join in the tour.
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| The mansion has 2 storey |
The museum contains more than 1000 over collectibles related to the Peranakan culture and heritage, such as furniture, antiques, handicrafts, dining ware, kitchenware, jewellery, accessories and costumes. These collections are housed in various parts of the 2-storey mansion, with rooms transformed into different themes, such as dining room, meeting room, game room and bedrooms.
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| An impressive setting of Tok Panjang (Banquet) |
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| A meeting room |
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| A dinning room decorated in Western style |
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| Games room |
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| Entrance leading to the ancestral hall by the side of the mansion |
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| Photo on the teaching of embroidery |
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| A wedding headdress for the bride |
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| Traditional wedding costumes of the Peranakan |
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| Commerce tools used by the Babas |
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| Gold ornaments |
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| Nyonya Kebaya and silverware exhibits |
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| Setting of the kitchen |
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| Overlooking the sky well from the 2nd level |
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| Bedroom |
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| Wardrobes in the room |
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| An exquisite wooden bed |
The exhibits, together with the explanation from the tour guide, gave visitors a glimpse of the luxurious lifestyle of the wealthy Peranakan families in the early days.
Perut Rumah Nyonya Cuisine @ Jalan Bawasah
As we already had a lot of Penang street food over the past two days, so we wanted to try something different for our lunch. We got our driver to bring us to this popular restaurant, Perut Rumah Nyonya Cuisine.
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| Perut Rumah Nyonya Cuisine |
As the name tells, this restaurant specialise on Nyonya cuisine. The interior is fully air-conditioned and very well decorated to give visitors a nostalgic Peranakan experience. We ordered a wide spread of Nyonya cuisine, such as Kueh Pie Tee, curry babi, fish otah, fried fish with belacan, Asam prawns, fried chicken, mixed vegetables and pork stomach soup.
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| Kueh Pie Tee |
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| Pork Stomach Soup |
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| Curry Babi (Pork) |
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| Mixed Vegetables |
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| Fried Chicken |
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| Belacan Fried Fish |
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| Asam Prawns |
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| Fish Otah |
This was our most expensive meal in Penang (of course we cannot compare against the cheaper street food), but on the hand a very delicious and fulfilling one.
After the lunch, our driver brought us straight to the airport and it was time to bid farewell to Penang. In conclusion, it had been a fantastic trip in Penang, occupied with delicious street food, enjoying the unique George Town street arts, and the various attractions to know more about the heritage of Penang. It is indeed a great place for short weekend getaway.
Follow the links below to the other days of my Penang tour:
Day 1: Hot Bowl White Curry Mee, The Blue Mansion, Joez Coconut Jelly, Penang Hill, Jelutong Night Market
Day 2: Chok Kee Porridge Cafe, Kek Lok Si Temple, Pasar Air Itam Laksa, Ah Leng Char Koay Teow, Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul, Penang Street Art Murals, Mugshot Cafe, Gurney Drive Hawker Centre
Day 3: Jalan Transfer Roti Canai, Chew Jetty, Pinang Peranakan Museum, Perut Rumah Nyonya Cuisine
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