I am excited over the opening of the newest Malaysian restaurant in Vancouver. This restaurant could very well turn out to be the best Malaysian restaurant. From what I experienced two days ago, I think they have what it takes to be successful in the long run.
Just last week, Ron and Nancy emailed us about the impending opening of this restaurant in their neighborhood. Knowing that we from Malaysia, they asked us if we would like try it. Of course, we would. We would not pass on an opportunity like that.
The Penang Delight Cafe is located on Rupert and 22nd Avenue in Vancouver. As a matter of fact, they are located just next door to Kimura.
From the outside, I like the look of the restaurant. The lighted sign outside made sure it caught our attention. One thing that struck me was two opposing information on their signboard. On the right side, they have a tag line that says “Fine Malaysian Cuisine” but yet on the left side, there is a logo in the image of a hawker stall. I thought it was kind of funny.
I was just thinking what is with the word “Delight”. It seems like the Malaysian restaurants in Vancouver likes to use that word. I know of two other Malaysian with that word: Hawkers Delight, Cafe D’Lite and Orchid Delight.
I did not know that but apparently they were opened officially for the first day the day we were there. It was absolutely packed and there was a line up at the door.
Even though we had reservation, we had to wait 20 minutes before we had a table ready for us. So while waiting, we looked at their menu. That was when I overheard the waitresses saying they ran out of some dishes. I think they did not anticipate the volume of business on their first day.
And that is NOT good for us.
The restaurant is clean but seating are tight. This is not a big restaurant. We think it seats about 30 people, max. The manager (picture above, behind the counter) flashed his peace sign when I took the picture. He was friendly and obviously excited with the reception that they are having. When he saw me taking that shot, he came over and asked me if I am from a Chinese newspaper. I just smiled and did not say anything. Anyway, Suanne and I always had a problem explaining to people that we are bloggers because we don’t know how to say it in Chinese.
The walls are decorated with black and white photos of scenery and food from Malaysia. The manager told us that those are his pictures.
Ron and Nancy left all the ordering to me. I gladly took that responsibility. 🙂
I wanted more time to look over the menu carefully. So I decided to first order drinks.
I love their drinks. It is exactly the same way as it is served in Malaysia, right down to the Kopi-O cups. Gosh, those cups with the green flower design are from my dad’s era! The design had never changed after 50 years and it is still the same. The manager told me that he imported them from Malaysia. I like it because he wants to give it a real authentic feel.
I decided to order four different types of popular hot drinks. They are all $1.50 each and not big cups. This is the typical size served in Malaysia.
First of all I ordered Milo (we as kids call them Mee-Lok, not My-Lo). The manager said that he also ships the Milo in their 1.5kg tins from Malaysia. You can get Milo in Vancouver but it is not the same. The version in Malaysia is more creamier and more chocolaty. Thumbs up. When I was young, I always have a glass of hot Milo before I go to bed. My mum was always complaining that our consumption of Milo is so high that we can easily empty the 1.5kg tin in less than a week. I know … some of you readers in Malaysia is gonna laugh at me for getting so excited over Milo. 🙂
I also ordered the Ipoh White Coffee. You will love this uniquely Malaysia coffee. The beans are roasted with … palm oil margarine! It is not white despite the name. You should try it if you had never tried it before. You can get them in 3-in-1 instant packets to make them at home too.
The third hot drink is Teh Tarik, the famous pulled tea from Malaysia. I don’t think they actually “pull” the tea here though. See this video if you have never seen a pulled tea dance before.
The other drink is the Penang Kopi. This is really black coffee and sweetened with condensed milk … always condensed milk, never evaporated milk. Oh man, I love the way they serve this.
For those of you who do not know, Penang is the second largest city in Malaysia. That city is best known for its food which is both very good and very cheap.
The pages above is their dinner menu. Click on them to show them in full page.
The service that night was best described as chaotic. No, I don’t hold this against them because I understand that it is their first night. There were SEVERAL (not just once!) instances when they gave us dishes that we did not order.
Then we overheard them telling other tables that they had either ran out of the more popular dishes or that they did not manage to get some of the dishes ready in time. So as we decide what we wanted, we thought the best strategy was to pick more dishes than we want and prioritize them.
It turned out to be a sound approach because a lot of our first choices were not available. It was very embarrassing for the manager to say “sorry” so many time.
Assam Laksa –> sorry!
Pan Mee –> sorry!
Penang Char Koay Teow –> sorry!
Bah Kut Teh –> sorry!
Loh Mein –> sorry!
Of the ones above, I so wanted to try Pan Mee and Loh Mein. These are two dishes I had not tried in Vancouver before. So you can imagine how excited I am to see that they have this on their menu even though I did not manage to have it.
The Penang Prawn Noodle ($9) was recommended by manager as a replacement for the Asam Laksa they did not have. It’s a poor replacement but I said OK.
Turned out that it was a GOOD replacement. This tasted a lot like the ones made in Penang although the color of the broth is darker than I am used to. What I love most about this is the fried shallots. You can’t really see it but you can certainly taste it.
The broth is a bit too sweet but at least it was spicy enough and has a very shrimpy taste.
The fresh yellow noodle along with hard boiled egg, vegetable, shrimp and shrimp paste makes a quite an authentic package. It is still not exactly the same but I have not come across one in Vancouver that is close to this. Very nice!
I told the manager that they MUST have kangkong as the vegetable and not that green leafy thingy they gave as a substitute. The prawns were a whole piece when they should slice it lengthwise.
The manager also recommended that we get their Cantonese Chow Fun ($9). This dish you can get in many places … but … not many places will make it the way it is supposed to be made.
The flat rice noodle and vermicelli had to be fried separately first. Then the pork, vegetable and egg gravy is cooked before they pour this over the two noodles. That way the noodles are crispy. You have to eat it quick before the gravy turns the noodles soggy and soft.
The manager call this the feminine version of the popular fried noodles. Since we had the feminine version, we must have the masculine version.
He said the masculine fried noodles is the Hokkien Mee ($9). I had never heard of the feminine/masculine analogy before. I think he made it up.
Anyway, the Hokkien Mee is somewhat like Shanghai Noodles as we know it here in Vancouver. However it is not the same. The difference is in the sauce. You need the dark soy sauce to make this and it is difficult to find in Vancouver.
Frankly, this version from Penang Delight is just so-so. Suanne make a much more better version at home. I am not kidding. She had posted the recipe for the Hokkien Mee before in this post here.
I told the manager that this is not up to par. The manager did say that they had to use udon to make this dish. Moreover the sauce was too liquidy, and they should be more caramelized and thicker.
But at least they had the most important ingredient. In Cantonese, we call it Jee-Yau-Jar! 🙂
Fried pork fat! But theirs is too tiny and not crisp enough. They should ask Suanne how to make it the right way.
The Hokkien Mee and the Cantonese Char Fun has to be served with sambal chili. Gosh, I had to ask for it. This is like serving fried eggs without ketchup … something like that.
On their menu, a saucer of sambal sauce costs $1. That is expensive. Sambal Chili has to be free. I mean, you don’t see restaurants charge for ketchup do you?
Anyway, the manager gave us some and he did not charge us for it.
We also had the Nasi Rendang Chicken ($11). It is strange. Their menu has Chicken Rendang but no beef version. Rendang is primarily cooked with beef in Malaysia. I would love to know why they don’t offer beef.
Moreover the menu says that it is pan-fried chicken (in lemon grass, curry, garlic, coconut milk gravy). As far as I know rendang meat is not pan fried but it is cooked for hours until the curry is dried up.
Nevertheless, this dish is pretty good. We like it but it is also hard to share between the four of us because there is only one piece of chicken.
The Roti Canai ($6) … no good.
You can see that it is not flaky which is a big no-no. It is however sweet tasting.
We were surprised to see how cheap the bill was.
It was until we realized that they left out the Nasi Rendang Chicken. I was wondering if I should quickly pay up and get out of the restaurant doubly quick … you know …
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C7oqXewyCE&w=600&h=475]
.. like this “Get The Car” commercial from IKEA.
🙂
I was not smart and pointed it out to them. Then suddenly, it became too expensive.
Actually their food is not cheap. It is about $1 more than I think they should charge. Their portions is small too.
Anyway, despite this, I will definitely go back to try items that they didn’t have on the first day like Assam Laksa, Pan Mee, Penang Chow Koay Teow, Bah Kut Teh Hot Pot, and Loh Mein.
I shall return.
Business Hour
Wed to Mon: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
Tue: closed
Ooo I am excited! I love Malaysian food! But the Roti Canai looks so pale…
Hi Elaine: Yeah, you can see immediately that the roti canai is not good. I don’t know but I won’t be surprised if it is pre-packaged ones. But then I was thinking that even better pre-packaged ones have that flakiness. Roti Canai are best made by Indians, not Chinese. I have not seen many Chinese making good roti canai in Malaysia. BTW, this restaurant serves Chinese Malaysian cuisine. Ben
Ooooh! Few days ago Buddha Boy and I drove by this place when we went shopping at Chong-Lee…we have put this on our to-try list! WOW! You are fast!!! LOL!!!
I love bah-ku-teh (肉骨茶)!!! Hehehehe!
The Milo looked good! You see, when I first came to Vancouver couple decades ago, we bought a Milo here and it tasted horrible, not like the ones my aunt used to buy me when I was in Taiwan…so creamy and so chocolaty!!! So I stopped drinking it here!!!
I drove by another new Malaysian (and Thai, I think) restaurant on West Broadway the other day…called Joyful Kitchen…seemed quite busy too!
Hehehe Buddha Girl: For Malaysian food, I want to be fast. This is one food that is dear to my heart. 🙂 I’ll leave everyone else be fast with other cuisine or food. LOL! You like Bah Kut Teh (BKT) huh? Where is the best BKT you have every tried in town? Thanks for reminding me about Joyful Kitchen. I’ll go check it out one of these days. Ben
Ben!!! Hahahah!!! Not gonna fight with you for being fast to the food that’s dear to your heart!!!
Yes! I love BKT!!! Honestly, I don’t know what the “authentic” or the “classic” versions of it…but I do love the ones I have had in Taiwan…unfortunately…I have not yet have any good ones in Vancouver. Years ago, there was this place in the food court at the Richmond Public Market…but then the owner sold his business…so yea…don’t know anywhere now…do you have any suggestions???
Hi Buddha Girl: Wow, I did not know that Taiwanese also eat Bah Kut Teh. In Malaysia it is a popular breakfast item … and also late night suppers too. There are many types of bah kut teh. Some have broth that is thick, black and sticky while some are brothy and light. I prefer the ones that is lighter. The best Bah Kut Teh? It is found in Chez Suanne. We’ll make some for you next time. When Chef Suanne make it she makes a lot. Ben
Hi Ben!!! I agree, I prefer the soupy light ones…
LMAO! “Chez Suanne”…hahahaha…we should have a blog that combines all the “Chez”…HAHAHAHA!!! Mmm…looking forward to Chef Suanne’s BKT!!!
Ben, I once had very delicious BKT in S’pore where they had the lighter version consisting of ribs & pig tails. The darker version has pig “fun-cheong”, kind of like intestine (don’t know the exact name) but I like it very much. You can add “yiutiao” for S$1.50 a plate.
Hehehe … the best BKT and home of BKT is in Klang, not Singapore (trying to start a flame war going here). The original BKT from Klang is the lighter version which is what I prefer. Have you ever tried it in Klang before. They have these dangerous boiling pots of water with charcoal on the side that everyone helps themselves to. I thought it was a bad idea because of kids running around but it was tradition … at least back then. Ben
Hi Ben, never been to Klang before leh…..but I just spoke to a Calgary friend of mine who is originally from there & she also raved about her Klang BKT so there you go! Nefore I hung up the phone, I told her to check out Chowtimes….LOL!!
I really like malaysian food a lot! I think it was after eating at Tamarind Hill that made me interested in malaysian/singaporian food. Although I am no expert on Malaysian food I also notice the roti doesn’t look like those fresh ones where it is long and flaky rather the ones in the pic look more like the pre-packaged frozen stuff you can get at T&T. Hehe I couldn’t help but also notice about the Chicken rendang. when you introduced that item the first thing that came to mind was “i never knew there was such thing as chicken rendang I only have ever had beef” why haven’t i ever heard of it?!??!haha.
BG I have walked by Joyful Kitchen and it looks nice. Do you know if it is authentic malaysian?
I cannot tell you if it is authentic Malaysian…this you will have to ask Ben…I honestly have no clue about Malaysian or Singaporean or Indonesian or Filipino food. I usually leave the ordering to my girlfriends…hehehe!
Hi Agingteen (and Buddha Girl): I just went to Urbanspoon and Dinehere to look for Joyful Kitchen reviews — none yet but the sign says Malaysian and Thai cuisine. Oh … I don’t know about mixing two cuisines together. Although the two countries are neighbours, there are not much similarity between the two countries (unlike Malaysia and Singapore or Malaysia or Indonesia). Still we will check it out. Ben
Ben,
BG and I will definitely try this place, but I have to say, from your pictures, the prices are really on the high end. Do you suppose that your chicken dish was supposed to be more than one piece, but because of the busy day, they ‘skimped’ on quantity? For $11, that’s really really pricey for a piece of chicken and a bowl of rice.
BB
Hi Buddha Boy: Yeah, I think that the $11 was too steep for what we got for Chicken Rendang. That Chicken Rendang could well be called Nasi Lemak really. You are right, they could have skimped on the chicken because of the demand. The chicken is not something you will prepare in a few minutes from scratch. This takes hours of cooking. Ben
For Agingteen,
Joyful Kitchen is so so…they are from Ipoh. Singapore currey crab was disappointing. Size small, no claw, no gravy and dry. If it was dungness crab, shell was less than 4 inches wide. Taste ok otherwise. Other dishes like char kway teow and hokkein noodles very mediocre. Maybe because they are new? dishes no wok hay.
Agree with nexus re Joyful, sadly. I’m hoping it was growing pains but the meal we had there shortly after they opened was not good at all.
I’m curious to try this restaurant. I might go there for lunch today and order pan meeh or loh mien depending on what’s available. Of course I’ll get the Malaysian Milo too. Actually Milo is also very popular in the Philippines as well as Ovaltine. They were my childhood drinks too.
Hi Crispy: Let us know how the lunch goes? Am particularly interested to hear what you think of the pan meen and loh meen. Hehehe … you know what those two dishes are, don’t you? Ben
Actually I wasnt able to make it there today. I was in Vancouver today but ran out of time. I will deffo try it one of these days. I dont really know what pan meen and loh meen are. I am basically going by the description in the menu. So I wont be able to tell if its authentic or not.
Hi Ben!
Have not commented for a long time but this is something I could relate to. 🙂 We have lots of these ‘posher’ kopitiams in Msia now. Typical set-up: wooden tables with marble table tops, antique looking fans, those cups that drew memories for you, bowls painted with roosters (erm… kai zhai woon?), Teresa Teng songs (I added that, haha). The food above are typically served in such kopitiams but the must-have is the roti kahwin! Rich, creamy kaya with a slab of cold butter. Yum yum! And also the half-boiled eggs. Ahh… Have relocated to Hong Kong and I miss Msian food. 🙁
Hi Belinda: Oh yeah. I was in Malaysia two years ago and I was pretty impressed with the posh kopitiams. I even went to one, the Old Town Kopitiam (link here) … air-cond some more! Yeah, it also means it is more expensive but I like it. Hehehe … roti kahwin, I like that name. That is yin-yeong, isn’t it? Shows that even the Malays also know how to enjoy the bread the way that the ah pek of the kopitiam makes it. Half boiled eggs … even I enjoy having it at home once in a while. We even have one of those thingy that makes perfect half-boiled eggs … better than any sous-vide machines. 🙂 Wah … still following chowtimes after so long and also after having left Malaysia. Ben
Penang, my hometown. 🙂
Ben about Milo. You can get the Malaysian kind (read the label) from Smart N Save. It tastes miles better than the “north american” ones because they used palm oil or something 🙂
I wonder if this is the same Penang restaurant which has two locations (in White Rock and Abbotsford). I’ve tried the one in Abby a couple of years ago but I can’t remember if it’s any good, LOL! (Just checked. The other restaurant is called Penang Szechuan.)
No kangkung in hokkien mee?? Aiyah…. teruk!
Ben, if you want kopi or tea, I have bags of them from Penang. It’s a couple of years old (haha) because I’m too lazy to use that “sock” sieve to make it. I feel that using a coffee press to make Penang kopi is an offence. 🙂
Hi Lissa:
Let’s talk Manglish. Eh … got meh? I dunno White Rock and Abbotford also got Penang restaurant one. I think it is not the same-same because Penang Delight’s website dun have mention other restaurant one. Some more, I looked for urbanspoon also dun have.
Ya-lah … how can hokkien mee (the prawn noodles type) no have kangkung. So teruk. You Penang-lang call prawn noodle, hokkien mee but wa KL-lang’s Hokkien Mee boh-siang. KL Hokkien Mee is oh-oh in color.
Wah … two year old kopi powder can pakai or not? After drink, get lau-sai. I think we have the kopi-o socks at home but no kopi-o powder. You want to give, I take.
My mum and dad are both Penang-lai but I am KL-giah.
Ben
Ya. White Rock & Abbotsford got Penang restaurant. http://www.penangszechuan.com/ But this place, very rojak one. Some more expensive. I don’t want to go again lo.
I suka Penang hokkien mee more than KL one-lah. My friend ajar I how to cook hokkien mee. Very mah-fun and lots of work lah. Prefer to buy paste. Kau-tim.
Actually, kopi hoon more than 3 years old already. You got plumbing problems from sichuan hot pot; not sure you will lau sai or not. You want to try? 🙂 I have teh and kopi because I like cham. Next time I pi Burnaby, I let you know.
Hi Lissa: OK, next time you mai Burnaby, let me know. I would gladly take the Kopi-Hoon off your hands. 🙂 Ben
hehe, I like this “manglish” feed between Ben and Lisa , haha very funny
Agreed. It’s quite amusing.
On a side note, it sounds like some words in Malaysian sound very similar to Teochew (a Chinese dialect). Like, “oh-oh” is dark/black, “pakai” is other/another one, “lau-sai” is uhh.. the runs, etc. Wow, I learn something new every day! I’m sure it’s pronounced a bit different, but still. I didn’t know the two languages were so similar!
Hi Christine
Black/dark is pronounced like or-or. “Pakai” is a Malay word meaning “wear” but in Ben’s context it means “used”.
In Malaysia, people speak Hokkien and Teochew. Most conversation is a mixed of a lot of dialects and languages. 🙂
Ah, I guess I was wrong about Malay sounding like Teochew. That’s so cool that people speak a mix of dialects and languages over in Malaysia. Does that mean that most people are fluent in a bunch of languages – a lot like how Europeans know a handful of languages?
Hi Christine: Yes, it is common for people in Malaysia to speak several languages. For instance in my case, I go to school where the official medium of instruction is Malay but my school is a missionary school where English was a predominant language. I also grew up in a church and with friends who uses English. My best friends who I hang out with are Hakkas. My parents are Hokkien and I learn Hokkien from them although I speak Cantonese with them because KL is a Cantonese city and most Chinese will speak Cantonese. However, my parent’s friends are mostly from a church who speaks Mandarin. Wait there are more. Our maid is Indonesian and we uses Malay with her. Since Malaysia also has a sizable Indian population and I have a lot of Indian classmates I know quite a smattering of Indian — but they are mostly curse words. LOL! In school too I learned a few other languages … COBOL, Fortran, C and picked up a few other languages on the way too. So yeah … Malaysians do know quite a few languages. That should explain why we call the Malaysian English, Manglish. Ben
Milo!!! yah!
I love how you were so critical about the food…..because I would be too!
okay, you were not critical really..but the things you pointed out I totally agree!! $1 sambal? you kidding me? I would have to buy 3-4 tiny dishes of those things to be satisfied.
Hi Li Lian: Yeah, I hold Penang Delight to a higher standard and that is a good thing. I really think they got a good thing going in this restaurant. Let’s hope they continue to hold true to being authentic and not take the easy way out and start substituting local ingredients for real ones. 🙂 Ben
Thanks for the heads up Ben. Always looking for good tasting Kopi-cuisine. Pitty about the rendang-no-lembu.
Just wait… One of these days someone will open a place where they will MAKE roti canai, instead of just open the frozen thing.
You all remember the space it takes & the skill, but the reward could be good for someone who gambles on doing it right.
Maybe the flour is not very good here for getting a good result?
Thomas, I think roti canai only needs plain flour. It takes skill to make and/or flip that soften batter.
Hi Thomas: Yeah, it will be a dream come true if someday someone open up a mamak stall … complete with roti canai terbang and teh tarik dance. That would absolutely rock Vancouver. 🙂 Ben
Tks for the post Ben! I can relate to your childhood memories…hehehe…especially the Milo! I like to just eat it off the tin with a spoon! The more authentic M’sian Milo can be found at Rmd Lansdown’s Smart N Save. Will definitely give this place a try soon!
Hi HM: LOL! You eat Milo off the tin too? Me too! LOL. We were not very rich when we were young and we were mindful of how expensive Milo is. As much as we want to eat the Milo straight from the tin, we did not. So, every time we scoop the Milo from the tin and have some spilled over the rim of the tin, we would clean it up with our fingers. Nice! Ben
Hi Ben,
I am passionate about Malaysian food. When I read your write-up about a new Malaysian Restaurant in town, my eyes widened, mouth salivating and heart beating 3 times as fast.
I am not sure if you are aware that there is a Malaysian restaurant in Surrey called Malaysian Hut. I go there quite often and I think the food there is quite authentic. It’s a bit of a drive but I got there because that’s the only restaurant that makes my favourite Malaysian dessert – kueh da da properly!!!!! If you’ve gone to eat there, please let me know what you think.
I’m dying to try out this new restaurant – Penang Delight. Is it in the same mall as that chinese supermarket? Am I corret to assume that this new Malaysian restaurant has taken over the location of the chinese/hk style cafe?
Sybil
Malaysian Hut has quite good Sabah lor mee since the owners are from there. Other than the lor mee, I didn’t find anything that good.
Hi Sybil:
We had been to Malaysian Hut in Surrey before. That was 4 years ago and we posted about it here. Maybe its time for a revisit … if only it is not so far from home. 🙁
Penang Delight in not on the same mall as the Chinese Supermarket (Chong Lee) and HK Style Cafe (Golden Oscar). Both of them are still there. Penang Delight is across the street from them on Rupert.
Ben
Malaysian Hut has a new location on W. Broadway, just east of Oak. Or at least that’s what I think they’re called.
Really? I think the one on W.Broadway and Oak is the Joyful Delight Malaysian restaurant…..is it the same owner as Malaysian Hut? That would be really nice if it is because I have always wanted to go to Malaysian Hut but Surrey is so far for me..
Don’t quote me on the name. I’ll drive by again for a better look. Hopefully it’s M. Hut, as they seem to garner good reviews in the local foodie blogsphere.
Sorry Agingteen, the W. Broadway (just east of Oak St) Malay resto is in fact The Joyful Kitchen, as pointed out by Nexus and Grayelf further up in this thread.
Going there for my birthday lunch on Friday with a bunch of friends. 🙂 I’m going to call them and make sure they have pann meen. 🙂
this place opened up the street down from my house actually! My dad and I were going to check it out sometime this week… but looks like you guys beat me to it lol.
Hi LucyH: I love your blog. You got to a lot of restaurants I like going to. Hehehe … sorry for beating you to Penang Delight. 🙁 Ben
Hey Lissa, I was thinking of doing the same! lol *pan mee fanatic
i’m almost deathfully afraid it will disappoint…. pan mee shld be hard to screw up right?
Hi Alice: So what is the main ingredient for a good Pan Meen? For me, it is the anchovies (gong-yee-jai). It must be the right size … not too small and not too big. We used to import them from Malaysia. Ben
The ikan bilis should be important. But I think the noodles too. I wonder what kind of noodles Penang Delight uses. I used to live near the night market near BJ Kompleks in Penang. One popular pan meen stall makes their own noodles right on the spot.
YESSS definitely the anchovies infusing the otherwise simple floury broth with that slight pungency. ive been eyeing up anchovies alot but none of them looks right, so they need to be imported eh…… its the ultimate comfort food even in the tropics lol i guess the texture of the mee also figures, not too mushy….and i demand a poached egg :)))
Good pan meen? I like the ‘mit’ type. And back where I came from (Sarawak), the veggie used is cangkuk manis (I think they call it sweet potato leaves) and not bayam (spinach) or sawi (mustard leaves?). And we normally add poached eggs to it too. 🙂
Wow, I can see that there are many passionate Msian foodies in Vancouver. Too bad I’m stuck at the other side of the world. Yes, I still check out Chowtimes almost daily. From KL – Sibu, Sarawak – now HK. My fav foodblog!
Hi Belinda: The “mit” type of pan meen is rare these days because it is time consuming to make. My mum makes it the “mit” type and I love it that way. You know your pan meen well! 🙂 Ben
I’m just wondering what “mit” type is. Also how can I tell if the pan meen at Penang Delight has “mit”. Hmmmm.
Hi Crispy:
Sorry about that! 🙂 The word “mit” in Cantonese means to pinch and to tear. The original pan meen is originally hand made where people pinches/tears the “noodles” by hand … one at a time. That was before people started to use mechanical rollers that rolls the dough and also at the same time cut it into strips. Most restaurants will not go through the menial task to “mit” the noodles one at a time anymore. So, you will know it is “mit” when you see the “noodles” irregular shape with the middle section a bit more thicker. The “non-mit” types basically looks like any flat flour noodles.
Here is the picture of the “Mit” type and here is the picture of the “Non-Mit” type.
Hope this helps.
Wow thanks for such a detailed explanation. I thought “mit” is a special Malaysian ingredient like cockles. I will check it out and report here if Penang Delight’s pan meen is mit or not. 🙂
LMAO I think “meeeeeeeeet” is a better pronunciation of it XD
Hey Elaine: “Meeeeeeeet” sounds very painful … like a prolonged pinch. 🙂
LOL at the Manglish. 🙂 Zero-effort Milo dessert: Milo + condensed milk. Quantity depends on personal preference. Stir till it reaches the preferred consistency. Makan just like that! Off to buy Milo now…
this was my go-to order back in singapore cookie cutter food courts, the type thats usual there is the mit type though, definitely trumps regular noodles *prays fervently that Penang delight does mit
i think i have a serious case of msian food envy, everything i loved in sg there are better versions variations of it in msia that i never tried ;_;
I agree… the roti canai looks really sad. Haven’t found any place in yvr who has good roti canai. The best one I had is in Seattle = Malay Satay Hut… just look at the picture… yum! > http://www.malaysatayhut.com/menu_large/Roti%20Canai.jpg
Also love their seafood scramble egg chow fun
Hi Ellis: Oh yeah! That is how a perfect Roti Canai must look like. Hope it is not one of those “for illustration” photos that McDonalds has on their website. Ben
I went there 2 days ago.. i think they heard you Ellis. They fixed the roti canai
Its like one of the best ones i had in a long time.. i will return for more!!!
Darn. We should’ve ordered that today to see if it really did improve. Thanks for the heads up Cathy.
Hi Nancy: What do you mean darn? LOL! That was the reason why I put in roti canai on the order list the 2nd time we were there. Now, we gotta go there the third time! Am kidding … Ben
Hi Ben, really enjoyed reading all the threads to this post esp your Manglish! haha….
Hmmm … Maybe I’ll do a post someday using entirely Manglish/Singlish. If I do that, perhaps only 5% of the readers will understand but I think that will make that 5% very happy. Ben
WoW, that looks traditional. We’ve always been wanted to try something different. I should talk to Rockia and give Penang Delight a try when we are around there next time.
Hey, Ben, do you have regular eat out days with other bloggers? We can see if there is any slot we can squeeze in (need to arrange our schedule tho, so it’s better to know yours in advance, 🙂 )
Wah, I like your authentic review of this restaurant. Growing up in Penang, I agree it’s hard to find something that look and taste close to what I had. Your blog really helps. I especially like your description of Penang “Hairmee” (Prawn Noodle). I know what you’re talking about, the color is more yellow orange and and I too like it better when they slice it in half and remove the shrimp waste. I think the roti canai looks authentic, but we’re so used to the fluffy and flaky style. Try Malaysian Hut in Surrey’s roti canai, it’s pretty damn good.
So, I finally went to Penang Delight this afternoon. My friends & I ordered mee rebus, paan meen, hokkien mee, char koay teow, curry laksa, satay and nasi goreng. I asked for sambal for the nasi goreng and the guy said he’s going to give it to me free because I was having a birthday celebration lunch. But with so many customers coming & going, he forgot. 🙁
All the food is not bad but it’s not that outstanding either. As to the paan mee, I’m glad to say that the broth/soup is really good with the anchovies flavour BUT the noodles are so tough. What a disappointment.
Even though the lunch prices are cheaper, the portions were really small. That’s coming from my friends too.
Hi Lissa: Happy belated birthday! For the paan mein, was it the “mit” type or the rolled ones? Ben
I was wondering about the lunch portions. The manager needs to work on his memory. Hopefully, their pricing or their food portions will match up because we foodies know value and quality. I’m just hoping they will improve and also not run out of food again when we go and visit. I will be curious on how the restaurant stands up over time.
OK Ben, you better let us know when you are in the neighbourhood so we can try out the dishes we missed out on. 🙂
Hi Nancy: Friday or Saturday night for dinner next week. Will that work for you? I want to try the paan mein. Ben
as ben mentioned the food here is ‘so so’. this is more of a HK style alternative as oppose to a foodie destination. i will return.
the people in the front of house were very nice and friendly to me. but did notice they were not attending to their full dining room like a good pro. perhaps new to the service industry.
the milo here is better than the milo i have at home… 🙁
Ben, at the next chowtimes dinner can you give us a lesson in Singlish/Manglish?
Hi Ben,
Thanks for posting up this new malaysian restaurant, I’ll have to make a trip there soon. The drinks and the cups really are special, and I love Penang Har Mee and loh mein so I would love to go try it. You’re definitely right about the color, I have been to Malaysian Hut and their Penang Har Mee’s broth is very tasty and flavorful, you should definitely go and try their loh mein too, it’s like Malaysian home cooking!
Hi Savannah: OK OK OK … There are so many people telling me that I should go check out Malaysian Hut already. I had written about them about 4 years ago but I’ll go … I’ll go this very afternoon for lunch! 🙂 Ben
Hi Ben
Do you know any local restaurant offers something called Rojak (like a salad) ??
Hi Vincent:
You mean Rojak as in Fruit Rojak or a Mamak Rojak? Penang Delight’s menu has Penang (Fruit) Rojak but we did not try it because they ran out of it when we visited them. Check their menu page here http://goo.gl/irUjD
We used to have Fruit Rojak in the Malaysian stall in the Richmond Public Market. They had changed ownership recently and so I don’t know if they serve it anymore. See this http://goo.gl/2PuoQ
How about a rojak with an Indonesian twist. Here, check this Rojak Kemanten from the Sweet Chilli on Victoria: http://goo.gl/9Mjp7
We make our own Fruit Rojak at home. Here is Suanne’s recipe … or rather here is Suanne’s assembly instructions: http://chowtimes.com/2006/12/08/fruit-rojak/
Ben
I am talking about Mamak Rojak. I especially the one in Malaysia, mamak rojak (or Pasembur) contains fried dough fritters, bean curds, boiled potatoes, prawn fritters, hard boiled eggs, bean sprouts, cuttlefish and cucumber mixed with a sweet thick, spicy peanut sauce.
Vincent, you can find dark sweet M’sian soya sauce from most supermarket these days (even @ Superstore). There are 2 types & are marketed under the ABC brand. You can also get pre-mixed rojak sauce from Smart n Save in Rmd’s Lansdowne Mall. Just add crushed peanuts. Try rojak with jicama instead of potato. I find the crunch & sweetness works better.
Hi HM
Thanks for your tips regarding the dark sweet Malaysian Soya Sauce. Based on you mentioned there are 2 types under the brand name of ABC, may I know what is the differences between those two. I prefer like to get one for dipping sauce rather than use it for cooking like cooking caramel. (very thick dark sauce).
Hope to hear from you.
Have nice weekend.
Vincent, both of them are Kecap Manis from Indonesia (not M’sia), the only diff is that the red label one is sweeter than the green label, or vice versa.
For thick dark carmalized soy Cheong Chan Karamel Masakan from Malaysia is our favorite. It is not easy to find. Usually we get it at Tung Fat at Johnson and Guildford in Coquitlam or at Sunrise Market on Main and Powell in Vancouver and on rare occasions at TNT but I haven’t seen any there in a while. The bottle has a red label and a small elephant on it.
HI Sedan
I actually picked up a bottle of thick dark carmalized soy Cheong Chan Karamel Masakan from Tung Fat supermarket last week. But it does not taste swet and I assume it is for cooking rather than dipping sauce for deep fried spring roll. Please let me know if I am wrong.
Hi Vincent: The word “Masakan” means cooking in Malay. So you might have picked up the one that if meant for cooking, not as a dip. Ben
Hi Vincent:
Oh … I have not come across any Mamak Rojak before in Vancouver. I can imagine how difficult it is to find one in Vancouver because of the many individually prepared ingredients needed to make it. I sure hope some restaurant would be able to make it some day. When I was young, there was a great mamak guy who comes around in his bike and setup in front of my house every Thursday. That afternoon, there will be lots of cars parked in front of my house causing a little traffic jam. There is a wait for at least 15 minutes to get the food because he makes it one order at a time … slowly cutting each item so that it is totally fresh before he pours on the wonderful warm sauce on it. For those of you who do not know what it is like … here is some mamak rojak porn for you.
Oh wait … Suanne reminded me that the closest Mamak Rojak we had was in Kedah House. See this post!
Hehehe … any Vancouver area Malaysian restaurant wants to make it, let me know and I am sure I can spread the word far and wide for you!
Ben says: “here is some mamak rojak porn for you”
Thomas faints in appreciation…..
Memories of Geylang.
Memories of Geylang?!? LOL! Suanne is going to look at you kind of funny if ever she meet you someday. Ben
Geylang Hmmmmm,But isnt that in Singapore,wouldnt it be more Malaysian to be memories of Jalan Chow Kit….. :-)and I am thinking of the night market OK for those with dirty minds
Ben, the noodles is a square so that’s a mit kind I guess. Looks very nicely cut though. But it’s a disappointment. My friend from setiawan was with me and she too didn’t like the noodles but the soup was good.
I wished k could join you for lunch at m’sisn hut today but too busy.
do have poached egg in it? were the noodles not good bcos it was too stiff? like undercooked or too much gluten or sth? anyway as long as broth is good, i’m there……
Hi Alice: Hehehe … me too. Regardless how bad Lissa’s friends might think the Paan Mein is, I am still gonna have to try it myself. So sad right? Shows how badly Malaysians miss their food. Ben
Alice, there’s no poached egg in it.
The noodle tasted maybe like undercooked or too tough. I’m not an expert on noodles. Just that with such tasty broth, it went downhill with the noodles.
Hopefully, it was just a mistake that day. Fingers crossed. 🙂
Hi Ben
I love the dipping sauce for the deep fried spring roll at Hawkers Delight on Main Street. The dipping sauce is thick dark sweet soy sauce. Anyone know where can I get this for home use ?
Please share with us.
Hi Vincent:
We never had deep fried spring roll in Hawker’s Delight before. We went to Urbanspoon where we know there are gonna be pictures of it and found it in this page. It’s hard to see what it really looks like but it seems like the normal sweet sauce that people use to serve with (Chinese) cheong fun/rice rolls. Is that what it is? If so, you can buy them in T&T or even Superstore, I suppose. Sorry, wish I could be more helpful. Next time I go to Hawkers Delight, I will take a close look at it.
Ben
Hi Ben
The sweet dark soy sauce is thicker than the Chinese cheong fun. For sure, it is not the same. I suspect it might be ABC sweet dark soya sauce or something like that.
I hope I have time to check out Hawkers Delight soon too.
Have a nice weekend.
Fwiw, IMHO It is easier to access good food in Singapore. But for the genuine article you have to visit the specific towns and stall for the best specialty.
I like the klang nga powl bkt but prefer the old town bkt with the darker more flavorful broth. Klang also has some very good fish head curry and chilli crab.
The dark soy sauce available is kecap manis(sweet) from Indonesia. Similar to the ones from M’sia. Definitely completely different to the Chinese dark soy or mushroom soy etc etc…
The mamak rojak is definitely a treat. The best ones are the mobile rojak stall that are at certain areas and cause traffic problems. ;-). . Though the Penang har kou fruit rojak is more refreshing.
How about Saturday? Want to leave us a phone message or email us back with time and day confirmation.
I went to the Hawkers Delight tonight and asked the cashier is their sweet dark soya sauce made by the Chef. The answer is “NO”. It turns out to be ABC sweet kecap manis. I will go to T & T supermarket to check out the one with red label.
Interesting…this location was changed to some sort of Japanese / Sushi restaurant for a few weeks/months. Guess they didn’t last long, and its now Penang Delight 🙂
Hi Eric
The Japanese sushi restaurant is still here and the store before Pengnag Delight is not the Japanese restaurant you mentioned at all.
Hi Eric/Vincent: You are referring to Kimura, isn’t it? I would like to go check it out someday. I remember reading about them the past couple of days (on chowhound, I think) about Kimura and that they have $30 omakase. Ben
Hey Ben
I went to Pg Delight yesterday but it was closed. Didn’t check the website before I went. I told my kids it’s either sushi (Kimura) or HK style food (Golden Oscar). They said sushi.
We didn’t really know what to get. Ah Boy wanted chicken teriyaki. Ah Girl wanted Tempura Udon set to share. Hubby ordered Chicken Karange(sp?). Firstly, chicken teriyaki. It’s plated with some coldslaw-like salad with a bowl of rice. The chicken was pretty good. Not too salty, unlike the miso soup.
Chicken karange is plated the same way. Extra bowl of rice costs $2.50. I was checking up on Kimura on chowhound or some site that Kimura uses some Grade A sushi rice. It’s more chewier but I’m no connoisseur.
Tempura Udon set: tempura consists of 2 shrimps, 2 sweet potato and 1 honeydew (I think). The other bowl only consists of the udon and soup with sprinkles of seaweed. This set costs over $9 for just a few pieces of tempura and noodles!! I have to say the soup was good with hint of shrimp/fish stock.
We walloped everything of course but man, it was one expensive lunch.
Hi Lissa: Why does it always have to happen to you? It seems like everywhere you go to they are closed. LOL! I plan to go to Kimura someday but it is way down my list. How expensive is expensive anyway? Ben
6 pieces of tempura + a bowl of noodle with no “liau” costs $9.75!!! The Chicken Teriyaki is $9.70. Chicken Karaange $6.50 + a bowl of rice $2.50. If the food were over the top good, I’ll say fine. But it was ok good.
Anyway, spending $100 in two days on eating out is too much for us. Nothing for us for another month 🙂
Hey i’ve been to kimura, its not cheap but one of the more affordable options if u want authentic japanese dishes that are kinda unique, his saba sushi is really gd he layers a piece of (kombu?) on top and brushes it with secret recipe soy sauce, was quite gd! he also served me a matsutake chawanmushi which is not expensive at all despite matsutake being mushroom gold lol. but seems like kimura has a problem with deciding what market it caters to, like it has a serious sushi side but mostly its trying to have sth for everyone and that makes it suffer abit
Alice, I have no clue what those japanese food you are talking about, LOL! You should organize a Kimura chowdown and invite Ben. 🙂
Hi Lissa: Yeah, me too. I don’t have enough brain cells to remember all the various Japanese sushi names. I know I will come across cooler if I do. So every time people drop the names of the dishes, I am “blur like sotong”. So I installed an iPhone app about sushi names. Next time anyone sees me flicking my iPhone in a Japanese restaurant, they can guess that I am frantically cross checking names. LOL! Ben
LOL saba is japanese mackerel usually marinated and matsutake are the pine mushrooms that are like the truffles of Japanese cuisine and chawanmushi is an egg custard, kombu is the seaweed they use to make stock…… i need an iphone app too i have a sushi handbook but flipping through a handbook is not as cool lol
Hi Ben, went to Penang Delight for lunch & here is my verdict: very disappointing for the dishes we had i.e. Nasi Lemak Rendang, no chicken rendang today, but they offered us Assam chicken instead. All items on this plate no good. The coconut rice is too soft & not fragrant enough. Same with the Hainanese Chicken rice. The chicken was drenched in a light soya sauce which seemed to have too much sugar added. Even the chili sauce is not done right. Their chicken is just regular fryers, not specialty chicken. The only dish we find ok is the Canto Chow Fun, but if they just use hor fun like Tropika, it will be better. To do them justice, will go back to try their other dishes. Have you tried their Pan Meen yet? Still waiting for your feedback!
Oh … I would hate it if Penang Delight runs substitute any dishes for me. We are going back on this weekend to try their Paan Meen (with Ron/Nancy again). I will have to make sure they have the dishes we wanted. I called them for reservations the other day and they told us they will have everything on the menu. Seems like it is not always the case! Ben
After reading all the comments above, I decided to go there for lunch today. my friends and I ordered a few items off the menu. The portion may be a little smaller but everything was tasty,, specially the roti, it was not look like that in the picture above, it was crispy and flaky on the outside and soft on the inside.
Their satays were pretty good too, they were grilled and juicy, not like many other restaurants they fry their satays and resulted drying up the meat.
I will defiantly go back!!!!
Hi Cathy: Good to know that Penang Delight fixed the roti canai to be the way it is supposed to be. I am gonna ask them if they make it or if it is still store bought when I go there this weekend. Thanks for the report! Ben
I made it there tonight, when they said pan mee was SOLD OUT i almost cried lol, the waitress(owner-afiliated? chef?) said they’re out of mee and as they are very busy she doesnt have time to make more but after my overt display of heartwrenching disappointment she said she’ll make it for me 😀 win! lol i ordered sambal kang kong, roti canai, spring rolls, assam laksa, have to caution that roti canai is exactly as chowtimes described- sweet and bready and weird for me, nth like what i expect or desire, so its a nooooooooo for me. sadly their sambal is catered to hongers tastes no kick at all almost like xo sauce except xo sauce is more spicy =___= im part honger but i consider this blasphemy cos my dad is indonesian…..when i complained the owner(i think) gave me sriracha sauce T___T but they’re friendly and obliging, the waitress gave us a sampler of the malaysian cake(light and molassy flavour-gd for breakfast abit too light for dessert) when we asked for it so i feel bad complaining, but gotta tell it like it is sia. abt the pan meen the anchovies are good and flavorful but otherwise abit plain and the hand-rolled noodles are alot like wonton skin triangles so it wasnt tough like what lissa described or what i had back in singapore where it would be thicker and floury, not sure if its msian thing? overall its fine- could be better, the assam laksa fared best of the lot, more well rounded condiments more complex broth with sardine bits(prob canned?) so when i come back thats what i would order, in general its hit and miss, i prefer BLK but they have those menu items that u cant get elsewhere……
Hi Alice:
Wow, good job getting Penang Delight to make the Pan Mee specially for you. Hehehe … “overt display of heartwrenching disappointment” … you got to show me how you do that some day. LOL!
We were at Penang Delight on Saturday night specifically to try Pan Mee (among other dishes) and I had to call hours prior to make sure they have it or else I don’t want to drive all the way there. 🙂 We also had the same Malay Cake.
We have the tendency to measure Penang Delight’s food to what is found in Malaysia and that is good holding them to a higher standard. They are not quite there (perhaps never will) but they are moving in the right direction. That is why I find many people will comment about the nitty gritty details of their food but deep in our heart we know that there are not many restaurants quite like Penang Delight. That is why people will still go back again!
Ben
IMHO Bo Laksa King (Bubbles ‘n Bits on Hastings now) has the best handmade roti canai in town!
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I saw Alice & Ben’s latest comments in the “Latest comment” bar on the right but I can’t find them in the relevant post??
Alice, I’m glad to note the noodles in your paan meen is not tough. That means the ones I had weren’t cooked well. I will try it again as I like the broth.
Btw Ben, I was reading chowhound and someone mentioned Mamak Cafe in Gastown.
Hi Lissa:
The reason why you could not locate the comments is because there are too many comments on the page that the system paginated the comments. At the top and the bottom of the comments section is the link “Newer Comments”. Use that to get to earlier comments.
Yeah, Mamak Cafe is opened by a friend of a friend and they had asked me to go over next month when they are more settled. It is on a Saturday afternoon. Want to come along?
Ben
Let me know when you have the date confirmed and I’ll see if I can make it. It will be a long drive home to White Rock. Eek!
Hi Lissa: I am trying to finalize the plans with Mamak Cafe and will let you know via email. We have the date and time already but am trying to see if I could make this an “event”. Ben
LOL my comeent was massive! yeah maybe Chowtimes can exert their all powerful influence on them and we can have a malaysian food scene thriving in Vancouver (: I have Mamak Cafe on my radar too because i DIE for rendang. and its next to meat and bread so that is landmine area for a dieter like me lol
Haven’t heard of layering kombu on top of Saba. There are sushi chef that lay sashimi on top of kombu. It gives the sashimi a natural umame flavor. Besides kimura I also like miku which also has ‘sauces’ on too of their sushi. Too bad the matsutake season is past. Love to try their dobunmushi. To be fair his prices reflects kimura’s-San expertise and experience.
I have sampled the three new M’sian resto: Mamak, Penang and Joyful. All have areas to improve on. I left feeling that the most ‘authentic’ was probably mamak. But they have a limited menu and not a suitable environment for kids.
Those dishes I ordered were just normal dishes. If it were those japanese dishes names you were throwing out, I’ll pay $10 for it. But for a plate of 6 tempura pieces and a bowl of noodles with just soup for $9.75 I’m not sure what kind of see-fu expertise needed to cook that up.
Ben, it seems that chowtimes readers have been phoning up the wrong place to enquire about Penang. They have asked the readers not to call the phone number highlighted on the receipts that you took pictures of. Apparently, that is something that did not get programmed in the register? Anyways, they didn’t tell me what the correct phone number is, so I assume that the readers should call the number on the outside awning.
Hi Nancy: Wow, how did they ever figure out that the wrong number was from the receipt in the picture on chowtimes? Anyway, I had fixed the two pictures of the receipt. I had photoshoped the correct phone number on the receipt. Tell the manager that I had fixed it and for that they owe us (Nancy+Ron+Ben+Suanne) roti
canai. 🙂 Ben
I forgot to mention that here when I called them. The person at the other end of the line was very polite when she said I got the wrong number. I checked for the correct number on urbanspoon.
Hey! Just a reminder that they’re closed on Tuesdays.
I was looking forward to trying their yummy food yesterday after a stressful day at work but they were closed!
Oh no! So where did you go instead, Joyce? It’s such a bummer when you want to give yourself a break and find that one thing you look forward to is not there. I know how it feels because I have my fair share of tough days at work and giving myself a treat at lunch is what I need to get me bouncing back. Works all the time! 🙂
Joyce. I’m so sorry. Did they have that posted on their hours? I just checked their website and they posted being closed on Tuesdays.
I wasn’t expecting them to close on a weekday. I ended up going to the Japanese restaurant next door. The sushi chef is actually Japanese. It’s something I don’t see often unless you’re at a higher end of Vancouver. The sashimis were fresh and overall, their food is decent. The servers need some more training though. Oh, they have the yummiest congee there. =9
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I went there to try the banmee and char kuey teow over the weekend, it was really not bad! I love the banmee. If not too demanding, the anchovies is very alright, in this part of the world. haha. One of the partner of the restaurant named Jack he is such a funny and socialize person (no wonder he is in business, hehe), he recommended us dessert. Maybe I don’t have a sweet tooth, I don’t quite like the dessert we ordered, the malai-kou. First time I see the malai-kou in that type leh… hmm…
I definitely going back again to try other dishes. Thank you Ben for sharing this post!
I just went there tonight and had an AMAZING experience. The Roti Canai is completely different now. Very flaky! My 5yr old nephew and 3yr old niece gobbled it up (without the sauce, of course), along with the beef and chicken satay skewers.
I would NOT recommend this place. I asked the waitress for a recommendation for chicken (I was craving for chicken for lunch that day)and she said their Hai Nan Chicken with rice is very good and famous, so I went with that. It turned out to be a big disappointment, it was just plain cooked frozen chicken with soggy texture and no chicken flavor(except for the taste of ice… yike). There are 8 pieces of chicken (some with think layers of fat) lay on top of a bunch of half-cooked green bean sprouts, I’m not a big fan of green bean sprouts and did not touch any. The sauce that comes with the chicken is bad as well, they only provide the red chilly sauce without the ‘ginger and green onion mix’, so disappointed. $7.95 is average restaurant price, but given the size and the quality, I found that it is very expensive.
Ambiance and services are not bad, but the quality of food is not up to standard.
Delighted to have my favourite Malaysian cusines in the neighbourhood! Penang fried kway tao is bagus! Whereas Hananiese chicken rice, the chicken is tasty but the rice just lack of the usual chicken fragrance. But very disappointed in the Penang curry noodle, the curry gravy taste plain and watery! Miss my hometown curry so much! But overall enjoy the warmth cafe atmosphere and meeting all the Asian food lover friends. Please cook with passion just like the Malaysians!