Malaysia is home to some of Asia’s most wonderful street and hawker food and Penang is the undisputed king when it comes to showcasing its bounty (at least in my opinion!). I’m in George Town at least every six to eight weeks and I always find time to spend an evening (or at least a very long meal) at Red Garden Food Paradise located next to The Edison and The Blue Mansion heritage hotels (more…)
Penang is famous for its non-stop street food and night markets, so I was excited to discover a wildly wonderful food pavilion next to Cheong Fatt Tze, The Blue Mansion (within the protected UNESCO zone) while I was staying there. Red Garden Food Paradise is a covered food court and open nightly, with live music and even a Thai-styled ladyboy show by the lovely Penang-based Selena. I ate everything from fried oysters and the BEST spicy clams to crêpes and dim sum. OH, and they serve wine, which is something I haven’t seen out at a night market yet in Malaysia. The live entertainment was a festive and peppy mix of English, Malay, and Chinese songs that kept everyone happy. Check it out:
Holy yummy night out! Don’t even think of visiting Penang without staying in one of the lovely Batu Ferringhi villas or without visiting the famous Batu Ferringhi night market located just one street off the beach. Known locally as the Batu Ferringhi sidewalk bazaar and not so much as the pasar malam (night market), this fun collection of the best local food and shopping stalls extends for block after block, in and out of small fixed shopping centres, permanent food courts, and pop-up sidewalk carts … it’s really an interesting concept and they’ve pulled it off perfectly.
