Pulau Penang, Colonial Georgetown & Famous Street Food (JAZ Premium Lager Beer)

The island of Pulau Penang is one of the most fascinating islands in Asia. It is the oldest of the British Straits settlements, pre-dating both Singapore and Melaka and even though it is an island it is renowned more for food and culture rather than its beaches.

This should get your undivided attention!

Georgetown is a mainstay on the Southeast Asia backpacker trail and once you leave the hostel ghettoes there is a hidden playground amongst its backstreets. Here you will find fortune tellers, Chinese opera, temples, mosques, coffee roasting over open fires and the scent of roasting chillies. On the waterfront sits a number of great white colonial buildings from the British Empire and you can’t forget the food which is arguably the best in Malaysia famous for chicken rice.

Another three hour ferry trip landing us in the Penang capital of Georgetown and the rain was something else. We had to spend half an hour waiting for it not to stop. At least a Red Bull girl was there with free samples to give us a much needed energy boost!

After swimming through puddles with our 17Kg rucksacks on our backs we eventually managed to check into The Banana Guest House which was in the centre of Chinatown across from the dodgy Love Lane. Not a bad place to stay and it gave us an opportunity to check out some of the hundreds of street food stalls, which ranged from wok noodles, fried rice, ramen and dim sum to name a few.

A nice guest house if you ever visit Georgetown

We had just one full day to explore Georgetown before starting out on the next leg of our journey, and the day was spent wondering the streets in the glorious sunshine. At last we were able to digest some historical culture in the beautiful Colonial District, which makes Georgetown a World Heritage City.

World Heritage Georgetown

We explored every square kilometre of the city on foot just taking in the atmosphere of the Little Penang Street Market which you can find on the last Sunday of the month. Lucky us because the market was buzzing with live music, street stalls selling arts and crafts and homemade food. We decided to sample a true Malay breakfast of curry, rice, potato and noodle cakes, which was mouth-wateringly tasty. A little more palatable than if you can take your minds back to Alleppey in Kerala and the authentic Indian breakfast. Gag Reflex!!!

Little Penang Street Market

Purchasing a home cooked Malaysian breakfast

Now full of life we headed into the Colonial District to soak up some history, which the city has in abundance. We visited the Town Hall, Court Buildings, Fort Cornwallis, The Lighthouse and Victoria’s Memorial Clock.

Colonial Church

The Town Hall

The Fort Cornwallis

Victoria Memorial Clock Tower

Our own well designed tour took us on a journey from the old town into Chinatown and little India where the tiny streets were brimming with colour and energy and of course more gorgeous food to sample. Lunch was Roasted Duck Rice, which was amazing. One thing though is that you have to buy a drink. I went for 100 Plus which turned out to be an isotonic drink. Great, no wonder I couldn’t sleep last night. Wired! Thinking about last night, outside the hostel was another type of street food stall. To be a little more precise it was a burger van. A little out of place but it wasn’t any ordinary burger van. It was an Old Trafford Burger Van, with good old Ryan Giggs up there. Malaysia is Manchester United Crazy.

A street in the city

Chinese Temple

Mosque

Not what you expect with Penang Street Stalls

As you can see, Georgetown really is built around the diversity of its food which is truly amazing, with the added bonus of an introduction to a true Malaysian beer named JAZ.

JAZ Premium Lager Beer, Malaysia, 5% Abv

JAZ has been brewed since 2007 by Napex Corporation Sdn Bhd and it is the first wholly Malaysian owned and the third brewery operation in the country.

JAZ was born out of the lack of Malaysian malt liquor with the Malaysian malt liquor market being dominated by ‘foreign brands’.

The brand has a great distinctive look and is available in a number of packages including the standard 600ml/300ml bottle, 300ml can and a new sexy 7 inch 150ml bottle.

JAZ is brewed as a pilsner style lager under German technical supervision, with imported quality ingredients including special German cultivated yeast. Its taste is full, with citrus fruits and a well balanced malt sweetness and hoppy bitterness. Keep an eye open for it making an appearance in the Western market. I would like to thank JAZ for showing me that there is a hidden passion in Malaysia for producing an original beer product.

JAZ Premium Pilsner comes in many sizes

With our last night in Malaysia looming there was only one thing for us to do and that was hit the street stalls for more food. The stalls were buzzing as always and the quality of food is extraordinary, definitely the best we have come across in Malaysia. Tonight ended up being a four course affair from four different stands.





One of 100's of food stalls

Shall we try this one and maybe the one next door?

Starter was chicken satay skewers followed by prawn/egg noodles which are freshly bashed out right in front of you. Still not satisfied course three was spring-rolls with mini pancakes for dessert. Now the pancakes were an art form watching the little old lady play what looked like a flipping game with lids. It reminded me of the hustle where you try and follow the peanut under the small cups. Not explained very well but you get the drift.

Not just amazing food but entertainers as well!

Starter will be - Chicken Satay Sticks

Main course - Noodles

Dessert - Pancakes (Which one will ours be under?)

So after two weeks it is time to say farewell to Malaysia. We have had a nice time and have seen some nice things but we are missing the hectic, craziness of India. I think landing in Kuala Lumpur from Delhi turned out to be a huge culture shock that we have not managed to shake off after two weeks. Maybe it has been just a little too organised and easy for our liking. We are now excited to move on to Indonesia and Sumatra, where we have heard we could be in for some surprises and mental journeys.

See you in Sumatra...