Lunch today was at Hana Thai at Pulau Tikus. The nifty little restaurant is helmed by Isaan-born Benyada โHanaโ Sukitkunakoon, whoโs passionate in ensuring the authenticity of the dishes in reflecting the taste profile of North-east Thailand.
Our lunch spread today consisted of:
๐ ๐ผ๐ผ ๐ง๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ ๐ง๐ผ๐ฒ๐ - turmeric-marinated pandan pork, one of the tastiest dishes weโd had in a while. Fatty pork cheeks were used for this dish, resulting in smooth-textured, rich, turmeric-inflected morsels of deliciousness.
โ๐๐ต๐ฎ ๐ผ๐บโ ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ - this was a perfect rendition of the dish, and tasted as good as those cooked by my aunts in Bangkok.
๐๐ต๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ - deep-fried turmeric-marinated fish fillets with dry curry sauce. This dish was a revelation as the turmeric-coated fillets were fried till crisp on the outside, but still moist and flavorsome inside. The whole dish was then coated by a spicier-than-expected yellow curry sauce, and drizzled with thick coconut milk for added richness.
Stir-fried ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐ leafy greens - the sweet, slippery-textured leaves were unique to Hatyai and the southern region of Thailand. My first time having these, as itโs rare even for Bangkokians.
๐๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ป - Thai iced tea. Perfect rendition here: not too sweet - the sugar content was intentionally dialed down here to suit the local palate, and the tea content was high enough for the chilled drink to be aromatic and flavorsome.
Weโre already planning for our next trip back here.
Address
Hana Thai Kitchen
26, Moulmein Road, Pulau Tikus, 10350 George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: +60 4-227 7599
Opening hours: 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-9.30pm Tue to Sat.
11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-8pm Sun. Closed on Mondays.
