We opted for a Malay lunch yesterday at Citarasa Dadi Dada Cafe yesterday.
Co-owner and chef, Farahin Khan, offers Malay-style prawn noodles or “mee udang”, and more at her cafe on Clarke Street. Her partner is sister, Diayana Khan, who takes care of the front of the house. Farahin & Diayana’s father, Yahya bin Ahmad, ran a popular “mee udang” stall for over 3 decades - first at Transfer Road, and then at the City Stadium. Now, Farahin pays tribute to her father’s offerings in her charming little retro cafe on Clarke Street, with nostalgic old Malay songs wafting through the air.
We ordered:
Mee Udang - the version here has a beefy stock as the base, but tomatoey all the same. 6 large, very fresh prawns adorn the noodles, garnished with chopped Chinese lettuce leaves, crisp-fried shallots, fried tofu, green chili and a halved, hard-boiled egg. Calamansi lime was provided, to be squeezed over the noodles.
Nasi dengan Ikan Bawal Goreng - crisp-fried whole white pomfret, served with steamed rice, a sour-spicy curry sauce, two kinds of dips: dark soy sauce spiked with raw onions and chopped birds’ eye chilis, and a red minced chili/sambal one. Raw herbs and leaves are provided on the side.
Telur Dadar - Malay-style egg omelette with chili and onions.
Ikan Cencaru Sumbat - hard-tail scad stuffed with chilis and shallow-fried - also served with ulam (Malay-style salad).
Asam Boi - these are iced drinks of Chinese dried plums, sprinkled with tamarind powder on top.
Well-known local cartoonist, Azmi Hussin’s murals adorn the walls of the restaurant.
Address
Citarasa Dadi Dada Cafe
8, Lebuh Clarke (Clarke Street), 10050 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +6011-1444 5224
Opening hours: 11.30am to 10pm Tue -Fri, 11.30am to 11pm Sat-Sun. Closed on Mondays.