[Penang] Japanese casual lunch at Shokudo Niban, Hin Bus Depot

[klyeoh (Peter)]

Delightful lunch at 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗸𝘂𝗱𝗼 𝗡𝗶𝗯𝗮𝗻 at Hin Bus Depot. Fashioned after a Japanese 𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘺𝘢, which serves tapas-like light eats to accompany sake or beer. This 5-year-old casual eatery is actually owned by a co-operative for a group of key/permanent staff of the 1-Michelin star Au Jardin, located right adjacent to it, also in the same compound. “Shokudo Niban”, in fact, simply translates as “Second Eatery”, insinuating its relation 𝘷𝘪𝘴-à-𝘷𝘪𝘴 Au Jardin.

What we ordered included:
𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴.

𝘚𝘰𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘯, 𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘬𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘰-𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘰-𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘪-𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘢.

𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵-𝘳𝘪𝘣 𝘥𝘰𝘯, 𝘺𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘬𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘦𝘨𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘭𝘬.

𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘨𝘨, 𝘚𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘴.

𝘗𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘬𝘳𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘶𝘻𝘶-𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘒𝘰𝘦𝘣𝘪 𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘢𝘨𝘦 (𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘴), 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘒𝘦𝘸𝘱𝘪𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦.

𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘣𝘢𝘯-𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘨𝘨-𝘷𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦.

𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴.

𝘛𝘴𝘶𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘦 (𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴) 𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘨𝘨-𝘺𝘰𝘭𝘬-𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘱.

𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘱𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘪 𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘢, 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘬𝘰𝘯.

Thoroughly enjoyable lunch - the sort of meal that makes one want to return for a repeat the very next day!

Address
Shokudo Niban
Hin Bus Depot, 125, Jalan Timah, 10300 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +6017-812 1526
Opening hours: 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-9:15pm, Mon-Tue, Fri-Sun. Closed on Wed & Thu.

Note their closed days during the upcoming Chinese New Year period:

[Saregama]

@klyeoh

owned by a co-operative for a group of key/permanent staff

What a nice concept

[klyeoh (Peter)]

Yes, make your staff feel they have a stake in your business. Job-hopping in the F&B industry is a real problem in Malaysia - this is a good way to minimise that risk.