Amongst Penang’s burgeoning Nyonya restaurant scene is the small, family-run Sifu Nyonya Cuisine on Rope Walk (Jln Pintal Tali), which has its own band of loyal customers.
We were there for lunch today, and affable owner, Peter Leong, was on-hand to recommend us the house specialties, all cooked by his 70-year-old aunt, Head Chef Madam Beh Geok Wah.
Our lunch spread:
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Stingray gulai tumis (hot-sour stringray and okra curry)
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Tau eu bak (soy-braised pork with hard-boiled eggs)
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Asam prawns (tamarind-marinated prawns)
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Inchi kabin (fried, spice-marinated chicken)
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Jiu hu char (shredded jicama with dried cuttlefish, shitake mushrooms, carrots & pork)
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Lor bak (5-spiced meat rolls)
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Pomelo kerabu (spicy pomelo salad)
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Nasi ulam (rice salad with salted duck’s egg)
Desserts
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Gandum (called bubur terigu in Singapore and Malacca) - sweetened wheat porridge with coconut milk and palm sugar.
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Bee koh moi (called pulot hitam in Singapore and Malacca) - sweetened black glutinous rice porridge, with coconut milk and dried longans.
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Bubur cha cha - sweet potato, taro, yam and tapioca jelly soup.
It’s a small, unpretentious restaurant, with only 7 tables, so advance booking is essential, especially for dinner. Taste-wise, it was quite average.
Address
Sifu Nyonya Cuisine
154, Jalan Pintal Tali (Rope Walk), 10100 George Town, Penang
Tel: 04-3051867 or WhatsApp 012-4106688.
Open: 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-9.45pm Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri.
11.30am to 9.45pm (open all-day) on Sat & Sun. Closed on Wed.