Throughout Penang’s history, the rural town of Ayer Itam had been a place of refuge for George Town’s city folks whenever a calamity befalls the city: from the Penang Riots of 1867, which was essentially a large-scale triad war, to the Japanese invasion of Penang in 1941 during the onset of World War II. So, Ayer Itam functioned as a sort of “Helm’s Deep” to George Townians in the Tolkien sense.
Today, Ayer Itam is merely a suburb, part of an expanded metropolitan George Town. It’s still pretty well-known for its street/hawker food and bustling morning market.
DeView Hotel at Ayer Itam has come up with a win-win “Taste of Ayer Itam” promotion, where one can purchase hawker fare at the street-level hotel grounds, then consume your take-outs at the hotel’s roof-top, which looks out to the Kek Lok Si temple complex, the largest in South-east Asia.
Penang-style char koay teow - flat rice noodles, stir-fried with shrimps, cockles, eggs and beansprouts, seasoned with soy sauce and fish sauce.
Char koay kak - pan-fried rice cakes with salted radish, egg, shrimps, squid and beansprouts.
Chicken satay - grilled skewers of marinated chicken, with a spicy peanut sauce.
The view really became dramatic after sunset, when the temple complex’s lights came on:
Address
DeView Hotel Penang (景轩)
18, Jalan Pasar, Pekan Ayer Itam, 11500 Ayer Itam, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +604-829 1818