Mews Cafe is a small semi-al fresco cafe at Muntri Mews, a 19th-century horse stables-turned-boutique hotel along George Town’s historic Muntri Street.
Our lunch today consisted of mainly local-Malay options:
- Satay - grilled skewers of marinated chicken, garnished with raw cucumbers and red onion, and served with a spicy-peanut dip.
The satay meat was moist and luscious, but the balance of flavours seemed a bit off (for me) - it doesn’t have the “Malay” quality of sweetness and richness.
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Cucur Udang - prawn-vegetable fritters, garnished with crisp-fried tofu squares and raw cucumbers, served with a spiced-peanut dip, similar to the one accompanying the satay. These were very well-made - generous-sized fritters with moist centres, cloaked with crisp, golden-fried exteriors.
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Helen’s Curry Mee - curried coconut milk-enriched broth, served with a mix of yellow “Hokkien mee” wheat noodles and thin “bee hoon” rice noodles, and garnished with shredded chicken, prawns. fish-balls, crisp-fried dried tofu sheets, and beansprouts. “Helen” is ostensibly the mother of one of the hotel’s co-owners, and the dish was cooked using her family recipe. It was quite tasty and worth a return visit just for this.
- Nyonya Laksa Lemak - this is Penang-style Nyonya laksa, with a fish-based broth accentuated with fresh herbs and spices. In typical Penang-Nyonya fashion, its garnishes consisted of shredded cucumber, pineapple, fresh Chinese lettuce, and sprigs of mint leaves. A confetti of pink torch ginger flower is sprinkled on top.
A small jar of pungent fermented shrimp sauce (called “heh koh”) is provided on the side. If you are a Penangite - you salivate and will drizzle the “heh koh” over the noodle dish to pep it up further. If you are a non-Penangite, you’d probably go into death-throes from the smell of the “heh koh”. 
Overall, quite a good lunch. I’m definitely returning for the curry mee.
Address
Mews Cafe
77, Muntri Street, 10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +604-263 6125
Opening hours: 8am to 9.30pm daily
