Richard Rivalee has moved from its long-time Bangkok Lane location to this pair of traditional shophouses on Macalister Lane a couple of months ago.
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Kiam chye duck soup - this is an intensely-flavored clear duck broth, pepped up with salted mustard vegetables, galangal and lemongrass. In Malacca and Singapore, this Nyonya soup is known as itek tim, whereas in Penang, it’s called kiam chye ark in local Hokkien lingo.
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Steamed minced chicken-meat with egg - this is a common home-cooked dish, usually prepared using minced pork and eggs. Richard Rivalee chose to use chicken meat in place of pork. The dish is a close cousin of Korean gyeranjjim and Japanese chawan mushi.
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Laksa steamed seabass - this is a fabulous dish: a whole seabass, blanketed with a spicy, creamy laksa broth, redolent of lemongrass, chilis, turmeric, tamarind, kafir lime leaves and other aromatics, then steamed. The aroma was intoxicating.
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Otak-otak (steamed spicy fish mousse) - the version here seemed drier, with a denser texture, replete with finely-chopped herbs, compared to the eggy-custardy version I’m more familiar with. I surmise it’s Richard Rivalee’s own personal take on the traditional dish: more terrine than mousse.
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Jiu hu char (jicama with cuttlefish) - what we got here was a bit greasier than expected. The dish was also a shade darker (use of dark soy sauce?) than what is usual for this dish. It’s very tasty, though.
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Nasi ulam and steamed rice with bunga telang, served with Penang-Nyonya achar awak - one of the best nasi ulam I’d had, even though I’m not a big fan of the dish. But this was good.
Desserts
7) Bubur cha cha - this is a popular Nyonya dessert, usually served hot: a selection of tubers - sweet potato, purple yam, taro, cassava, plus bananas - cooked in sweetened coconut milk. The version here was not overly sweet, which suits us fine, as traditional Nyonya levels of sweetness can give someone insulin shock.
- Bee koh moi - this glutinous rice porridge, served with sweetened coconut milk, is known as pulot hitam in Malacca and Singapore, and khao niew dam in Thailand, where I think it originated from, but co-opted by the Baba-Nyonya communities in Penang, Malacca and Singapore sometime in the 19th-century.
Unlike his earlier leased properties, Richard Rivalee (the man, not his eponymously-named business) owns the two shophouses at this new location, and he has faithfully recreated the same atmosphere here with his Penang-Peranakan collection.
Address
Richard Rivalee Nyonya Cuisine Restaurant
62 & 64, Lorong Macalister, 10400 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +60 4-227 4888
Opening hours: 11.30am-3pm, 5.30pm-9pm Mon, Wed-Sun. Closed on Tuesdays.
