Storm in Batu Ferringhi; Currying favour in Georgetown

Just a quick one today to finish off my food blogging from Penang.

On my second afternoon in Penang, I decided I HAD to see Batu Ferringhi, the beach named for the foreigners who’ve been flocking there since the 70’s. I wanted to enjoy one more sunset by the ocean. Alas, the bus from Georgetown, in peak time, took AN HOUR to get there!! So by the time I found a place where I could actually access the beach from the road, the sun was setting fast.

There are so many huge resorts that have their own private bit of beach fenced off, that it’s hard to find public space. At the western end I found a nice quiet Resort-less part of the beach with some beach bars and cafes. (This is definitely the part of the beach I’ll stay at when I come again). I took my place on the sand and gazed, despite ominous clouds in the distance promising big storms ahead…

Sure enough, the clouds continued to darken the skies, bruising the sunset with every minute that passed. I grabbed a beer but had barely had a sip when the heavens opened and a wild electrical storm erupted. Cool!

OK, not so cool for sitting out and enjoying on the sand, but I found a spot in a cabana to enjoy the dramatic display. A german family joined me and we chatted while the rain continued. When the rain began to lighten, I decided it was time to hop on back to Georgetown and grab myself some tucker. This time I hired a cab 🙂

Back in my hotel room, I had a fantastic view of the elctrical storm from my windows. Gotta love the coast. But by this time I was famished and needed a feed close to home.

For my final dinner, I could do no better than return to the Red Garden, and this time I couldn’t resist the Yum Cha/dim sum. I had char siu bow (a BBQ pork bun), steamed siu mai (pork dumplings) and har gow (shrimp/prawn dumplings). Mouth watering!!

And, since Penang is meant to be THE best place for food, I had to have the KL Laksa.

Like the curry mee I had earlier, the spice paste came separate on the spoon, so I could adjust to my own taste. It was absolutely scrummy. I forgot that they bring you a big bottle when you ask for beer, and after eating these foods, I just couldn’t finish it. Oh well. After my big session the night before, I was hardly gonna wreck myself again, knowing I was flying back to KL next day. (And I still had a couple of cans in my bar fridge anyway, teehee).

And so I dragged myself a few doors up from my hotel in the morning, to Restoran Jaya. This place was always busy, day or night, and had a large variety of Indian and Malaysian dishes.