Penang Break!

Sunday (Nov. 18) We headed north to Penang for Mama's birthday lunch in Seberang Perai - originally named Province Wellesley, after Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, Governor of Madras and Governor-General of Bengal (1797–1805).

 

We left home around 7am and stopped in Ipoh for breakfast. Both popular kopitiams (traditional coffee shop) Nam Heong and Sin Yoon Loong were packed with patrons circling tables like vultures waiting for clients to vacate their seats. As we did not want to waste time waiting we went to the kopitiam next door, Sin Yuan Foong (pic above) which was also starting to fill with other like-minded customers. When in Ipoh kopitiam, it is almost tradition to order the famous Ipoh White Coffee, toast and dry curry noodles. To our surprise the curry noodles were good.

Next stop Mama's place in Simpang Ampat for a brief visit and then on to Chai Leng Park for lunch.

 (above) Mama with 13 grand kids (Chee Seong's wife Jeni - extreme right)

(above) Mama with children and spouses.

For dinner we opted for the hawker food in Chai Leng Park. Main attraction was lok lok - our local version of steamboat. They had like seven different spicy sauces - fantastic! Nic chose the Angry Birds edition.

We didn't get to go for the assam laksa in Penang island this time - well, next visit then. We stayed a night and had a late lunch the next day (Monday) in Batu Kawan - a sumptuous seafood feast before leaving for home at 7.20pm.