Penang's best beef rendang, customisable with a myriad of pickles, sambals, egg salads, chillis etc. Lagenda Cafe has been bringing in the crowds since it's inception, and I can bloody see why. 

The service was altogether friendly and accomodating, and the presentation of the food was spectacular. One for a date-night.

Having spent the best part of a month feasting on every place I could find raved about in Georgetown, I had delayed visiting Mews Cafe just out of sheer stubborness. I had walked past a few times and seen the fanny-pack tourists sitting there lost in idle conversation and decided it wasn't my kind of restaurants. One scorchingly hot afternoon I took shelter beneath a shady leaf and ordered their famous Laksa since it was so highly praised online. 

It was stunning. Truly one of the best curry laksa you'll find in Georgetown. Whatever their family recipe is, they should guard it fiercely because this is a winner.

Suckerpunched by a bowl of soup? Today I was. 

Penang has Laksa and Curry Mee spots galore, but what I found severely lacking was a solid bowl of Ramen. I tried a couple places with no luck, and was on the verge of giving up when the fight to live returned. I commandeered a cab, hurtled north, walked around the block a few times waiting for it to open, was told by the waitress "It's salty so if you want it less salty order with extra broth". I reassured her it was ok. I was right. This was top notch ramen. Everything, except perhaps the slightly dry-chewy pork, was on point.

You could easily find worse ramen than this in Tokyo, or anywhere in Japan for that matter. This is well made, and well balanced and bloody delicious.

Speaking of spices, the potato stems with prawns at Tek Sen don't hold back. The waiter asked me twice if I was sure, but his fears were baseless. It had a hit to it, but nothing that a proper Thai dish won't stoke up. Everything I tasted on the menu here was excellent, but come early unless you want to sit in a plastic chair waiting room for what can be an hour. It's really THAT popular.

With vegan alternatives like this who the heck needs meat? Sublime aubergine kung pao with smokey dried chilli's, chunks of fresh ginger and some green pepper. The service was friendly and the location was awesome right opposite a small alleyway with some bars.

Stunning! Seriously! Stunning!