Penang Culture – Halal Certified Penang Restaurant Launches New Menu

Being an halal certified Penang restaurant, Penang Culture has been serving up a myriad of Penang favourites for the last five years at its three outlets in Changi Terminal 2, JEM and Century Square Shopping Mall.

In celebration of its 5th anniversary, Penang Culture has launched a new and updated menu to showcase interesting versions of several familiar Penang dishes. These include scrumptious Premium Crab Meat & Salted Egg Fried Kway Teow, appetising Salmon Assam Laksa, Penang Lobster & Scallop Noodles, spicy Penang Fire Wings and mouth-watering BBQ Salmon with homemade spice paste.

The recent show-stoppers are the brainchild of Head Chef Wong Thin Lipp, a 48-year-old Penangite who started his culinary career 20 years ago in several kitchens in the iconic foodie city of Penang. He has been at the helm of Penang Culture since it opened its doors five years ago.

We were invited to try the new dishes at the Changi Airport outlet which is a full-service concept restaurant. I have eaten curry fish balls in Hong Kong, but here, we were served with Penang Curry Fish Balls ($4.95). Wah, even Penang also got curry fish balls ah! Large and juicy fishballs are deep fried before they are steeped in this curry gravy to allow the balls to soak in all the delicious flavours. So why is it the Penang version? Because chef’s rich Penang chicken curry gravy makes up the basis of this dish. It’s a little more lemak and a little more spicy than the Hong Kong version, perfectly matched with piping hot steamed rice.

My favourite for that night is BBQ Salmon ($11.95). Honestly, I would have never thought this is going to be the star for me. It doesn’t look really appetizing to begin with – two slices of Norwegian salmon fillet on a big plate. But but but, I am absolutely wrong. The fillet are first expertly grilled before a layer of Chef Wong’s secret recipe paste is added. That sublime sweet, spicy paste is very wicked – redolent with chilli, lemongrass, onions, ginger flower, assam (tamarind) and sugar. This same paste is also used on a selection of grilled seafood that is also available at the restaurant.

A good plate of char kway teow needs strong wok hei. And it’s best if duck eggs are added to it. Chef must have heard us because he came up with Premium Crab Meat & Salted Egg Fried Kway Teow ($15.95)! Taking its cue from the beloved Penang fried kway teow, this dish is inspired by the latest salted egg craze to hit Singapore.

Tender flat rice noodles are wok-fried with garlic, beansprouts, and homemade sambal (chilli paste) before mashed salted egg is tossed in. Even though no duck egg was used, the salted egg was a good substitute for its unmistakably rich aroma in the smoky plate of noodles. Generous helpings of prawns, squid, fish cake and cockles are then added. The final, and crucial touch, is a lavish topping of meaty mud crab meat and salted egg crumbs before the dish is presented to the customer. The dish also had enough wok hei, the right amount of char and the spice level was perfect. Pass!

Those who love a hearty bowl of hot prawn noodle soup, you will adore this luxurious Premium Lobster & Scallop Noodles ($16.95). The stock is created by slow- boiling a bounty of prawns, crabs and chicken bones for several hours to create the quintessential broth for this perennial Penang favourite. Each bowl is then filled with yellow noodles, scallops, slices of chicken, fish cake, kang-kong, bean sprouts, a hard-boiled egg and a whole slipper lobster before it is filled with the hearty soup.

Classic assam laksa was given a little makeover with the addition of salmon. But Chef Wong still prepares the Salmon Assam Laksa ($11.95) using the same timeless recipe that made it famous in Penang. Mackerel, sardine, ginger flower, laksa leaves, assam (tamarind), hae kor (fermented shrimp paste), garlic, galangal, turmeric and lemongrass are boiled together to form the tasty soup.

Filling a bowl with specially imported thick vermicelli from Penang (it’s slurping good), this is topped with chopped pineapple, slivers of cucumber, lettuce and fresh onion slices before generous slices of Norwegian salmon crown the dish. The gravy is then poured in and drained so all the ingredients absorb the flavour. This is done twice before the bowl is topped up. A drizzling of hae kor provides the finishing touch. Actually, if the salmon were added into the soup base during cooking, it would be more comforting and rich tasting rather than adding it only at the end.

Other well-loved specialities include Penang Rojak ($5.95), Cuttlefish Kang Kong ($5.95), Penang Otah ($6.95), Penang Oyster Eggs ($8.95) and Penang White Curry Mee with Seafood ($8.95) to name a few. The menu also features a section that provides options for customers looking for dishes that are below 500 calories. Items listed here have been approved by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) as part of their Healthier Dining Programme.

Cold desserts like Penang Cendol (from $4.65), Penang Ice Kachang (from $4.65) and new item Gula Melaka Tiramisu with Cendol ($8.95) as well as hot dessert picks such as the Burbur Hitam (from $3.95) are also available.

Other great new beverages on the menu include smooth and creamy milkshakes such as the Cempedak, Durian and Coconut Milkshakes ($6.95 each). I am not a huge milkshake fan but I love the cempedak milkshake so much that I finished the whole tall glass b myself after a hearty meal. Other Penang drinks are the Bandung Chin Chow, Nutmeg Juice and Pink Guava Juice ($4.95 each).

Or, you can try the signature drink at Penang Culture – Ampla Juice ($4.95). Made from the Ampla fruit (Indian Gooseberry), this fruit is full of Vitamin C and contains anti-oxidants. This refreshing drink is served with a sour plum for a salty kick. For an icier rendition on sweltering days, customers can opt for an Ampla Ice Blended ($7.95).

Besides having branches in Changi Airport, Penang Culture also has branches in Century Square Shopping Mall (#04-12) and JEM Shopping Mall (#04-27).