Malay Seafood at Medan Selera Teluk Tempoyak

The best part about living in a multi racial country like Malaysia is the fact that our culture is an assimilation of different ethnicities; and all mixed up like a big potpourri of a nation.
There is endless choices to opt from when it comes to food; and we also top the list as the country with the most festive holidays, with the many celebrations observed by the different races and religions. It is something we all grew up with and we are more than proud to be part of this colorful nation where it is like a big family with unseen barriers from the races and religions, it doesn't bother us, at all.

Why would it bother us, when we can speak different languages and go to our friends' houses for different festive celebrations? Then there is the food to pick from, one can have nasi lemak in the morning, curry mee in the afternoon, with pisang goreng as a snack before going for a seafood dinner, and perhaps completing it with a roti canai and the tarik for supper at night with friends.
It is really just a tip of the iceberg on the food varieties we have in this country.

For instance, just the other day, I just thought of having seafood, and I have been hunting for seafood restaurants around the island of late when I was introduced by surprise to this place in Bayan Lepas.
Folks who work in the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone would be familiar with this place which has been in business for some time now.

Located in a Malay fishermen settlement near the Fishermen's Association, the Medan Selera Teluk Tempoyak is a sea-facing eatery outlet with few stalls run by the locals specializing in home-cooked style seafood.





The humble eatery is home to two main seafood stalls and a drinks stall, and they serve fresh seafood from the sea, perhaps they were the fishermen who just put their cooking skills to work after returning with their hard day's work at the sea.
There are a few seafood to choose from; fish, prawns, clams, squids and crabs and the cooking styles are as listed or will be explained by the owners.
Standard cooking styles will be Tiga Rasa (Triple Flavors), Spicy style (Cabai or Sambal), Goreng Tepung (Deep fried with flour coating), Halia (Ginger), Kicap (Soy sauce), and even steamed if you want.

There are different types of fish available; from the Black Pomfret (Ikan Bawal), to Tilapia and Siakap and the prices are according to the market price. Check with the owners and they would gladly name you the price directly, they are really friendly too :-)

The best part about dining here is not just the friendliness of the people running the stalls and the freshness of the seafood, but also the view.







The friendly stall owner, who was also the chef himself




Stir fried clams with Ginger (Lala Masak Halia) (MYR10)
Recommended by the chef himself, the clams were fresh on that day and we opted for ginger to go with the fresh clams, which is always the best style, in the humble opinion of our taste buds :-)





Triple Flavored Black Pomfret (Bawal Tiga Rasa) (MYR27)
I have to say, this dish reminded me of my childhood when my parents would bring us for Malay food once in a while and the Malays really perfect this dish.
Deep frying the black pomfret fish before cooking it together with a combination of spicy, sweet and sour sauce with lemongrass, pineapple cubes, tomatoes, onions, capsicums and cauliflowers and chili, this dish is by far, the most memorable and a clear winner.


The black pomfret is a fish which is thick in its flesh and it is not as popular as its white counterpart in most Chinese style cooking. Most of the cooking styles revolving the black pomfret requires stronger tastes and longer cooking time; such as deep frying and also serving it with spices and curry which would enhance the tastes of the fish.




Sweet and Sour Squids (Sotong Masam Manis) (MYR10)
Fresh squids and since we have already had the spicy fish with its triple flavors, we had the squids done in sweet and sour style and the squids were just so large and juicy that it was indeed a treat.
I think the freshness just contributed to the yum factor of the dish, and it could be just any style of serving and the squids would still taste good.

en" width="640" />

The servings are generously portioned, and could easily feed more than 2-3 at a go.

Wash down the spicy tastes with the variety of drinks available from the stall nearby; from sour plum juices to fruit drinks (ranging from MYR1.50 to MYR3), there is bound to something for everyone.
(Choose from jugs or individual servings for your drinks)

Asam Boi (MYR1.50) and Carrot Juice (MYR2)


Order a Ais Limau Sirap (Lime with Iced syrup) (MYR1.50) and watch its transformation of colors

First you see it in triple tones


Now, all Red! :-)



What a delightful meal, and a satisfying one, with the flavorful and fresh seafood before us!
Now, what's next, maybe prawns and crabs soon?

Famous Malay Fish Head Curry@ Restoran Pen Mutiara

This is probably a Malay restaurant that needs no introduction to, especially those who work in the free trade zone area of Penang, or is a big fan of curry fish head or all of the above.

Okay, maybe that's not so true, because I found out about this place from my boss who is a frequent visitor to this place and based on the number of friends/colleagues/subordinates he had recommended to dine here, I think they should consider giving him the VIP membership.

This place is located at the Southbay; which is all towards Batu Maung, and it all started from a shabby little stall under a tree.
Today, this little stall is a decently big restaurant, with full air-conditioning, a grand piano and ready to cater for weddings!

That was exactly what I walked into when I was there for lunch last weekend; a Malay wedding to commence in an hour.
We were led into the rear section of the restaurant as shown in the above photo and it seemed that the crowd was not that buzzing on a weekend.

It has been a while since I have had Malay food, but I am a fan of Malay food and being a Malaysian blessed me with the opportunity, not to mention the variety to enjoy a myriad of cuisines from different cultures!
That's why Malaysian is constantly cited as a food paradise :)

Ayam Masak Paprik (Stir-fried chicken in Paprik Style) -RM9.00

Paprik style is a sweet, sour with a tinge of spicy taste and it is quite appetizing, really. The gravy of this is made of sauteed chili paste.
It is quite a popular style of dish with the Malay food, although the origin is Thai (word Paprik).

Sotong Asam Kunyit (Stir-fried squids with Asam Kunyit) - RM9.00

The popular squid dish was the deep fried squids, but I was more intrigued with this; the Asam Kunyit which is a slightly sour taste due to the tamarind (asam).
Tumeric (Kunyit) was used too; which lend the dish its yellow color.
It was not a bad choice, I'd say! A quite unique taste and they were generous with the squids:)


Stir-fried Kailan (Kale) with salted fish - RM8.00

I am not a fan of salted fish, I tell you, but the Malay style of Kailan always recommend the company of salted fish. It was not too bad, which surprised myself:)

Now, on to the star of the meal, and the main purpose one comes to this place for lunch/dinner.

Kari Kepala Ikan (Fish Head Curry) -RM39.00 (3 pax)
*You may be surprised by the size of the claypot they use to serve the fish head, and probably thought you are in for a throat-cutting experience, but be assured that every order gets served that same claypot*

The whiff of the aromatic fish head curry, and you will forget about the size of the claypot.

Spicy aroma, steaming hot and flavorful just makes one tempted to try the taste of the curry immediately, even if you are not a curry fan (like me:p )

The curry is dense in its taste, but I found it slightly lacking in the thickness compared to my previous times. I don't think they slacked, maybe it was due to the busy wedding preparations:) (I am sure they do well all the time :)

With okra, and fish, I am not complaining, besides, this is one smokin' HOT curry :)

What could be better to cool down that chili heat (not to mention spicy taste) than a good glass of sour plum with lime juice (Limau Asam Boi), which, by the way, is one of their favorite drinks too:)

You could order by glass, or if you have more than two people, I'd say go for a jug!(RM10.00 - even if it's a little pricey)

The sour plum with lime juice just have everything you need in a glass, bursting flavor, coolness and refreshing in a gulp, and with curry, you'd definitely need a glass of this!

It would cost about RM20 per pax (minimum) to dine at this place, but that is just a rough estimate as it really depends on what you order from the menu.


It's not THAT hard to find this place too; if you're coming from the coastal highway leading towards Southbay (Batu Maung).
Take a left when you reach the end of the highway at the traffic light intersection and you should see the place (Take left at the fork)

Oh, in case you cannot finish your dishes, you can ask for the waiter's help to pack it for you to bring it home; they will be delighted to do so for you :)

Interesting Raya Open House fare

An outdated post; on the feast during a Raya Open house organized by our neighbor




We have really friendly neighbours and during the Raya festive season, there were endless invitations to open house, as my parents say and I was just fortunate enough to stumble upon one during my short trips home.

It was a simple fare really, but needless to say, it was all warm and made us felt at home (technically, our house was just right across the street anyway!)

This is their version of Lontong; which was made using these yellow noodles instead of the usual cut rice cakes

The dish was accompanied by this Kuah Lodeh, specially made at home by our neighbor and it tasted superb!~


I can't remember what they call these fried balls

It was some sort of fried sambal filling inside


A very unconventional and creative version of Pisang Goreng


Raya is incomplete without Ketupat

And this is one unique one with corn in it!~


Finally, we helped ourselves to their freshly plucked Dukun from their family's own fruit farm

Juicy and fresh, this is also nicknamed as one of the king of the fruits =)

Best Curry Fish Head in Penang? @ Pen Mutiara

Once upon a time, there was a little stall under a big tree by the roadside along the Batu Maung road or now known as the FTZ Coastal Highway.
The big tree was the umbrella, providing the needed shade to the customers who sweat profusely while enjoying spoonfuls of curry-covered rice with a bite of the fish.
Regardless of the races, Chinese, Indian and Malays flock to this little stall and proclaim that it is one of the best curry fish head served in the island!

Today, this little stall is no longer little, in fact, it has grown into a restaurant and sits comfortably in an air-conditioned environment; a shoplot located next to the LKIM in Penang; and is known as the Restoran Pen Mutiara.


The interior is so different from those roadside view anymore, and eager diners can enjoy the tranquility of the piano tunes coming from the grand piano at the lobby or the serenade of the gushing waters from the landscape on the other side.





This restaurant also caters for wedding banquets, private functions or gatherings as they provide special rooms for personal functions.

They offer the range of the usual Malay food; something which I have missed for some time now since I came to Penang. (I used to go for Malay food with my family once in a while)

At the back of the front cover of the menu, they did provide a little history of their stall/restaurant


I was first introduced to this place by my bosses; who, on their business trip to Penang, recommended this place as the one serving the best curry fish head in Penang (as my Penang-born and raised boss said).

Therefore, I have been here for 2-3 times with my boss (he comes here everytime he's in Penang) and I am rather familiar with his recommendations.
For instance, a glass of Limau Asam Boi Juice (RM2.50) is definitely recommended to start and to quench your thirst when you pant and wag your tongue after the curry meal.


We had to wait for a while before the main finally arrived (I do not know what took them so long since it was not exactly a peak hour)
They seem to serve faster during peak hours of lunch!

The limelight of the meal; the Curry Fish Head (minimum of 2 pax per order) - RM20


It is always served in a huge pot like this; regardless of how many people you ordered for. It seems to be their standard pot.
I do like the fact that it's always served piping hot.

Taste wise, I find the curry too heavily laden with curry powder and spices. However, it does provide a rather spicy taste and scent when it arrives. Anyway, when you step into restaurant, you will already get a whiff of the strong curry powder and spices scent floating in the air.

White rice; tastefully decorated with the fork and spoon on the plate

But it will definitely be swimming in curry after you dip into the curry bowl


The main focus is always the curry fish head; however, they serve a variety of other side dishes, from vegetables to prawns, sotong, chicken and beef.

Sotong in plum sauce (RM8.00)

This one had an average taste; although there was a distinct sourish sweet taste in the sauce.
The sotong were all rather bouncy; and I must say they didn't really clean the sotong properly though.

Stir-fried kailan with salted fish (RM7.00)

This one was slightly sourish too; and I find it a little distasteful after a few bites.


Overall, the bill came up to about RM50; and I find the prices here slightly more pricy compared to the other Malay food I have tried before.
Although I am not a fan of curry nor fish head, I don't particularly fancy this one either and it may not be the best as it is claimed.

One thing that struck me is how large their fish heads are; and we once jokingly said, they probably got their fish from their neighbour! =)