Old Penang Restaurant: Enjoy the authentic taste of Malaysia

THE fading colonial glory of the landmark Eastern and Oriental Hotel in Georgetown, on the island of Penang, cast a long shadow over the mouth-watering delights on offer the last time I enjoyed a truly authentic Malaysian meal.

Then, only too aware that warm tropical rains lurked just off the coast, I took my seat in the middle of Upper Penang Road, literally, and dined.

Old Penang Restaurant on Dalziel Place, thankfully, is not nearly as humid, nor as bustling as its Asiatic counterpart, but then with a maximum of just 22 covers that is only to be expected.

It also means that great care and attention can be paid to each and every order, and if ever a restaurant made a point of creating culinary works of art, this is it.

The secret of good Malaysian food (visit Penang, known as the Jewel of the Orient and you'll discover that there is no such thing as bad Malaysian food) is the fusion of Malay, Indian and Chinese influences, a direct result of the island's multi-racial population.

Those ethnic styles and traditions are reflected in the menu at Old Penang, where the only concession to western taste buds is to resist the temptation to spice the dishes quite as much as they might 6500 miles away.

"Malaysian cuisine is exotic with an exciting range of flavours and culinary styles offering the uninitiated an endless gastronomic adven-ture . . .," promises the restaurant's menu. A promise it lives up to with apparent ease.

Dining early in the evening, expectations were of finding the place devoid of custom. Not so. Already the lone waitress was juggling six diners, yet still had time to welcome us with a beaming smile and friendly bow. Her name, we later discovered, was Lian – her sister owns the restaurant.

With 12 starters and 11 mains from which to choose, ordering took a few minutes – not a problem in the mellow atmosphere created by the golden yellow decor, rich green palm plants and traditional artifacts and paintings, all illuminated by a mix of fairy lights and candles.

Thai fish cakes, Malacca curry puff and sesame prawns lost out on this occasion to the chicken Malaysian satay with peanut sauce, by far the richest, nuttiest satay I have ever tasted, and the Gyoza – four little half-moon shaped noodle parcels, crisp brown on top and golden soft below, served with a salty, sweet and sour dip and shredded ginger.

Both provided the ideal start to a meal and the perfect combination for sharing.

Similarly, choosing a main course meant overlooking the Nasi Lemak, a traditional Malay-style curry, the lemon chicken and Nasi Goreng (special fried rice). All were usurped by the Sizzling prawn delight and the Pandan chicken – although the Hainan chicken rice (crispy chicken with a garlic butter sauce) almost won through.

Sizzling certainly described the prawn delight. Served on a hot-plate lined with leaves, the prawns, vegetables and minced pork meatballs spat and hissed. Ordered medium spicy, they also carried a bit of a kick, which was tempered by my partner's choice of coconut rice ahead of the offered boiled rice.

The Pandan chicken, on the other hand, carried no spice at all. Pandan leaves are a common sight in Malaysian kitchens. Used to perfume rice and curries, their flavour is to Asian cooking what vanilla is to western dishes.

On this occasion pieces of chicken had been cooked, enclosed in a Pandan leaf, leaving the meat tender and finely seasoned. Served with a homemade oyster dipping sauce and a dish of sweet chilli sauce, for those looking for a bit of heat, along with prawn crackers, vegetables and boiled rice, the flavour of the oyster sauce was far more suited to the tender chicken than its fiery alternative.

With a small, but intriguing selection of world beers on offer, a tasting session was called for to accompany the meal – any excuse really.

The Japanese Kirin beer was smooth and fragrant, lighter than both the bittersweet Chang from Thailand and the Tsingtao from China which, with its crisp, malty, nutty flavour, was the hoppiest of the three.

To finish, a light Malaysian sweet pancake served with ice cream proved a crispy treat and was shared. As was the Kuih Ketayap, rolled soft green pancakes stuffed with palm sugar and coconut, again served with ice-cream. Heaven.

"A unique experience, real Malaysian food in Edinburgh," boasted the take-away menu we were handed as we stepped into the cold rain on a typically dreich Edinburgh spring evening.

If only Lian and her sister could cook up some real Malaysian weather too.

THE BILL
• Gyoza £4.90
• Satay Chicken £4.90
• Pandan Chicken £9.90
• Sizzling Prawn Delight £9.90
• Malaysian Pancake £3.50
• Kuih Ketayap £3.50
• Chang beer £2.60
• Tsingtao beer £2.60
• Kirin beer £2.60
Total £44.40

Quality ****
Menu choice ****
Surroundings ***
Service *****
Value ****

• Old Penang, Dalziel Place, 0131-661 3200