Monday 9 July 2012

Gurney Drive Hawker

Gurney Drive hawker is probably the most famous hawker in Penang. But it's also the most touristy place for hawker food in Penang.

I remember vaguely that during my younger days, the entire stretch of Gurney Drive was filled with push-cart stalls. Hawkers selling food, souvenirs and so on operates. Street hawkers filled the entire area, making it a well-known "Pasar Malam" or night market at that time. It is a gathering place for all - couples, families and tourists. For more than a decade, the government has cleaned up the place, and now congregated the hawkers to one area, towards the end of Persiaran Gurney. Honestly, I miss the old Gurney Drive which was much more vibrant.

The Gurney Drive Hawker - is also known as "the new esplanade" to the locals.



This is probably one of the most popular stall here. The way the cuttlefish is being displayed really makes the stall outstanding.


This is probably more well-known in Singapore as Cuttlefish Kang Kong (or "Ju Hu Eng Chai"). It's simply blanched Kang Kong with criss-cross cut Cuttlefish, served with sweet sauce. I'm really no fan of this dish, as it has an acquired taste. But Papa Snew loves it.


Some of the other food or stalls that are pretty different from the other Penang Hawker food:


Papa Snew was really interested in this stall as there was a constant queue of customers at this stall. The stall sells fried stuff, including the sinful but yet popular, fried chicken skin.

Fried chicken skin is sold at RM3 per cup.  This is probably the most popular item. Talk about sinfulness.


The stall owner will prepare all the food you have chosen and re-fry it before serving. So you can ensure it's crispy when served.


There are a number of Penang Rojak stalls. We saw some locals buying bottles of the rojak sauce from this stall and guess it should be one of the better stalls. 


  
We were pretty convinced that the rojak is not bad, that we bought two bottles of rojak sauce home. Papa Snew and Ms Kuddle loves it. 


Apom - One of the food that I love best in Penang. If I am not wrong, Apom started as an Indian Pancake - thinly sliced without any filling. The Chinese improvised the recipe to include slices of banana added.  I love both versions. I found this in Gurney drive hawker and decide to try it, although it's not the popular one that I will blog about in my later posts.




Another hawker food famous in Malaysia, originated from Melaka is Satay Celuk. It's a modified version of steamboat.

First, choose from the selection of stalks of semi-cooked food - hotdogs, fishballs, vegetables, wanton and so on.


Secondly, put it into a pot of boiling water for a few minutes.


Finally, dip on some satay sauce using the spoon.


This is the first time I'm trying on Satay Celuk, although it may not be the authentic style from Melaka. This is probably more hygienic then the authentic ones whereby the pot of satay steamboat is recycled and not changed from previous customers on the same table.

Snew's Rating: 2.8 / 5
This is the most popular Penang hawker food and serves many tourists in search of local Penang food, similar to Newton hawker in Singapore. However, the food quality pales in comparison to many good food in other coffeeshops.


Gurney Drive Hawker Center
Persiaran Gurney
10250 Penang
Business Hour: 6pm – 12am



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