restaurant review

from Breeze #171 - The Culinary Issue

THAI GREEN CURRY Food

penyat place is the Place!

Located on the ground floor of Oceanus Waterfront Mall, with a great view of the sea and islands, is a new restaurant serving Indonesian food. Smashed chicken or better known as ayam penyet is a dish served with rice, sambal, sliced cucumber, fried tofu and tempeh.

Penyet Place was inspired by Warung Makcik Kiah, an Indonesian mother who operated an eatery in the 70s. Her establishment was known for its good food and her sambal (chili paste). Penyet Place serves her three sambals: sambal penyet, sambal hijau and sambal balado. All three vary in spiciness, so you will definitely find something to your liking.

Penyet Place believes in 3 very important concepts: authenticity, no preservatives and no direct MSG in their food. They look for the freshest ingredients, locally sourced vegetables and place an importance in preparing the highest quality dishes.

Penyet Place most definitely serves chicken but that’s not all. Their favourite sets consist of puyuh (quail), daging empal (fried sliced beef), udang (prawns), ikan kriuk (crispy fried fish) and two vegetarian versions as well. We were lucky enough to try 3 sets and you can be sure, I will go back to try the others.

During this restaurant review, I also learnt that asam pedas (sour and spicy stew) and masak lemak (turmeric seasoned milky curry) are actually Indonesian dishes. Penyet Place has them too, served claypot style, you can choose from 3 different proteins. They have ala carte items and combos perfect for a certain number of people which include a fish soup and drinks.

But there’s more, Penyet Place serves Western breakfast items such as boiled eggs and toast with toppings. Tea time delights like pisang goreng cheese (cheese banana fritters) and keropok lekor (fish crackers) are also available. Their drink menu is quite extensive, ranging from hot drinks to local icy drinks and frappes to fresh juices as well as desserts like Es Teler (Indonesian fruit cocktail).

During this review, we were lucky enough to sample their highlighted menu for the month of Ramadan. We were presented with the ideal drink to quench our thirst. Es Timun Serut is a shredded cucumber drink combined with basil seeds and lime complemented with preserved plum. Truly refreshing on a hot day.

The Penyet sets we sampled were the lightly seasoned, crispy and moist chicken, the fresh and slightly sweet fish, fried to crispy perfection and lastly, the large slices of fried beef that were tender and flavourful. Then arrived the claypot chicken masak lemak, slightly creamy and spicy, it had ample sized chicken and potatoes.

Next was Pecel, a vegetarian dish consisting of kangkung (water spinach), taugeh (bean sprouts), boiled green beans smothered in a slightly sweet peanut sauce, quarters of boiled egg, fried tofu and tempeh completed the dish.

I will definitely return to Penyet Place for the next two dishes we were served. Tahu Gejrot which is a fried tofu drizzled with a mildly tangy sweet sauce. Thanks to the frying, the tofu has hollow pockets which absorb the sauce, surprising you with mini explosions of flavour. I loved it. Then, there was the Bakwan Udang, crispy fritters with chunks of prawns nestled between the vegetables and served with a sweet chilli sauce. Although, I recommend dipping it into the sambal of your choice. Delicious. Do not fret my friends, if you are not into prawns, there is a vegetarian version just as tasty.

If the spiciness has put your mouth into overdrive, calm it down with Puding Rajah. A warm dessert of cooked bananas and a creamy pudding, sprinkled with cashew nuts, raisins and candied cherries. A dessert fit for a king or queen.

Penyet Place has outdoor seating allowing you to enjoy your tea time with an amazing view, otherwise choose from the 24 tables they have in their air conditioned indoor space. The restaurant is available for your events too, so don’t hesitate to call them.

Now if you enjoyed their Makcik Kiah sambals, you can buy your favourites and take them home for RM16 a jar or get all three for only RM45.

If you can’t get enough of the Penyet Place and want to share the food with others, you can franchise your own Penyet Place kiosk and be your own boss. So, head over to Penyet Place to sample the cuisine, buy a few jars of sambal and get more information. They are open all week long from 10 am to 10 pm.