SIDETRACK / 2 PERFECT DAYS FROZEN IN TIME Shop Howard (154 Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling) houses a treasure trove of photographer Howard Tan’s works and quirky souvenirs. From postcards and placemats showing shophouses in their fading glory to ceramic plates as well as batik bags, this is the place to visit if you’d like to bring a piece of Penang home with you.
married local women – at the Pinang Peranakan Mansion (29 Church Street). The dining hall features teak furniture and Victorian ceramics, highlighting the European influence on the Peranakan way of life. Don’t miss the elaborate Nonya crown – complete with gilded brass panels, pearls and kingfisher feathers – at the Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum in the mansion.
If street food isn’t enough (though we bet it is!), here are other reasons to stop by Malaysia’s northwest coast WORDS NELISSA HERNANDEZ
BLAST FROM THE PAST Learn about the culture of the Peranakans – descendants of Chinese immigrants who
MAKAN, MAKAN Pandan crème brûlée, anyone? Peranakan dishes cooked using French techniques are the stars at Kebaya Dining Room on Stewart Lane. Classic kueh (desserts) are served for high tea, while dinner is a lavish affair with options such as 72-hour sous-vide beef with tamarind, or wing bean salad served with toasted coconut and sambal belacan (chilli paste). ECO EXPLORATION Situated 820m above sea level, The Habitat is the place to “see the forgotten views of Penang Hill”. This ecotourism area sits at the fringe of a rainforest that has been protected since 1911. Join the guided tour with the park’s naturalists, and if you’re lucky, you can spot the fascinating wildlife here such as racket-tailed drongo, dusky leaf langur and Asian fairybluebird. The Canopy Discovery Tour, which includes canopy walks and short ziplines, opens in mid-September. SilkAir flies 31 times weekly between Singapore and Penang
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HIN BUS DEPOT; KEBAYA DINING ROOM; THE HABITAT; HOWARD TAN
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ast month, the George Town Festival brought in thousands of arts enthusiasts to this island in Malaysia’s west coast. You may have missed some mind-blowing performances, but now you can enjoy a stroll in the UNESCO Heritage area without having to jostle your way through a crowd. Once you’re done updating your Instagram with snapshots of George Town’s uberpopular street art, here are other Penang finds to see and savour.
ARTS HUB The terminal for Penang’s “blue buses” in the 1970s, Hin Bus Depot (31A Jalan Gurdwara) has now been given a new lease of life as a creative hub. Its mural garden showcases works of artists such as Sabek, Ernest Sacharevic and Thomas Powell, and plays host to a variety of curated exhibitions. Swing by on Sundays for the pop-up market, or every first or third Tuesday of the month for film screenings.
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