Lao Ban Mian 老板面 @ Nagore Road, Georgetown, Penang.

Lao Ban Mian 老板面 has finally opened its first Penang branch at Nagore Square, occupying a comfortable two-storey shop lot with full air conditioning. The chain specializes in Pan Mee, offering a variety of toppings and dressings to dress up the classic. During our visit, the quality was decent — the noodles had good texture, and the toppings were satisfyingly fresh. It doesn’t stretch beyond being a solid Pan Mee meal, but if you’re craving that familiar noodle comfort, it’s a good, fuss-free option.

Kei Rop Pi Cafe 街路边咖啡馆 @ New Lane, Georgetown, Penang.

Kei Rop Pi Cafe 街路边咖啡馆 is a new spot where you can find plenty of popular, delicious Penang hawker dishes in one space. The name is simply a translation from Hokkien, which means "roadside cafe" (refers to street food). The Kopitiam gathers all popular Penang hawker dishes on their menu, notable ones include Michelin Selected Misai Jawa Mee, Tiger Char Koay Teow etc. Apart from the hawker fare, the Kopitiam also offers some classic Malaysian-Western dishes as well as some Chinese stir fries. The place is air-conditioned and offers an al-fresco space for those who prefer outdoorsy ambiance; a comfortable space to enjoy some delicious Penang hawker food.

Vegeteh Vegetarian Restaurant @ Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Known for their Vegetarian Pan Mee, Vegeteh Restaurant is not new in mainland- it has strong presence in Butterworth and now, expanding to Bukit Mertajam. The branch at Bukit Mertajam just got started last October and has been serving the vegetarian community in town. The menu is casual and friendly- with many options suitable for all age range. Not only noodles but the place serves Western choices, classic stir fry meat-free dishes at unbeatable prices. Apart from the excellent food quality, we also found ourselves enjoying the food at a comfortable, air-conditioned space. You should definitely check out this place whether you are practicing plant-based diet. 

OO White Coffee Cafe 噢噢白咖啡 @ Waterfall Hotel, Penang.

If you happen to tour around Penang island (or a local here), chances are high that you have seen or tried this brand- OO White Coffee Cafe 噢噢白咖啡. The striking turqoise-colored signage is recognizable from afar and the brand has presence in Queensbay Mall, Georgetown (Carnavon Street) and now the latest spot is Waterfall Hotel (at Waterfall Road). It takes up the spot previously occupied by Duesey Coffee. OO White Coffee Cafe has quite a number of items to offer- from their signature Toasts, Coffee to mains like Nasi Lemak, Chicken Rice, Hokkien Mee, Pan Mee, Char Koay Teow or even Oyster Omelette; all are reasonably priced. The dining hall is very spacious and could accommodate quite a number of tables, a convenient and comfortable spot to drop by for any meals (whether breakfast or lunch). 

Carbo And Bites [Pan Mee] @ Bayan Lepas, Penang.

The name- Carbo and Bites might not be too appealing to diet-watchers but the brand specializes in churning out piping hot bowls of home-made Pan Mee noodles served in Anchovy broth and various of delicious condiments. The proprietor is an expert in this field and has been selling Pan Mee for years... she was running a stall at Mandarin Cafe Island Glades previously but has since taken over the family business. The air-conditioned eatery along Jalan Aziz Ibrahim (near Sungai Nibong) is not a one-trick pony though, while their main core product is Pan Mee... there are also other options to top up the variety. Those who are on budget would be glad to know that a bowl of basic Pan Mee at Carbo and Bites is merely selling at Rm 6. No frills, straight-forward but tummy-comforting Pan Mee that one can eat on a daily basis. 

Many Thanks to Carbo and Bite for hosting us that evening.

Chilli Mee 辣椒面 By Hideout Cafe @ I-Avenue, Bukit Jambul, Penang.

A new venture by Hideout Cafe, the name Chilli Mee 辣椒面 gives an exact idea on what the place is offering. The new addition can be found at i-Avenue (Bukit Jambul), the food menu is simple but focused- offering only Pan Mee and a rice dish (with sides of course). The forte is of course, the Pan Mee... nothing fancy and pretentious; but a cozy, comfortable place to get your usual fix. If you must know, the place is fully air-conditioned. 

The Brew House @ Anson Cube, Georgetown, Penang.

Having 6 branches across Klang Valley, the name- The Brew House is certainly not new to those who frequent Klang Valley's pubs but for those who have yet to try their offering, you have the opportunity to do so in Penang. The Penang branch is housed within the newly built Anson Cube, a commercial building along the lively Anson Road. Not only a pub but the kitchen churns out a great variety of food choices... span across Asian and Western delights, though the menu is pretty Pork-focused. Budget-watchers would be delighted to know that the place offers value-for-money Set Lunch menu, featuring some of their specialties with unbeatable prices. The space is casual with a relaxed atmosphere; except for the lackluster service, the place is worth a look.

Mee 8 Cafe (食面八坊) @ Chai Leng Park, Perai, Penang.

Noodle lovers can make your way to Chai Leng Park, the food galore has just received a new addition- Mee 8 Cafe. The offering may seem similar to Pan Mee but its actually Dao Xiao Mian (knife-cut noodles); the noodle-specialist adopts a rather odd ordering system but if you are a new comer, there will be a dedicated server to assist you. The options are limited for mains but there are many combinations available when it comes side dishes; though serving portion is a little small, the price is of affordable range. Not too shabby if you are looking for a comfortable space that offers good variety of side dishes. 

Ah Ma Pan Mee (阿嫲刀麻切) @ 4th Street Club, Tye Sin Street, Georgetown, Penang.

Noodles are deeply rooted in our culinary consciousness, there is no one size fits all. There are a lot of varieties on offer and they can come in different size, color, shape, texture as well as flavor. Typically, Pan Mee (a type of Hakka Noodles) is served in the shape of thin, round and smooth texture but Ah Ma Pan Mee, a newly opened Pan Mee specialist at 4th Street Club (Tye Sin Street) decides to do things differently. Using traditional recipe from Pahang, the noodle joint offers Pan Mee in its own style. While the soup bases and condiments are similar, the noodles stand out. They come in irregularly fat-round shape with al-dente (slightly chewy and bouncy) texture. The menu is not big but the air-conditioned restaurant offers a comfortable dining space for hungry diners to have a quick fix; definitely a place where fans of Pan Mee should check out.

Go Noodle House (有間麵館) @ Gurney Plaza, Penang.

An exceptionally popular and fairly casual noodle-specialist hailed from central Malaysia has recently expanded its business operations to Penand and has finally swung opened its doors to the public. Go Noodle House's first Penang branch is strategically located in Gurney Plaza (7th floor/ opposite to SenQ). Beelines of long queues have been spotted for the past few days. The brand has gained strong reputation in terms of quality and wallet-friendly price tags. Go Noodle House is also famed for its signature clear-soup noodles, finished with Chinese Wine. The no-frills restaurant offers a simple home-styled cooking menu that features two types of noodle dishes- Clear Soup and Pan Mee (available from Rm 9.90). We were certainly impressed with the food quality, but we thought their service level could be further improved (or perhaps, the restaurant is still new and the staff lacked of experience and training).

Ah Gu Pan Mee (阿牛板面) @ Lorong Selamat, Georgetown, Penang.

Ah Gu Pan Mee is not the conventional Pan Mee place that serves Pan Mee in the neighborhood; it churns out atypical but lip-smacking flavors. If you think Pan Mee can only be served with clear Anchovy broth or dressed in dark Soy sauce, think again. Ah Gu, the Pan Mee specialist is creative at churning out Pan Mee... differently, some of the notable choices include Clams Pan Mee, Scallion Pan Mee and the never-out-of-fashion Pork Lard Pan Mee. Opened in less than a month, Ah Gu has garnered an appreciate following.

Sin Kee Chili Pan Mee @ Summerton, Bayan Lepas, Penang.

Another new option for the folks working in Bayan Lepas area, Sin Kee Chili Pan took over the shop lot of Thai Hao Chi Boat Noodles at Summerton. The place is clean and brightly-lit, when the server handed the menu to me, it instantly reminded me of the now defunct Kong Bee Lee Pan Mee, (previously located at Taman Kheng Tian), which seems to offer the same products. Not only that the place offers similar products but the design of menu resembles shades of Kong Bee Lee. The offering is simple and direct. The service on the other hand, could be more meticulous. We only had 2 simple orders (with add-ons) and surprisingly, they still managed to mess up our orders. We tried explaining to the servers but none of them seem to understand English (the Cashier speaks Mandarin but she seems to be in her obsessive daydreaming). I threw the white flag and settled with what they served to us. 

Uncle Kin Chili Pan Mee @ Raja Uda, Butterworth, Penang.

Those who frequently patronize the food courts at shopping malls (namely Queensbay Mall and Gurney Paragon Mall) should be familiar to the name- Uncle Kin Chili Pan Mee. Uncle Kin is a well-established Penang brand, for the case of Chili Pan Mee. It started with a humble beginning by having a few hawker stalls scattered around the island but has since moved its operations into food courts. Penangites have professed their love for Chili Pan Mee and their businesses have quickly expanded to Raja Uda, Butterworth. The entire shop is dedicated to Chili Pan Mee. Business was brisk on our visit, the shop was almost fully occupied even at odd hours (3:30 pm). The fully air-conditioned place takes on self-service approach- customers are to place their orders at the counter and to collect their orders at the collection counter (according to order number). While we do agree their Pan Mee is decent but we'd like to see more variety... more side dishes would be great. 

PP Noodles Station @ Bay Avenue, Penang.

It is always a hard decision for budget-watchers to settle the stomach in the shopping mall as a meal in high-end restaurants often costs a bomb. If you are on a tight budget while doing some window-shopping at Queensbay Mall, you may want to have your lunch here, at PP Noodles Station. Simply walk across the street from the exit right next to Starbucks and Morganfield's, you should be able to find PP Noodles Station right in front of you. The Pan Mee-specialist has an extensive menu; while most of them are noodle-dishes, rice lovers will still be able to ease their crave here. The wallet-friendly prices could be one of the valid explanations to why the place is often thronged with regular patrons during lunch hours. Nothing outstanding about their Pan Mee but they offer a great variety of Chili-dips; a great place for individuals who like the burning sensation. 

Big Pot Dining (大碗宫) @ Air Itam, Penang.

Kong Bee Lee Pan Mee has expanded recently, the new branch at Air Itam has more choices and a more extensive menu as compared to its main branch at Taman Kheng Tian; but I am quite confused, I was quite surprised to find out that they are serving Japanese Ramen now, with a couple of Japanese Bento dishes and Burgers to choose from, as well as some funky variant of Pan Mee. One thing good though... the restaurant is fully air-conditioned, one needs not to sweat after enjoying a bowl of piping hot Pan Mee. Well, at least one could easily get his/her craving fixed at a very comfortable place without putting a dent on the wallet. Big Pot Dining can be found right next to Million Loh Mee, those shop houses along Medan Angsana, Air Itam. 

Hou Mei Yuen Pan Mee (好味园) @ Bukit Jambul, Penang.

Housed within some medium-low cost apartment at Bukit Jambul, adjacent to Vistana Hotel Penang, there's a rather famous Pan Mee hidden under the trees. Hou Mei Yuen Pan Mee has been there over the past decade, I've started eating their Pan Mee since I was in primary school (more than 10 years ago anyway). The place is often loaded with patrons during lunch hour, particularly factory workers working around Bayan Baru area. For those who are very close to me, you would have known that I'm a regular at this place where basically I will visit Hou Mei Yuen at least once in a week. Reason? Their chili paste. I'm aware that people are complaining about the inconsistency about the noodles. Yes, I couldn't agree more. It's the chili paste that keeps me coming back for more; also, do avoid peak hours like lunch hour (12pm to 1:30pm) unless you want to wait for hours or you want your noodles to be over-cooked. Both soup and dry version of Pan Mee are available at Hou Mei Yuen. 

Kong Bee Lee (广美利) Noodle Station (Pan Mee) @ Taman Kheng Tian, Penang.

Pan Mee has always been one of my all time favorites, reason was due to the springiness of the noodles and the sweetness incorporated into the soup from one of the main ingredients- anchovies. Simplicity is the best right ? Anyway, Kong Bee Lee Noodle Station is a newly opened restaurant situated at Jalan Van Praagh, Taman Kheng Tian (Old Town Perak Road is just a stone-throw distance away), it offers a wide variety of Pan Mee at very economical prices, some of the more notable and unique ones are Curry Chicken Pan Mee, Dumplings Pan Mee, Black Pepper Pan Mee and their signature Pan Mee- Fried Pork Pan Mee. Kong Bee Lee was previously a food stall located near to Pulau Tikus wet market, I was also being told that all of their noodles do not contain Lye-water (碱水). Price-wise, I would say that most of the noodles here are pretty cheap and reasonably priced. Ample parking spaces will be available at the area (although some walking might be required) but please beware of the Night Market/Pasar Malam which will be held at this area on every Friday night. The entire area will be flooded with regular night market patrons, hence, finding parkings will be very troublesome.

I Mum Mum Pan Mee (板面专卖店) @ Weld Quay, Penang.

I have a few favorites when it comes to Pan Mee namely Face To Face Noodle House at Penang Times Square and Hou Mei Yuan Pan Mee which situated at Bukit Jambul. However, I have found myself a new love, which is this " I Mum Mum Pan Mee" at Weld Quay. Its hidden in the PDC flat near Lebun Macalum. if you happened to pass by Jalan Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu, try to pay attention on that area. They have a big banner indicating and showing you the direction and it should not be too far away from the banner. "I Mum Mum" has quite a lot to offer, as in one can opt to choose their own desired type of noodles. Price-wise, is very economical and affordable. Finding parking might be a problem during lunch hour, but its definitely a place that worth your trip to come down and savor their famous Pan Mee. 

MAMA One Ton Mee @ Lorong Susu, Penang.

If you are a fan of wanton mee, then you should pay attention to this post and this coffee shop situated in Lorong Susu (beside Sun Yet Sen memorial, Macalister Road). It was previously from Pulau Tikus's Poly Cafe and they moved it into this coffee house. Others than wanton mee, they do offer some other noodles too like fried san mee, Shanghai spicy noodles etc. Side dishes such as wanton (pork/shrimp dumplings), spring rolls and stew chicken feet are also available.

MAMA's One Ton Noodles (Rm 3 for small), the noodles were very springy and the sauce was perfectly made to go with the noodles. Char siew(barbecue pork) was decent only, a small bowl of wanton(pork dumplings) will be given if you are having the dried version.

Shanghai Noodles With Spicy Szechuan Pork Ribs (四川麻辣上海面，Rm5.50) was a pretty spicy one. The noodles used were actually more to ramen instead of the so called Shanghai noodles, the pork ribs were okay and very tender too which I believe they stewed the pork ribs for a certain period of time. The soup was abit sourish, it reminds me of a dish -- the spicy Tzechuan toufu (麻婆豆腐）. Well, at least it has that kind of taste.

Fresh Prawn One Ton Noodles (鲜虾云吞面，Rm 4.50 for small). The noodles used were exactly same as the normal version of wanton mee offered, the only difference was the dumplings. There will be two dumplings given with the noodles (as shown in picture). I would definitely prefer these as I am a big fan of shrimps, so do the springy kind of texture.

Stew chicken feet (Rm 4) The chicken feet was stewed until very tender but unfortunately, they did not provide us the chili. I would personally prefer a specially made chili sauce to go with these chicken feet.

Fried Pork Dumplings (Rm 5 for 5 pieces) The dumplings were scorching hot during the time they served it to us. Extra precautions should be taken as you will accidentally burn your tongue. They dumplings were deep fried until very crispy and crunchy, as for the taste, they were abit salty for me. Also, no chili sauce was given to go with them.

MAMA One Ton Mee should be a place for your inexpensive yet delicious meal especially for such good quality wanton mee. Parking will be a bit problematic but it will definitely worth it.

Ratings:
Taste: 7/10
Price: 9/10
Parking: 6/10
Services: 7/10
Government Tax: No
Service Charge: No
Additional Information:
Address: No. 1, Lorong Susu, Georgetown, Penang.
Business Hour: 8am - 5pm (closed on wednesday)
Phone Number: 014- 3444 923
Google Map Here

Face To Face Noodles House @ Times Square Penang

Face To Face Noodles House has more than 15 outlets in Malaysia and the one situated in Times Square Penang is their 1st outlet in Penang. They serve authentic Sarawak noodles-- Mee Kolok and handmade pan mee. They do provide their customers with a wide selection of ingredients and chili sauce to go with the noodles.

The photos shown above were about one of the chilies provided which i think its the perfect combination to go with the noodles, i think its something similar to szechuan peppercorn which gives a strong flavour of pepper but not too hot. These peppers are highly recommended for those who love spicy food.

Longan With Milk (Rm 3.80), seriously i found this drink a bit funny and weird. How can they mixed longan and milk together ? The taste was obviously not as good as what we expected but its perfectly fine for those who want to seek for new taste and new stuff.

Three Layers Milk Tea With Wheat Grass (Rm 5.00). It looks funny to me either but since it has the chef recommendation sign on the menu, so i just gave it a shot. It was decent overall. I do think that milk and wheat grass can be a pretty good combination. Try ask for less sugar if you can't take too sweet.

Chef's Special Pan Mee (Rm 6.90) As you can see from the photos, the bowl was loaded with chunks of meat and meat balls as well as fried fish cakes. The noodles were pretty chewy and I'd called it the perfect texture for pan mee. The soup was decent and it is best served with the peppers provided. Peppers enhance the flavour of the pan mee and the soup.

One of the Mee Kolok (there were three options which different ingredients, Rm 6.90 each). Personally i would prefer the soup version's pan mee. The noodles were abit too dry and lack of chewiness for me. Meats were decent, nothing special tho.

Chef's Special Dry Version (Rm 6.90), this is highly recommended. The noodles come with a lot of ingredients and the ever tastiest half boiled egg. For some reasons, half boiled eggs are perfect for pan mee especially with the semi-raw egg yolk. Scatter some peppercorns and here you go, a perfect pan mee that you could ever ask.

Chef's Special Dumplings (Rm 6.00 for 5), i have no idea why they like to name their dishes "chef's special", but oh well, this was a decent one, however, the taste of the scallions was slightly heavier, those who don't really take scallions might dislike this. They were okay for me tho. You can pick any chili sauce you prefer to go with these.

The restaurant has limited tables and its a bit warm to sit upstairs. No tax nor service charge. Taste was pretty decent but i adore the peppercorns. Will definitely come back to try on some other noodles.

Ratings:
Taste: 7.5/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Price: 7/10 (1-3 expensive, 4-7 average, 8-10 cheap)
Parking: 8/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Services: Very Good
Government Tax: Yes
Service Charge: Yes

Additional Information:

Address: 77-G-7, Ground Floor, Penang Times Square, 10150, Penang. (Few shops next to Taiwan Kochabi and it's facing the open air car park.)

Phone Number: 604- 226 2285

Business Hours: 11am to 9.30pm daily.

E-mail them: general@facetoface.com.my