Penang Bistro – A Rich Contemporary Malaysian Cuisine — Penang Bistro is where you should go for contemporary Malaysian dishes. Their restaurants are available in different parts of Jakarta, mostly inside a mall. Like this Penang Bistro branch we go to, it’s located in Grand Indonesia. The interior reminds me of when you’re visiting a family member’s modern dining table. The atmosphere is very contemporary yet gives off elegance through its simple colours.
One of the servers will guide you to your table. It wasn’t so busy as we came much later after lunch hours, so the server immediately gives us the menu book. There are different arrays of food, and most of you might feel familiar with Indonesian cuisine. We ordered two of their live seafood menus, Tiger Grouper – Steamed Thai Assam Sauce and Jumbo Prawn – Baked With Cheese. Other than that, we also order their Roti Canai Tissue with Milk and Cheese, Ayam Goreng Terasi and Ebi String Bean.
The Roti Canai Tissue Milk and Cheese is served first as it’s an appetizer. Right off the bat, it’s a really delicious sweet roti canai. The Roti Canai is thin and crispy, the texture for me is the best as it’s really thin and eaten so quickly. It feels like you can’t get enough of it which is what I feel as I ordered another roti canai, this time I went for their Roti Canai with Chicken Curry.
Compared to the sweet roti canai earlier, the Roti Canai with Chicken Curry has a much more thick and more soft texture. Regardless, it’s still delicious for me as I ate the whole thing by myself, the chicken curry comes with a piece of chicken but without the meat, the curry sauce is already savoury.
With the number of roti canais I’ve consumed, I was starting to get a little bit full. However, it doesn’t stop me from eating the soft and juicy Tiger Grouper, the Thai Assam sauce leans tangier but overall, the taste doesn’t feel overwhelming. The Jumbo Prawns are huge and juicy too, I believe that the cheese used here is mozzarella but I could be wrong as I don’t have much knowledge of cheese.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t taste the Ayam Goreng Terasi and Ebi String Bean as at this point I couldn’t eat anymore since I’m full. But my friend said that they’re equally delicious and they can really taste the Ebi in the crunchy string beans.
Overall, Penang Bistro has exquisite food yet I can feel a touch of home from their food. The staff are very friendly and attentive, they always serve you with a smile which lifts up your mood. The star of the menu for me is their Roti Canai, whether it’s savoury or sweet, it’s really delicious. Whenever you are in some malls, make sure to check out Penang Bistro for a taste of delicious Malaysian cuisine.
Address: check out their website for more details!
Website: arenacorp.com/penang-bistro
