Nasi Kandar Diff'rnt @ Bayan Lepas, Penang

mr. khairul claimed this place is NOT the real deal, so it cannot be called a nasi kandar restaurant. i like the fried chicken, and i'm not too crazy about curry - so i couldn't care less.

curries for nasi kandar is said to be good, only if the mamak MIX it, and MIX it well. if you don't mind less-than-thick curry that's not properly mixed, and love freshly fried chicken, this is the restaurant to go too.

oh, a warning : this is the first of my many story of us in penang.

* * *

we went to penang and met up with mr. khairul's family friend muhaidi aka 'tato', who has been friends with the anwar boys since forever - way back in their days of wearing dark blue shorts to penang free school. a great guy, humble and never out of smiles and a few jokes thrown in.

tato brought us to this makan place under his special recommendation. it's the 'cargas cafe' at bayan lepas. here, they aim to be different. you'll soon know what i mean.

situated at a corner lot, it sets itself apart from the other old, worn-down looking shoplots with a fresh new coat of paint, in dark brown. classy and presentable.


to find this restaurant, look for the bayan lepas police station, and a few shoplots nearby. the 'diff'rnt' spelling of the word 'different' will be your guide.

otherwise, look for jalan kolam ikan, and it'll lead you here, or a fish pond!


to mr. khairul, it's probably not the best place to have nasi kandar, but the long line of hungry penangites and tourists may prove otherwise!


in fact, when we arrived around 1.30pm, the lauk has started to finish! some curries were not available!


however, the BEST part of this restaurant was yet to come - they fried their chicken fresh, and i mean just been cedok-ed from the hot kuali!

ayam goreng

i absolutely enjoy their fried chicken. not the usual ayam goreng kunyit, this one was marinated in spices. tender meat, and juicy to the bite. excellent to go with the curry.

and i know it's bad for me, but the chicken skin was SO irresistably crunchy!

kari ikan

here's the fish curry. to a nasi kandar-freak, NOT thick enough, but to a plain curry-eater like me, this did just as well as any curry.

daging kuah hitam

oh, this one is nice as well. meat in black gravy - daging kuah hitam. i love the gravy, because i'm always a fan of any ketchup-based gravy! hihi.

if you noticed, the curries were served on separate plates, and we have to mix the gravy ourselves while pouring on our rice.

to mr. khairul the self-confessed nasi kandar specialist - that ain't right! the mamak has to do the mixing, because he's the one with the special curry-mixing-superpower.

to me, i don't mind. the curries taste good nontheless!


and to complement all the fat and meat and curry - the humble plate of stir-fried vegetable. just cut up cabbage, spinach, and carrots. simple, but went well with everything.

* * *

uncle tato with baby kazim

special thanks to tato for recommending this restaurant with the deliciously fresh-fried chicken. we apreciate the warm welcome, and hang punya service with a smile! hihi.

interesting fact : tato just had his first born, a boy. born on 1st april - yeap, same date as kazim - just a few hours earlier. haha.