iMasticate

Since the start of April, my family has made 4 visits to our new favourite Penang restaurant D’Nyonya Penang (previously known as Rasa Nyonya Penang Restaurant). Nyonya is a unique cuisine that grew from a combination of Chinese and Malay influences, traced back to Penang in Malaysia. My mum’s family lived in Penang during her childhood - she seriously loves this place!

The waitress directed us out of the restaurant and into a back room, which adds extra seating capacity. It felt strange to dine away from the kitchen and bustle of the cashier, but the room had pleasantly comfy chairs. The service is generally friendly but be prepared for potentially frustrating service because some waitstaff process requests rather slowly (my mum describes such people as ‘blur-case’).

The menu features single-serve Hawker’s style dishes and larger dinner dishes to share. During each visit, we ordered white steamed rice ($1.50 per serve) and sambal chilli on the side ($1.00 for extra bowl). The sambal is not for the faint-hearted so test it before you grab a spoonful!

Curry Kapitan Chicken ($15.50)

My favourite dish is Curry Kapitan Chicken, which my mum says tastes like her grandmother’s cooking (a huge compliment). I usually find Malay curries palateable, but this dish is distinctly awesome and less oily. The chicken pieces are tender and bursting with flavour. We order this dish on every visit, but once the sauce lacked its customary richness. Nevertheless, it’s still my top pick and highly recommended!

Special Telur Tofu ($10.00)

One dining companion spotted this interesting caramel-coloured mountain on another table. Special Telur Tofu is quite a novelty, a tall stack of deep fried deliciousness. Peel off stringy pieces of melt-in-your-mouth egg and beancurd and dunk them liberally in sweet chilli sauce and kecap manis (sweet soy sauce). Such a guilty treat and the most interesting tofu dish I’ve eaten. However, don’t be fooled by the description - the dish does not contain kerabu (sour pickly salad).

Assam Gulai Fish ($16.50)

My mum’s favourite is the Assam Gulai Fish, a spicy sauce with sour tanginess. Sitting in the sauce are silky pieces of fish, semi-raw chunks of onion, squishy tomato pieces and a few okra (or ‘ladies fingers’, as my mum calls them). Yum!

Salted Egg Prawn ($21.50)

Deshelled prawns, lightly battered and fried. The Salted Egg Prawn dish is a generous serving of tasty bite-sized prawns, but I would have enjoyed a more crispy texture.

We often ended up with leftovers for breakfast the next day (don’t judge me). However, the dinner bill was rarely more than $15 per person. As budding regulars to the restaurant, we also scored free takeaway containers!

The restaurant is a licenced Halal establishment.

Summary
Likes: authentic Nyonya cuisine <3

Dislikes: occasional slow-brain waitstaff

Value for money: excellent

Overall: fast becoming a family favourite!

Contact
Address:
1019 Albany Hwy
East Victoria Park WA

(08) 9470 3847