Dinner at My Nyonya Favourites, 3 Apr 2016

Here I am with the dishes at My Nyonya Favourites (3 April 2016)


Is it possible for two young guys to open a Nyonya restaurant and be good at it? I didn't think so, and of course I am proven wrong. I have just eaten at My Nyonya Favourites, and it gave me what I can call a culinary epiphany.

My Nyonya Favourites is a Nyonya restaurant on Penang Street. It is run by two fellas, Gerard and Robin. Gerard, who is Baba Nyonya, learned Nyonya cooking from his aunt some seven years (or perhaps nine years today) ago. He later worked at a Nyonya restaurant before being inspired to open his own.

My Nyonya Favourites reminds me that good Nyonya cooking can come from anyone, not just a person who is a Nyonya. In this case, we can say that Gerard is Baba, but he looks nothing like the quintessential Baba. He and his business partner Robin take turns in the kitchen while they often come out to meet the diners and get the orders in person.

It was Robin who invited my wife and me over to My Nyonya Favourites. As with our usual restaurant visits, I asked them to "give me your best shot", meaning, serve me whatever you feel best represents your restaurant. For our dinner that evening, we had kari kapitan , hong3 bak3 , jiu3 hu3 char4 , sambal goreng and choon pneah , truly, more items than we would have ordered for a single meal.

The Kari Kapitan at My Nyonya Favourites (3 April 2016)


The Hong Bak at My Nyonya Favourites (3 April 2016)


The Sambal Goreng at My Nyonya Favourites (3 April 2016)


The Choon Pneah or springroll at My Nyonya Favourites (3 April 2016)


And what can I tell you? Everything was absolutely delicious, and exactly how we would expect them from a Nyonya kitchen. (And I am not saying it just because we got a free meal - I can get all these items at home too!) Yes, my wife is able to prepare all these items herself, and very deliciously too, so none of the dishes are strangers to us. So when she pronounced that the food is good, just like home cooking, you can believe she knows what she's talking about.

It so happens that that week my wife had prepared kari kapitan at home, so the taste of it is still fresh in our memory (in fact, we still have leftovers in the fridge). When we compare, we can say that the kari kapitan at My Nyonya Favourites is just like our own kari kapitan back home. In other words, these guys can cook.

When Robin came to our table to check on us, we told him we were enjoying his food. Not only that, I showed him why. Using my spoon I pressed on the hong bak, to show how it splits easily. They have cooked the meat till it is soft and tender, and breaks easily without disintegrating into the gravy.

And I saw something else from my table. I saw how Gerard took the orders. He would often squat at the table of the diners, and he asked them, whether they are allergic to anything, like peanuts, or whether they can take spicy food. If you are not familiar with Nyonya food, this special treatment goes a long way in helping people appreciate Nyonya food, and I couldn't help being impressed (which is why I am writing it here to tell you).

In the past, when someone asked me to recommend a Nyonya restaurant, I am not sure which one to recommend. Not anymore. From now on, if someone asks for a Nyonya restaurant in the George Town area, I will be recommending My Nyonya Favourites.

Here I am outside My Nyonya Favourites (3 April 2016)

Comparison of two excellent local restaurants

Lately my wife and I have had the pleasure of dining in two different restaurants that offer excellent local cuisine - this one, and Red Chopsticks. Both are just as good. The difference is, My Nyonya Favourites is geared towards à la carte dishes which you would order to eat with rice, while Red Chopsticks offer not just Nyonya, but other local cuisine, and most of these come in the form of sets. Also, My Nyonya Favourites is in George Town while Red Chopsticks is at Ideal Avenue in Bayan Baru. So, depending on where you happen to be, those are my present choices for good local food.

Address

My Nyonya Favourites
20, Penang Street,
10200 George Town, Penang.
Phone: +60 4 262 6696

Business Hours

My Nyonya Favourites is open from 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm for lunch, and from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm for dinner. The restaurant is closed on Thurdays but is open on all public holidays.

My Nyonya Favourites is on the map of Penang Street

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