3885 Rupert Street
Vancouver, BC
I've known about this tiny Malaysian restaurant for a few years already through some local food blogs but for some reason I've never went to try it. Since we were out in the area and my mom loves roti canai, we went to go check it out once and for all!
It is indeed a small restaurant, mostly filled with small tables of 4. There is a small room at the back that may be able to accommodate larger parties, although I think the max for that room is probably 8-10 people. The place was nicely decorated with some old photographs of Penang, Kuala Lampur and the Petronas Twin Towers.
Grass Jelly Soya Bean (left), Teh Tarik (Malaysian milk tea; right)
It was a warm spring day so I wanted to have a cold drink. I opted for a grass jelly in iced soya bean milk. W and my mom both had the Malaysian milk tea. I tried a sip and it was really good! A little like HK style milk tea but the tea was more creamy and less "bitter" (I don't really know how to describe it...it's a taste of tea leaves being brewed too long producing a sort of bitter aftertaste and leaving a film in the mouth). I really liked it and I half wished I had ordered the milk tea rather than my soya bean milk. My drink wasn't as good in comparison since it was rather plain.
Penang Shrimp Roll - Deep fried marinated pork and shrimp in beancurd sheet wrap
For starters, my mom chose the Penang shrimp roll and, of course, the Roti canai. The shrimp rolls were actually more like little fritters or deep fried meat balls. Inside the crispy beancurd wrappers were a mixture of minced pork and minced shrimp meat. It also came with a sweet and sour-ish dipping sauce. Though they were tasty, my mom complained that there was more pork than shrimp inside.
Roti Canai - Crispy Indian style pancake served with curry dipping sauce (2 pieces)
The Roti canai, on the other hand, was hot, flakey, chewy and delicious! The dish had 4 pieces (2 large pancakes cut into halves) and served with a mild curry dipping sauce. We all had different ways of eating it haha. My mom liked to eat it plain without any sauce. My dad and W dipped theirs in the curry sauce. And me? I drenched mine in the Penang Asam laksa broth!
Penang Asam Laksa - Laksa noodles with sardine, cucumber, pineapple, onion, mint leaves in hot and sour broth
Deviating away from the usual laksa that comes in a curry-coconut broth, we tried the Penang Asam laksa which had sardines, slivers of cucumber, pineapple, onions, mint leaves, and slippery, thick rice noodles sitting in a hot and sour soup. It was way spicier than I could handle but the flavours were so fantastic that I couldn't stop eating it! It was spicy, savoury, sweet from the pineapple, and a little herby from the mint. The roti was a very good agent in soaking up the broth from my bowl! If they could dial down the heat, I would definitely eat this whole of bowl of laksa!
Hainanese Chicken Rice - Hainanese steamed chicken with chicken broth rice
We also shared an order of the Hainanese chicken rice (there is a bowl of rice on the side). The chicken was not bad. It was flavourful and tender. The sweet soy sauce and bean sprouts below the chicken helped keep the meat moist as well. W said he liked the Hainanese chicken rice at Cafe D'lite (inside the Aberdeen Centre food court) the most though.
K.L. Hokkian Mee - Famous K.L. Hokkian Mee stir fried with thick egg noodle, shrimp, squid, pork, fish cakes and vegetables in Malaysian dark soy sauce
Lastly, we split a plate of noodles to round out the meal. These stir fried noodles reminded me of the Shanghai-style stir fried thick noodles as they were both similar in appearances. There were ample ingredients along with the noodles but I found the noodles to be too soft and the whole plate very oily. At least the greens (choi sum vegetables) provided some colour and a healthy factor to this dish!
Overall, Penang Delight is a quaint little restaurant serving up delectable Malaysian eats. I want to come back again and have their milk tea for myself and brave their deliciously spicy Asam laksa!!
