It’s the journey, not the destination, the saying goes. There is something to be said for both though, as we find out in this road trip to Penang, Malaysia’s food capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Situated in northeastern Malaysia, Penang, with its quaint heritage houses, delicious food and a friendly vibe, is easily accessible from Singapore. The city combines good food, cultural and historical interests and a bit of shopping. “Penang was a great adventure,” says Jordan James, 43, avid car enthusiast and a top executive for a publishing company, who recently went on a road trip to the island with his wife and two young sons. “The kids loved the whole experience of finding the [city’s famous] murals.” Penang, some four hours from Kuala Lumpur and eight hours from Singapore was the perfect destination for the road trip, he says.

These are obviously not the only things you can do in this vibrant city. But it’s a good starting point.

Check out some street art
Get a brochure with the street art at the tourism office at the Penang International Airport or at the Tourism Information Centre, The Whiteways Arcade, Lebuh Pantai, 10300, Georgetown, Penang; tel: +604 263 1166.

Sightsee in Georgetown
Have fun walking down the narrow streets to check out old shophouses, heritage buildings with small museums where you can get a glimpse of Penang’s colourful past, or just sit in a café and watch the world go by. The Penang Heritage Trust organises walking tours for those who want to learn more about Georgetown and Penang’s history.

Eat, then eat some more
Not for nothing is Penang known as Malaysia’s food capital. Its street food is justifiably famous and delicious. A good way to find out the best places to eat is to ask the friendly Penangites who are more than willing to direct you to their favourite char kway teow or laksa stall. Here’s a sampling of places to go:

Esplanade Hawker Centre: For local delicacies like fried mee, mee jawa (Indonesian style noodle soup), mee udang (Malay prawn noodle), mutton soup and pasembur (Malaysian Indian salad).

Farlim Pasar Malam (night market): For cheap food and local eats. “Try the char kway kak — a combination of char kway teow and carrot cake. Instead of using chicken egg to cook it, they use duck’s egg. Truly amazing flavours!” says Jordan.

Gurney Drive Hawker Centre: Over 90 stalls selling Malay, Chinese, Indian Muslim street food. The Penang laksa is particularly good here.

Kafe Heng Huat (108 Lorong Selamat) and Kedai Kopi Sin Guat Keong (Lebuh Kimberley): For char kway teow that has generous portions of seafood and duck eggs.

Queen Street: This street is lined with many nasi kandar (meal of plain or flavoured steamed rice and a variety of curries) restaurants, the most popular being Tajuddin Hussain Nasi Kandar (49 Queen Street).

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