Fancy authentic Nyonya food in Penang? Thinking of some home-cooked dishes that are only served during the festive seasons? Well, Homes Chef Garden restaurant is the place. Quality Nyonya and Chinese food ranging from jiu hoo char (stir-fried jicama with shredded cuttlefish), perut ikan (Nyonya pickled fish stomach curry), curry fish head, assam prawns (tamarind prawns) to too kar chor (black vinegar pork trotter), kiam chai ark (salted vegetable and duck soup)... Oh my, all these dishes really make me drool. At home, my mother only cooks these sumptuous dishes on special occasions or on special request. Here, at Homes Chef Garden, one can savour the dishes at anytime.
As we entered the restaurant, we found that it was not very packed with customers. There were only a few tables occupied.
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| The place was decorated with antique lamps and collectibles |
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| Cute decor at the restaurant's restroom |
We ordered their Nyonya fried rice, Too Ka Chor (vinegar pork trotter), Jiu Hoo Char (stir-fried jicama with shredded cuttlefish) and curry chicken.
First, their Nyonya fried rice (RM 8) is garnished with chopped spring onions, fried shallots, fried egg and cubed carrots. The best part is the rice is fried with four large juicy prawns. It is very aromatic and delicious.
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| The Nyonya fried rice |
Next, the Too Ka Chor (vinegar pork trotter) (RM 19) is equally appetising. The sweet and sour taste of the soup is mouthwatering. We had requested for leaner meat in the soup. So, they had duly obliged. The texture of the lean meat is a little hard. So, I guess the fatty meat would be a better choice. If you like this dish very much, then you should put aside your diet plan as eating fatty meat is real fattening but tasty.
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| The sweet and sour vinegar pork trotter |
Another must try dish is their Jiu Hoo Char (stir-fried jicama with shredded cuttlefish) (RM 18). Although jicama or yambean and carrot are not cut very finely like in my mother used to but it is tasty. This dish is best eaten by using hands. It is usually served with fresh lettuce and sambal (ground chilli with belacan). So, just grab a leaf of lettuce and top with one spoon of Jiu Hoo Char on it. If you like it spicy, then put a little sambal on it, wrap it up like a tortilla and eat it.
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| Jiu Hoo Char (Fried jicama with shredded cuttlefish) |
Curry chicken (RM 16) has been adopted as part of Chinese and also Nyonya food. The level of spiciness is just right (that is not too spicy for us) as the curry chicken is cooked with coconut milk. Therefore, the curry is rather thick and creamy.
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| Curry chicken with coconut milk |
We had ordered two glasses of honey to cool ourselves in the hot weather; RM 3.50 for the cold honey drink and RM 3 for the hot honey drink.
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| Hot and cold honey drinks |
The place has a very pleasing decor and ambience. If you are interested to view some old stuffs like an old sewing machine, it is on display as part of the decor. An old ice kacang machine (for grinding the ice), radio and a clay teapot are also being displayed on the manual sewing machine.
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| An antique ice kacang machine, radio, clay teapot displayed on a manual sewing machine |
Their service is quite fast because dishes like the Too Kar Chor, Jiu Hoo Char and curry chicken have been cooked earlier as they actually need a longer preparation and cooking time. Anyway, the dishes are served hot.
There is a service charge of 10% included in the bill which is quite common. The portion that we ordered is good to be eaten by three adults. That was why we were indeed very full after our dinner.
In short, the food here is unforgettable and if you have an appetite for home-cooked Nyonya and Chinese food, this place is certainly worth a try.
Details of the restaurant:
Address : 253G-1-06+07, Premier Center, Burmah Road, 10350 Penang
Telephone no. : 04-2277881
Business Hour : 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Closed on Thursday)
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