3D3N in Penang with only RM400!!

Being Malaysians, how can we not explore Penang?!!
5 of us decided to take this long weekend to explore Penang's good food and historical places.

So many great places in only two days, we researched beforehand and plan our trip wisely.
We took the KTM ETS to Penang and used Grab mostly throughout the journey. Cheap and convenient!

Per person:
KTM ETS: RM166 for two-ways (Platinum)
Airbnb in Butterworth for RM54 (3D3N)

DAY 1 (Saturday)

*08.00pm* KL Central

We took LRT from Subang to KL Central. Our train scheduled to leave at 8.40pm and we reached just in time to board the train. Well, 2 minutes to be exact before we missed our train. Thank goodness the KTM ETS counter was just beside the LRT exit 🙏.

Once we board the train, we had our dinner packed from home.

It was about a 4-hour journey. We reached Butterworth at 1.00am.

*01.15am* Nasi Kandar Jamal Mohamed ⭐⭐⭐

4846, Jalan Kampung Benggali, Kampung Benggali, 12000 Butterworth

Mon - Sun: 05.00am - 12.00am (hours might differ)

Initially, we wanted to try the famous stall beside, Nasi Kandar Pokok Ketapang, but we gave up as the queue was long and we needed SLEEEP. So, we decided to try Jamal Mohamed's since both shops come from the same family business. 

We went there clueless as to what to order, so we just ordered what others order🤣. We tried the famous squid roe (eggs), it tastes alright. We had two types of chickens and they were flavourful. Overall, we enjoyed the nasi banjir (soaked rice) most, flooding with different kuah (sauces). It costs us RM21.20 with an extra cabbage. The kuah were thick, rich and savoury, so 4 girls sharing a packet was not so expensive anymore. 

DAY 2 (Sunday)

*10.00am* Restoran Chaw Choon Dim Sum ⭐⭐⭐⭐

6970, Jalan Raja Uda, Raja Uda Industrial Estate, 12300 Butterworth, Pulau Pinang

Mon - Sun: 06.00am - 01.00pm

It was one of the biggest dim sum restaurant in Butterworth. This place is enormous. We came in late morning, hence some dishes were sold out. Nonetheless, we were still happy with our dishes. Among all, we especially love the fried sweet potato, they were delicious!! The egg tarts were alright for me, nothing special. The famous fried yam was a little sweet, not to my liking. The chicken feet were big and yummy! The yellow siew mai (pork dumpling) was okay and the purple siew mai was weird due to the strong pepper smell. The kaya siew pau (brown in colour) was not bad. There are many more dishes that were not included here as we were all too hungry to wait😂. 

For drinks, we had a pot of tea (gok bo). We paid a total of RM55.50. Super worth it!

*12.30pm* Tow Boo Kong Temple, the Nine Emperor Gods Temple

894 & 896, MK14, Jalan Raja Uda, 12300 Butterworth, Pulau Pinang

It seems like this is one of the biggest temple in Butterworth. As we were nearby, we decided to walk there after our brunch. Though we were not clear on the history of the religion, we were impressed by its architecture and design.

*02.00pm* Butterworth Art Walk

1, Lorong Bagan Luar 1, Bagan Luar, 12000 Butterworth, Pulau Pinang

Mon - Sun: Open 24 hours

You can come here in the evening. There are lights above, and benches around too!

Our impromptu 'telescope' with a selfie-stick.

*03.00pm* Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (NVBM)

3972, Jalan New Ferry, Kampung Bagan Dalam, 12100 Butterworth, Pulau Pinang

Old building

New building

One day ago, it was the feast day of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so we decided to visit the church. The front gate was open but the church's door was locked, so we could not enter. Nonetheless, the adoration room was open for praying. As a Catholic, I was told to make 3 wishes whenever entering a Catholic church that I have never been to, the wishes made will be granted.

*04.30pm* We took the ferry and left for the Island

From the church, we walked to Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal thinking it is nearby, not a good idea🙅, especially under the hot sun. Besides, some of the roads are under construction and it was quite misleading using the Google Maps. After asking around, we realised we need to take a shutter bus (from the bus terminal) to reach the ferry terminal. Once in the ferry terminal, we purchased the tickets, each at RM1.20 to the Penang Island. As for returning, no fee is charged. Do check the ferry schedule beforehand to help plan your schedule better.

Armenian Street

*05.15pm* Pop Up Everyday

124, Lebun Armenian, George Town, Pulau Pinang

Mon - Sun: 10.30am - 07.00pm *closed on Thurs

We passed by and saw this shop. This shop sells a variety of small pieces like clothes, photos, accessories and etc. There are lots of collections and antiques as well. Upon entering, there is a coffee corner where you can sit down and chit chat. To be honest, we were drawn in for the cool air inside as the weather outside was terribly hot and we were sweating from all those walking😜.

*05.30pm* Makan-makan in Lebuh Keng Kwee (Eating along Penang Road)

1. Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul

To be honest, it wasn't worth the queue (sorry!). This was not my first time eating here, but I was a little disappointed as it was kind of tasteless. This time round, the ice were quite thick, making it hard to melt and eat, without not having brain freeze😵. It costs RM3 a bowl. Frankly, I would prefer the cendul from Melaka...reallyyy, especially with the Gula Melaka. Anyway, my colleague was explaining that it could be due to the massive crowd that the quality dropped. Instead, she suggested to try the opposite stall next time, seems to taste better, plus no queue is needed.

2. Rojak

While some of us were queuing for the chendul, the other two went to hunt more food down the road. There are goreng chempedak, char kueh teow, asam laksa and etc. We got this plate of rojak at RM7.50.

3. Local products

We did not purchase any products from this stall as we could not decide what to buy at that point. Do take note, not all the snacks there are from Penang. When buying local products, definitely ask for the local Tau Sar Piah - 豆沙饼 (Tambun biscuits) and Beh Teh Saw - 马蹄酥. We wanted a certain brand actually, which is Him Heang to buy as souvenirs. If time is your concern, my suggestion would be to purchase it from here or anywhere else if you passed by.

4. Potterhead Malaysia

11, Lebuh Keng Kwee, Pulau Pinang
Mon - Sun (12.00pm - 07.00pm) *closed on Wed

It looks like a cafe and a shop. There seems to be nothing much inside, do drop by this shop if you are a fan. Take note, no pictures are allowed inside.

5. Ming Xiang Tai Pastry Shop

475-A, Jalan Penang, 10000 George Town, Pulau Pinang

Mon - Sun: 08.30am - 07.00pm

While queuing for the chendul, we also decided to try the Signature Trishaw Egg Tart from this shop. Apparently, it is their best seller item at RM2.50 per piece. Do note that the shop started initially in Kampar, Perak. It was our first time trying and the egg tarts were good. The atmosphere here was homey and lovely (Penang Road branch)! Later in the evening, we passed by the same shop of another branch in Armenian Street and bought their other best sellers, which are Wutaro Yaki and salted egg pastry (武大郎烧饼 and 招牌咸蛋酥). Both were so good that we decided to come back and packed a few home.

*06.30pm* New Lane Street Food Stalls ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lorong Baru, George Town, 10450 George Town, Pulau Pinang

Mon - Sun: 04.00pm - 11.00pm or later *closed on Wednesday

If you want to try a variety of local food, this is the place!! Their fried oyster omelette (oh jian - RM18) are DELICIOUS!! So far, we have yet to find another place better than this. Some of us love the beef noodle soup (RM8)! We also ordered satays, which were nice! We did not order char kueh teow as we were afraid not being able to finish the food. In the end, we found out the queue for char kueh teow got longer, and it smells so good from afar (regretted didn't try😭). The only thing that was not great was the popiah, the filling was just not "brown" enough, it just wasn't flavourful like how a popiah should taste like.

*07.45pm* Clan Jetties of Penang

Pengkalan Weld, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang

Mon - Sun: 09.00am - 09.00pm

It took us some time to walk from New Lane, hence we missed the sunset😞. Inside here, we came across this Chinese restaurant, Chew Jetty Big Bowl Noodle (大腕公面). They serve this HUGE noodle bowl that caught many of the tourist's attention.

*08.15pm* China House (Beach Street Bakery)

153, Beach St, Georgetown, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang

Mon - Sun: 09.00am - 01.00am 

This is a GREAAAAT place to relax, especially for the five of us who have walked the enitre day! The whole place gives this hipster yet homey feel. It incorporates both traditional and modern designs, from the architecture to the decorations, definitely an Insta photo must! There are 14 sections inside, from coffee to main meals, bakery to pub etc etc... It's basically a looongggg shop.

At Beach Street Bakery, we ordered:
- a Tiramisu cake with alcohol, the non-alcohol was sold out (RM18) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- a salted caramel lemon cheesecake (RM18) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- an apple strudel (RM15) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We brought out cakes to the back, The Canteen to eat while enjoying the live music. Music started at 9.00pm.

DAY 3 (Monday)

*8.10am* Travel to Penang Hill by bus 

We took bus no.204 to Penang Hill for only RM2. Apparently, Penang have their own Rapid Pass and Touch 'n Go cannot be used here. However, they do take cash.

Sitting bus early in the morning was a great option as it allows us to see the town better from a higher ground.

*09.20am* Penang Hill

Perbadanan Bukit Bendera, Ayer Itam

Mon - Sun: 05.30am - 10.40pm

On the way up to Penang Hill, there was road traffic. Once we reached, there was human traffic😒. The queue seems to have long started before we got there, like a mini Great Wall of China, no seriously!! Thanks to research, we bought our tickets online at RM10 per adult and skipped the ticket queue. AND when we thought we were so smart, we found out the queue to board onto the funicular was LOOONG as well. We spent almost 45-minutes queuing inside, SCARYYY!! Once it's our turn, we took the most front (right side) of the funicular train so that we can see the spectacular view of Penang. We had to queue while we were coming down too, sigh 🤦.

    

   

*12.20pm* Lunch at Sister Curry Mee

612 T, Jalan Air Itam, Pekan Ayer Itam, 11500 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang

Mon - Sun: 07.30am - 01.00pm *closed on Tues

We wanted to take Grab, but we gave up after seeing the traffic on the road. As the drizzle was coming to a stop, we decided to walk downhill. We made it just in time, RIGHT in time with no crowd and no queue. The curry mee looks super red, not those typical curry mee (coconut milk) I had in KL. Instead, the chilli here reminds me of those fried chilli fish. Some of us like it while I find it okay, preferring the curry mee with coconut milk. This costs RM5 per bowl.

*01.00pm* Kek Lok Si Temple

1000-L, Tingkat Lembah Ria 1, 11500 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang

Mon - Sun: 07.00am - 09.00pm 

      

We travelled up to the temple using cable car. There are 3 levels and you have the options to choose if you would like to travel all the way up respectively or only at certain level. The entrance to the temple is free, but due to the super hot weather, we chose to go up all 3 levels by cable car and it costs us RM8 (add on RM8 if you want two ways). From the highest level, we chose to walked down. It did not took us long, about 25 minutes.

Optional: Entrance to pagoda is RM2 (be prepared for lots and lots and lots of climbing up the stairs😓)

  

*02.40pm* Ayer Itam Asam Laksa ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jalan Pasar, Paya Terubong, 11500 George Town, Pulau Pinang

Mon - Sun: 10.30am - 07.00pm

As we walked down the hill, we stopped by here to tried the famous asam laksa. It was super crowded and packed, actually the place (aisle) is just too small. Overall, the asam laksa was okay, we all agreed that it would taste stronger with more sardines.
Tip: Find a seat first and they will come to you for order. 

*04.10pm* Penang Peranakan Mansion ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

29, Church St, Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Penang

Mon - Sun: 09.30am - 05.00pm

   

   

We made it in time! In time for the last tour of the day at 4.30pm. Our tour guide, Mr. Stanley was amazing!! He did not have the best English, but it was simple to understand and funny (mostly applicable if you are a Malaysian🤣). The place was well-maintained and the fee was RM20 per person (Malaysians). We were even allowed to take photos inside. Due to shortage of time, Mr. Stanley told us that we could come back the next day to visit as long we had our sticker or receipt.  

Penang is beautiful with its history and food!

Will definitely come back again! 💗