Hits and misses

Friday 26^th Feb 2016.

Another treat at breakfast today. Butterworth Air Force Base is just across the North Channel from Penang Island and we watched the jet fighters doing their practice landings and take-offs. They do have a name for it, I just can’t remember what it is. It might be touch and go……… We were lucky enough to see it yesterday as well from our perch in the Premier Lounge, for the beautiful people!! 

The Blue Mansion was on our list of things to visit yesterday but we realized this morning that we forgot to go there so headed there first thing. Entry is only at specific times via a tour and we missed the time slot and the next was too long away, so skipped that and on to the next thing.
The plan was to catch the 101 bus out to Batu Feringghi, the beach resort part of the island, and then call back in to Gurney Plaza, next to the night markets and find some food and perhaps a beer. Well, according to Google map on my phone, we arrived at Batu Feringghi and I must say, we were not very impressed at all. We walked along the beach for a bit and took some nice photos but we expected a scaled down Surfer’s Paradise type of place. This was nothing like it. Hungry, hot and thirsty, we headed back to the bus stop and went to Gurney Plaza where we found ‘Chicago’ a steak and rib joint. Oh the smell when we walked in……. pork heaven!!! We saw bacon at the hawker stalls last night – one streaky strip on a stick for 2.50 MYR – nearly $1 AU. Expensive!! Anyway, back to the story. We decided on the trio tasting plate, potato skins (nobody makes them at home any more), chicken wings and corn chips with some chilli con carne, not iconic Penang food, but it was worth going in just for the smell!  Found out later that it wasn’t Batu Feringghi. Bloody map!

Dinner was at Red Garden just over the road. It’s a hawker food court but a bit more upmarket. The drink man stills pounces as soon as you sit down, you give him your order for drinks and he goes off somewhere and gets them, then you go to the stall you want the food from, order and pay and they bring it to you. We had pork rice, similar to what we had when we came down from Kek Lok Si Temple, except with pork. Mmmmmm, pork………. It’s a scarce commodity in these parts.

Trevor saw some grilled squid and decided that might be nice so he went and ordered some – very disappointing. It was dried squid and covered in spicy stuff, either of which would have made it difficult to eat, but in combination, it was impossible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him actually spit something out!!

Working our way through iconic Malaysian treats, I order Cendol which is a dessert that you order from the drink man. It was an interesting concoction and I wouldn’t bother to order it again, but it looked interesting enough to try. An icy rather than creamy dessert, a bit coffee in flavour topped with green spaghetti looking worms made from rice or sago flour and scattered with – wait for it – red kidney beans!! Like I said, interesting………….