Penang Garden

I have consistently had delicious meals for lunch here over the last 8 months. My favorites are the mango chicken and the penang salmon. I have yet to try their most popular dish the Hainanese chicken rice. I was in there today and one of the staff explained to me how it’s prepared and why is so popular. I’ll definitely be trying it next time!

I wouldn’t recommend this place. Food sucks and way overpriced. It isn’t Malaysian but more of Chinese. We ordered Chow Kueh Teow but got Shrimp Chow Fun instead. It is way overpriced. While a Shrimp Chow Fun typically costs $ 8, they gave it a new name and charged you $ 14. We ordered a Coffee Marinated Short Rib, it turns out to be sweet and sour beef. The only dish that’s OK was the Vegetable in Malaysian style.
For food of the same or better quantity/​quality, it typically costs less than $ 30 in Chinatown for what we ordered. They simply made it Malaysian by giving each dish a new name and charged 50% more.
Never coming back again.

Way overpriced. Average deep fried chicken. Roti matabah was very thin and tasteless. Cockroach on the next table.

Do not come here for friendly or effusive wait staff. Mind, nobody was at all unpleasant, once they drop the food and tea, you are left on your own.
We ordered the Roti Canal, Hainanese Chicken rice plate and curry pumpkin with chicken (also a rice plate) which we shared. I did not care for the Hainanese Chicken, can’t tell you why other than some spice I did not enjoy, just not for me. The pumpkin curry was solidly good and for a rice plate, the portion was huge. Roti was different than what I’ve had before (Mandalay). It was good, but, I was expecting layers and really crispy (as pictured in the menu).
Loads of good looking food on other tables, so we will be back to sample some more, like a fish head curry that looked fabulous.

This place is great!!! This is a true authentic restaurant for some good Chinese food. I would recommend this place to anyone. All of the food is amazing, and love coming here over and over again. You will not be disappointed with this place.

Need to improve. Not authentic enough for Malaysian cuisine. Overall … Food is so so. Service is not good at all. They do not care about customers. Place is not clean.

Stopped in here for lunch since Sam Wo’s was a mob scene. I’ve eaten at tons of Malaysian places when I lived in NYC and in SF I really like Azalina’s, so I have some benchmarks in mind. This place was ok, but didn’t really wow me. Seemed bland and uninspired. Granted, I didn’t order the chili crab (since $ 45 is too decadent a lunch my tastes) but Azalina’s noodles really blow their noodles out of the water.
Roti Canai: I know it’s cliché, but I love me some roti canai when I eat at Malaysian restaurants. Their’s was pretty darn tasty. A good mix of soft and crispy sections of the roti. The curry was rich and intense. My biggest issue was that the curry portion was rather measly and I ended up with roti with nothing to dip it in.
Indian Mee Goreng: Stir fried noodles with shrimp, tofu, egg and some potatoes. It seemed very bland compared to what I’ve had at other Malaysian places. A bit disappointing.
Rambutan Juice: Kinda like an agua fresca. With the shell off, it was almost indistinguishable from lychee juice. Very refreshing though.
Free Soup: Came before the meal started. The cabbage and onion really dominated the flavor profile making it a tad bitter.

I came here for the chili crab. was not disappointed. service was not the best, but that’s a relative statement considering i think most asian establishments aren’t that great! Ordered a side of hainanese chicken (ok, not great) and ong chow (they ran out of the lady fingers, this was actually very tasty with the crab and rice). Also had the lamb santan, which was okay. When I come back, I would stick with the chili crab and ong chow. service, sanitation, water refills, blah blah blah I wouldn’t get my hopes up for those lol.

Tried for something else, but got pleasantly surprised.
We had originally tried for Z & Y, but there was a line to even wait inside, same with the restaurant next to it. We quickly had to find a nearby alternative, and glad we found Penang Garden. I had recently been to New Penang Garden in Milpitas, so I was expecting something similar.
Pretty empty for lunch at 1 pm on a Sunday, considering the wait for Z & Y. We got seated instantly and looked through the menu. Everything sounded good, so we got:
Roti Canai — I wanted to introduce my friends to something new and they loved it. Great curry dipping sauce, warm and fluffy at first, and huge. We should have gotten one.
Chicken Satay — 4 – 5 chicken skewers with peanut sauce. I was really impressed with the peanut sauce.
Singapore Noodles — this is what I got, and while not bad, the weakest meal we got. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, and the small bites of pork were delightful to find on your tongue. They gave a lot of noodles, and the curry flavor was there. I just have had better.
Chow Kueh Teow — this was really good, and we knew it was going to be just from the smell alone. The noodles and chicken were great, but the sauce is what really makes the dish. I would get this again.
Sizzling Beef — a huge hot plate of, as the name says, sizzling beef. In a great bell pepper and black been sauce, all three of us kept picking at it. Should have saved some roti for the sauce.
Big place, quick service, great food, no wait. Also a fiberglass tree in the middle of the restaurant.

I lived in Singapore for five years and one of my fondest memories was going to the mamak stalls to get roti canai. There was nothing more delicious than dipping crispy and buttery flat bread in a spicy curry sauce that they hand to you in a plastic bag. I had a massive craving for some roti canai and Southeast Asian food in general so I decided to try Penang Garden. I convinced a couple of my co-​workers to go with me and we stopped by for lunch on a weekday.
Food: I got the roti canai and nasi lemak. The roti canai was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just like how I remembered it. The curry sauce was savory and spicy. I definitely recommend getting the roti canai here. The nasi lemak was delicious as well. It had anchovies, peanuts, boiled egg, curry, cucumber, and chili paste. It was very authentic and I loved all of the different textures and flavors. Two of my co-​workers got the Hainanese chicken rice. One of them liked it but the other didn’t. I’m definitely going to have to come back and try it for myself.
Service: Not so great. The woman at the front was wearing the sarong kebaya that Singapore Airlines stewardesses wear. She wasn’t too friendly, especially after finding out that we wanted our food to-​go. She also told us after we got our food that they don’t accept debit/​credit card for anything below $ 15.
Penang Garden is worth a visit if you are looking to try or get your fix for Southeast Asian food.

This restaurant say Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, but it really Chinese style.
We order Hainanese Chicken, Belachan Kang Kung, Fish Head Rice Noodle Soup,
Hainanese Chicken — rice was not prepared with real chicken fat, The rice with the Hainan chicken definitely wasn’t cooked like, and it was yellow
Fish Head Rice Noodle Soup — not exactly malaysian/​singaporean but this was good as like as chinese.
Belachan Kang Kung — The vegetables tasted very fresh and they were not too oily
Overall the food was definitely subpar.
這家餐廳說是星，馬,泰，但它實在是中國風.
我們點了海南雞飯，馬拉盞通菜，魚頭湯米粉
海南雞飯 — 飯不是用真正的雞油, 這只是黃色. 雞肉很和油性, 但它是可以接受的.
馬拉盞通菜 — 蔬菜味道很新鮮，他們也沒有太油膩.
魚頭湯米粉 — 不完全是馬來西亞/​新加坡但這是好樣的中國做.
總體來說，食物是可以接受的,

Grew up in Singapore so very picky and critical of any restaurant claiming to sell ‘Singaporean food’. Had take-​away. My first time so ordered Nasi lemak– I figure you can usually tell how authentic a restaurant is by the common national dishes.
When I opened my box– all the sides show this is ‘Malaysia style’ Nasi lemak. first bite is always the rice– the pass/​fail test. The aromatic coconut rice is soft and as close to what you’ll get in Malaysia /​Singapore. The authentic ajak (sesame salad) tasted home made, topped with fresh roasted peanuts and Ikan billies (crispy tiny anchovies) marinated in sweet onions, one classic hard boil egg and raw cucumbers.
The delicious mildly flavored chicken curry is neatly packaged in a separate container, no messy soaky rice. For $ 11.95 (dinner portion, generous), it makes a hearty and filling meal.
I had to reserve the burbur Hitam (black glutinous rice sweet desert) for later — it was sublime– the coconut milk isn’t over powering. Perfect.
Service from staff was so so, I suspect below par if I dined in. Manager was a little more attentive. It took them less than 15mins from order to out the door — and it was 7.30pm, restaurant was about 60% full on a weeknight.
This place looks like it’s been around for a while. When visiting such restaurants, esp in Chinatown, you are there for the food, more than anything else. In my experience restaurants serving their national foods with limited service, sometimes barely speaking english are the ones that’s usually most authentic. Contrary is true — those with waitresses in perfect uniforms and holding menus standing outside the door engaging tourists to go in (like «Chinatown restaurant» further up the hill on the same street) are American — Chinese food, ok if you are looking for your usual gong Bao chicken.
They don’t deliver and accept only visa/​master above $ 15.
I glanced around other tables — everything looked very good — from green Vegs to the typical curries and pineapple fried rice…
I can’t wait to bring a group back soon to try the rest of the menu.

My family and I have dined at this restaurant for years. Prices have increased over time, but food is expensive in general these days. Food is consistently good and the staff have remained the same. It makes me think it’s either family owned or they have good management & treat their employees very well.
We always get double or triple orders of the roti roti — fluffy, chewy, with a fun dipping sauce. The Tom Yum soup is also a good start to the feast. Pineapple fried rice is always a favorite along with coffee flavored ribs. Some others included this egg tofu dish — essentially it is tofu that is made of egg but super soft and yummy served on a sizzling platter. We also like the Hainan chicken (cold dish) or just the yellow rice by itself YUMS.
I’m surprised that this restaurant is not more highly rated. I’ve been to many restaurants similar to this type of cuisine and Penang Garden’s food is hands down better than the rest in my opinion. In terms of authenticity — I for one have never been to Singapore, Malaysia, or Thailand but I have always enjoy the food and my experience here. Staff are friendly and pretty attentive for the most part. We asked the waiter once how authentic the food is compared to say in Malaysia & he said it’s definitely not as spicy here but according to him, they use the similar styles of cooking.
Parking can be tough as it is still considered Chinatown but not impossible. Great for big parties/​gatherings.

Holy Durian! I’ve been looking for a place that offers durian chicken soup and almost fainted when I found out this was the place. Thank you Unilocal!I“ve always wondered what it should taste like after several failing attempts to make it myself at home. Boy oh boy did this place put mine to shame!
Located across the street from the Portsmouth Square Plaza on Washington, Penang Garden is a Chinese owned Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai fusion restaurant (ma-​sing-​thai as Cantonese people would call). One of the most common appetizer dish is the Roti Canai (naan) with curry dipping sauce which, OK LET’S BE HONEST I CAME HERE FOR THE DURIAN CHICKEN SOUP! :-)
The durian chicken soup had a blend of chinese herbs, chicken, and two durian meats without the seed. The soup had a strong natural sweetness of the durian and chicken broth with just a slight hint of the herbs to give the extra dimension. It was so freakin’ good that every drop was gone! Only wished they would’ve put more chunks of that durian in so that every spoon to the mouth has a piece :)
Now on with the other dishes…
Combo satay was just ok. It was pretty dry with very light flavoring. I’ve had better at many similar restaurants.
Curry Crab-​this is the first time I’ve ever had curry with crab so it was definitely interesting. Accompanied with potatoes, tomatoes and bell peppers, the curry was just about right… not too spicy with a lot of curry flavoring. Crab was fresh, out of the tank, with its soft, juicy, tender meat.
At the end of the meal, we wanted to order the durian pancake. There was one problem, all the cooks left the restaurant! They could’ve at least tell us the kitchen was closing for last call. Instead, we walked out of there disappointed. Which brings us to the service…
It was ok. I didn’t feel they were all that friendly and inviting. Good thing our food came in a timely manner. Only if they let us know they were closing the kitchen near the end of the meal!

Whilst this restaurant’s name suggest it serves Malaysian food, I believe it’s forte is in Chinese cooking. There have been negative reviews regarding authenticity etc. I have no way of telling if this is true as what we ordered was essentially Chinese cooking and it was good.
I visited this restaurant with a friend who has been a long time local. He ordered Kang Kong in Belachan, Pig Tripe soup, Ying Yang Fish (steamed on one side and deep fried on the other), Oyster Omelette and Frogs legs and Clams in black bean sauce. Everything tasted perfect. Finally the price is fair.
If you need help ask for Steven.

Service was as unfriendly as you can get. …should have been our sign to leave. .
We were shocked when the food came less then 7 minutes from ordering. Our chicken was ice cold bit noodles super hot… we decided it was best to go somewhere else! Bad service and bad food…

Meh not good. Stopped in for a late lunch. Mistake no. 1 as we received what looked like leftovers for our lunch entrees. I ordered the Beef Chow Fun lunch served with soup. Soup was lukewarm and beef chow fun looked it had seen better days. The «beef» had been cooked and cooked again that it was rubbery. Also something gritty was in there.
I lost my appetite too when our server had no teeth. Don’t count the one yellow black tooth as teeth. Poor thing we couldn’t understand a word he was saying. He shouldn’t be in the front lines serving the public food. Just sayin…
Service was spotty. only three tables and we were flagging him down for everything such as napkins, more tea, chinese hot sauce.
I won’t go there again.

I have been to Singapore, and Malaysia. The food at Penang garden is more Chinese style. My in laws like to eat here. You get good bang for your buck here. Seafood dishes are fresh.
Get: coconut prawns, coffee spare ribs, chicken, roasted squab
Service: typical chinatown
Parking: across the street

Alright… it’s time to relent and bump Penang Garden up a star.
Perhaps it’s a homesick Singaporean in me, but while not every dish is completely authentic and hitting the mark, Penang Garden does a decent job at bringing tasty and familiar flavors to the table. Take the chili crab for instance — while I find their version (they call it hot and spicy crab) to be more tomatoey than what I typically have back home, the combination of the spices with the sweet crab meat really hits home. No pun intended.
The humble nasi lemak is Southeast Asian comfort food with the coconut rice in tandem with accompaniments like curry chicken and pickles. I like to combine the rice with leftover sauce from the chili crab. The gado gado salad is pretty decent too.
Considering what Anthony Bourdain said about Singapore: «This, if you like food, might be the best place on earth.» It’s unfortunate that there is a dearth of Singaporean/​Malaysian food in the city. Thus, Penang Garden is worth a visit if anything just to switch it up a little for slightly different and unique Asian food.

SANITATION!!! I saw a rat scurry across the restaurant and promptly lost my appetite. We informed the owner and all he did was observe the general area we pointed to, then walked away.
The food was pretty decent, but I am only willing to give this restaurant 2 stars due to sanitary issues and service. Our food came out pretty quickly and tasted decent, but that was about it. It took us quite a bit of effort to flag our server down to order and then to grab the check. Not once did he check up on us during the meal to see how we were doing, or to refill our tea. My friend and I came in around 1:30pm and were the only customers, so you would think they’d be semi-​attentive! So unfortunate that this experience was so unpleasant. I’ve been here too many times to count since I was a kid, and quality has definitely gone down. I’m sad to say I won’t be back for a long time!