Fried Yam Ring with mixed vegetables. The yam ring has a crispy crust, yet soft and mushy inside. The mixed vegetables consist of lightly stir-fried cashew nuts, mushroom, baby corn, cauliflower, broccoli and fried tofu skin as well as crispy glass noodles.
Sum Sook Restaurant is a hidden gem for chu char (“big fry” in Hokkien) enthusiasts in Penang. Located in Bukit Mertajam, this spot offers reasonably priced dishes with the quality of a top-rated seafood restaurant.
Marmite Chicken – sweet-savoury spread based on the Marmite yeast extract. The sweetish sauce coated the fried chicken wings well.
The chef’s mastery of wok hei (breath of the wok) ensures each dish bursts with flavour. Sum Sook is particularly renowned for its delectable seafood dishes, including Curry Fish Head cooked in claypot, Asam Laksa Steamed Fish and Asam Pedas Stingray. Their specialty also lies in Nyonya-style curries and kerabu dishes, and their version has a sweet-and-sour twist to this traditional dish.
We had their White Pomfret Teochew Style, a quintessential dish in Teochew cuisine with the delicate white flesh as the star of the dish, dressed with salted plums and salted vegetables. The sauce is tangy and savoury.
Besides ordering a host of dishes, we must have our veggies too, so we had Stir-fried Cabbage which was fresh and crunchy with thinly sliced carrot stir-fried and garlic.
Deep-fried squid in batter. The squid is tender, crispy and golden on the outside and has a subtle pepperish taste.
There were eight of us for dinner and the bill came up to less than RM200. Pretty good meal for a night out with the family, don’t you think?
Curry Prawn Bread Basket that comes with a rich and flavourful Nyonya-style curry gravy. Pairs wonderfully with the outer layer of fluffy bread. It also has a generous number of medium-sized prawns.
Opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and food at his own expense.
Going by the tagline “Eat & Travel Responsibly”. Ben Hor hosts a food and travel blog. Recognised by Google as Local Guide Level 8, he and his wife started their foodie journey in Penang before relocating to Kuala Lumpur. His food tales can be found at iambenhor.com
