Getting their fill: Customers enjoying the variety of Penang flavours at the food court along Padang Kota Lama in George Town. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: It’s rather hard to dethrone Penang from its perch as Malaysia’s food paradise.
The three-day weekend brought visitors from as far as Selangor and Johor, all eager to savour their favourite dishes.
Many food stalls across the city saw long queues.
The newly completed food court at Fort Cornwallis was one of the hotspots for visitors from out of state.
Among them was Noridayu Mokhtar, 40, a student management assistant from Tanjong Karang, Selangor.
She was on a two-day food hunt with her family.
“We visit Penang at least once a year. And food has always been our focus on holiday.
“From nasi kandar to roadside snacks and seaside desserts, we just eat non-stop whenever we are here,” she said while queuing for mee sotong.
Noridayu said hotel bookings had to be done in advance as many travellers make a beeline to Penang whenever there is a long weekend.
“We made our booking a month ago. Many of the rooms were already taken, but we managed to secure a place within the city that’s convenient for visiting popular food outlets,” she added.
It was a public holiday in Malaysia yesterday as the country marked Awal Muharram.
At a nasi kandar outlet in Penang Road, 34-year-old aircraft technician Hafiz Rahmat from Johor Baru stopped over with a superbike convoy.
“We’re on a trip from Johor, riding up north for the long weekend. Penang is always on the itinerary to get proper nasi kandar before heading to Baling.
“Nasi kandar in Penang is the real deal with its mix of spices, overflowing gravy and ayam ros. No other version can come close to it,” he said.
His eight-man convoy consisted of work buddies and members of their local bike club.
Sabir Ali Ansari, 37, manager of the mee sotong stall at Fort Cornwallis, said they had anticipated a sharp rise in business over the three-day weekend.
“Normally, we sell about 500 plates daily. This weekend, we expect that number to double or even triple. Our workers start preparing ingredients from 6am,” he said.
Malaysian Association of Hotels Penang chapter chairman Datuk Tony Goh said hotel occupancy spiked significantly after a slow period.
“Since the school holidays ended in May, hotels had been quiet, averaging just around 50% occupancy. This weekend, most are seeing 80% to 90% occupancy, with some fully booked,” he said.
“Hotel guests are usually Malaysians. International tourists make up less than 30%. With about 26,000 registered room inventories, the domestic market is crucial to our sustainability.”
Popular tourist attractions such as Gurney Bay, the Esplanade and the Clan Jetties also experienced heavy foot traffic.
To maintain order and assist visitors, tourist police officers were deployed to key locations, including Armenian Street and The Top Komtar.
