Penang Malaysian Cuisine

It’s easy to assume that Chinatown restaurants are largely East Asian-inspired, but that’s far from the only region that’s represented in this historic neighborhood. Case in point—Penang, one of the few restaurants in the greater Boston area to offer Malaysian cuisine. While newcomers may wish to sample some nasi lemak—a sweet coconut-laden rice creation that serves as the country’s national dish—that’s far from the only plate worth ordering.

“They have great Hainanese chicken, and you can order sticky rice, coconut rice, or chicken rice. The chicken rice is made with chicken fat, they cook the rice along with it so all the chicken flavor goes into the rice. Probably not that healthy, but it’s super tasty,” says Moy. “I also really got into their vegetable curry casserole, it comes out bubbly and boiling and you put it over rice. It’s really comfort food to a T.”