The unassuming profile of Penang Coffee House

Penang Coffee House has been around for a long time. Frequented by Swinburne university students and lecturers alike, they have been the go to Malaysian joint for us for as long as I remember.

The menu with all the right information

I remember back in uni days (I’m not from Swinburne *ahem*), we’d drive to Hawthorn East and have conversations with the owner. Him regailing us with tales of growing up in Malaysia (Ipoh) and us listening politely and updating him with news from home.

The view into the kitchen

That was in the old restaurant. A few years ago, they moved to a bigger outlet further up the road. The place still gets crowded with loyal customers…

The now empty but often cramp and bustling dining area

We usually have a starter, main and dessert just because they have everything we crave for!

Tauhu Goren (Fried Tofu with cucumber and bean sprouts and satay sauce)

From delicious fried (and stuffed) tofu…

Slurp-fest!

To delicious laksas… (Laksa’s here differ from the ones you may find in Laksa King, as the one you find here has a richer milkier soup base –> Hence why it’s called Laksa Lemak [which literally translates to Fat Laksa!]) It just has a richer quantity of coconut milk in it.

Laksa Lemak (I usually request for it to be more spicy!)

Their Hainanse Chicken rice is pretty good as well, you can’t really go wrong with it. (And if you did, you shouldn’t be dining there in the first place)

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Once when I wasn’t feeling too well and had a sorethroat, Ms Tinymouse didn’t allow (she strongly advised against it) for me to have my usual order of Laksa Lemak and instead had to go for a soupier and clearer noodle soup/broth, which turned out to be quite good (considering the owner is from Ipoh)

Ipoh Hor Fun (Flat rice noodles with prawns, spinach and sometimes chicken)

The Boy usually orders Hokkien Mee (Noodles) or Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) when he’s here, as he can’t take spicy dishes and he quite likes it. So it must be good.

Nasi goreng (Fried Rice)

Their desserts are quite good as well. We’ve had their Ice Kacang as well as their Pulut Hitam (Black glutinous rice). Somehow it seems that in my haste to consume the desserts, I’d forgotten to take pictures of it. And I can’t be bothered trawling pictures from past visits to find it. So you’ll have to use your imagination 0_0

Would I return? Undoubtedly.. I’ve been coming here for years. Although the recent price increase (yet again!) has put a damper on my enthusiasm.

I would rather go to the Little King Eatery 🙂 now that I know about it!

*Disclaimer: All food ratings are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality

Food/ Cuisine: Malaysian
Dining Style: Restaurant
Overall Food Rating (Based on the Dining style): 7/10
Restaurant ambiance: 6.5/10
Service/ Attitude: 7.5/10
Value for money: 6/10 (prices have continuously increased in the last 2 years, a bowl of laksa used to cost $7.50 and now costs nearly $13!)

Address: 
549 Burwood Road
Hawthorn VIC 3122

Tel:(03) 9819 2092

Penang Coffee House is open from
Lunch time – 11.30am-2.30pm on Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri & Sun and
Dinner time – 5.00pm-9.30pm from Tuesday – Sunday
PCH is closed on Mondays

How to get there: