If you want a quick bowl of laksa and the hawker centre is just too chaotic, step into Laksa Kitchen by Guerney 11. For the same price as the hawkers, or even cheaper, you can eat in a much nicer and relaxed setting but still get the same authentic, homemade Penang food.
The opening hours according to Google (and what I’ve listed below) are about as reliable as your plans to follow through on your New Years resolutions. It was Saturday and the first day of Chinese New Year. According to Google, it should have been ultra closed, yet it was open when we walked by. Either the owner had no plans for the holiday (sad), or he saw the profit in being literally the only restaurant open in the area (smart!).
Ambience & Amenities
With different furniture, this would look like a chic little cafe, but with the mismatched cafeteria-style chairs, the decor is downgraded to simple but welcoming enough. Alarmingly, there may be no bathrooms in this place. The room behind the black wall looks like a bedroom or staff lounge and has a “no entry” sign next to the door. If you need to use the facilities, ask first – it might be through the kitchen to someplace at the back.
Menu
The menu has classic Malaysian snacks, a couple of Chinese dishes, and their two signature Laksas: Penang and Nyonya. Penang Laksa is what they call the sour and spicy asam laksa here on the island, whereas the Nyonya Laksa has coconut milk added. It’s likely just the Penang Laksa with some coconut milk for a richer yet subdued flavour.
Food
We both got the most interesting drink on their menu, the Hawthorn Apple Juice (RM2.50). Though it was smaller than the picture on the menu, this was more than just simple apple juice. It was a bit slushy as if it was blended with ice, and nowhere near as tart as regular apple juice. There was a hint of cinnamon too. It tasted very much like apple pie filling. Yum! I recommend this memorable beverage.
The Nyonya Laksa (RM6.00) has springy udon noodles and was filled with lots of herbs and fish. The bowl might look huge in the picture, but this will be enough to fill (but not stuff) the average person. There’s a slight lemongrass taste but not overwhelming – there are many other flavours from the fish and onions to balance it out. Mark was raving about how tasty this was, but I was mildly underwhelmed by the flavours for such a highly rated place in Penang.
Saturday Worthy?
Our bill came out super cheap, but we did just order the one laksa for the both of us. We wanted to save lots of room to sample more Penang food! Two bowls of laksa and drinks will be well under RM20 for two. Malaysians can expect to spend closer to RM30 because they’ll also be ordering loh bak and curry fishballs and laksa soup and…!
Price for 2 Pax: RM11.50
Hawthorn Apple Juice x 2: RM5.00
Nyonya Laksa: RM6.00
Laksa Kitchen by Guerney 11
82 Hutton Lane, George Town, 10050 Pulau Pinang
Monday to Friday: 11am – 7pm
Closed on weekends
Alcohol Served: No
