I don't like this island in the north-west of Malaysia. The beaches are gross, the streets are about the same (strange coincidence eh?) and traffic is nuts. There are lot of other reasons that I dislike this city but a lot of it has to do with the fact that I have been forced to go there for the past near 15 years.
That being said, there is one aspect of Penang that absolutely rules and I look forward to it every time that I am required to visit the place: The 24-hour Indian places
it doesn't matter if it is 4pm or 4 am, these places are busy. There are loads of staff there and the food is just as incredible at mid-day as it is in the middle of the night. Of course i suppose it would be a good idea if you actually enjoy Indian food for a start.
the first picture I showed is the "per order" menu, which has just about anything you could imagine on it including my favorite Tandoori dishes. These are made by a team of people that you can watch if you want to (no secret kitchen here) and it gets brought to you pretty quickly as well. The other option is the second picture, which are prepared dishes that you can have a look and choose some to be mixed mostly with rice, but can be ordered witn naan as well if you want.
Generally speaking these places don't serve alcohol but to be honest with you i never really felt as though Indian food really pairs with alcohol very well. It just doesn't seem to meld correctly, if that makes any sense.
Penang has these 24-hour Indian places scattered around the city and they are pretty easy to spot seeing as how they are the only place that is open outside of a 7-11 after 1 am or so.
My favorite thing at these places is consequently one of my favorite dishes in the world: Tandoori Chicken sets with garlic naan. It comes on a "prison tray" and you mostly eat it with your hands. There are 3 types of sauces and some onions (which work out wonderfully) and to be honest I think this is one of the most perfect foods in existance on the planet.
The price for all of this is right around $3. I mean look at that! can you believe that is only 3 bucks?
When i find myself suck in Penang, which hopefully will be never again, I always head to these places. Should you find yourself there as well one day, I seriously recommend that you head directly to the 24-hour indian places. They are easy to spot because they will likely be busy and filled with horrible furniture filled with loads of people. This, my friends, is the sign of a business model that is working and I highly recommend that you check it out if you ever find yourself on the shopping mall island of dirty beaches called Penang.