I am a regular supporter n never ceased to be impressed by rhyfood offered. Top notch street hawkers food of its best
Best Malaysian hawker food in Melbourne in the eastern suburbs. Non halal of course and has the "wok hei" taste. Very friendly staff there. Definitely worth a try.
This is a great place for really good quick Malaysian fix.
Food quality is great fantastic flavours.
So far I've gone through half the menu and it's all been great.
But the one thing I always get is the curry puffs. They are the best curry puffs I have had in Melbourne.
The service is great too, quick and polite with a smile.
The price is also great average meal price, approx $12.
Thanks.
Penang Flavours.
Great food, good service and reasonable price! Their char koay teow is one of our all time fav as it’s as close as you can get to the real deal here in melb. Enough ‘wok hei’ which helps to add flavour to the dish. Defo becoming one of our go to places to fix our Malaysian cravings!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
This Malaysian hawker-style Restaurant has been around for a very long time. Prior to 2014 it used to be called Strait's Cafe. Since the name change to Penang Flavours, I understand that one of the chefs that used to work under the management of Strait's Cafe took over the business and changed its name. So I do believe that the authenticity is still there but maybe inconsistent at times.
I have been visiting this local restaurant in my hood as far back as 2007 from what I can remember. Even though management has changed quite sometime ago, this place still attracts many customers because within this vicinity and surround suburbs it is one of the better tasting Malaysia eateries.
Please note that this premise is cash only. If you forget to bring cash, there is an ATM a few shops down.
🔆LOCATION🔆
Penang Flavours is situated on Doncaster Road amongst a row of shops next to Chemist Warehouse. There is decent amount of parking at the front or you can park at Chemist Warehouse open space car park.
The restaurant itself is not very big - seats around 30 people or so. There interior decor is simple with a painting and a clock on the wall; walls painted mainly white with torquise strip at the bottom. Hoewever it has that homely feel and also hawker-style feel. A really no-fuss kinda place. I think that is why there are soo many Malaysians that enjoys dining here because it does bring back memories of their home country but also the staff's friendly service.
You will need to be very mindful that its an open-kitchen and right next to where all the customers are dining. As mentioned it is a very small restaurant. So most likely will walk out smelling of food. But hey - isnt that supposed to be the authentic traditional way of eating no-fuss Malaysian food? Hehe!
🔆SERVICE🔆
You would always see the same staff here, especially some of the elderly ladies. They are extremely friendly and accommodating.
🔆MENU/PRICE🔆
The menu is easy to read and spans across 2 pages on a very simple A4 sheet which is laminated. It indicates which are recommended, vegetarian and gluten-free. There are good options of traditional Malaysian food entree, rice, soup noodle and dry noodles. They also have alot of food on the counter which you can take-away. My friend loves the bak chang (aka 'zhong') here and would often buy some to take home for her family. Their Nyonya kuih (small sized snack/sweets) are quite popular.
My recent two visits we ordered:
Char Kuay Teow, $11.90
(Malaysian hawker style stir fried flat noodles with prawns, squid, Chinese sausage, fish cakes, egg, chives and bean shoots)
Char Bee Tai Bak (Rice drop), $11.90
( Stir fried rice drop noodles served with prawns, Chinese sausage, squid, fish cake, egg, chives, and bean shoots topped with fresh coriander, and fried ikan bilis)
Curry Laksa with chicken, $10.90
(Fragrant curry and coconut soup served with chicken, rice vermicelli, hokkien noodles, fish cake and bean curd)
Fish Head Noodle Soup, $14.50
(Rice vermicelli, served with pieces of deep fried fish fillet)
🔆VERDICT🔆
My rating on food quality fluctuates between 3.5 to 4. It really depends on the chef that is cooking. I wish it could be more consistent because this place is quite nice overall. Even better when it used to be Strait's Cafe.
I am reviewing on my most recent two visits.
4 months ago (June 2019) I visited with my sister for dinner.
I ordered the Char Kuay Teow and always by default is one of their star dishes. Generous serving, the wok-tossed flavour is evident, and overall a very hearty meal.
My sister ordered the Char Bee Tai Bak. The ingredients are exactly the same as Char Kuey Teow but its different type of noodles used to cook. Again great portion and nice flavours.
My most recent visit was a couple of weeks ago ( August 2019) where I came here with a friend for lunch. My friend ordered the curry laksa with chicken although everything was great the main hero is the curry and unfortunately it lacked flavour.
I ordered the Fish head noodle soup. My soup was nice and creamy and had good flavour but the fish itself was very bland. It didnt seem like they marinate it which was a bit disappointing.
Next time, I will stick with just ordering my favourite Char Kuay Teow.
One of the best places to have Malaysian street food. The cha kuay teow is not to be missed, just be careful when you request for the spice level because normal is already very spicy. For those with low tolerance for spice should ask for mild spice. There's only indoor seating. Good for family food.
Had the Char Kuay Teow and Hokkien Mee here. Both dishes tasted great and had authentic flavours. If not for the cramped seating spaces and stuffy environment, the experience would have been perfect.
Authentic Malaysian/Singaporean good! The CKT has lots of smokiness and was a generous serve! I had the fish head curry laksa. I found the laksa soup to be not as creamy (coconut cream) as other places but their large serve of fish head and how crispy and well fried it was made up for the soup which was a bit lacking. We bought a packet of kiuh (sticky cakes) and they had strong pandan and coconut flavour. Definitely can taste the improvement to the generic bland ones your get at the register of the Asian Grocery store.
We’d love to come back and try and stir fried bead thread noodle and more of their dishes!
Rating: 3.5/5
We used to love their char kuey teow but now it’s just too salty! Quite a shame, unfortunately.
All other dishes are quite average, but the highlight would definitely be their handmade kueh (only on Saturday’s!) We return because of the kueh, as it reminds us so much of home 😊
Delicious Penang Saturday Kuih and lovely staff! The hainase chicken tastes very authentic and delicious Bak cheang loh Mai kai and taro cake.
I highly recommend it and will defiantly be back!
Had visited this restaurant for brunch. It is very close to Westfield shopping centre in Doncaster
Very busy place. Tried their char kway teow. It was good. Service was quick. Chinese tea was piping hot and good. Overall a good restaurant if you plan to try some Singaporean food.
One of the best cheap eat in Melbourne!!!!! 💥💥💥
I find myself coming back time to time. I have tried most of their signature dishes but the stir-fry glass noodle is the best so far (and the coconut-based fish soup is my least favorite) . It isn't an ideal place for a romantic night but a quick and delicious lunch instead.
I was not having high expectations entering this restaurant. It turns out that this has to be one of the best Malaysian restaurants I've been to. The food and drink all tasted amazing. I can rarely remember the flavour of the food I ate before but I can still remember the flavour of the Nasi Lemak I had for lunch today. I'm already craving for more. What a pleasant surprise. Will definitely come back.
One of the best Malaysian restaurants that we ever tried. If you love carrot cake and having trouble finding a good one, you must try their Penang Char Koay Kak. Very similat and taste amazing. I forgot to take the pic, but will post next time I visit them. You also need to try their Fish head noodle soup. They don’t use coconut milk they deep fry the fish head. Taste so light and tasty.
The char kway teow is the best I've ever had so far around this area. It is full of flavours with the hint of charred smokiness! The fish head noodles are just delicious with a generous portion of deep fried fish head served separately. Will definitely come back for more!
Returning to Penang Flavour after many years. The food is definitely better than kast time. Tried the chef recommended menu, and it’s very tasty. The smokey flavour and the crispiness of the anchovy made it complete. Definitely like the flavour. It’s highly recommended.
1) loh bak ，10 out 10, excellent, similar quality as in malaysia
2) char tang hoon, 10 out of 10, great 锅气 ( Asian stir fry skill）
3) char koay teow, 10 out of 10, similar quality as in malaysia, especially fantastic with 猪油渣
4）belachan fried rice, generous portion, not too oily, not too dry, 9 out of 10
5) har mee, good portion, taste wise nothing special, just ordinary , 8 out of 10
6) skinless chicken in battar, looks good, but tastes a bit too sweet and creamy, 7 out of 10
7) ipoh hor fun, 8 out of 10, above average quality
location
excellent,
parking
8 out of 10
hygiene
10 out of 10
service
9 out of 10
One of my favour very authentic Malaysian restaurants. Long queue during coivd dinner time. Come early to avoid long queue.
Delicious and authentic Penang hawker style favourites. I only had Char Kway Teow and Sar Hor Fun so far but they are enough to get be back to try other dishes. Give it a try!
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