Entree Kibbles: Island Penang Kitchen @ 721 Clementi West Street 2 (Near West Coast Hawker Centre) [Singapore]

Nestled in the corner on the ground floor of a commercial HDB block at West Coast, Island Penang Kitchen is housed in a location people would not generally walk to unless you happen to park your car in front of the less busy carpark in front of the eatery or on your way to the nearby Sheng Siong supermarket.

At least that's how my colleagues and I chanced upon the air-conditioned eatery (with outdoor seating too) a couple of years ago. We returned on a number of occasions although my last visit was more than two years ago, before the pandemic.

Penang cuisine, together with Vietnamese and Thai, is getting even more popular in Singapore given the border restrictions over the past few years and I thought to finally write a review on Island Penang Kitchen when a friend came to look for me after work.

Nutmeg Juice - first time trying nutmeg and the impression I got after taking a sip was like I am drinking the lotion used to rub against my body in some massage parlors; weird yet interesting at the same time. Honestly, pretty nice.

Penang Prawn Noodle - friend ordered and I stole a spoonful for the purpose of this review. Nice tasting broth but lost to the one at Ang Mo Kio S11 coffee shop, beside Jubilee, which was more addictive with a richer prawn broth.

Penang Fried Kway Teow - the de facto state dish for the Malaysian state, this is the one dish that often draws comparison with Singapore style char kway teow which is sweeter given the use of dark sauce.

To me, they are just two different dishes with similar names and the best in Singapore has to be the one from Penang Place. Sadly, the fried kway teow here seemed different from the one I had on previous occasions; it lacked wok hei and I can only thank the chilli and the pork lard for the eventual clean-up.

Butter Salted Egg Mantis Shrimps - a chef recommendation and I remember fondly my first experience having mantis shrimps at Here Hai (Bangkok). A pity this didn't live up to expectations; I could hardly taste the unique flavor of mantis shrimp and all that swirled in my mouth was salted egg butter, which got a tad too cloying towards the end.

Penang Rojak - in the past, Singaporeans used to call Penang rojak fruit rojak and it was touted as the less sinful and hence, healthier version compared to what we have locally.

Over here at Island Penang Kitchen, the sauce used for the mix was more viscous, adding texture to the rest of the ingredients. Youtiao, one of the quintessential ingredients for rojak, was ultra crispy; more like a biscuit (I saw them stored in containers). Overall, I enjoyed this a lot but I prefer our less healthy version that has less fruits with tau pok and options for century egg.

Penang Chendol - when it comes to chendol, I hate it when the operator gave me red kidney beans as they were harder than the paste form! The above turned out to be soft and was a delicious dessert with incredibly rich coconut milk. Unlike places that would load chendol with gula melaka, the amount given was just right for that optimal sweetness that didn't overwhelm.

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So full; quite a lot of food for two persons! Frankly, the experience wasn't as good as I expected and I am unsure if it is an one-off incident as the food in my past few visits were much better. But given its proximity to my workplace, the extensive menu (attached below) and its generally economical pricing, I bet I would be back again; just not sure when.

Address

721 Clementi West Street 2,