Pen Mutiara Curry House, Penang by Gneb

For those working in the Penang Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone, having lunch at “Perikanan” is nothing new and would most probably have done this at least once in their career life in the FTZ.

I was agape with surprise seeing how much the restaurant has changed (it must have been more than 5 years since I last went to the place), when I was there recently for our department lunch. It’s now called Pen Mutiara Curry House (how posh) and it has a beautiful building to house it (rather than some sheds when I last visited).

Pen Mutiara’s interior is definitely comparable to that of a hotel lobby’s, with the stairs right in the middle of the restaurant and a grand piano below it played by a pianist.

There’s also a garden right beside of the restaurant with decent landscapes. You could have your lunch at the same enjoy the beautiful view outside through the French windows, while the pianist is playing and serenading all the way. This will surely give you the needed break from all your work stress.

We ordered the packaged menu that includes the following dishes, plus free flow of lime and sour plum juice.

You’ve got to try the sambal belachan and you’ll definitely ask for more!

Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce

The lovely crunchy and tangy kerabu

Stir Fried Kailan – I think this tastes better than a lot of the Chinese chu char’s.

Deep Fried Calamari – this was a bit cold when it was served. I was expecting it to be hot and fresh. So, this was a bit of a let down..

Omelet with Minced Chicken Filling – This reminds me so much of Nasi Pattaya :)

Prawn “Masak Merah” – The sweet and spicy sauce complements the fresh prawns so well.

Then…viola…the piece de resistance - Curry Fish Head! The dish is served in a huge claypot and it’s become the signature dish of the Pen Mutiara Curry House. I’m not a big fan of fish head (I frown at the sight of people eating the eye balls!), so I only had the curry which was very tasty and spicy (as in full of spices).

Last but not least, the dishes will never be complete without the steaming rice.

There’s also fruit plate after the meal.

In conjunction with the Ramadan, Pen Mutiara will definitely be a good choice for Buka Puasa.

My scores (out of 5):

Taste: 4
Environment: 4
Service: 4
Price: 3 (Sorry, we expensed this to the department, so I wouldn’t know)
Parking: 4 (A lot of people park outside of the Wisma Nelayan’s compound, but there are actually lots of parking lots behind the restaurant inside of the Wisma Nelayan’s compound. You just need to drive into the compound and there will be people who will direct you to the right place to park)
Address: Wisma Nelayan, Pelabuhan LKIM Batu Maung, 11960 Bayan Lepas, Penang.
Tel: 604 - 3101759