Sri Sayang Apartments
188, Jalan Batu Ferringhi,
Penang.
Tel: 604-881 1688
At Kampung Restaurant in Batu Ferringhi, Penang, you can eat to your heart’s content for just RM19.90.
THIS unassuming little place, tucked into the ground floor of the Sri Sayang Apartment block, at the entrance to Batu Ferringhi, offers typical Penang-styled choo char (cook-fried) food but with a difference: for just RM19.90 per person (RM10.90 children under 10), you can “Eat As Much As You Want” of the 88 dishes on offer.
This pork-free outlet is very much a family business. It is managed by Andrew Lim with input from his parents, and with the bulk of the cooking done by his brother Lim Thang Wann, also known as Chef Wann.
The food, which they describe as “Malay, Western and Chinese”, is just that – a typical mix of local dishes with the odd chicken nugget and pizza thrown in. For that price, you are hardly going to see tenderloin and salmon on the menu, and it’s not all going to be completely authentic, but what is there is actually reasonable.
You can order from a large selection: starters of dim sum, chicken wantan, home-made satay and other nibblies; mains and vegetables, noodles and rice. I thought the Nyonya Fish, served filleted, was quite tasty, as were the Pineapple Fried Rice and the Fried Bee Hoon.
According to Andrew, their sizzling dishes are also very popular, although sadly the Devilled Chicken wasn’t too evil.
You can even opt to have steamboat or a barbeque, although that additional service will undoubtedly be reflected in the price.
How much each portion contains depends on how big your group is, and if that’s insufficient, well, you can just order more. However, do note that they will charge RM8 per 100gm of food left uneaten; in view of the rising cost of food, wastage should be kept to a minimum, so I think that is quite a reasonable rule.
Dessert only consists of a selection of ice creams, but sometimes cooked hot sweet is available.
If all that is too much and you just want a simple one-plate meal, then ask for their a la carte menu. Given enough notice, they will even cook up some good old Hainanese food for special occasions and parties.
However, don’t just go there for the food. Although you can hear the distant roar of the traffic on Batu Ferringhi Road a few feet away, it’s really very pleasant just sitting there under the shade of the palm trees either in the morning, as you have breakfast (available from 9am to noon), or in the evening drinking one of their reasonably-priced wines or beers as the sun sets.
The night lights transform the place into a pretty little semi-alfresco outlet.
It can get quite busy on weekends, so it’s advisable to book in advance. Kampung Restaurant opens 9am–11pm daily, but do phone them to check as they might take the occasional day off. Their “Eat As Much As you Want” offer is available noon-2pm and 7-10pm.
