little penang

wow what a gem of a place! i was visiting a friend in wellington and we were on the hunt for some inexpensive eats. we came on the recommendation of friends and it did not disappoint.

we started with baked bbq pork bun and a curry puff both were wonderfully morish. the service was fast and friendly. a lovely knowledgable and enthusiastic waitress recommended i get the nasi lemak (coconut rice and curry) while my friend got a chicken curry and roti (an incredible price - $8.90).

the portions were huge! we could barely stomach the last mouthfuls. i loved the garnishes of sambal and nuts. the food here was so authentic and i would come here again on my next trip in a heartbeat.

staff is rude, arrogant, hostile and unfriendly. food however was good. i'd much rather go to a friendly place with bad food than an unfriendly place with good food.

so good. and always is. little penang is always busy and that says enough for itself. everything i've ever eaten here has been awesome. the best mee goreng in town, hands down. they don't do byo or sell alcohol which i actually think is awesome. they aim to be a family friendly restaurant that is there for people to solely enjoy the food and have a good time. if you like malaysian & south east asian food you must try little penang.

popped in for dinner, it got busy. ordered mee goreng with chicken, tastes best ever, i quite like the tofu in it. worth to go for lunch or dinner more times.

as a person with celiac's disease, when i realized little penang was the chosen venue for my partners work team outing i was put off. don't get me wrong, it's not because i don't like malaysian food, i love it! but the menus don't have descriptions of what's in the meals. i understand for people with a better understanding of food from different places around the world, this is not a big deal, nor to the people who close their eyes, point to something random they can't pronounce and order it. i would love to be like that, but i have to live by a very strict diet and if a menu doesn't have a meal description it's a big deal breaker for me. that's about the only critique i can offer.

we arrive at the restaurant and i decided to play it safe and order nasi goreng, i know i can eat that and i like trying that meal all around wellington and seeing which is my favourite place to have it. little penang probably isn't my favourite but i definitely loved it and i don't actually have a truthful gauge on what malaysian food is supposed to taste like. i would love to go again and try the other rice based dishes and maybe the curries if they began to offer them with rice as an alternative from roti.

i did love that my nasi goreng came to me with a fried egg and a big chicken wing! i've never know nasi goreng to be served like that, it's normally just a rice dish everywhere i've previously eaten it, and that was a really nice touch. my colleague at work told me that's how you're actually supposed to have it, so learning that was good.

i would like to see more variety for people who can only eat the rice based dishes, if this is implemented, i will become a regular punter for sure!

really nice char keow teow here, good setting and good service. food is quick to arrive and pretty generous portions. the char keow teow also has all the bits you would expect to see (sausage, fat, pickled veg etc). they understand allergies too and cater well for this. original rating 4.5.
21/5/16: dined in today and got a char keow teow, hot with no egg, a medium for the mrs and a mee siam to takeaway with no egg. food took ages but it was busy so could understand this, had to ask for my wifes dish because although i waited before eating (she insisted i just dive in) i was a fair way through with no sign of hers. have dined here a few times and had hot spice level but today was another thing altogether, even the medium was pretty spicy... anyway left with the takeaway and it was full of egg, so had to go back for a refund.... stink one all round today.

the food here is as close to penang as you can get in wellington.

there is a sea of malaysian joints in wellington - most not run by malay natives understand.

this is all fresh authentic and delicious.

little penang has become one of my favourites in wellington, but not instantly. my first visit back when it first transitioned from a humble takeaway to a sit-down restaurant was underwhelming. that time, i had the char keow teow which was the blandest char keow teow i've ever had.

i hesitated coming back, but i'm glad i did.

many months later, little penang has certainly come of age. it's bustling (in spite of not serving/licensed for alcohol), food is pumped out quickly in authentic, rich and colourful flavours.

we shared our dishes: (1) the roti, at $3.90, was quite big and came with a little bowl of curry sauce. the roti wasn't too greasy, had a lightly crisp outside but fluffy inside - done to my liking. (2) the assam laksa, their thursday night special, wasn't your usual laksa. it was a fish sweet/sour broth, perhaps an acquired taste to some, but i reckon it's a great dish to try if you wanted something special and different. (3) the clay-pot rice. for $15.90 it was a very filling dish with a generous serving of chicken, chinese pork sausage, and mushroom cooked with the rice in the pot. this was a winning dish, and you won't find something like this in every malaysian restaurant in nz.

little penang remains humble with its service, decor and ambition (don't expect this to become a byo anytime soon - perhaps a good thing for the non-students). but i understand how it has ascended to become one of wellington's most loved and iconic asian restaurants. the food speaks volumes for this place, you must check it out.

tasty traditional penang food.  most dishes were great, only let down was the curry puffs - a bit dry and cold.  char kway teow was great.  i want to go back and try the claypot rice.

one of the best places to have malaysian cuisine!  i have malaysian friends that say how authentic this place is.  can't go wrong with the nasi goreng, they really elevate this usually normal dish.

i used to live and work on penang island in malaysia. since shifting back to nz i have dearly missed the hawker food over there. little penang is the closest i've had in nz. i've tried many malaysian restaurants and this is equal best with a restaurant in auckland. this will be a regular place for me to dine whenever i'm in wellington.

really delicious authentic food, cheaply priced. a delight to find :) roti and sauce $3.90, roti and curry 7.90, nasi lemak, mee goreng, and so on. a must try when you are in wellington. friendly family run business. loved it!

tasty food, bustling business, cheap prices, and hardworking service. i had a chicken curry (you can choose the degree of spiciness) and a plain roti. "just one roti?" asked the waitress. initially, yes, but then i decided i needed another one to mop up the curry. so she brought me another roti, but with extra curry sauce and pickle! amazing. loved it.

great place to grab a takeaway lunch. so tasty!

the most delicious and authentic malaysian i have had in wellington. very friendly and helpful staff and clean premises. i will definitely be back!