Authentic Nyonya Food @ Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery, Lebuh Bishop, Penang

Nyonya food is abundance in Penang, and one of the eatery that offer impressive Nyonya dishes is Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery. The restaurant occupies 2 shop lots in Lebuh Bishop Penang, offering an unpretentious dining environment just like a casual Chinese restaurant. The menu in Auntie Gaik Lean offers a great number of Nyonya dishes, such as the classic Jiu Hu Char, Kiam Chai Ark, Asam Hae and many more. Even though the food here is labelled with a high price tag but rest assured it is well justified by the portion served, and of course the taste is fantastic which truly reflects the essence of Nyonya dishes.

The appetizers we ordered - Cucur Udang (RM 14) was served in big portion that probably can feed up to 4 people. It was nicely fried, and the accompanying chili sauce topped with peanut makes a perfect condiment for these crispy bites. 

One of the impressive dish here is Sambal Brinjal (RM 15). Its sambal is so addictive and delicious to the extent we could have the sambal with white rice solely. This dish is a real vindication of the tagline by the restaurant - authentic Nyonya food as the spices are used distinctively and the food will have a fair balance of sweet, spicy, sour and salty.

Another dish we have - Curry Kapitan (RM 28) was equally good. Chicken has been cooked to perfect tenderness and the mild curry blended well with the protein. At the same time, we also ordered a bowl of Nasi Ulam (RM 15) instead of conventional white rice to complement the dishes. It is not easy to find good Nasi Ulam nowadays.

Overall, the Nyonya food in Auntie Gaik Lean is impressive. Do not be afraid of the higher price tag, as one dish of regular size can be shared among 4 people, which makes it reasonable. It has been long we never went to Nyonya restaurants actually as the steep price tag spook us off somehow.