Best halal breakfast in Penang

Just when you think roti canai can't get any better, just banjir it and slap a juicy piece of chicken on top! — Pic courtesy of HungryGoWhere, May 18, 2015.The most important meal of the day is breakfast, and there's no better way to begin your day than having a marvellous meal.

We at HungryGoWhere have narrowed down our favourite top halal eateries in Penang for you to jumpstart your day.

Roti Canai Jalan Transfer

This famous roti canai stall is very popular among both locals and tourists for breakfast, and it is especially evident during the weekends when large crowds swarm Jalan Transfer making it an incredible sight to behold.

The most popular item on the menu is roti canai ayam (RM8.60), where roti canai is served with a juicy whole leg chicken drenched in rich kuah banjir. The aromatic gravy is full of spices and flavours, that is both sour and spicy to the palate. The portion is huge for a morning meal, so make sure you come here empty-stomached.

Roti bakar (RM3) is another choice, operated by an adjacent stall. Four slices of toasted bread are spread with margarine and topped with two sunny-side-up eggs.

Both stalls offer drinks; we particularly liked the roti bakar stall’s refreshing iced Milo (RM2) to go with our roti bakar.

With cars, motorbikes, trishaws, and RapidPenang buses roaring a few feet away from you, this place is the epitome of street food — it is literally next to a street!

Nasi Lemak Ali

The rows and rows of nasi lemaks waiting to be wrapped up are just challenging us to eat them all up. — Pic courtesy of HungryGoWhere, May 18, 2015.This humble nasi lemak stall in the Sri Weld Food Court is famous for serving the best nasi lemak on the island. The rich scarlet sambal really hits the spot, bursting with strong flavours and yet not too spicy. We even saw a customer bring his fried noodles from another stall to ask for some sambal, which the owner generously gave.

The stall has six types of nasi lemak (RM1.70 each), namely squid, prawn, fish, chicken, egg and anchovies, and salted fish, all individually labelled and neatly arranged on a long table next to the cashier.

Nasi lemak sotong is clearly the top choice here. It comes with four medium-sized, juicy, baby squids and is topped with Ali's delicious sambal. On the other hand nasi lemak udang comes with soft-shelled prawns so they are chewable with the shells intact, whereas nasi lemak ikan features a big, fat sardine, which is soft and meaty.

We were pleased that the fried chicken in the nasi lemak ayam was not dry. We're sure they could only put one piece of chicken to maintain the low price, but we would recommend that you request for extra chicken pieces for a more satisfying lunch.

Nasi lemak bilis telur and ikan masin came with a half and a quarter boiled egg respectively and tasted yummy, but these are common finds. You can also customise your own nasi lemak, which will be charged accordingly.

Toh Soon Cafe

Complete the ultimate Hainanese breakfast with a hot cup of kopi-o. — Pic courtesy of HungryGoWhere, May 18, 2015.Nestled in a narrow alley, Toh Soon is known for its Hainanese-style breakfast of roti bakar and iced coffee. The queue is ridiculously long during peak hours (breakfast and teatime), so make sure you are not in the rush for anything as the period between getting the seats to getting your orders may vary from half an hour to an hour at least.

The bread was painstakingly toasted over charcoal fire, a traditional process that gives the toasted bread a good crunch. A sweet and simple fare, the kaya toast was delicious. The butter toast was great too, as it was sprinkled with sugar giving the bread a nice salty-and-sweet combination.

However, we found the peanut butter toast quite hard to swallow as the peanut butter spread was a bit too thick for our liking. All toast breads are priced at RM2.40 per set.

The soft-boiled egg (RM1.80) was okay, but you could get it at any other coffee shops in Penang. The iced coffee (RM1.70) was very refreshing — bitter and sweet from the thick milk. Regulars rave about their curry puffs as well, but it was not available when we were there.

If your belly is still hungry for delicious breakfasts, click here for even more options! — May 18, 2015.

* If good food is your passion, then HungryGoWhere is your perennial kaki makan. Get access to one of the most comprehensive online Malaysian food guides available, and bring us along everywhere you go by downloading our mobile application, available on iOS and Android.