We came by New Lane Hawker Centre at Lorong Baru around 9pm for supper. It was super busy and crowded during this time. Had to search and wait for quite some time before we could get an available table.
New Lane Hawker Centre – Operating Hours
New Lane Hawker Centre operates from 4pm to 10pm on Thursdays to Tuesdays. It is closed on Wednesdays.
Lorong Baru is closed to vehicular traffic after 4pm
Unlike the other night markets in George Town, this food street i.e. Lorong Baru is closed to vehicular traffic during the operating hours. So we don’t have to constantly keep a lookout for oncoming vehicles when walking around this hawker centre or queuing up for food.
Good variety of local eats
Food options here were aplenty. Expect to see char kway teow, oyster omelette, loh bak, Hokkien mee, satay, BBQ chicken wings, curry mee, popiah, kueh pie tee & more.
Every stall had their fare share of queuing customers. Not sure what was famous or popular here but we just selected a few stalls to try.
Chee Cheong Fun
A simple plate of soft, steaming chee cheong fun turned out unexpectedly delicious. The combination of the black sweet sauce, shrimp paste and chilli sauce was really good. And the generous sprinkling of white sesame seeds added an extra nutty flavour. I highly recommend this!
Satay (Pork/Mutton/Beef)
We ordered three different meats to try. This stall used pretty lean cuts of meat for the satay. Though there weren’t any fats, the satay skewers weren’t dry or chewy. Very nicely grilled actually.
My favourite was the mutton, followed by the beef and the pork. No gamey flavour. The satay spices penetrated the meat so it was flavoursome.
The satay sauce was very nutty and thick with lots of coarsely ground roasted peanuts. If I could taste more spice in it, it would have been perfect.
BBQ Chicken Wings
The grilled chicken wings were somewhat different from the ones we get in Singapore. These were on the sweet side. In fact, the marinade reminded me of char siew sauce. Wasn’t expecting this flavour. I didn’t dislike it but I didn’t particularly like it either. The chicken skin near the wing tip was a tad chewy.
Enjoyed the chilli dipping sauce though. It was like a green chilli dip. Very tangy and appetising. This chilli made the wings more tasty as it helped reduce that sweetness.
Almond O
Such almond drinks are so common in Penang. I was really addicted to them, lol. So whenever there was a chance, I would definitely order one for myself. I requested for an Almond O Kosong as I didn’t want extra sweetener or sugar because at such drink stalls, they usually use almond power mix that is already sweetened (like Milo powder) so there wasn’t a need to make it sweeter. This wasn’t as smooth as the almond tea I had at Kimberly Street Night Market but it was still an enjoyable drink. Very soothing to the throat, especially after eating so much heaty grilled food.
Final Thoughts
I wouldn’t say the food here at New Lane Hawker Centre was spectacular but it was definitely a decent supper spot to check out if you want to explore new food places in Penang. Try to come here earlier like before 6pm – I think it’ll be easy to get seats because it will not be as crowded. We came late and had a hard time finding a table. And even after ordering our food, we had to wait a long time for the food to be ready. Having supper here can be a time-consuming affair!
Closed on Wednesdays