Mum's Nyonya Cuisine

Mum's Nyonya Cuisine (originally Mama's Nyonya Food) is one of the oldest Nyonya restaurants in Penang. Mum's does Nyonya the closest to what I've had since my younger days in our extended family home with my Nyonya grandmother. So to me, Mum's cooking is faithfully Nyonya. That's why I consider it the best Nyonya restaurant in Penang, and it's been my favourite for more than twenty years. On a recent visit, we had some of our favourite Nyonya dishes: Tau Eu Bak, Assam Pedas, Curry Kapitan, Inchi Kabin, Nasi Ulam, Jiu Hu Char, Otak Otak, Daun Ubi, Tu Thor Th'ng, Bee Ko Moi, Bubur Cha Cha, Sago Gula Melaka. The Tau Eu Bak is exactly what I expect Tau Eu Bak to be. It has the essential rich combination of ???? ???????????? ???????? (thick dark soya sauce), spices, garlic and lard, totally infused in the perfectly stewed ???????????? ???????????????? ???????????? (pork belly) pieces, served in a gravy with just the right consistency. The Assam Pedas (threadfin salmon cutlets) is a tamarind-based curry with a nice balance of spiciness and sourness, complementing the fish, giving it the tanginess for a most appetising dish. The Curry Kapitan comes with the perfect combination of spices, the right consistency, and tender chicken pieces with the flavours deeply infused. Perfection! The Inchi Kabin's chicken pieces, marinated in saffron and turmeric, are nicely fried and crisp on the outside, yet still tender inside. This is the secret of how Inchi Kabin should be (the secret is in the frying technique). The tasty Otak Otak is done the traditional Nyonya way, with nicely spiced otak custard, fish pieces and ???????????????? ???????????????????? (wild betel leaf), all authentically wrapped in banana leaf, down to the detail of closing the package with a toothpick (substitute for ????????????????!). The excellent Nasi Ulam is a satisfying blend of fragrant spices, the distinctive taste of ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????? (salted ???????????????????? fish) and generous amounts of finely cut ???????????????? mixed in with the rice. One of the best Nasi Ulam I've had! And the nicest way to finish a satisfying meal? With some of Mum's lovely Bee Ko Moi, Bubur Cha Cha, and Sago Gula Melaka. The limited parking aside, I would not hesitate recommending Mum's Nyonya Cuisine if you are seeking real Nyonya cooking in Penang. It's the best-kept secret, thankfully missed by Michelin!

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner here as I rate the food with my Baba Nyonya heritage as my mother was excellent in replicating my grandmother's dishes. These dishes are worth coming back to Mum's Nyonya Cuisine: nasi ulam (with the flavour of the herbs necessary to take this dish to the next level), perut ikan (just the right balance of herbs, with pieces of perut ikan that we can see and savor, bubur cha cha (great end to a sumptious meal). Some recommendations for improvement: pai ti (the filling was not truly authentic, lacking a good flavour of well-cooked mengkuang and other ingredients), otak otak (flavour was slightly below what is expected of a really good otak otak). Overall, the dining experience in this small and quaint restaurant as well as its excellent service is good enough for a return visit. Kudos! Mum's Nyonya Cuisine.

Third visit, definitely a standard decent Nyonya Food. The lady boss is very welcoming and friendly, explained and help us order food that is catered to number of pax. Food arrived fast, each dishes were delicious! First time trying nasi Ulam, definitely an interesting dish, herbs were finely chopped and mixed. The raw onion anchioves side dish paired very well with the rice. Overall the dishes that is most worth it would be Assam stingray, and vinegar pork trotter! The meat give was generous, and the ingredients were fresh! The Assam soup is drinkable, with lots of onions and herbs! On the other hand, the petai and jiuhuchar is abit expensive.. Overall every dish is delicious! Definitely reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking!

Well, well, well, where do I start? If you are in Georgetown and you want aromatic, authentic Nyonya food, Mum’s Nyonya cuisine is a must. From the minute you step into this establishment the staff are very attentive and friendly and have full knowledge of the ingredients that are on offer throughout the menu. All the dishes that we ordered were sublime (I don’t think our plates needed washing) we devoured every course that came to our table. I guarantee you will not be disappointed , so what you waiting for? I’d advise to book as they can be busy, but you can always take a chance and just pop in. Well done to all the team at Mum’s Nyonya Cuisine, you’re all amazing

Great Nyonya food right in the middle of Georgetown. We hosted our relatives from China and had a great time trying out different varieties of food including desserts. Good to make reservation ahead of time for big party and finding parking spots could be very challenging. This restaurant is highly recommended!

This hidden gem is better than any michelin recommended restaurants in Penang. One can taste the quality of the food they used and the effort in every tasty dish they serve. Seriously high quality good food. Recommend to try their Assam Pedas, Curry Tumis, Jiu Hur Char & Assam Prawn. You won't regret.

My family go-to for authentic Nyonya Cuisine. My 94yr old grandma loves the food here. This place serves their Nyonya food the closest to what she used to cook for us when she was younger. Simple & humble presentation and environment. Parking is limited to the front or beside the shop. My personal recommendation are Anchovies, Tau Yu Bak, Nasi Ulam, and Fried Sayur Rumi