Nasi Kandar in Penang: Insanely Good Curry at Restoran Tajuddin Hussain

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Nasi kandar is originally from Penang, and while it’s available all over Malaysia now, most people still agree that the best place to eat it is right in Penang. There are many restaurants that served rice and Indian curry throughout the city, many of them are legendary places like Nasi Kandar Line Clear and Nasi Kandar Beratur. But I chose to eat at a restaurant called Restoran Tajuddin Hussain, located right on the edge of Little India in Georgetown. I had walked past the restaurant a number of times while we were in Penang, and seeing how it was always packed out with customers during lunch, my wife and I decided that we need to go there to eat. The next day we returned, a little bit early to beat the lunch rush and chose seats. As soon as I walked in, I could tell Tajuddin Hussain Nasi Kandar was going to be epic. All the food was positioned at the front of the restaurant, and you could either go up to the front to place your order, or you could just sit down at a table and let the waiter take your order - we sat down and ordered from the waiter.

Honestly, I wanted to eat one of everything, to try every kind of curry they had, but we had to settle for a few of their signature dishes. The first curry I tried was their mutton curry, which set the bar. It was incredibly delicious, packed full of spice and flavor, rich and creamy, with a tender piece of mutton. Another dish we ordered was ayam rose, or chicken rose. It was equally as good, filled with spices, a tomatoey sauce, and just amazing with rice. My wife spotted the squid in the nasi kandar spread when we entered Restoran Tajuddin Hussain and so we also couldn’t resist ordering that. The squid was extremely tender and the gravy was spicy and flavorful. Additionally to all the Malaysian Indian curries, I got a plate of rice biryani for my base, and also a plate of vegetables and plate of daal to top things off. After finishing off round one of curry at Restoran Tajuddin Hussain, I still wanted more. We tried the mutton korma curry and we also go another plate of ayam rose because it was so good. The staff at the restaurant were friendly, the environment and atmosphere was authentic and action packed, and the food was almostly unbelievably delicious.

One of the best meals you can eat when you’re in Penang, or even somewhere else in Malaysia, is nasi kandar, rice and an assortment of Indian style curry. Our meal at Restoran Tajuddin Hussain was one of the best nasi kandar meals that I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m still dreaming about the food there. This is one of the best restaurants I ate at in Penang, and hope you have a chance to eat here when you visit.