Name: Kebaya Dining Room
Telephone: +60 4-264 2333
Price range: $$$
Rating: 4.54

This #pohpiah (as appetiser) was one of the more ordinary aspects of my #nyonya set dinner at Kebaya, so much so that I rewrote the rule book and went first in, last out for these reviews 😅 But take a moment to marvel at the decor and atmosphere at what must be a contender for Penang's finest of #finedining venues (let alone one that actually panders to vegan sensibilities 🤩) #bestpicks for anyone making a trip to these parts!

Poh Piah

Steven Neoh7 655 avis

Don't know how this got the name #sambal (or goreng, come to think of it!) This is mixed vegetables (the same ones as in their yellow curry 😬) cooked in a sour #lemongrass #coconutcurry 😐 My least favourite thing on the dome, if I'm being honest

Sambal Goreng

Steven Neoh7 655 avis

Simply not a #peranakan meal without #achar involved. Their interpretation is really good, tangy but still sweet. I think I could have had a double serving, it was that amazing 🥰 And yes, that's in spite of how overfed I was on the evening!

Achar

Steven Neoh7 655 avis

Loved this 😋😋 The #sweetandsour was phenomenally tasty, and the #soymeat #fakemeat #chicken was lightly crispy outside and tender and inviting inside. Heaven ☺️ #nyonya food at its finest. I keep seeing shoutouts for Penang #finedining recs in the Vegans in Malaysia Facebook group and this place never gets a look in 🥺 Instead people list humdrum cafes. Why oh why? 🥺🥺🥺

Sweet and Sour 'Chicken'

Steven Neoh7 655 avis

斋鹅 😋😋😋 Well the name is #duck rather than #goose but if there's no bird does it really matter? 😂 #sweetdreamsaremadeofgrease, and this one has got plenty. The promised #fivespice doesn't do too much palatal alteration 😋 Something about the flavour and the placement on a sectioned plate like this made me think of a wedding banquet 😅

Crispy Vegetarian 'Duck'

Steven Neoh7 655 avis

Okay so I'm evidently cheating here 🤭 This is really a single vegetarian (but allium-free, egg-free, dairy-free) #nyonya set dinner, but since they itemise everything on the menu, I'll do the same here, #forthedollar 😁 Glad to see that so much of this menu has changed since the last time I had it in late 2021. In fact the concept for veggies is different; the non-veg set is just a large serving of a meat dish and a large serving of a side dish. Here you get six samplers to play with, I'm feeling the love ☺️ We start from the 12-2 o'clock segment (which is how people locally would refer to it I guess) which is the #yellowcurry. It's not as spicy or piquant as it might be elsewhere (#watereddownfortourists 😔) but it carried good flavour. The mix of vegetables was #babycorn, #longbeans, and #peas; I felt it was missing maybe something that would have helped soak up the liquid a bit more. Like aubergine maybe 😅 Anyway, onwards we go reviewing ☺️

Yellow Curry

dafne kiyui2 982 avis

So I didn’t manage to convince any of the omnivores to give the vegan course a try, but at least I enjoyed it 😇 #dunnowhattheymissing Compared to my previous vegetarian course here I received a serving of kerabu instead of their green mango & pineapple curry https://www.abillion.com/dishes/kebaya-dining-room-green-mango-and-pineapple-curry-10203452 🥭 It’s originally served with soft shell crab 🦀 but they keep it plain without anything in place for the vegan/vegetarian course. I’m not the biggest fan of kerabu so that went mostly to my #significantomnivore though I do have so say it was super refreshing.. I just didn’t feel like being refreshed though 😂 #nonya

Kerabu

dafne kiyui2 982 avis

Dare I say that this #curry was #toohealthy? 😮‍💨 The mild #peranakan curry with its acidic #mango & #pineapple contents effectively serve to balance out the heavier flavours of the other meaty mains. For good measure, they even topped the stuff with #mint leaves for that extra cooling effect 🌿I can actually imagine this as a great breakfast meal - I’ll have to give it a try, perhaps with chayote inside too 😋 #veganisnotscary #pbas2021 #nonya #tiledreview

Green Mango & Pineapple Curry

dafne kiyui2 982 avis

- The tamest of all mains served that night, mixed vegetables 🌱 It’s going to depend on the day itself what you get - on this occasion it was a mix of mustard greens & #mushroom. It was a bit plain but definitely welcome as a means to offset all the strong flavours from the other mains 😇 #veganisnotscary #pbas2021 #peranakan #nonya #tiledreview

Cher Chai

dafne kiyui2 982 avis

It took @stevenneoh praising the texture of this #mockfish before I realised how blessed I was as a vegan in #Penang 😹 I have #veganfish this good every other week! It’s topped with a heavy #ginger #turmeric sauce that my #significantomnivore really enjoyed! She even said she much preferred what Steven and I were having to her omnivorous #fish-based otak-otak 😅 Hey, everyone knows the only way #finedining can be made better is through being #crueltyfree 😜 #veganisnotscary #pbas2021 #omnivoreapproved #nonya #peranakan #tiledreview

Achar Fish

dafne kiyui2 982 avis

A #rendang curry style dish made with #buahkeluak paste (aka buah kepayang) with #seitan 😋 This was my favourite main of the night! With an incredibly generous portion as far as #finedining goes 😉 My #significantomnivore enjoyed it too! It’s mildly spicy and bountifully greasy, a dish that completely pays its due in its #tastetohealthratio. This place has really gone a long way in the past year from having an entirely custom Dome Set (not that I’m complaining) to having an entirely #veganizable supplementary vegetarian menu! #bestpicks #veganisnotscary #pbas2021 #omnivoreapproved #nonya #peranakan #tiledreview

Buah Keluak Curry with Seitan

dafne kiyui2 982 avis

This was @stevenneoh’s starter but as you’d have guessed, we exchanged servings #forthedollar 🤭 I’ve had this before as part of their appetiser set but without the spicy topping this time 🌶 They swapped out the cuttlefish for a clever mix of carrots and shiitake mushroom (which I had previously assumed was jicama) so you wouldn’t have to eat any intelligent creatures 🐙 As before, I enjoyed it dearly 😋 #finedining #joohoochar #veganisnotscary #pbas2021 #nonya #peranakan