All Right Western Food @ Hai Being Coffee Shop

All Right Western Food is one of Penang’s best and most affordable stalls in a Kopitiam or coffee shop.

Before the flourish of fancy cafes, most Penangites would flock to the Kopitiam Western food stalls for weekend family dinners.

Most will remember outings with their grandparents to these places.

In Penang, Western food is based on the Hainanese chef’s adaptation of English dishes to suit the local palate. Penangites referred to this as “Western Food.”

The Western food places are always packed hurriedly, with many customers jostling for space.

There is no air conditioning and no ceiling fans.

If you are lucky, you get to sit on the fringes of the awning extension.

The tables and chairs are mismatched and sometimes rickety. The tabletops are grease and dirt.

The ordering system is simple. The waiters shout your orders above the din.

The plates are unceremoniously plonked on your table when the food is served.

What does this Western food Kopitiam serve?

Most serve a good and cheaper version of what you must pay at a decent Western restaurant or café.

Local favorites are Chicken Chop and the often-ordered Fish and Chips.

Some stalls have a Chicken Maryland on the menu. (we love the banana and corn fritters).

Some stalls offer more “sophisticated” dishes like chicken Cordon bleu, Grilled Lamb Chops, Steak, and Mixed Grill.

All Right Western Food

I have been eating here since 1990. The stall only opens at night, and the regulars have followed the bearded chef from his location at Burma Food Paradise Kopitiam to a defunct outlet on Penang Road to Hai Beng Coffee Shop.

All Right! Western Food only opens at night and is the only stall operating at night.

All Right Western Food Menu.

This stall is one of the few Western food stalls that offer starters. You can order a simple Mixed Salad (RM7.00) with a thick Thousand Islands dressing.

There are three types of soups made from scratch.

  • Creamy Mushroom Soup (RM7.50)
  • Spicy Mutton Soup (RM10.50)
  • Fresh Oxtail Soup (RM12.00)

Creamy Mushroom Soup (RM7.50) Photo: Doris Lim

Spicy Mutton Soup (RM10.50) Photo: Chuck Chan

Fresh Oxtail Soup (RM12.00) Photo: Ibox Bowie

All three soups are good. The Spicy Mutton Soup is the local Malaysian Sup Kambing – a warming mutton broth with carrots and potatoes.

What is All Right Western Food’s specialty?

The bearded chef made a Grilled Lamb Loin (RM32.50) with perfect tenderness. Their Mixed Grill (RM32.50) of lamb, steak, and chicken is a crowd favorite for big eaters.

What do I recommend?

I recommend a Fresh Oxtail Soup and a Grilled Minute Steak (RM25.00) for a nice, not too-filling dinner.

You can order chicken and fish dishes on the menu if you don’t eat red meat.

  • Garlic Chicken (RM14.50)
  • Grill Chicken (RM14.50)
  • Stuffed Fish (RM16.50)

Grill Chicken (RM14.50) Photo: Doris Lim

Stuffed Fish (RM16.50) Photo: Chuck Chan

Fish and Chips (RM14.00)

Grill Salmon Steak (RM22.00) Photo: Doris Lim

All Right Western Food Review:

Why go to an upscale restaurant when Kopitiam Western food is about the price of low-end cafes but in a larger portion?

All Right Western Food has 24 items on the menu, and they have maintained the quality over the years. The outlet was closed for a year as the chef was not well and was resting.

Now, it has reopened for business.

All Right! Western Food @ Hai Being Coffee Shop. Photo: Doris Lim

All Right Western Food
Address: 192, Jalan Burma, Kampung Syed, 10350 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Hours: Daily 6 pm – 10 pm (Mondays Closed)

 

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