Cliff Cafe (Astaka Bukit Bendera)

Astaka Bukit Bendera, Penang Hill (26 January 2012)


Cliff Cafe (GPS: 5.42428, 100.2687) or Astaka Bukit Bendera is a three-storey food and beverage centre in Penang Hill. It replaces the Penang Hill Hawker Centre. The pavilion has a built-up area of 12,000 sqft and affords a splendid view of George Town spread out below. The view is particularly beautiful at night, when the city lights up.

Seating at Astaka Bukit Bendera (26 January 2012)


Cliff Cafe became operational January 2012. The two higher levels houses the food court, with food stalls on the upper level and souvenir stalls and drinks stalls on the lower level. The bottom level is occupied by The Owl Museum.

The opening of Cliff Cafe was delay from its earlier scheduled completion of November 2010 due to unwillingness of hawkers to vacate the old hawker centre. The new pavilion can accommodate 33 hawker stalls, including the 25 hawkers from the old centre.

When I visited it in 2012, I found that the seating at the lower level was not very comfortable (just see photo below), as the chairs are too high for children. People who design it don't have children ... or have never been one. In all fairness, there are also lower tables, but these are not many. When I returned in November 2014, I saw that the tall chairs are still around, but they are often the last to be occupied.

Table at Astaka Bukit Bendera (26 January 2012)


Next I'm going to show you the toilet. I hope it won't spoil your meal. Well, the good news is, it's very clean in 2012. That's perhaps because I made the inspection tour when it was brand new. When I returned in 2014, I found that it is still well maintained. However there are only one toilet for men and one for women, and they are on different floors.

Toilet at Astaka Bukit Bendera (26 January 2012)


The Penang Hill Food Pavilion will include a recreational walking path, a visitor centre and three tiers of outdoor dining. It is within a short walking distance from the Upper Station of the Penang Hill Railway.

Update

Astaka Bukit Bendera was launched by the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at 5:00 pm on 7 June, 2012. Also launched was Astaka Bukit Bendera, the public square in front of the food court.

Astaka Bukit Bendera (Penang Hill Food Court) under construction (26 April 2011)

List of Hawker Centres in Penang