Hainanese Delights Restaurant, George Town

Hainanese Delights Restaurant, King Street, George Town, Penang (31 January 2024)

Hainanese Delights Restaurant (GPS: 5.4182, 100.33989) is a restaurant at King Street in George Town, Penang. The restaurant originally operated within the now defunct 1926 Heritage Hotel which closed in 2020 during the pandemic. It reopened at King Street in October 2021. The restaurant was established by a group of Hainanese siblings who were passionate to preserve and celebrate authentic Penang Hainanese cuisine.

The Penang Hainanese has their own cuisine. When the Hainanese arrived in Penang, many of them ended up in the culinary trade. Over a period between the 1880's to the 1960s, they have created a homegrown version of Hainanese dishes as well as their own interpretaton of local and Colonial Western fare. Among the most popular Hainanese contributions to Penang cuisine include the Hainanese Chicken Rice, Inchee Kabin, the Hainanese Chicken Chop and the Hainanese Worcestershire Sauce. Of course, Nyonya restaurants may claim some of the dishes as their own, which lines are blur between what should be strictly "Penang Hainanese" and what is "Penang Nyonya".

The intermingling of the various Penang Chinese communities have largely blurred the ethnic lines separating each community, resulting in the inter-adaptation of one another's cuisine, so that it is nowadays difficult to find an authentic Hainanese restaurant. I am happy to say that Hainanese Delights is one of them still standing today.

Front entrance of Hainanese Delights Restaurant (31 January 2024)

Our visit to Hainanese Delight on 31 January 2024

We met up with JP Wong and his wife at an event at Rasa Sayang Resort on 5 January 2024, and he invited us over to his restaurant, which has now relocated to King Street. We accepted the invitation and visited him at the new location on 31 January 2024. JP also invited a few friends to join us. There was Clement, an elderly gentleman who a long time ago purchase his present Penang home from JP, and two other friends Fionna and Li.

The first items we had were the lor bak and the Hainanese spring roll. Each is taken with its own dip. The dip for the Hainanese spring roll is a homemade ang3mor3 tau33iu2, a local version of Worchestershire sauce with red chili.

Next comes Inchee Kay Bin, which is local-style deep-fried chicken, one of the popular old-style Hainanese restaurant dishes. This is served with prawn crackers.

The next item was chicken rice. This is a set of rice with braised chicken meat and gizzard. Following that were Hainanese Prawn Fritters, Hainanese braised lamb with lady's fingers, chicken curry kapitan and assam fish. Later on, they also brought out the Hainanese chicken chop which we enjoyed very much as well.

Dessert was sago gula melaka. All in all, it was a most satisfying meal.

Lor bak and Hainanese spring roll (31 January 2024)

Inchee Kay Bin (31 January 2024)

Braised chicken and gizzard (31 January 2024)

Hainanese Prawn Fritters (31 January 2024)

Hainanese Braised Lamb with Lady's Fingers (31 January 2024)

Chicken Curry Kapitan (31 January 2024)

Assam Fish (31 January 2024)

Hainanese Chicken Chop (31 January 2024)

Sago Gula Melaka (31 January 2024)

Group shot with Clement, JP and Laura seated, while myself, my wife, Fionna and Li were standing behind them. (31 January 2024)

George, JP and Charles Wong are the three brothers who founded The Hainanese Delights in 2009. (31 January 2024)
© JP Wong

JP Wong with his wife Laura, and brothers George and Charles. (31 January 2024)
© JP Wong

Hainanese Delights is on the Map of King Street, Penang

Hainanese Delights on Google Street View

Hainanese Delights (Jan 2021)

Our visit to Hainanese Delight on 3 July 2018

My wife and I have the privilege of having a meal with Mr JP Wong and his family. Mr Wong is the Managing Director of 1926 Heritage Hotel, and one of the sibling partners of Hainanese Delights. It was an unforgettable dinner of dishes that are authentically Penang Hainanese, as well as some that are the Penang Hainanese interpretation of Penang cuisine.

What a feast we had. There were Spring Rolls, Chicken Satay, Lamb Satay, Hainanese Assam Fish, Assam Prawns, Jiu Hu Char, Ak Kor and Chicken Pie. Just take a look below.