Tek Sen Restaurant assam tunis curry pomfret fish — *Look at that big hunk of fish covered in that rich curry sauce*

The streets of George Town, Penang are home to probably hundreds of noteworthy Michelin Guide Awarded restaurants and Hawker stalls. Many of which are located at the Kimberley Street Food Night Market.

Today, I’m bringing you to Chulia Street, one of the oldest roads in George Town to try Tek Sen Restaurant. A Michelin Guide recommended restaurant where you can find the most exceptional Chinese heritage cuisine in Penang!

Affiliate Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. By clicking on the links and purchasing the product, I will receive a partial commission at no cost to you. All of these products are ones that I fully trust and recommend with my heart. Thank you for your support!

My YouTube Video on Tek Sen Restaurant

Come enjoy the deliciousness of Tek Sen Restaurant with me in video as well as touring through all the amazing eats in George Town, Penang then check out my YouTube video above! Also if you enjoy the video how about supporting me by subscribing to my YouTube Channel? ;)

Heritage Chinese Cuisine

The island of Penang is home to a diverse group of cultures, from Teochew Chinese, to Indians, to Eurasians. So it is no surprise that if you took a moment to explore the vibrant street food scene in Penang you’ll come across various noteworthy longstanding restaurants like Tok Tok Mee Bamboo Noodles.

Tek Sen Restaurant is one such place that serves some of the most delicious original Chinese heritage dishes some of which are what evolutions of what the original Chinese clan settlers would have eaten when they arrived on Penang island.

Tek Sen Restaurant Menu

Tek Sen Restaurant’s menu is a bit hard to read, one because there are no pictures, and two because some English words are just karaokes of the Malay words like “Kang-Kung”. What’s Kang-Kung? Water Spinach apparently.

Anyways you can expect to find a wide variety of stir fries, soups, curries, noodles, and rice dishes. Some that are recommended are:

Stir Fried Water Spinach with Sambal and Shrimp
Double Roasted Pork with Chili Padi
Deep Fried Tofu with Prawn, Scallop, and Egg White Sauce
Deep Fried Chicken with Plum Sauce
Assam Tunis Curry with Stingray/Pomfret fish

And so much more…

Tek Sen Restaurant Pricing

I think the pricing for some of Tek Sen Restaurant’s dishes is a little expensive, especially since the price often depends on the market price of the ingredients like fish and prawns. And I do wanna point out that some of the dishes portions are small.

Double Roasted Pork with Chili Padi

Imagine the fattiest slices of pork belly you’ve ever had, and then imagine it glazed with a thick, sweet, chili honey sauce. That’s what this Double Roasted Pork with Chili Padi is like.

Thin bite sized slices of pork belly stir fried in a glistening and oily chili padi sauce. I assumed the pork has first been deep fried or at least drowning in oil because the texture was a bit crunchy in some places.

Incredibly fatty, and the sweet chili padi sauce adds to that richness and decadence. This is one of those dishes that is best eaten with rice because eating a spoonful of this by itself, it’s just too sweet, almost like eating those candied strip of bacon.

It was ok, I wouldn’t personally order it again but it is quite tasty and worth a try at least.

Assam Tumis Curry with Black Pomfret Fish

Assam means tamarind in Malay and you can definitely tell that this Assam Tunis curry is bursting with sour acidity from the tamarind.

The deep reddish orange curry both holds some of the most wonderful blend of flavors that your tastebuds will ever experience.

The curry soup was strong, pungent, a little spicy, sweet, and most importantly sour and tart. It was the perfect compliment to that incredibly sweet double roasted pork.

Not to mention the curry was thick and rich making it a perfect accompaniment to a bowl of steaming hot white rice.

We had the choice of stingray but we went with the pomfret fish because it’s more familiar to us and also it’s a meatier fish. Usually I don’t like eating fish in Asia, they don’t de-bone the fish so it’s a hassle to navigate through the tiny pointy bones.

The issue wasn’t resolved at Tek Sen but the pomfret was indeed delicious! It’s very meaty, a lot of flesh like tuna. There is a deep herbaceous flavor that permeates throughout the meat no doubt due to the fish being stewed in that excellent tamarind curry.

Though I still found myself picking through the bones, I don’t to mind when it comes to this bowl of Pomfret Assam Tunis.

Stir Fried Water Morning Glory with Shrimp and Sambal

This is my personal favorite dish at Tek Sen Restaurant. In my home country of Thailand we have a similar dish called “Pad Pak Boong”, stir fried water morning glory. Crisp water morning glory stir fried in oyster sauce, garlic, and chilis. It’s delicious.

The Stir Fried Water Morning Glory with Shrimp and Sambal is essentially the same but dear God the SAMBAL! The sambal chili sauce adds a whole new dimension of spice and umami flavors. Spicy, oily, garlicky, and deliciously pungent.

The shrimp were good but like, the crisp and crunchy water morning glory stir fried with the rich sambal, that is heaven.

A must try, you NEED to order this dish.

Deep Fried Tofu with Prawns and Scallops in Gravy

I love tofu, egg tofus, soy based tofu, all the tofus. So yo know I gotta get some Deep Fried Tofu with Prawns and Scallops in Gravy, one of Tek Sen Restaurant’s signature dishes.

The bouncy fried tofu cubes are actually egg tofu so softer and creamier compared to your regular soy based tofu. The tofu pieces are lathered in this rich egg white gravy topped with a few minced chunks of scallops, shrimp, and slices of carrots and green beans.

This dish is not the most flavorful dish but it is a very comforting one. It’s bland but in the best way possible. The silky egg tofu, the slight bounciness of the shrimp and scallops, and the lusciously smooth and rich gravy. It’s a hug on a plate.

Perfect to break the pace from all the other intensely flavorful dishes at Tek Sen Restaurant.

Conclusion

Pros

Every dish was delicious, packed full of of strong flavors
A good selection of dishes to try in the menu

Cons

The portions are a bit small (more of a minor gripe)
The price is a bit expensive and can vary depending on market prices

Overall I highly recommend you try Tek Sen Restaurant, the food was really good and the menu is varied. The only major gripe I had was the price can be a little bit too high compared to the amount of food you get.

Though a WARNING, come real early, there is always a long line and I had to wait about 2 hours before I got to sit down. Even then, I waited a long time before our food actually arrived.

Tek Sen Restaurant | 8.5 / 10

Phone: +60 12 981 5117

Location: 18, Lebuh Carnarvon, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opening Hours: 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM | Mon - Sun (Closed Tuesday)

Pricing: ~60 MYR | $$

Looking for Things to Do in Penang?

TOP Penang - 249 meter tall observation point atop Komtar Tower, tallest in George Town
Entopia Butterfly Farm - A large farm with over 15,000 butterflies and 200 plant species
ESCAPE Penang - Water park with the world record for Longest Tube Water Slide at 1,111 meters
Discounted Tickets - Browse a variety of attractions, tours, and transports all for a great price

Useful Resources for Traveling in Malaysia

Tourism Information - All the information you need when travelling in Malaysia
Private Airport Transfers - Private transfer from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the city
KLIA Ekspress Ticket - Ticket for the KLIA transfer via express train