BY CK LAM

Located right in the heart of Georgetown, Rope Walk was once a place where all the ropes for the mooring ships in the 19^th century were produced. Modernization has swept through the times, and things have changed drastically but the row of pre-World War II heritage buildings still stand proud. One of them has been converted into a rustic restaurant by the name of Sri Malaya Heritage Restaurant. This new restaurant is near to the entrance from Chulia Street.

Sri Malaya, with an attractive yellow facade has an inviting warm ambience dining lounge. All the tables are made of teak wood which is rarely found nowadays. They combined the tables with different retro chairs and the old style lamps of the 60s and 70s, added a nostalgic charm to this restaurant.

The air well with transparent roofing allows natural light to come through, filling the dining area with natural light! Adjoining the dining hall is a bar counter with shelves displaying wines.

The menu at Sri Malaya covers both local and Western delicacies of pasta and tapas. The drinks menu on the other hand, has a reasonable selection of wines, fresh juices, hot beverages and smoothies.

Creamy Avocado and the Mango smoothie were my favourites. There was certainly creativeness in the Avocado smoothie with the slight presence of espresso in it.

The Mixed Fresh Vegetable Salad with Chargrilled Chicken consists of good size portion of crunchy salad served with balsamic vinegar. The charred grilled chicken strips added flavor to the salad.

There are several mains and the Ocean Seafood Platter was one of them. The platter has four selection of fresh seafood, with large prawns, mussels, fish and squid. It was complemented with potatoes, carrot, broccoli and cauliflower. All the four selection was cooked just right, moist and tender.

Besides the seafood platter, the menu also offers many other meaty dishes such as Lamb Chop, Sirloin Steak and Braised Lamb Shank.

For local delights, the Mixed Seafood Curry Laksa Noodle comes in deliciously spicy thick curry soup with fresh spices. Topped the noodle are two juicy jumbo prawns, mussels, taufupok, long beans, squid and hardboiled egg.

There are several seating options. Besides the indoor air-conditioned dining hall, there is also a choice of outdoor seating. It is pleasant dining in the garden especially on a cool day, with the greens providing shade while you dine.

The owners kept the 60s and 70s alive in this restaurant, which makes it an ideal place for those who are interested in retro furniture. This restaurant with its bright yellow exterior also offers free wireless Internet access for the customers.

Sri Malaya Heritage Restaurant
No. 1 Rope Walk
10100 George Town
Pulau Pinang

Tel : 04 2613763

Business Hour : 12pm – 3pm & 6pm – 11pm

Closed on Tuesday

Written by CK Lam, food review writer and editor of http://www.what2seeonline.com ; featuring the Best of Penang Food. She constantly combs Penang for the best gastronomical delights and loves promoting Penang Cuisines, Culture and Heritage.