Penang Street Food (PSF) brings the hawker flavours of Malaysia to 941A Victoria Street in Hamilton Central. It is a family venture in the truest sense: the story begins with Mr Liang Ya, who homed in on his cooking skills in 1944 to open the first restaurant in Malaysia featuring Hakka cuisine. His children and younger generations carried that blueprint forward, building restaurants and sub-brands across Malaysia — and this restaurant continues the legacy, serving authentic Malay street food prepared with the blessing and spirit of their ancestors.
The menu reads like a stroll through a Malaysian street market. There are share-plate starters like satay chicken skewers with peanut sauce, hand-made chicken and prawn wontons, crispy Malay tofu and curry potato samosas; fragrant noodle mains like laksa, char kway teow and wat tan hor; coconut-rich classics like nasi lemak and roti canai with a choice of curries or beef rendang; and vegetable-only pots, salted egg squid, butter king prawns and more. Homemade teas — teh tarik, three layer milktea, Milo dinosaur, cham — and Malaysian soft drink favourites complete the table.
The family motto, 'Hope You Get Rich,' threads through everything here. The idea is simple: the world is a wild, hectic place, so take a moment to pause, gather your friends, share a drink and a joke, and let a spread of Malay street food do the rest. Contactless delivery and takeaway are also available through Uber Eats, Book N Order and Tuckerfox.
At the top end of Victoria Street in Hamilton Central, Penang Street Food — PSF to those who know it — serves the hawker flavours of Malaysia with the warmth of a family kitchen. It is a blend of traditional Malay street food and a modern, relaxed dining room: a place to pause, loosen your muscles, laugh with friends over a drink, and let a bowl of laksa do the rest.
The roots here run deep. In 1944, Malaysia-based Mr Liang Ya homed in on his cooking skills and passion for food to create the first restaurant in Malaysia featuring Hakka cuisine. That passion — and his business success — carried into the next generation, propelling his children into the food and dining industry. They built branching restaurants and sub-brands across Malaysia on the blueprint of that first restaurant, always guided by the value of hard work, the family motto and their roots.
Penang Street Food is that legacy continued in Hamilton. The food is prepared with traditional, authentic Malay flavour — what the family calls the blessing and spirit of their ancestors, brought to the plate in front of you.
And the motto? "Hope You Get Rich." It's splashed across the restaurant's branding, and it captures their outlook: life is laced with trepidation and hardship, so gather your friends, share a drink and a joke, and let's eat.
If it's your first visit, start with the nasi lemak — described on the menu as the most popular Malaysian dish among locals. Rice is cooked in coconut milk and served with peanuts, cucumber and boiled egg, matched with your choice of curry chicken, curry lamb or a rich, dry beef rendang cooked down with spice paste and coconut milk.
Noodle lovers are spoiled for choice. The laksa is a super-flavoured curry coconut soup with noodles, boiled egg, tofu and beansprouts — and you can add chicken, vegetables or seafood. Char kway teow woks up thick flat noodles with prawns, Chinese sausage, fish cakes and lard residue, while wat tan hor — one of the dishes the restaurant showcases with pride — arrives bathed in silky egg gravy with prawns, fishcake, chicken and greens. Maggi mee goreng and mee goreng toss prawns or chicken through noodles flavoured with Malaysian spices.
Roti canai comes two pieces at a time, ready to tear and dip into curry chicken, vegetable or lamb simmered in a coconut-milk-based broth. Share-plate starters cover the hawker classics: marinated satay chicken skewers with peanut sauce, hand-made chicken and prawn wontons, crispy Malay tofu, mini spring rolls with sweet chili sauce, prawn twisters, curry potato and pea samosas, chicken wings, fried chicken chop and golden chips.
For something heartier, try the golden sands squid tossed in salted egg yolk, curry leaves and cream, butter king prawns, kung pao squid with cashew nuts, honey marmite chicken or sweet sour chicken with pineapple and capsicum. The fish collar rice noodle soup is a creamier, tomato-based option, and vegetable-only pots — asam fillet with chilli and tamarind, or cream curry fillet — mean everyone at the table is covered.
Don't skip the homemade teas. Teh tarik — black tea with milk and condensed milk — sits alongside the three layer milktea with black sugar syrup, iced lemon tea, honey lemon drink, the cham (coffee, black tea and milk) and the gloriously indulgent Milo dinosaur, an iced Milo drowned in condensed milk. Malaysian soft drink favourites like 100 Plus, Kickapoo and A&W Sarsi line up beside organic picks such as Karma Cola, Lemmy lemonade and Ginderella ginger ale.
PSF makes it simple to eat well on your schedule. Order ahead for scheduled pickup or delivery through Book N Order or Tuckerfox, or arrange contactless delivery through Uber Eats. Save room for dessert — a three-piece serve of durian, coconut or winter melon puffs.
Whether you're easing the stresses of a hectic week or gathering family and friends for a long dinner, the idea is the same: take your senses to the streets of Malaysia, and soak up time with the people you love. As the team signs off — hope you get rich, and let's eat.