Penang!, Westfield Shepherd’s Bush

Sometimes you walk past a place day in and day out without thinking you need to go in for no reason at all. But I like being proven wrong at the best of times and this was definitely one of those times.

I recently checked out Penang, a Malaysian restaurant, and Westfield being my second home,  I have probably walked past 100 times (minimum). Can you believe I never knew it was halal! Well turns out it is, fully halal in fact.

SIDENOTE: For those of you who have been reading my blogs for a while, you’ll know my buddy Z and I share the love of food and travel. This meal was a special one as we were setting out an itinerary for out next trip… (Can anyone guess where – hint it’s gonna be cold.. very cold! #winteriscoming)

Penang! derives it’s name from the rather understatedly beautiful northwest coast of Malaysia. Much like it’s namesake, Penang! is rather understated itself. I’m here to tell you why…

Firstly, the decor doesn’t shout from the rooftops about the fact that they serve authentic Malaysian food at a decent price! I love that their decor is instead vibrant coloured walls and wooden tables (great for flatlays for my fellow Instagrammers).

So we start with drinks of course as we order everything off the menu…

And then out came the food..

Lets break it down.. starters were Chicken (£7.50) and Beef Satay (£7.80)

I’m not a huge fan of satay generally as I feel they are so difficult to eat off a skewer and make me look like a bit of a carnivore chomping away at my kill. However, the meat was so soft it almost fell off the skewer, but more than that the peanut sauce that went with it was AMAZING, probably the best I’ve had. I could have drunk straight shots of it had it been socially acceptable – turns out it isn’t!

Next on the list of foods was Crispy Aromatic Duck Pancakes (Half £17.50; Whole £32), unfortunately I was so excited about the thought of halal duck pancakes that I panicked and forgot to take photos of it. (rookie error) but in my defence it was duck pancakes! You know how I feel about them! The duck was good, a little dry but not too chewy as some restaurants tend to make duck. The only downside to this was the pancakes were far too thin and kept cracking open which was a little annoying. I have to say, considering that my fave duck pancakes from China Tang are £48 for a 2-course duck (making the duck pancakes roughly £24) it’s a tad bit more expensive than I would have liked.

Moving onto some of the more authentic dishes.. Nasi Goreng one of my favourite Malaysian dishes of all time. Wok-fried rice with eggs, chicken, prawns, sambal paste, carrots and onions. It was so really well made, the fried egg (even though had been sitting around whilst I took photo after photo) tasted so good fried rather than boiled as I have had Nasi Goreng one too many times. Although when I say it’s spicy I mean it’s really not for the mild hearted, and I hella mean it!

Speaking of spicy, cue the Sambal Prawns (£12) – king prawns cooked in a spicy (so spicy) chilli paste with onions, peppers and beans. I feel like at the best of times I can take the heat, but a few bites of this and my mouth was on fire and I could barely taste any other flavour for the rest of the night. If you’re up for the chilli challenge, this is your calling!

Probably my favourite dish of the night was another very authentically Malay dish – Nasi Lemak. (£10), Coconut infused rice, anchovies, peanuts and beef (you could have a choice of chicken too). What I loved about this was the meat was so tender, cooked to perfection but more than that the rice actually had dessicrated coconut in it which for me made it so much more delicious (if you like coconut that is!)

You guys know that no meal of mine is complete without dessert, but the only decent thing I could have on the dessert menu was 2 scoops of ice cream. Why do Pan Asian restaurants never have a decent dessert menu?!

Overall, I really enjoyed the food at Penang! The food was of great quality with some really tasty, authentic Malay dishes. Although truth be told, the prices were a bit disproportionate – some dishes were reaaonably priced whilst others were a bit more than I would have liked to pay. Although overall it was an enjoyable meal at an affordable price given its location. I was also a little disappointed at the desserts and would love to see more on this front in the near future. 

Food – 7 out of 10 
Service – 8 out of 10
Atmosphere – 6 out of 10 
Experience – 7 out of 10

Overall, giving Penang! a total TLH score of 7 out of 10.

Address: Westfield Shepherds Bush, London W12 7GA
Website: http://penanglondon.business.site/
Halal Status: Everything is certified halal, although alcohol is served.  
Closest Station: Shepherds Bush (Central line)

Have you been to Penang!? Let me know your thoughts!

Disclaimer – this meal was sponsored but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Lots of love,

TLH x