3 Combination Chicken at Jalan Tengah

The 3 Combination Chicken at Jalan Tengah is a hidden gem here in Penang. While most of the famous chicken rice stalls are located in town, this is tucked away in a quiet coffee shop all the way at Bayan Lepas and is popular with locals and office staff closeby during lunch time. It's a strictly no frills kinda coffee shop without air conditioning but it's quite clean if you don't mind the occasional fly or two buzzing around and some customers might smoke, especially if they're sitting outside.

The owner was a little camera shy and deftly swerved out while still chopping the chicken when he saw me snapping this photo. Hubs say it'd be my fault if he lost a finger :(

I could wax lyrical about the chicken rice all day long. There are 2 choices of chicken: steamed or roasted. My pick is always the steamed chicken as it's more tender and juicy. I'm a huge fan of the classic 3 combination: steamed chicken, crispy roast pork belly (siew bak) and barbequed pork (char siew) and it's a must have to eat this with a generous topping of spring onions, sliced cucumbers and additional gravy. You also get a generous bowl of soup of the day which varies from cabbage to black bean soups.

And the iced coffee! I'm not usually a coffee drinker but I make an exception for this as it's one of the best I've had at a kopitiam, thick and incredibly rich. I get a real buzz if I were to gulp this down on an empty stomach.

If you need further convincing that you should go out of your way to try eating at the coffee shop, the neighboring stall makes a really mean assam fish. The soup is slightly similar to assam laksa and adds a nice kick.

After an incredibly satisfying meal, make sure you leave room for egg tarts at Amigo Bakery which is a 3 minute drive away. Don't be fooled by the fluorescent green of the custard filling, these egg tarts are meant to be savored slowly for every single bite of their sweet creaminess.