Sri Batik Nyonya Cafe

About Us

	If you’re a Sri Batik Nyonya food lover and for those who have yet to savor the authentic taste of Sri Batik Nyonya cuisine, Sri Batik Nyonya Café is the must rendezvous designation for you. At Sri Batik Nyonya Café, you’ll be greeted with an elaborate interior befitting the theme of the restaurant. Proprietor Kenneth Yip said that as a Penangite, his aspiration is to revive the art of Sri Batik Nyonya cooking whilst delivering traditional authentic Sri Batik Nyonya cooking to the younger generation. As an introduction, Sri Batik Nyonya food, also referred to as Straits Chinese food is an interesting amalgamation of Chinese and Malay dishes thought to have originated from the Peranakan (Straits Chinese) of Malacca over 400 years ago as a result of inter-marriages between Chinese immigrants and local Malays, which produced a unique culture. Here, the ladies are called Sri Batik Nyonyas and the men babas.

Sri Batik Nyonya food in Penang has differentiated and evolved over the years as compared to their counterpart in Malacca and Singapore with the distinct differences due to Penang proximity to Thailand. Penang Sri Batik Nyonyas drew inspiration from Thai cooking styles, including a preference for sour food, hot chilies and fragrant herbs.

Influences aside, Sri Batik Nyonya recipes are complicated affair and the daily preparation is no different in Sri Batik Nyonya Café where enterprising Kenneth Yip together with his chef, Janet Lee (who used to work for a Sri Batik Nyonya restaurant in The Merlin Hotel – now the Bayview Georgetown) spent hours upon hours in the kitchen. Sri Batik Nyonya cooking is also about the blending of spices together with the key ingredient belacan (shrimp paste) and condiments including lemongrass, lengkuas (galangal or wild ginger), kunyit (turmeric root and leaves), tamarind, fresh/dried chilies, candlenuts, shallots, kaffir lime leaves, pandan (screwpine), daun salam (fresh bay leaves), daun kesum (Thai basil leaves) and ginger buds.

When in Sri Batik Nyonya Café, we highly recommend you to start with the refreshing home-brewed nutmeg before your meal. This refreshing beverage uses a traditional recipe whereby the ingredients are steamed for twelve hours to extract the full flavour and goodness of nutmeg. The all time favorites includes signature dishes like Curry Kapitan (chicken curry in coconut milk with a tangy sour taste of kaffir lime leave), Jiu Hoo Char (finely-sliced vegetables like bengkuang and carrots, among others together with fried dried sotong strips), Perut Ikan (mixed vegetable curry with fish stomach cooked with coconut and tamarind), Nasi Ulam (rice mixed with freshly-cut herbs and spices) Too Khar Chor (pork trotters in black vinegar) and deep-fried Tu Kua Kian (pork liver roll).



Surprisingly, you can also find dishes that has been resurrected by Sri Batik Nyonya Café including Nasi Kunyit, Hu Peow T’ng, Tafu Kiam Hu Kut T’ng, Hong Bak, Kerabu jantung Pisang, Gado-Gado, Gulai Tumis and Ayam Masak Ros. Single dishes are also available daily for the busy office executives from the appetizing Laksa Lemak S’ui, Nasi Lemak, Spaghetti Chicken Curry to the preferred Sri Batik Nyonya Chicken Chop, Sri Batik Nyonya Pork Chop and Ang Tho Mee. For dessert, you should indulge in the popular Sri Batik Nyonya Café She Lui Chee (shredded jackfruit and coconut milk) or traditional authentic dessert like Bee Ko Moi (black glutinous rice pudding with a good portion of coconut milk) and Pengat. Sri Batik Nyonya Café also provides catering and lunch delivery services for office personnel and you just need to call 04-228 7919 to get your all time favorite Sri Batik Nyonya cuisine to your door step.