They mean it when they say do not have breakfast before! I can’t start my day without coffee, and the Penang signature white coffee, crispy peanut crepes, and stir-fried rice noodles from the morning street market did not disappoint. I did this private tour and cooking class with my mom and sister, and we are Chinese American. We already know a lot about cooking and Chinese food, but there was still plenty to learn from our hosts about the unique flavours, ingredients, and cooking methods of Penang cuisine. The day started with Mr Mok giving us a wonderful, personal tour of the Jalan Chowrasta morning market, right in the middle of the morning shopping spree when locals were picking up their ingredients for the day. He showed us which fruits were in season, where they came from, and explained about the fresh produce we would try that afternoon like mangosteen, longan, mango, jicama, and freshly shaved coconut milk. We also saw where the spring roll wrappers were made fresh by hand, the fish market, and the spice stalls. I would have gone back to the market every day of our trip to try all the different breakfast options, if our hotel had been nearer! The cooking class room is inside of a shopping centre and could be a bit hard to find if we had not had Mr Mok to kindly greet us outside and show us the way. There are toilets available, filtered drinking water, soap for hand washing, and lots of space to leave your bags. Mr Mok’s lovely wife Chef Amy was our teacher for the day, who learned to make both Chinese and Nyonya Malaysian style dishes from her family. She showed us step-by-step how to make some of the most popular street food staples of Penang, with us three taking turns practicing the steps. We fried Lor Bak pork sausages and veggie spring rolls, brewed fresh sweetened chrysanthemum tea from flowers, stir-fried Char Koay Teow with shrimp, sausage, and egg, and steamed a pandan green rice cake for dessert. Amy kindly let our husbands and boyfriends join us at the end to sample some of the delicious foods we had made, so no one missed out! This was a highlight of our time not only in Penang but Malaysia in general.

Great experience. The whole course was illuminating , from the market tour in the morning, through breakfast to the actual cooking. Mok, Amy & Simon were engaging and enthusiastic about their food and this transferred to the actual class. The course was hands on and the food cooked was delicious. Be definitely trying these again at home. Highly recommended.

This was an amazing cooking experience hosted by Jenny and her daughter Rachel. We started the morning off walking the market, learning about the medicinal powers of nutmeg and other local fruits, talked to the Spice Man who mixes up your spice paste just the way you like it and enjoyed a traditional local breakfast with white coffee. Jenny is very knowledgeable on the Indian kitchen and loved to share tips and tricks. We made a delicious meal with a special Valentine's dessert and chai, which we enjoyed while having an inspiring conversation with Jenny. It was an explosion of flavors and I'm looking forward to try out the recipes at home to recreate a small piece of George Town in a very cold Holland. A great shout out to Simon and his dad Mok for all the great tips they shared on must-visit locals places in George Town. Thank you again Jenny, Rachel and Mok for sharing your enthusiasm and knowledge!

Simon, Mok and Amy were the best hosts. We enjoyed the market tour, learning about the specific nyonya ingredients. The cooking lessons were very informative with Amy explaining the origin of ingredients. The class was very interactive and the food was delicious. Helpful contact before our class and even organised a pick up for us from our accomodation and also a drop off after we spent a little time walking around the market after the class. Looking forward to the restaurant recommendations for around where we are staying and we will definitely give the recipes a go when we get home. We made four specific dishes including one dessert which were all tasty.

Lovely experience with Chef Jenny and the Indian cooking class. I was the only one in the class so it was a lot of time hands on explaining the dishes and prepping myself. She was very friendly and patient (I'm not the best cook and rarely cook so I'm slow and my knife skills are questionable). The team was very friendly and gave me little freebies like dessert and some coffee, and they gave me takeaway after we stuffed ourselves with the delicious meal we prepared. They have big fans going but it is warm with the burners going so wear loose, light clothes. I did do the afternoon class and they messaged me recommending the AM class cuz you get the market tour and breakfast, which I do think would have been nice to have, but my schedule wouldn't accommodate so they kept the afternoon class for me, which I appreciate because I think I was the only one who signed up.