Penang House of Music: Going beyond its boundaries
Buletin Mutiara | 28 May 2023 | Story by K.H. Ong | Photos courtesy of Penang House of Music
(From left) Michael Yong-Haron & Saniza Othman (Michael & Saniza Collection, Hong Kong), Paul Augustin (Director, Penang House of Music), Jay Xu (CEO Asian Art Museum, San Francisco), Xie Xiaoze (Professor of Art, Stanford University), Dacia Xu (Qualia Gallery, California) and Lee Khai (Chairman, Penang State Art Gallery) rejoicing at the Penang House of Music.
PENANG is noted for having many tourist attractions, including the unique Penang House of Music (PHoM) located on the fourth floor of KOMTAR in George Town.
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Archipelago Penang – a hidden bar serving fabulous cocktails to soothe the soul
Cocktails were initially inspired by British punches, which contained spirits, fruit juices and spices in big bowls. The term “cocktail”, known to be an alcoholic beverage, appeared in The Balance and Columbian Repository (Hudson, New York) 13 May 1806. Editor Harry Croswell answered the question, "What is a cocktail?" as “a stimulating liquor composed of any kind of sugar, water and bitters".
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Banh Mi Kitchen – serving up authentic Vietnamese bánh mì and more
As the name of the restaurant highlights, Banh Mi Kitchen focuses mainly on offering the iconic Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches. Freshly baked baguettes, spread with pâté and margarine, are packed with a selection of stuffings (including ham, barbecue pork, roasted chicken, meat balls, prawns, fish, eggs or pork floss), topped with cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, fresh cilantro and fiery chilli peppers for an extra kick.
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Sanctum sanctorums of the Thai and Burmese communities
In 1845, a large endowment of land in the Pulau Tikus area was made to the Theravada Buddhists, principally Thai and Burmese, whose importance is recorded in local street names to this day. Today, the extensive lands surrounding the Thai Wat Chaiyamangalaram are home to a small and thriving kampong of about thirty families (approximately 120 persons) of Thai Chinese and Hindu Indians. (The Changing Perceptions of Waqf, as Social, Cultural and Symbolic Capital in Penang, Judith Nagata)
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Hainanese Delights serves up nostalgic cuisine of the colonial British era
In the 1920s, the Hainanese were among the last Chinese immigrants to arrive in Penang. Since other dialect groups had already established control over most trades, the late comers ended up as cooks and houseboys (domestic helpers) in British homes and establishments. The Hainanese cooks were taught on-the-job how to prepare British dishes and were also introduced to local ingredients and spices. They eventually evolved their cooking repertoire, infusing their creations with local flavours to suit the taste buds of Penangites and the colonial British. Thus, Hainanese cuisine in Penang, and at large, in Malaysia and Singapore, is unique in its own way and cannot be found elsewhere, not even in Hainan Island.
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TE AmOR Bakery & Confectionery – delightful pastries, bread loaves and buns
Mr James Loh bakes with passion. With no baking experience except raw enthusiasm, James honed his skills in the field of baking through first-hand experiences. He worked at various bakeries in Penang, six to be exact, before venturing out on his own. He established TE AmOR Bakery & Confectionery in June 2015 at a shop along Anson Road before relocating to 63, Gat Lebuh Chulia in December 2020.
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