Review of Penang Culture at Compass One (Halal)

Penang Culture is a halal restaurant that serves Malaysian cuisine. I visited the outlet at Compass One for lunch today, as I was craving for some spicy and flavourful dishes. When you sit down, you'll be given a QR code to scan and place your order on the phone.

Here is what I ordered and what I thought of them:

Penang Char Kuey Teow: 

This is a classic dish of stir-fried flat rice noodles with prawns, cockles, bean sprouts, eggs and chives. The noodles had a nice smoky aroma from the wok. The 2 prawns given were medium sized, fresh and juicy. The cockles were small and scarce, they were all sticking together at the bottom which took awhile to find. I would rate this dish 6/10, as it was decent but not outstanding.

Nasi Lemak Beef Rendang: 

This is a dish of fragrant coconut rice served with spicy beef stew, sambal chilli, fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and egg. The rice was fluffy and aromatic, and the sambal was spicy and sweet. The beef rendang, however, was disappointing. The meat was tough and chewy, and the gravy was not rich or creamy enough. I would rate this dish 5/10 as well, because I was disappointed with the beef which is supposed to be the star of this dish.

Thai Apple Chicken with Rice: 

This is a dish of crispy fried chicken coated with a sweet and tangy apple sauce, served with steamed rice and salad. The chicken was tender and crispy, and the sauce had a unique fruity flavour. It was a good dish if you like sweet and sour dishes. I would rate this dish 7/10, good if you enjoy sweet and sour dishes.

Mentaiko Ngoh Hiang: 

This is a dish of deep-fried rolls filled with minced meat and water chestnuts, topped with mentaiko (spicy cod roe) sauce. The outside batter crispy and savoury, and the sauce added a creamy and yummy kick. It was a delicious side dish that complemented the main dishes well. I would rate this dish 8/10, as it was satisfying and flavourful.

Membership

The restaurant also offers a membership program that costs $88 per year. As a member, you get vouchers worth up to $180 that you can use for your next visits, so it's a pretty good ROI if you are a fan of Malaysian food and plan to visit the restaurant more than 3 times. I have tried their assam laksa (noodles in sour fish broth) before, and it was pretty good. But I did not order it today, as my family wanted to try something different.

Overall, the meal was decent with some hits and misses, but I felt that some of the dishes could be improved. The service was friendly and efficient, and the ambience was cosy and casual. Good for a quick craving fix instead of flying to Penang, but do not expect to be blown away by every dish.

Penang Culture – Compass One
1 Sengkang Square, #03-13, Singapore 545078
Tel: +65 6385 2820
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 10pm, Last order 9.30pm (Mon – Sun)