PEN Day 6 │ Cat's Birthday!

Penang Day 6 — It’s Cat’s Birthday!

With nothing planned for today, we slept in and woke up close to 9:00am. I did some video editing before we got ready to check out of Hutton Central.

At 12:00pm, we checked out and stored our bags with the front desk, then walked across the street to Hotel Penaga to confirm our booking for the night.

A Birthday Walk & Lunch at SmokePapa BBQ

We walked out to Jalan Transfer, then headed to the 7 Eleven bus stop along Jalan Penang to catch the free Rapid Penang CAT bus to Padang Kota. From there, we crossed Lebuh Light and continued along Lebuh Penang, passing the Merlin Hotel before turning onto Lebuh Bishop.

There were plenty of eateries along this stretch, and after some deliberation, the birthday girl chose SmokePapa BBQ.

We asked the waiter for recommendations and settled on:

• Pork Rib Set — RM27.90
• Smoked Pork Crackling Set — RM28.00
• Small Heineken — RM16.80
• Cold Lemon Tea — RM5.50

With service charge, the birthday lunch came to RM86.00 (≈ USD20/EUR18).

After lunch, we walked back to Padang Kota and caught another free CAT bus to Weld Quay, where we switched to Rapid Penang 101 for RM1.40 back to the 7 Eleven stop on Jalan Penang.

Checking In at Hotel Penaga

We walked back to Hutton Central to collect our luggage, then crossed Jalan Transfer to Hotel Penaga. Check in was smooth, and the first sight of our room was stunning.

If Hutton Central was chic and modern, Penaga was the complete opposite — in the best way. Our boutique heritage room was, as Penaga described, “gorgeously furnished with wood and antiques… an opulent feel.”

In our own words, it felt like stepping back into history. The room even came with a jacuzzi, so we decided we wouldn’t be going out again until evening.

We had a short but productive nap, and I continued editing videos while Cat relaxed.

Birthday Dinner at Bibik’s Kitchen

We emerged close to 8:00pm and took a leisurely walk along Lebuh Clark, then turned left onto Jalan Argyll, and right onto Jalan Sri Bahari. There were many eateries, but the birthday girl only made up her mind when we reached Bibik’s Kitchen Nyonya Cuisine.

Eager to experience Peranakan food from a Penangite perspective, we walked in and were lucky to get a table — most were reserved.

We ordered:

• Fried Fish Sambal Petai
• Cincalok Pork
• Okra Sambal
• Large Plain Omelette
• 2 servings of Mix Coloured Rice
• 2 desserts of Bubur Cha Cha

Dinner came to RM115.50 (≈ USD26/EUR25).

With full bellies and a happy birthday girl, we walked out toward Jalan Penang, crossed Lebuh Campbell, and continued on. We had hoped to buy pickled fruits from Chowrasta Market, but the shops were closed — likely due to New Year’s Eve.

We then headed back to the hotel, reminding ourselves that we were staying at Hotel Penaga, not Hutton Central.

Tomorrow…

We have an Aeroline bus to catch at 8:30am, which means we’ll need to hail a Grab to Queensbay Mall by 7:00am.

Good night, everyone — and happy birthday, Cat!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Hutton Central Hotel by PHC - https://goo.gl/maps/mUAgDV6NQ2etaP8n7
7-Eleven Jalan Penang - https://goo.gl/maps/pXUrUijwzLKm7fk59
Padang Kota Lama - https://goo.gl/maps/PbvL5w563KXwmoCK6
SmokePapa BBQ - https://goo.gl/maps/mfPciUwiJY1Nbp7v7
Hotel Penaga - https://goo.gl/maps/jAzmtB2zYsdq2iL69
Bibik's Kitchen Nyonya Cuisine - https://goo.gl/maps/H7d3TrVLkBXGij65A