We had a fantastic experience at Belachan sampling through creative tapas and cocktails using unique blend of local herbs and spices. It appears Belachan is recently opened by the same founders of the Michelin guide restaurant 'Sambal'. It wasn't crowded when we visited, I am sure the traffic will pick up once more people know about this place, so visit now before it gets busy. Kudos Jenelle and team!
Price per person
RM 60–80
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Coconut Noodles
Malay fusion with a twist & the best cocktails in town.
We went to the Belachan for drinks after our dinner at their partner restaurant Sambal (great place, too!!). Janelle and her team welcomed us warmly, and after asking for our drink preferences they concocted the most exciting cocktails for us! Mixing local spices and herbs to the spirits, the drinks really do have a Malay twist and highlight the country’s flavors. We absolutely loved it here and went for another round of recommendations. We also got to try the coconut noodles which were mind blowing! If you’re going there, make sure to try them, even if you’re “just out for drinks”.
Overall, a lovely evening that left my tastebuds wanting even more Malay flavors! Loved it!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Love the tapas and east meet west concept. I thought the concept is rather inventive and has a good chance of winning a Michelin star next year! ;) Lovely ambience, knowledgeable chef, creative drinks as well. 5 star food and service. Will definitely return!
Price per person
RM 120–140
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Fantastic tapas bar with super creative dishes and excellent service, the bar design is fairly minimalist and has a cool dimly lit vibe Everything I tried was a hit, I just wish I could fit in more food. Highly recommended if you enjoy having a good variety of dishes, many Malaysian ingredients but also no hesitation to include interesting western dishes like the pickle fries (definitely the best beer snack I have ever tried). They also have some great cocktails based on local flavours like nutmeg, pandan etc. if you are looking for somewhere different to go in Penang Belachan should be top of your list.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Fans of Sambal so super keen to try this place for a while. Interesting more ‘experimental’ Asian/Tapas fusion. Some dishes work better than others, but great to see some innovation around this concept.
Cocktails - some great. She does a mean line in chilli cocktails (assam pandas at Sambal, Chili Padi here) but the Ulam raja needed some sugar syrup to bring out more than just the herb flavour.
Stand out dishes were the coconut noodles and the parcel fish. Spicy pork belly salad a great start. Marry marrow excellent but needed salt. Drunk Chick needed the wine boiled off to keep the shaoxing flavour but lose the raw alcohol. Pate sliders would have benefited from different bread choice (but great pate). Squid ink pasta with salted fish good.
Limited wine list and expensive corkage (rm50 per bottle).
Price per person
RM 180–200
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
Came across this place when I was looking up for bars in the city, but what really surprised us was the food! A sister establishment to the more famous Sambal restaurant, Belachan is the playful younger sibling that takes on a creative twist using local ingredients spanning from its tapas, mains and all the way to its cocktails.
We were warmly welcomed by Kelvin and Amy, and the first thing one would notice is the small, cosy interior - a respite from a long drive and evening downpour for me and my companion. We started with the ulam raja and kaffir lime leaf cocktails, gin and vodka-based respectively. Then, the coconut noodles richly laced with prawn butter gave us a pleasant burst of umami and natural "lemak"ness from the coconut flesh. This was their way of ensuring ingredients are used fully, because their first restaurant Sambal uses the coconut water to marinate their famous pork ribs.
I'm not a big pate fan, but the pork liver pate sliders were super savory - cleverly paired with pickled onions that we wished we could have more of. Our main course was the squid ink kiam hu pasta, topped with a generous amount of bonito flakes. The salted egg makes a subtle appearance, just enough to accentuate the flavors of the dish - with a kick of chili at the back.
We ended our meal with two more cocktails; the nutmeg vodka cocktail and daun kunyit gin cocktail; with the first being (dangerously) refreshing.
Belachan was a great start to our Penang roadtrip and had us even more keen to try Sambal which we had booked for the next night (and will be reviewed separately). As a Penangite I'm really proud that our culinary scene has evolved to such levels - and I only wish this little bar the best and hopefully we'll get to come back and experience new dishes the next time.
Thank you for the great experience!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Best restaurant of Penang!
I'm glad I found this place.
Chef was incredibly polite, suggested great drinks and foods!
I would 100% recommend.
Thank you for the food, drinks and experience.
Best fish I ever had in my life
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
An excuisitely hidden gem in Georgetown. With low lit, cosy ambiance, we were delighted beyond our expectations. The owner and staff were warm & attentive, taking the time to explain the menu; uniquely crafted cocktails paired with tapas extraordinaire. Using local ingredients, and boldly exploring different combinations, explosions of flavour were experienced in every bite. A gastromonical delight!
Kudos to you, Janelle and your team.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
An absolute highlight of our visit to George Town. Loved Sambal so we wanted to try this. The cocktails are among the best anywhere, and the food is just fantastic. We had The Spicy One, pate sliders, coconut noodles, and truffled cream toasts. Inventive and delicious. The service and hospitality are exceptional and warm. A perfect dining experience. Thank you, Janelle!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
First time try their Tapas menu, it was impressive! Cozy bar, Hospitable hosts, delicious dishes, great dishes presentation leave me and my wife unforgettable dining experience. Worth the price for what we paid for. Will bring my friends & family to come over when they no idea what to eat. Most important ample parking space next door car park.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
