Penang Road Cafe

The space comes across more like a canteen, with its fluorescent lights, and stark floors. It’s easy to imagine its former days as a branch of the Hong Kong Café chain, but the later-installed, vivid floor-to-ceiling photos of dishes that frame the glass doors afford some necessary cosiness and privacy. The walls are also given character with photos of colourful Peranakan ceramics. Waiters are constantly on the move among chatty customers, so stepping in here is like arriving at a busy eatery hidden on a side street in Penang.