LIFESTYLE
Chocolate Spaghetti And 9 Other Crazy Pasta Dishes You Need To Try In Penang
Variety is the spice of life, and so should be your spaghetti. Yet in our books, if it’s spaghetti, then its most probably carbonara or bolognese. When was the last time you looked beyond the regular runners?
Or perhaps, you haven’t actually found one for an exciting change of pace.
Skip the search though, we have curated a list of 10 tongue-twisting spaghetti choices in the food capital of Malaysia.
Chocolate and spaghetti don’t often come in the same sentence, but at Chocolate Passion, you won’t question this combination any longer, thanks to their Teriyaki Chocolate Spaghetti with Grilled Chicken. The chocolate pasta is flecked with spring onions, carrots, garlic and milk chocolate before a perfectly grilled chicken thigh is perched over.
1. Chocolate Passion
Chocolate and spaghetti don’t often come in the same sentence, but at Chocolate Passion, you won’t question this combination any longer, thanks to their Teriyaki Chocolate Spaghetti with Grilled Chicken. The chocolate pasta is flecked with spring onions, carrots, garlic and milk chocolate before a perfectly grilled chicken thigh is perched over.If you’re not into getting your pasta and dessert fix in one platter, check out other unique offerings like Yellow Thai Chicken Curry and Salted Egg. 
Besides being a cavernous coffeehouse, Macallum Connoisseurs is also a roastery and a coffee academy. As such, don’t expect anything but the best caffeine fix, even in the form of spaghetti. Yes, you read that right. Their Coffee Spaghetti’s sauce is a mixture of espresso and cream, filled with onions and herbs, and the noodles are topped with juicy slices of pork chorizo.
2. Macallum Connoisseurs
Besides being a cavernous coffeehouse, Macallum Connoisseurs is also a roastery and a coffee academy. As such, don’t expect anything but the best caffeine fix, even in the form of spaghetti. Yes, you read that right. Their Coffee Spaghetti’s sauce is a mixture of espresso and cream, filled with onions and herbs, and the noodles are topped with juicy slices of pork chorizo.Another firm favourite is their Cheesy Curry Leaf spaghetti, where the gravy hits the sweet spot between cheese and curry, and the strands are liberally topped with parmesan cheese and fresh prawns or clams. Can’t decide between the two? Remember: two are always better than one. 
You’re looking at a serving of Linguine Alla Gochujang from Soul Cafe. Of course, the islet of spaghetti swimming in crimson-red Korean chilli sauce loaded with cherry tomatoes, shimeiji mushroom, pork bacon, smoked duck and sesame seeds sprinkling are drool-worthy, but the magic truly is in the balance of flavours that your taste buds won’t let you forget.
3. Soul Cafe
You’re looking at a serving of Linguine Alla Gochujang from Soul Cafe. Of course, the islet of spaghetti swimming in crimson-red Korean chilli sauce loaded with cherry tomatoes, shimeiji mushroom, pork bacon, smoked duck and sesame seeds sprinkling are drool-worthy, but the magic truly is in the balance of flavours that your taste buds won’t let you forget.What adds to their recognition as one of the crowd favourite eateries, besides the picture-perfect ambience, is the constant evolution of the menu. So, you may be introduced to even more unique spaghetti combinations during your next visit. 
Unrivalled selection of whimsical cakes are what come to mind when you think of Moody Cow but they also prove their creativity with a range of spaghetti offerings, where their Pumpkin spaghetti is something to look out for. The Halloween-centric fruit offers the ideal sauce to coat the silky pasta, and the mushrooms, prawns and diced pumpkins complete the dish. Deceptively simple but delightfully scrumptious.
4. Moody Cow
Unrivalled selection of whimsical cakes are what come to mind when you think of Moody Cow but they also prove their creativity with a range of spaghetti offerings, where their Pumpkin spaghetti is something to look out for. The Halloween-centric fruit offers the ideal sauce to coat the silky pasta, and the mushrooms, prawns and diced pumpkins complete the dish. Deceptively simple but delightfully scrumptious.And then, you may plunge headlong into a cake adventure. 
With the word “hipster” written all over the atmosphere and consistent serving of good food, it’s no surprise why PIK NIK remains as one of Georgetown’s leading cafes. For those seeking that spicy zing, opt for their Kimchi spaghetti. The name says it all, pad your stomach with pasta tossed in spicy Korean kimchi and sauce, crowned with prawns and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
5. PIK NIK
With the word “hipster” written all over the atmosphere and consistent serving of good food, it’s no surprise why PIK NIK remains as one of Georgetown’s leading cafes. For those seeking that spicy zing, opt for their Kimchi spaghetti. The name says it all, pad your stomach with pasta tossed in spicy Korean kimchi and sauce, crowned with prawns and sprinkled with sesame seeds.Spicy is not your thing? Check out their Fungkee Olio, which consists of unique ingredients like salted fish, eryngii mushroom and black fungus, sitting on a bed of spaghetti draped with chilli infused olive oil. 
This convivial restaurant is constantly on many Western food lovers’ wish list. Simply because of reasonable prices, huge portions and creative flavours. An evidence of the latter point is their Buttermilk spaghetti. It may slightly resemble a carbonara but its in a whole league of its own. Whiff in the aroma from the curry leaves, before digging in the al dente spaghetti laden with savoury, spicy gravy and chicken popcorn morsels.
6. TheTablePenang
This convivial restaurant is constantly on many Western food lovers’ wish list. Simply because of reasonable prices, huge portions and creative flavours. An evidence of the latter point is their Buttermilk spaghetti. It may slightly resemble a carbonara but its in a whole league of its own. Whiff in the aroma from the curry leaves, before digging in the al dente spaghetti laden with savoury, spicy gravy and chicken popcorn morsels.And each time you bite the bird’s eye chillies, it just gives you that truly Malaysian oomph! Wrap up your decadent affair with their mango cheesecake. 
The majority of visitors to The Safe Room are usually on the lookout for their liquid nitrogen ice creams, but make sure of sticking to the script and begin with their Tomyam spaghetti. Colourful, crunchy, spicy and savoury, the harmony of flavours certainly awakens your palate in no time.
7. The Safe Room
The majority of visitors to The Safe Room are usually on the lookout for their liquid nitrogen ice creams, but make sure of sticking to the script and begin with their Tomyam spaghetti. Colourful, crunchy, spicy and savoury, the harmony of flavours certainly awakens your palate in no time.And what better way to tame it all down with their signature coconut liquid nitrogen ice cream? A combination that gets the job done every time.
Most of us have heard or been to China House before, since it's a cake wonderland and it combines three heritage houses to flaunt a heavy dose of art and heritage. But don’t let the sugary treats distract you from the kitchen’s equally inspiring pasta game. Their Ginger Bud Pesto spaghetti is worth every penny, as the welcome hit from the ginger buds blends with a herbal punch from the sauce.
8. China House
Most of us have heard or been to China House before, since it's a cake wonderland and it combines three heritage houses to flaunt a heavy dose of art and heritage. But don’t let the sugary treats distract you from the kitchen’s equally inspiring pasta game. Their Ginger Bud Pesto spaghetti is worth every penny, as the welcome hit from the ginger buds blends with a herbal punch from the sauce.Opt for a grilled chicken too for that additional tempt factor, which is then garnished with Vietnamese mint, spring onions, cucumber ribbons, red chilli, fried shallots, Thai Basil and soy lemon dressing. 
Meet Up Cafe & Bar serves up common cafe delights and spaghetti dishes but it's never hard to single out their Pink Pasta. Why? Because it’s naturally pink in colour! The delicate swirl of al dente strands is coated in a bath of mashed beetroot, infused with lemon, mixed herbs and spices, and further turned lip-lickingly good with the addition of crispy bacon!
9. Meet Up Cafe & bar
Meet Up Cafe & Bar serves up common cafe delights and spaghetti dishes but it's never hard to single out their Pink Pasta. Why? Because it’s naturally pink in colour! The delicate swirl of al dente strands is coated in a bath of mashed beetroot, infused with lemon, mixed herbs and spices, and further turned lip-lickingly good with the addition of crispy bacon!Now, this is a platter to drive up your Instagram likes. 
Tucked within the majestic Fort Cornwallis, this culinary heavyweight is renowned for colliding local flavours with fusion twists. You would not want to miss out on their Hokkien, a fusion overhaul of the famous Hokkien Mee - Italian capellini replaces the traditional noodles, laced with bisque reduction, and topped with blue prawns, sliced chillies, and sous vide quail eggs studded with caviar.
10. KOTA meets rempah
Tucked within the majestic Fort Cornwallis, this culinary heavyweight is renowned for colliding local flavours with fusion twists. You would not want to miss out on their Hokkien, a fusion overhaul of the famous Hokkien Mee - Italian capellini replaces the traditional noodles, laced with bisque reduction, and topped with blue prawns, sliced chillies, and sous vide quail eggs studded with caviar.The presentation is totes Instagram-worthy and flavours are as unique and delicious as it sounds. We recommend saving some space for desserts too.
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