Best Apam Balik in Penang

Apom Manis so scrumptious that the Sultan of Pahang flies the makers to His Majesty’s palace every month! These sweet pancakes originate from India and you can only cherry-pick those who are still using the old-school way with secret recipes. Using traditional claypots over scorching charcoals that cook this sweet wonder within 30 seconds, Mr. Ravi starts at 6 am and the batter runs out as early as 9 am, so better hustle early. Each bite is a sweet victory.

Everything tastes even better when served between buns, or even pancakes too. Aki Pancake is located in the buzzing Super Tanker food court. Despite a mind-boggling selection of food stalls, this Chinese pancake stall is easily spotted due to their extensive menu board, flocking customers and a couple working quick as a flash. You can stick to the classic with brown sugar and corn or throw a party in your mouth with chicken and turkey ham, pork floss, sausages, cheese, mayonnaise and more. The melted cheese blends well with the inner fluffiness and crispiness on the outer side of the pancake.

Undeniably, each and every Penangite knows Uncle Guan and his little pancakes. This welcoming 'uncle' has been selling pancakes for more than four decades along Burmah Road and the taste has remained the same since then. Once you reach the green mobile cart, you will see numerous newspaper cuttings featuring Uncle Guan. The best thing here is the simple ingredients which absolutely stand out: fresh batter with gritty shredded coconut, slices of banana, a spoonful of sweet corn and a sprinkle of sugar. The uncle is so quick; he works with the scorching pint-sized woks so fast that it enthralls everyone. These fluffy pancakes just glide down your throat in autopilot mode, therefore, don’t be stingy. Do go for dozens.

Roll the drums……we have an Apom Balik Stall at Batu Ferringhi serving pancakes with luscious Nutella spread. That’s rhythm to ears! Moreover, they have staggering 32 choices of filling, either stick with the original peanut, bananas and corn or pamper your taste buds with oreo, coco crunch, and assorted jams, it’s a sweet-tooth heaven. The pancakes come with an additional tad of crispiness compared to others in the list and complements all those flavour profiles. Stack up a few to accompany your walk along the soothing shores. 

A hidden gem for sure, this elderly couple has been making one of the best Chinese peanut pancakes for more than 30 years. You can go for either the open-faced one which has crispier edges, or the regular one which is spongy in the middle. With a generous punch of roasted peanuts, brown sugar and corn with a mild glaze of margarine, it’s just wonderful. You can also ask for an additional egg where an egg is cracked onto the open-faced apom, which gives a unique thick taste. Kids go head over heels for this breakfast haven.

If Food War Asia is coming to Penang, among the leading contenders should be Apom Chooi and Apong Guan, who are right opposite each other and equally earning praises from both locals and tourists. This food truck is easily spotted with hordes of followers and Pisang Raja bananas circulating the front façade of it. The slices of the sweet bananas amalgam the soft and fluffy batter which has a tinge of coconut essence and bits of corns, it just melts on your tongue while craving for more.