I'd been told by Bee and others that the rojak at the Esplanade hawker centre was worth investigating. I went there two times, but no rojak. In fact, despite how much I've been raving about the food on Penang, eateries being closed has been a theme of my time here. Vague opening hours, no-show vendors and inexplicable closures have seemingly been working against me, and I've probably only been successful in visiting half of the restaurants/stalls/vendors recommended to me.
But on my third visit there was rojak, and man was I glad I hadn't given up.
Rather than mix the fruit and dressing together in a bowl, as most vendors seem to do, the dressing at Ho Wei Jeng is simply drizzled over the bite-sized chunks of cucumber, guava, rose apple, jicama, pineapple and sour mango (no squid or deep-fried dough here). I'm generally not a huge fan of sweet flavours, but the pleasantly sugary -- almost chocolate-like -- dressing here was amazing, and I didn't miss the shrimpy savoriness that seems to dominate most versions I've tried.
Rojak Ho Wei Jeng Esplanade Hawker Centre (Padang Kota Lama) Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Dinner Tues-Sun
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