http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2013/09/03/restoran-a-dawood/
Truly uniquely Dawood, Itik Sammah, has been their restaurant’s signature dish for the past 73 years.
Restoran A. Dawood
September 3, 2013Truly uniquely Dawood, Itik Sammah, has been their restaurant’s signature dish for the past 73 years.
Penang has so many great eateries that has stood the test of time. Plenty have witnessed the Independence of our young nation and threw opened their doors to celebrate. One of them was Dawood.
They threw open their doors in 1957 and held a dinner at their premises. Old photographs show smartly dressed men coming here to eat and toast the occasion. Another photo shows the storefront elaborately adorned with decorations denoting the year of Malaysia’s Merdeka.
Alright, to the food. What is famous here is their Itik Sammah, duck cooked in a heady red gravy. Ordering one, you will get a massive chunk of duck thigh in a reddish brown gravy, absorbing the myriad of spices in the dish. A heady aroma hits you as you take a whiff. You try it, expecting something familiar but it’s different. The gravy is slightly tangier than a normal curry and though it has an almost rendang-like consistency, it has a milder coconut taste.
Truly uniquely Dawood, Itik Sammah, has been their restaurant’s signature dish for the past 73 years. Sammah is actually what the thick and exotic gravy is called in Tamil.
Syed Aliar, the current owner of Dawood says he uses duck because it has tons of flavour compared to chicken. The meat is also gamier and richer able to stand up to their heavy gravies. Another firm favourite is the roast chicken. The chicken is tender, juicy and tongue-tingling hot, roasted for hours with chillies and onions.
Other specialties available at Dawood are the quail curry and also fried chicken (it appears they know their fowls well). Initially, Dawood started as a lodging house for shipyard workers working at the nearby port during the early 1930s. In 1937, the British granted food licenses to local businesses and the namesake of the restaurant, Shaik Dawood took this opportunity to expand his business. He brought in a cook from Keelakarai who was in Singapore to assist him and opened a mess hall as a place for renters to come and eat. The Itik Sammah is one of the original dishes created by Shaikh Dawood and his cook.
Dawood Restaurant has been popular even before Merdeka. Their recipes have remained unchanged, ensuring that their customers stay with them. Serving delicious South Indian cuisine, this restaurant is humble and unassuming. The food brings in the crowd and it’s evident that this will continue for years to come.
Address: 61 Lebuh Queen Penang
Alright, to the food. What is famous here is their Itik Sammah, duck cooked in a heady red gravy. Ordering one, you will get a massive chunk of duck thigh in a reddish brown gravy, absorbing the myriad of spices in the dish. A heady aroma hits you as you take a whiff. You try it, expecting something familiar but it’s different. The gravy is slightly tangier than a normal curry and though it has an almost rendang-like consistency, it has a milder coconut taste.Truly uniquely Dawood, Itik Sammah, has been their restaurant’s signature dish for the past 73 years. Sammah is actually what the thick and exotic gravy is called in Tamil.
Syed Aliar, the current owner of Dawood says he uses duck because it has tons of flavour compared to chicken. The meat is also gamier and richer able to stand up to their heavy gravies. Another firm favourite is the roast chicken. The chicken is tender, juicy and tongue-tingling hot, roasted for hours with chillies and onions.
Other specialties available at Dawood are the quail curry and also fried chicken (it appears they know their fowls well). Initially, Dawood started as a lodging house for shipyard workers working at the nearby port during the early 1930s. In 1937, the British granted food licenses to local businesses and the namesake of the restaurant, Shaik Dawood took this opportunity to expand his business. He brought in a cook from Keelakarai who was in Singapore to assist him and opened a mess hall as a place for renters to come and eat. The Itik Sammah is one of the original dishes created by Shaikh Dawood and his cook.
Dawood Restaurant has been popular even before Merdeka. Their recipes have remained unchanged, ensuring that their customers stay with them. Serving delicious South Indian cuisine, this restaurant is humble and unassuming. The food brings in the crowd and it’s evident that this will continue for years to come.
Address: 61 Lebuh Queen Penang
Tel: 04 2616223
Opens: 8 am – 9 pm daily
Pros: The food is great and they also serve homemade barley drink. Servers are friendly and accomodating.
Cons: Parking is a nightmare because it’s located at the busy Queen Street.
Price Range: RM15 – RM25
We make you happy through food and we now have a food channel on Channel 838 on hyppTV Unifi. Check our shows at www.friedchillies.tv 
Sammah super ithu!
ReplyDelete