Michelin dining inside a UNESCO site? Only in Georgetown, Penang, where everywhere you turn is a UNESCO cultural heritage site.

Francis Light, a British Royal Navy officer, is most famously associated with Fort Cornwallis and the founding of Penang Island (then Prince of Wales Island). He established the fort in 1786 as a British settlement and defended the island from pirates and foreign powers. The fort was later named after Charles Cornwallis, the then Governor-General of Bengal. Talking about bootlicking, but I digressed.

The food at Kota Dine & Coffee is a fusion of Malaysian flavours with a modern twist. They serve a neo-Nyonya menu with a strong East-meets-West concept. Each dish is beautifully presented, with familiar flavours and fresh ingredients. Their signature dishes, like the Nyonya-inspired mains and creative fusion plates, stand out for their presentation.

It feels relaxing to sit in the glass-clad room drenched in natural light and furnished in faux-industrial style. The super powerful air-conditioning was a welcome reprieve from the scotching heat. Even Captain Francis would be agreeable to this modern use of his fort.

The restaurant was opened since 2015, and in 2023 got recognised by Michelin in their Selected list for their contemporary Malaysia heritage cuisine. It is also a Halal restaurant, so I could not get a beer here.

I wasn’t really hungry, just tired and hot from walking around the Esplanade. So I tried to order beer (no beer because of Halal certification) and cold bottled water (no bottled water as well, only canned soda), and was told they offer none of these. I just wanted a really cold drink, so I picked one of their “mocktail” and was taken aback when it came with sliced chilli. It was quite refreshing, but it was not something I was hoping for.

Miniature Nasi Lemak

Chicken | Quail Egg | Fragrant Rice | Sambal

All time Malaysian favourite dish, everything that one associates with nasi lemak (coconut milk infused rice) is incorporated in a single gunkan sushi. Interesting eat, but I wished there was more samba.

Signature Chicken Satay

Chicken | Chili | Shallot | Lemongrass | Peanut

I haven’t had any satay this trip to Penang, but this was not something I expected. It looked like yakitori meets the satay man.

I liked the presentation on which the peanut satay gravy was smooched on each skewer, saving the trouble for us to dip it. Also, the amber charcoal kept the satay warm.

Bubur Chacha Cake

I ordered a slice of Bubur Chacha Cake, not knowing what to expect. This turned out to be the best item I had that afternoon. Not too sweet and had all the components of bubur chacham, I can taste cubes of the familiar sweet potato, yam and tapioca on a glutinous rice base with coconut cream and purple sweet potato, and topped with a coconut milk mousse. Yummy.

OK, I am not a fan of fusion food. Just give me my nasi lemak straight up. All of them tasted familiar but nothing outstanding. If you want to do fusion correctly, it should be better the original.

Fort Cornwallis

Fort Cornwallis for me is filled with childhood memories. I had an aunt that married to a local man, and my dad would always bring the family to visit her on the island. And to a 5 year old, the fort was filled with allure of pirates and adventures as I ran around the abandoned wall, sitting on discarded bronze cannons and explored the many arsenals and vacant rooms.

The flag mast was once the symbol of Penang Island, as Georgetown was linked to Peninsula Malaysia only by ferry. It was such an adventure to drive onto one of these cross-strait ferry and sailed over to the island. These days, there are airport, cruise terminal and causeways that linked the Silicon Valley of Malaysia to the mainland.

Fort Cornwallis can be covered in 30 min but it is part of the Esplanade stretch that includes the City Hall, Padang and other monuments of Penang. Also it’s a walking distance to the murals of Chinatown and a stone throw from the Cruise Terminal, so it makes perfect excursion from your cruise.

Even though it’s perhaps lost some of the allure it had a few years ago, and the ongoing building works can affect the ambience, Fort Cornwallis is still undoubtedly a must-do on any Penang itinerary.

There’s an entrance fee into Fort Cornwallis. But if you are dining at Kota, the entrance fee can be offset against the amount you spend. Alternatively, you can join online Friends of Fort Cornwallis (ask the person in charged at the ticketing booth), and you get one year free entrance into Fort Cornwallis.

Kota Dine & Coffee (Fort Cornwallis)
Fort Road, 10200 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
Fort Cornwallis, Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, George Town, 10200, Malaysia
Tel :+60 (04) 371 4929

Visited Apr 2025

Michelin Kula Lumpur and Penang Guide Selected 2023-25