From Penang to Klang Valley — and now back again

KUALA LUMPUR: For years, Gary Teoh has been doing something that many Penangites living in the Klang Valley have secretly wished for — bringing their favourite Penang hawker food to their doorstep.

Now, he is turning the journey around.

Teoh, founder of iOnefood.my, which specialises in delivering authentic Penang food to customers outside the state, is bringing one of Klang Valley’s best-known food names to Penang — the famous Village Park nasi lemak.

"I have many requests from Penangites asking me to order for them this famous nasi lemak, which they have read so much about," he said.

It is an interesting reversal for a man whose business was built around the idea of taking Penang flavours beyond the island.

Teoh pioneered the interstate delivery concept several years ago, allowing customers in Kuala Lumpur and other parts of the country to order food from selected Penang hawkers and have it delivered on the same day.

His philosophy has always been fairly simple: distance should not mean giving up the food you grew up with.

Now, Penang food lovers will have the opportunity to taste one of the Klang Valley’s most talked-about nasi lemak brands without having to make the journey south.

Village Park Restaurant in Damansara Utama has built a strong following for its nasi lemak, particularly the combination of fragrant coconut rice, sambal and ayam goreng berempah. Reviews and food guides continue to single out the dish as its signature offering.

Teoh said Penang customers can pre-order up to 2 weeks ahead.

"We start with a limited 100 packs per delivery day (Friday)."

He hopes the collaboration with Village Park would be a successful one.

He thanked owner Datuk Seri Mohd Shamil Ngoh Abdullah for the collaboration which started in April, 2026

For Penangites, this may sound almost like sacrilege.

After all, Penang is fiercely proud of its own nasi lemak traditions. The island has no shortage of stalls and coffee shops serving their own versions, each with loyal followers who will argue passionately that theirs is the best.

But that is precisely what makes Teoh’s latest move interesting.

He is not trying to replace Penang food. Instead, he is introducing Penang diners to another Malaysian food tradition — this time from the Klang Valley.

It also says something about how Malaysian food culture is evolving.

Food is no longer necessarily tied to a particular geographical location. A bowl of Penang Hokkien mee can arrive in Kuala Lumpur, while a plate of Klang Valley-style nasi lemak can make its way to Penang.

Teoh’s business has already demonstrated that there is a market for this kind of food journey. Customers have described ordering multiple Penang favourites at once, including Hokkien mee, chee cheong fun, curry mee, nasi kandar, asam laksa and char koay kak, and having them delivered outside the state.

Now the traffic is going in the opposite direction.

Perhaps there is a bigger message here.

Malaysia’s food culture has never respected state borders. Penangites living in Kuala Lumpur miss their char koay teow; KL residents crave Penang laksa; Johoreans have their favourite nasi lemak and Sarawakians their kolo mee.

We may argue endlessly about which state has the best food.

But at least, thanks to people like Teoh, we no longer have to travel hundreds of kilometres to settle the argument.

For details, check out www.ionefood.my.