Georgetown’s Gurney Plaza is one of the Malaysian island’s prime shopping centres. It has the usual mix of international ‘high street’ names with an intriguing collection of local shops and the ubiquitous plethora of restaurants and cafes. One of the most unusual is the “Clinic Café”, I was so intrigued by a friend's description that I resolved on my next visit to the Malaysian island of Penang that I would check out the Clinic Café.
Now the last thing one would expect to be greeted by in a café is a large illuminated red cross, especially as Malaysia is a Muslim country; but there it was marking the entrance. My companion and I sat at a window table with views over the North Channel, a narrow band of sea separating the Malaysian mainland from Penang.
Environment and Decor
Noticeable for their unusual design is the seating, the clinically white painted tubular steel frames formed into a shape reminiscent of old fashioned hospital beds; the cushions are brilliant red in colour. On the side of the seat the waiter hung a chart or rather the bill. One consulted the bill as would a nurse or doctor assessing a patients observations charts and prescription sheets.
As you would expect in any well-run clinic the tables are stainless steel-topped just like a dressing trolley. The lighting too is unusual; a circular structure in which are set five or six lamps and suspended by an arm from the ceiling, they are modelled on old fashion operating theatre lamps.
Around the walls and on pillars hung anatomy charts showing different body systems, my dining companion and I were sandwiched between diagrams of the cardiovascular system, and the gastrointestinal system. Each chart fully labelled, beautifully illustrated and conventionally coloured. Hanging on a pillar hung a cased display of medical instruments; scalpel handles, forceps, mini retractors and more.
Although the service was reasonable it would be a nice touch if a 'nurse call' buzzer were installed at every table.
Uniforms and Utensils
The amiable staff’s uniforms are faux ambulance men and nurses with blue epaulettes or theatre blues. Above the drinks counter a sign declared “Surgery Room”. The condiments came to the table in mock hypodermic syringes, filled of course with blood red tomato ketchup and chilli sauce. We ordered fish and chips and water to drink.
Again the pseudo-medical theme was continued with the fluid, H2O or plain water delivered in a very heavy ‘specimen’ jar. As the waiter laid the table the knives and forks were delivered in a stainless steel sterilising dish and as is right and proper they were protected from external contamination by a steel lid. Some food items were served in kidney dishes and other authentic medical trays like square steel instrument dishes.
Fish and Chips
The fish and chips were served on ordinary white tableware but not to worry it was delicious; the fish was flaky and moist and the golden-hued batter was just nicely crunchy and crisp. The chips (or if you are American ‘fries’) perfectly fried, a brittle carapace yielded to a fluffy potato interior. Of course the syringe of bloody-coloured ketchup was sprayed over the dish as if a drunken surgeon had sliced into a major artery.
The cost was reasonable and for me the value was not just in the enjoyable food and the excellent view over the channel but in the Clinic Café’s fun environment.
If you find yourself wandering through Penang's Gurney Plaza a quick snack or a meal at the Clinic Cafe will prove to be memorably different and there is not a doctor in sight.
Address:
Clinic Cafe, 4th Floor, Gurney Plaza, Gurney, Penang.
Telephone: 04- 229 4373
John Howe - John Howe is a qualified nurse, lecturer and journalist, he has written extensively on health, travel and lifestyle in Asia and Europe.
