Gelaihh Cafe — Restaurant in George Town

I decided to check out this place for the first time after hearing about it from my little brother, who had been here before. He said it was just okay—not bad, but nothing to rave about. I had a great experience with Gelaihh at another restaurant by the seashore, so I was hoping this place would offer something just as enjoyable. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark.

I ordered the Nasi Goreng Chicken Chop, while my little brother went for some kind of fried chicken dish. He seemed to enjoy his meal—at least, that’s what I assumed from how he was eating. But for me? It was a letdown.

Right off the bat, the food didn't feel freshly made. Instead of that sizzling, just-off-the-pan aroma, it had the unmistakable vibe of something pre-cooked and reheated. You know that feeling when you can just tell your food came straight from a microwave or a food warmer? Yeah, that.

The chicken chop was crunchy, sure, but it lacked juiciness—more dry than tender. And the fried rice? Disappointingly bland. No depth, no "kick," just a basic, mediocre attempt at fried rice. It felt like the kind you get when someone throws rice into a pan with minimal seasoning and calls it a day. The gravy was warm, but there was nothing memorable about it—just standard, unremarkable sauce.

I asked for hot sauce, hoping to salvage the dish, but they gave me chili cuts instead. I waited almost 10 mins for it too. Surprisingly, that was the highlight of my meal—the only thing that added some real flavor. If it weren't for that, I don't think I would have finished my plate.

Afterwards, my little brother casually mentioned that this place isn’t really known for fried rice—it’s more of a western-style restaurant. That explains a lot, but honestly, if a dish is on the menu, it should at least be decent, right? This Nasi Goreng Chicken Chop didn’t deserve a spot on it.

The drinks were fine, but overall, I wouldn't recommend this dish to anyone. If I ever come back, I’ll steer clear of anything involving fried rice. It just didn't taste fresh, and the reheated quality was hard to ignore. Safe to say, this one’s a miss for me.

We sat near the entrance, hoping for a comfortable spot, but the experience was far from pleasant. Almost immediately, a strong blast of air carried an unmistakable sewage odor, lingering in the atmosphere throughout the evening. It was hard to ignore, and honestly, it took away from the dining experience.

Parking was another challenge. There didn’t seem to be any proper system in place—motorbikes were parked haphazardly, wherever their riders felt like leaving them. This made it frustrating for cars to find a decent spot, forcing some to squeeze into awkward spaces or circle around hoping for an opening. It definitely added to the list of things that made this visit less...

🐣 So, we’ve been to this branch a few times, it’s one of those places we visit when we want something easy and familiar. Most of the food is actually pretty decent, and the service? Super friendly. They’re always welcoming, which makes the vibe really nice.

🐣 But talk about chicken chop with fried rice. For some reason, at this branch, it just didn’t hit the mark. The fried rice tasted a bit off not sure what went wrong, but it could definitely use some tweaking. It’s weird, because usually, the chicken chop itself is great: juicy inside, crispy on the outside. No complaints there!

🐣 We’ve also tried the lamb grill before, now that was a solid choice. Tasty and well cooked, and the price? Totally reasonable.

🐣 About the drinks we ordered watermelon lychee juice last time, and wow... it was super sweet. Like, headache level sweet. We even had to water it down ourselves. Maybe just dial down the sugar a bit?

Overall, it’s still a chill spot. Just hoping the kitchen fine tunes a few things. Especially that...

This place is known for its drinks, and it shows. The drinks were of wide variety and most of them are the best ones I've tried in Penang. The biggest size was unnecessarily big, but very worthy of its price tag. However, it is popular because of its drinks, not food. Tried 3 different varieties of food, the western, burgers and the snacks, all of them are below average to average. Fried rice with lamb, hefty price, but very small portion. Burger was pretty good, but not the best it can be and the snack (nacho) was unexpectedly underwhelming (with cheese! How can you underwhelm with cheese?) All in all, good place to have a good drink (no alcohol) but you'd have to be famished to come...