Behind 50

Behind 50: Food & Ambience

The name of the place had floated in and out of many a conversations so I decided to give it a try (twice since then actually). A quaint little place that I heard used to be a bicycle repair shop back in the days, Behind 50 turned out to be  quite a cozy spot with old school decors and memorabilia that attracts quite a crowd. We were lucky to be one of the first few customers and as the evening made way for a cool night, the place was quickly filled up with almost every seat taken.

Part of the walls were pasted with photographs of ordinary lives in Penang taken by local photogs. These were simply framed in black wooden frames which gave the whole place a kind of nostalgic feel. Other walls and empty spaces were knick-knacks from the olden days; an old bicycle here, an old typewriter there. There's even a classic LP record player with, not surprising, a Whitney Houston LP cover fronting the stack of records. Then there's the collection of old time matchboxes with beautiful poster girls, and toy figurines that most 80s babies would probably recognize. The ceiling was also an interesting sight; wooden planks with cane baskets lying on top. Oh, and the light bulbs. I have to mention the light bulbs. Ordinary incandescent bulbs but they are surrounded by silver teaspoons, giving them a kind of antique-ish look. Fits the place real nicely ☺

The menu came in these old classic story books with pages inserted.. a pretty novel idea I must say. There are also specials of the day on the blackboard made up of western poultry dishes. There's also the usual snacks, soup, pasta, and drinks. However, they seem to be always out of coffee beans for the "Behind 50 Coffee"..yup, for both the times we were there. Time to increase their stock intake perhaps *winks

Behind 50: Menu & Knick-knacks

I had the mushroom soup [why am I not surprise?] and I like it. Behind 50 makes it to the MY list of good mushroom soup places to go! The soup is filled with tiny pieces of chopped mushrooms - not too tiny that you can't even taste it - that made every spoonful a delight. Really, I would go there again just for that.

Next came the Siam Lobak (fried bean curd skin roll stuffed with minced chicken) that the waitress recommended to us. Crispy and not bad. The main course of Hawaiian chicken (grilled chicken with pineapple-based sauce, and baked potato, mixed vege as sides) was ok as well.

Drinks were chocolate milkshake and hot honey lemon for each visit respectively. You can never go wrong with honey lemon I guess but I had had better tasting milkshakes. So no more milkshakes for me at Behind 50.

Overall, Behind 50 is worth going back to. Located at the end of Muntri Street where Muntri meets Love Lane, it's almost peaceful sitting there and watching the occasional car passes by, reminiscing the good old carefree childhood days gone by while sipping on hot honey lemon drinks and snacking on delicious mushroom soups and Siam Lobaks... (plus it's neither warm nor stuffy in here with strategically placed ceiling fans and air curtains).

P/S: The name Behind 50 comes from the place being situated behind a pre-war house with a number 50 in its address.

Address:
Behind 50
Muntri Street, 
10200 George Town
Penang