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About Travel Treat Together
Travel Treat Together is a travel blog for working professionals who want to see the world without quitting their jobs. Explore destination guides, itineraries and stories from across Asia and beyond.
We stopped at this cafe by accident and stayed for hours. Here is what an afternoon at The FOUNDERS Hutton in Penang was really like.
It was the middle of the afternoon when we first saw the place. A white house on Jalan Hutton with small lights hanging above the yard, dark wooden shutters open on the first floor, and green folding chairs spread across the grass.
We had parked on that street by mistake. We were looking for something else, about a ten-minute walk from the busy Chulia Street. We took one photo of the building, told each other we would come back later, and we did ā same afternoon, once we were done with our errand.
From the road you can already tell it is an old building that has been fixed up with care. It is a two-storey heritage house.
What you cannot tell from the road is how much of the old look they kept. Dark louvre windows in neat rows. A long black sign with the name and a bold line under it: More Than Just a Cafe. Near the door, a pillar covered in small mosaic tiles, and a board with posters for things happening that weekend.
The yard is what makes you stay. Long tables. Umbrellas for shade. A family sharing one bench, three generations at one table. A group of friends who clearly came at 2pm and had no plan to leave before dark. We sat at the last table near the plants, which is where I would sit again.
Then you walk in, and the floor moves a little under your shoe.
Nobody tells you this. Actually, one review did, and I did not believe it. Part of the floor inside is covered with fine sand. So when you move in your seat, your sandals make a small crunch. The whole room sounds like a beach bar with very good air-conditioning.
It should not work. But it really does. Even in the afternoon the room is warmly lit, almost like a small theatre.
The room is warm and busy in a good way. There are plaster arches on the wall. Each arch has a small lamp and is used as a shelf for decorations: round plates, stickers, small framed notes. The walls above the tables are covered the same way, one layer over another. On one side, tall windows look out into the green courtyard, so the plants come inside with you.
Near the door, a stack of white plates and a metal teapot wait on a side table. Someone in the corner is drinking something pink. Someone else is trying to fit six people into one photo. It is busy, but no one is waiting for your table and no one is rushing you.
This place is famous for its bagels. The plates and cup holders actually say World’s Best Bagels, which is a bold thing to print. We skipped them. We were hungry and ordered from the other side of the menu, and we were very happy with that choice.
The noodles. They came on a pale green plate: dark, shiny noodles mixed with sliced meat and soft mushroom. The sauce was so dark that the spoon reflected in it. Fork and spoon both, the way it should be. It tasted like a mix of spaghetti and good mee goreng. Sweet at first, then the heat comes slowly. Halfway through, I stopped using the fork. By the end there were chilli flakes on the edge of the plate, which tells you how it went.
The chicken. This is the dish I would come back for. Fried chicken, dark and sticky with chilli sauce, covered with a lot of coriander and sliced red chilli. It is served on brown paper printed again and again in red: WHAT IF WE CELEBRATE. We noticed it about three bites in and laughed. Then we saw the same paper under every plate that came out after ours. Eat it with your fingers. Everyone else does.
The cake we did not plan to order. You can see it in the background of one of our photos: a big slice of something pale on the table next to us. Ten minutes later we ordered one ourselves. Cold, rich, not too sweet. Just right after all that chilli.
We walked out with sand in our shoes. Best receipt a cafe can hand you.
I keep thinking about the paper under the chicken: what if we celebrate. Printing that on paper costs almost nothing. But it did more for our afternoon than anything expensive in the room. Some places sell you a menu. This one sells you an hour of feeling like the day is going somewhere.
We came for the building. We will come back for the chicken, the sand, and whoever decided to print that line.
The FOUNDERS Hutton ā at a glance
Where17, Jalan Hutton, George Town, 10050 Penang ā a short walk from the heritage area
HoursDaily, about 9am ā 11pm. Brunch from 12pm. Kitchen break around 5ā6pm (cakes, bread and drinks still available)
BookingNo bookings ā take a queue number. Weekday mornings and late evenings are calm
OrderingScan the QR code at the table
BudgetAbout RM40ā50 per person; mains from around RM29.90
Good to knowPork-free and Muslim-friendly Ā· pets allowed outside Ā· sand floor inside Ā· 10% service charge + 6% tax
Order againThe dark, shiny noodles Ā· the chilli chicken Ā· a slice of whatever cake is on the next table
Come forThe room, the sand and the noise ā more than the bagels
Been to The FOUNDERS Hutton? Tell us what you ordered and tag @traveltreattogether ā we are always looking for the next plate worth crossing town for.
We’re three friends who met in Malaysia and turned our love for travel and food into Travel Treat Together. Full-time professionals who never quit our jobs ā just found a way to make every trip count.
Travel Treat Together is a travel blog for working professionals who want to see the world without quitting their jobs. Explore destination guides, itineraries and stories from across Asia and beyond.
