Seelva Pure Vegetarian Cafe - Penang

If you're coming to Penang in search of awesome vegetarian Indian food, then most likely you will leave disappointed.  Penang is a dream location for vegetarian food, but due to the lack of Indian population and demand in general for Indian food - The quality will be quite lackluster.  Georgetown has a handful of vegetarian Indian eateries, but if you're looking for a more authentic local experience, you might want to check out Seelva, who will be the focus for today's food adventure.














Seelva Vegetarian Cafe
Location: No.85 Kompleks Batu Lanchang Food Court, Penang
Contact: (04)016-4536351/(04)016-4516673
Opening Hours: Daily 3.00pm-10.30pm.  Closed Wednesday.


The owner of Seelva is a softly-spoken and humble man, who has been selling vegetarian food in Penang for over 10 years now.  He always aims to provide customizable food based on what the customer desires.  He also caters for buffets, parties and other such events.
Roti Canai (the identical Malaysian version of roti prata) is surprisingly not a particularly common dish in Penang, unlike Johor Bahru or Kuala Lumpur.  This roti was specially made for us so that is vegan - Yes that's right, roti prata by default is not vegan (milk is used in the dough).  This roti was soft and fluffy, but doesn't have the typical sinful amount of salt and oil, that is traditionally used.  Therefore, it more closely resembles romali roti.  Not the best roti canai I've eaten (especially as it was served with boring one dimensional daal), but still something that can fill the stomach.  If you're looking for the best roti canai - KL and JB should be on your agenda - It is worth checking out JB expert food blogger Johor Kaki for his thoughts on the best roti canai, if you're hopping over from Singapore.

Price: RM1.00 (per pc).     5/10
Seelva Vegetarian adds an interesting twist to Nasi Lemak, by making it economic rice 'style' nasi lemak.  What this means is customers can select the nasi lemak food items themselves (self service) and also the quantity.  After which, the staff will calculate the cost.  I selected vegetables, tofu, peanut and mock fish.  The fish was hard and rigid, but still tasted good.  I particularly loved the cubed tofu in a rich tomato sauce.  The sauce was surprisingly mild and really took this dish to the next level.  Even just the rice and tofu alone would make for an excellent meal, but the crunch of the peanuts made it even better.

Price: RM3.00.     8/10


For those wanting to experience true Indian-Malay fusion food, you should definitely try Pasembur.  This dish looks almost like mee rebus or mee java, but is unique in its own right. There are no noodles in the dish, and it consists mainly of beansprouts, cucumber, potatoes and tofu.  The sauce is sweet and spicy, with a mild nutty flavour.  This is a dish that is always associated with Penang, but it can be found in other parts of Malaysia under the name rojak mamak.

Price: RM3.50.     7/10


Conclusion - Seelva has been one of the more popular vegetarian Penang hawkers over the years.  But many people remember him from his old location (also in the Batu Lanchang area), and were not aware that he moved to this new food court.  Definitely this stall is worth visiting for an experience of local Penang Indian food - Their nasi lemak is a must order.

Overall Rating
Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 9/10
Value - 7/10