FINALLY!

Penang is back in East Hanover NJ.

It took awhile, but they’ve finally finished the renovations for the Malaysian-Thai cuisine hangout.

And what a transformation.  They’ve upped the vibe a notch – closed up the open kitchen, neat dramatic wallpapered wall with indirect lighting, brought in spacious 6-person upholstered booths, neat-o illuminated orange glass dividers for the long bench seating.  The upper deck now houses 3 big round tables that seat 10 people each.

The hostess said they didn’t sacrifice any seating for the new configuration.

The menu stays the same.  The popular standard fare is still yummy — Roti Cani, Pad Thai, Seasme Chicken, Buddhist Veggie Delight…

Penang is next to Don Jose, in the Home Depot shopping center.

Penang Restaurant

200 New Jersey 10
East Hanover, NJ 07936-2606
(973) 887-6989

Have you been to the new Penang Restaurant on Route 10 West in East Hanover NJ?  What’s your take on the new decor?  Please leave a comment below!

The kids eat well every time we go.  But a couple of weeks back, when we ventured out in January for some Penang, we were welcomed by closed doors.

You could see through the papered windows that they were gutting out the place for renovation.

CLOSED.

But this week, it seems that they have finally opened the doors again according to their website:

So glad. So glad. . .It makes me start to think about what I’m going to order when we go back (soon!). . .

Penang East Hanover
200 State Route 10 # 8
East Hanover, NJ 07936-2606
(973) 887-6989

If you’ve been to the new and improved Penang, please post a comment and share your experience!

It is so sad to see another restuarant option go out of business…this time the victim is Hale & Hearty Soup.

We never got a chance to try out the NYC-originated super-expensive priced soup joint.  I’m sure you’ve noticed too like us that every time we drove by the store was either empty or closed (at odd hours when you’d think a restaurant would be open).

If you recall, this is the cursed spot where Beyond Bagels used to be.

Wonder what other retail concept would work in this somewhat awkward location right off Livingston Circle on Route 10 Westbound.

Hope someone thinks of something gooooooood to replace Hale & Hearty…something a little heartier I guess! (sorry, couldn’t resist that one)

Looks like the Livingston Towne Center has another casualty.  Fresh City which morphed into a new concept restaurant to stay alive in the same space, Cafe Foozy’s, has now closed its doors as well.

If you look at reviews of Cafe Foozy’s, you’ll see that some of the “rave reviews” seem to be planted without any transparency.  You’ll see reviews that mention “and I just heard they do birthday parties too, I’m going to find out if I can book my kid’s next party there…” type of comments.  Given the lack of authenticity, this closing wasn’t such a surprise:

• Chow.com review
• FingerClickingGood.com/livingston
• ChowHound
• Yahoo Local
• UrbanSpoon