Penang is about a half-mile walk from Boston's South Station; if you're craving Asian food, it's a far better bet than any of the places within the station's walls. Though there are many restaurants on Washington Street, Penang offers a standout experience. The dining room is decorated to look like a Malaysian hut with a thatched roof and bamboo platforms. The red-and-black walls make this a very chic yet non-pretentious environment to enjoy lunch or dinner.

Penang serves a wide variety of dishes, from the ordinary to the very strange. You can get anything that you typically see on an Asian restaurant menu and then some. Their best dishes are the mango chicken, which comes served in a mango shell, and the beef rendang, which has great spices. For those of you who favor more "exotic" foods, Penang offers items like the chicken feet (which come out looking like Big Bird's fried feet) and eel. I personally stick to the vegetarian rice that comes served in a clay pot--it's excellent.

As with most Asian restaurants in this area, service is often abrupt but efficient. They don't mess around much when taking an order and always serve the food promptly. It's great for travellers who would like to be in and out in a hurry but not miss out on a fabulous meal.

If you don't feel like you have time to hike over to Penang for a sit-down meal, you can always phone in your order to-go. They have dinners prepared within 15 minutes for takeout, which makes this a great option for everyone on-the-go.

The aromas were tantalizing. We bought a nice chardonnay from Chile. We decided a nice vegetarian spring roll would be a nice start. They were served hot and the sauce a thin line of sweet and another of hot lined across the tops. The green beans were crisp and tasty. Each dish was served hot and one at a time. Our wine glasses were always refilled with a smile. We will definitely return here. We may even check out their other location in Cambridge. This place provides outstanding service at a great price.