Students Saddened by Penang & Tokyo’s Closing

Local restaurant Penang and Tokyo (Penang) permanently closed its doors after 17 years in business on June 19. Penang’s menu offered a selection of Chinese, Malaysian and Japanese food and advertised itself as somewhere customers could taste one half of all Asian cuisine. As the only restaurant that offered sushi in the town of Exeter, its broad menu and dependable service will be missed by Academy students and nearby residents alike. Many students realized the closure upon their return to campus.

For Exonians, Penang served as an inexpensive alternative to the dining hall menu and environment. Upper Aiden Roberts, who said he ate there once or twice a week, described it as his “go-to food supply when the dining halls had nothing.” He said, “I hate that Penang closed.”

“The thing I liked about Penang was that it was the only place in town where you could get sushi, so that was a great option even though the sushi wasn’t particularly good.”

Echoing Robert’s disappointment, upper Lucas Stevens also called Penang his “go-to restaurant for Chinese food take-out.” He explained that, while growing up in Exeter, “it kind of became the norm for my family and me.” Likewise, lower Sophie Faliero said that Penang was the only place that she ordered Chinese food from.

Upper Jacqui Byrne, who ate at Penang fairly often because it was the only nearby place with sushi, mentioned that the food was not only “yummy,” but that the restaurant harbored many memories from her past two years in Exeter. Similarly, upper Chiara Perotti recalled Penang as the first place she went to eat with her friends when she was new.

“We all just kept on going there as a weekly ritual,” she said. “The lady there already knew my order by heart, and she would always give us the booth seat by the river.”

Perotti also explained that because Penang was so close to campus, “everybody went there, and it was nice to see people from Exeter.” Senior Cady Crowley felt that Penang had the “nicest atmosphere,” especially with its windows facing the water.

In contrast with the other two nearby Asian restaurants, Szechuan Taste of Exeter and Pad Thai, Penang was a favorite of many. Faliero preferred Penang because of its wider selection of menu items, while Roberts felt that Pad Thai lacked the “stereotypical Chinese takeout feel” that Penang provided him.

According to Roberts, though the quality of Penang’s food was “definitely a little sketchy,” that was a desirable characteristic of a cheap Chinese takeout meal. With its low prices, tasty food and wide variety of choices on the menu, Roberts felt that it “blew Szechuan and Pad Thai out the park.” In addition, he observed a “slightly dirty feel” to the Pad Thai facilities.

Upper Elly Lee explained that she liked General Tso’s chicken from Penang more than from Szechuan, while Faliero listed her favorite order as scallion pancakes, an appetizer not offered at Szechuan.

Lower Kate Denny, who agreed that Szechuan “lacks variety,” also noted that Pad Thai was much farther away than Penang. Furthermore, the low prices at Penang are hard to beat and Lee even described Pad Thai as expensive.

Denny said that “a lot of people will miss [Penang] because it’s cheap and good for the price.” Roberts listed the sesame chicken, the friendly delivery people and the sushi as the things he will miss most about Penang, while Perotti stated that she will miss going to her “regular spot” and seeing the people there.

“I was sad and disappointed when I heard it was closed because now it means I have to walk more, and I can’t go back to the place I made memories in my first year at Exeter,” she explained.

However, others expressed ambivalence towards the closing of Penang and felt that their cravings for Asian cuisine could be sufficiently satisfied elsewhere.

“Szechuan is great for takeout and has similar dishes that are sometimes better and Pad Thai has a whole different cuisine that I also love,” Byrne explained. Likewise, Crowley said, “I don’t care too much. It was mixed Asian cuisine but Szechuan has better dumplings and general food, and pad Thai is also better, so I’m not heartbroken.”

In fact, senior Ali Hassani described Penang’s food as “overwhelmingly average and mostly flavorless.” He said, “I, for one, will miss Penang’s cheap sushi and duck, but Exonians will not be missing much, as Szechuan and Pad Thai offer similar cuisines.”

Lower Anna Clark said that Pad Thai “serves much higher quality food than Penang” and concluded that Penang closing will make no difference to her.

Though the closing of Penang may go unnoticed by some, the considerable absence of a sushi place is a sore spot for many.

Mathematics instructor Jeffrey Ibbotson emphasized that “the need for good sushi in the Exeter area has never been at such a crisis level as it is now.” He continued, saying that Penang “certainly produced some okay stuff,” but hopes to see more restaurants that will fill this need.

On a similar note, history instructor Meg Foley said, “The thing I liked about Penang was that it was the only place in town where you could get sushi, so that was a great option even though the sushi wasn’t particularly good.”

Denny agreed, “I’m sad it’s gone because Japanese is my favorite and although it wasn’t that good there, it was kind of the only way to get Japanese food,” he said.

Given the need for a sushi place in the town of Exeter, a new restaurant may emerge, especially after the large amount that have closed recently. The past year has seen the closing of Rogan’s Bakery and Restaurant, Good Karma, Pimento’s, Fireside and now Penang.

While Ibbotson said, “I dislike seeing so many restaurants in town close.” Crowley remained optimistic that new ones will open to fill their spots. “Hopefully somewhere better will open up soon for the lowerclassmen,” she said.