Restaurant in Seberang Perai, Malaysia
Bib Gourmand yam rice under RM20. Go early.
BM Yam Rice holds consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025) for its Teochew yam rice and pork soup, served from the same family recipe since 2006. At $ pricing with no booking required, it is the clearest value proposition in Bukit Mertajam. Walk in early on a weekday to avoid queues.
For a bowl of yam rice with pork soup that costs well under RM20, BM Yam Rice earns two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025) and a Google rating of 4.1 across nearly 2,000 reviews. At the $ price tier, this is one of the clearest value propositions in Seberang Perai. If you are making a trip through Bukit Mertajam, this belongs on your list of stops. If you are debating between this and a sit-down lunch somewhere fancier, hold that thought and read on.
BM Yam Rice has been serving the same family recipe since 2006. The anchor dish is yam rice paired with pork soup, and the kitchen gives you a choice: with or without pork offal. The yam rice carries a strong shrimp flavour — prominent enough that you notice it in every mouthful. The pork broth is briny-sweet, and the pickled mustard green in the soup adds a tangy counterpoint that keeps the bowl from feeling heavy. When you order the offal version, the pieces arrive at the right texture , neither rubbery nor overdone , and the pork balls bring a peppery, well-seasoned bite. This is Teochew cooking at its most direct: no theatrics, no fusion detours, just a recipe refined over nearly two decades of daily service.
For context on the Teochew dining category in Malaysia, Teochew Lao Er in Kuala Lumpur and Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine in Singapore operate at the formal, multi-course end of the spectrum. BM Yam Rice sits at the opposite end , hawker format, single-dish focus, no frills , and the Michelin committee recognised it precisely for that.
Hawker stalls in Bukit Mertajam that hold Michelin recognition draw queues. The practical move is to arrive early , at or near opening , on a weekday. Weekend mornings will be busier, particularly after the Bib Gourmand listings attracted wider attention from Penang-side visitors making the cross to Seberang Perai. If you are planning a special occasion meal, manage expectations: this is not a space built for lingering celebration. Tables turn, the environment is utilitarian, and the experience is about the food itself. That said, a birthday breakfast or a celebratory hawker lunch among people who genuinely appreciate the cooking is a legitimate occasion here. Hours are not confirmed in our data, so verify before you go.
There is no private dining room at BM Yam Rice, and the format does not lend itself to a formal group booking in the way a restaurant at Neighbourwood or a destination venue like The Dining Room at The Datai Langkawi would. What it does offer for groups is simplicity: the menu is focused, the price is low enough that a table of six or eight can eat well for a fraction of what a comparable group would spend at a mid-range restaurant. For food-focused travellers who want to take a group through Seberang Perai's hawker circuit, BM Yam Rice works well as a first or second stop , the portion sizes and format allow you to eat here and continue to other stalls without committing to a full sit-down meal elsewhere.
If you are bringing someone unfamiliar with Teochew hawker food, this is a good introduction: the flavours are approachable, the offal is optional, and the price point removes financial pressure from the experience. If you are looking for a celebratory dinner with table service and a wine list, this is not the venue. For that framing in the region, consider what Neighbourwood offers at the $$ tier, or look at George Town options like Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery for a more formal Malaysian meal.
No booking is required or expected. This is a walk-in hawker operation. Arrival timing is the main variable you can control. BM Yam Rice is located at 7, Jalan Murthy, 14000 Bukit Mertajam , in the established commercial centre of Bukit Mertajam, which is accessible from Penang Island via the Penang Bridge. Phone and website details are not available in our data, so do not plan around calling ahead. Dress is entirely casual; hawker-appropriate clothing is standard. Solo diners are well-served here , a single bowl is the natural unit of ordering, and there is no minimum spend or social awkwardness to navigate.
At the $ price tier, BM Yam Rice sits alongside BM Cathay Pancake, Taman Bukit Curry Mee, and Ming Qin Charcoal Duck Egg Char Koay Teow as part of Seberang Perai's affordable hawker circuit. The differentiator here is the Michelin credential, which gives you an external quality benchmark most street food stops do not carry. For a broader view of what Seberang Perai's dining scene offers across price tiers, see our full Seberang Perai restaurants guide. If you are also exploring the area for accommodation or other activities, our Seberang Perai hotels guide and our Seberang Perai experiences guide cover both.
| Detail | BM Yam Rice | Neighbourwood | Bee See Heong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | $ | $$ | $ |
| Cuisine | Teochew | European Contemporary | Malaysian |
| Booking required | No | Likely yes | No |
| Michelin recognition | Bib Gourmand (2024, 2025) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Solo-friendly | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Group-friendly | Yes (informal) | Yes (table service) | Yes (informal) |
For more of what Seberang Perai offers beyond dining, see our bars guide and our wineries guide. If you are extending your trip into Penang proper, Christoph's in Penang and Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery in George Town are worth adding to the itinerary. For higher-end Malaysian dining further afield, Dewakan in Kuala Lumpur and Lavo and Lavo Gallery in Petaling Jaya represent the more ambitious end of the country's restaurant scene.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| BM Yam Rice | $ | — |
| BM Cathay Pancake | $ | — |
| Ming Qin Charcoal Duck Egg Char Koay Teow | $ | — |
| Neighbourwood | $$ | — |
| Bee See Heong | $ | — |
| Taman Bukit Curry Mee | $ | — |
How BM Yam Rice stacks up against the competition.
Casual clothes are the only sensible choice here. This is a hawker stall at 7, Jalan Murthy — the kind of place where flip-flops and a t-shirt are the norm. Dressing up would be out of place and uncomfortable.
Yes, without qualification. At the $ price tier — well under RM20 a bowl — BM Yam Rice has earned Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025. That combination of price point and documented quality is hard to argue against, regardless of whether you order the offal version or skip it.
No booking is needed or possible — this is a walk-in hawker operation. The variable you control is arrival time: get there at or near opening, preferably on a weekday, to avoid the queues that Michelin recognition reliably generates at stalls like this.
Yes, and it may be the ideal format for a solo visit. A single bowl of yam rice with pork soup is a complete meal, ordering is straightforward, and hawker counter seating is naturally suited to eating alone. No coordination required.
Only if your special occasion is a food-focused detour to try a Bib Gourmand hawker. There is no private dining, no table service, and no atmosphere built around celebration. For a formal meal or group occasion, a sit-down restaurant would serve you better.
Within the same $ hawker tier in Seberang Perai, Taman Bukit Curry Mee and Ming Qin Charcoal Duck Egg Char Koay Teow offer different dishes at comparable prices and similar Michelin-recognised quality. BM Cathay Pancake is another $ option worth pairing into the same trip. If you want a sit-down restaurant experience in the area, Neighbourwood operates at a different price tier and format entirely.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
