Penang Street Food – Can We Ever Had Enough?
April 12, 2011 | 5,252 views
#1 – The almost legendary (nomadic?) Beach Street’s aunty selling banana pancakes with raisin and lots of toasted sesame seeds. One of a kind, no doubt.
#2 – The Hokkien Mee (Prawn Mee to you and me) with mantis prawns. Just like how Ah Leng Char Kuey Teow upped the ante with the addition of the ‘premium’ crustaceans.
#3 – A springy egg noodles served with prawn dumplings and slices of BBQ pork (in Penang, it’s almost too common to get fried dumplings and wantan mee with sambal belacan … but not here)
#4 – A yam cake (Wu Tau Gou) that was not worth the hassle. Save the space for something else. Seriously. Come to think of it, been some time since I had a REALLY good one.
#5 – A surprisingly pale ‘white’ curry mee, sans the scoop of chili paste provided on the side in a spoon. So you can tweak the spiciness to your preference. And don’t forget the blocks of jelly-like coagulated pig’s blood. Can’t be Penang curry mee without these delectable cubes.
#6 – And Yam Rice with a side portion of beef balls and offal in a peppery soup. Wait, the meat and offal could have been PORK after all. Since there was a cube or two of pig’s blood in the soup too. If I remember correctly. Hmm… amnesiac old me …
Since pictures speak louder than words, allow me to getaway with murder just this once okay? Some already heaving a sigh of relief seeing pictures and minimal words/rants/ramblings. Hmm.
Love Penang food to the core. Being a true blue Ipohan, with a penchant for street food (beats pretentious fine dining establishments anyday!) a round island-whirlwind-emergency trip in Penang almost always equals to a STREET FOOD MARATHON. No joke. I can think of places from the top of my head, thanks to the influences of Penang food blogs, and personal experience back in my younger days.
Okay, that’s the end of it. Wanna know more about the places above?
#1 – #3 were from the same place; Sin Kim San Coffee Shop on Macalister Road. Where is Macalister Road you ask? It’s parallel to Burma Road, running from Komtar passing by New Lane hawker centre, towards Pulau Tikus direction. You will pass by the prominent UMNO building too.
#4 – #6 were from a coffee shop in Chai Leng Park (read about the evening-late night hawker stalls at Chai Leng Park), a corner lot with various stalls that open in the afternoon. Beats me the name of the shop, but I think Soon Hing might have been the name.
wah…so nice. now i got other places to go to in Penang. i love wanton noodle in penang. they are so springy. there’s a famous shop selling oyster made food, like the orr chien, oyster noodle, everything with oyster. heard they are the first to create the orr chien dish. eaten there before? i don’t know the direction. it’s called ‘7 tiao lor’ in hokkien (7th road street – direct translation) (if i remembered correctly). ‘3 tiao lor’ is lebuh persgrave, that i know.
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Lebuh Cecil I think is the 7th road. I wrote once on the market there – http://www.j2kfm.com/penang-street-food-lebuh-chulia-lebuh-kimberley-lebuh-cecil-market/
[Reply]
After so many years, I have yet to accept pig’s blood in my list of edible items. Haha.
Btw, in case you haven’t saw my reply about the Ipoh Garden braised chicken stall…
“tried the braised chicken, egg, tofu and pork intestines as well as the acar and potatoes. All were good except the offal, which was a bit “old” as in overcooked. I prefer the fan chiong in the Kampar shop I always patronize… hehe. 😀
Beverages wise, the fu chuk yee mai was pretty bland and the iced white coffee (as featured in your post) wasn’t as good as I imagined it to be – a bit diluted (or perhaps they “sat sau” that day?) for my liking.
Overall, it was a pretty good deal and I would definitely return. And oh, we were there at 12.30pm but there wasn’t much left in the pot already! =(”
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Yes ah?! But the tea or was it cham, was very good woh. Maybe something wrong?
I usually go for the soy sauce chicken only. Enough to get me going, or maybe an additional braised egg.
[Reply]
Where’s the char kuey teow and hokkien mee?? 😛
[Reply]
ai wei Reply:
April 13th, 2011 at 9:44 am
and also mua chee???
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
Haha … very generic lah. Must stray from the usual same old, same old ma ….
Anyway, I was having a bad sore throat. This was right after Gold Coast, and no rest in between.
[Reply]
Mana rojak, ais kacang and duck egg char kuey teow?
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
Ahem …. don’t ask banyak banyak. Come we should think about going Penang someday. Stop over in Ipoh and recharge.
[Reply]
A very significant reason why I lament endlessly about not being able to live and work in my hometown! Going back this weekend – can’t wait to squeeze in a mini marathon myself!
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Good for you. I am sure you’re now coming back with a heavy heart!
[Reply]
best yam cake is still sold by the stall at sister’s CKT at McAllister road
[Reply]
vonnychiew Reply:
April 13th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
Yeah…but to me standard has dropped..and also smaller portions now!
[Reply]
samlee860407 Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
this i agree. although it’s still the best, but it’s no more like what it is few years back
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Oh … actually I don’t think I have even tried the Sister’s CKT!
Only the goggled lady on Lrg Selamat back then.
Have you tried the lor bak and hare chnee (hokkien for prawn fritters) at Kampong Malabar? Best in the world!
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Where is Kg Malabar?! But I have tried a very good prawn fritters on Jalan Johor, off Jln Dato Keramat.
[Reply]
vonnychiew Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Huh? I thought you spent your varsity days in USM Penang and yet you don’t know where is Kg Malabar? From Chulia St , go towards Pg Rd. On reaching Pg Rd. travel towards the direction of Komtar. Just a few netres away from the Chulia St/Pg Rd junction, turn left. This Road is Kg Malabar. The cfee shop is at the corner on tyhe right.If my directions is too confusinf, google it!
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Hello? During varsity days, we usually relied on the ever-reliable mini buses around town lah … and we were not that good with roads anyway.
And that lane is LORONG Kg Malabar. I thought you meant something like the Kg Melayu area in Ayer Itam.
You bet! Nothing beats Penang local delights……. too many intruders and the price is ain’t cheap anymore???
[Reply]
Wah james ….. when wanna go marathon with me? May 1st interested? 4 cars convoy going up most probably …..
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
4 cars?!! Wah … I am tempted lah, Ken. But that weekend I will be in KL. Got one wedding dinner.
[Reply]
Oh if this is the kinda “murder” you are talking about, we sure don’t mind… Such delicious-looking photographs. And yes, I had my fair share of these Penang delights on my last work trip there. Yay!
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Not bad eh? I tell you, I can stay in Penang for weeks and yet still manage to find new things to eat and write about.
[Reply]
I am hungry looking at all those yummy food that you posted up. Looks like I have to go around for it again soon
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
It’s so easy for you CK! Compared to me here, now even further than last time.
[Reply]
ma de..see your post at wrong time.. si pek hungry now . .
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 10:26 pm
Haha .. nothing wrong. Can go eat. But doubtful can get street food as good as this.
[Reply]
1) Don’t try the 2 CKT at Lorong Selamat. They are meant to slaughter tourists. Definitely not worth the big difference in price just for a small difference(in fact I don’t feel it) in taste.
2) Anyone find some coffee shops in Penang having strange unsrcupulous practice ? Some don’t sell Chinese Tea and charge a cover charge of RM0.30 if you don’t order their other drinks. I just walked out of Sky Hotel Coffee shop today because of that and missed the their famous roast pork/char siew. Went over to nearby New(or Sun) Yoon Kee, managed by 3 cantonese old men and got slaughtered for their quite nice roast pork and over salty “salted veggie duck” soup.
3) Have you tried Kwang Thai Hing(spelling could be wrong)’s coffee at Hutton Road, near to Penang Road’s end ? Supposed to be Penang’s most famous local coffee and Shangri-la boss(Sugar King) went there personally with 2 bodyguards to buy a lot of their coffee powder. I will try there tomorrow personally.
4) This famous Chendol store you mentioned beside the coffee shop at Penang Road, do you know they have shop named(something like Teow Chew…….something) at the end of Komtar Walk(near to their stall) that sells other food ?
5) Have you tried the Teow Chew Steamboat at Campbell Street ? I may go tomorrow night.
[Reply]