vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Penang
Everything about Penang
Road Side Roti Canai @ Transfer Road, Penang
Jan 6th
Many people claim that the Roti Canai stall at Transfer Road is the best in Penang. Well firstly, let me just say that statement might be a bit of a stretch, as I don’t feel the roti canai was anything fantastic. But, the curries that come along are worth trying.
I also want to highlight that if you are a person who prefer to dine properly in an acceptably clean environment, you may stop reading and forget about this place. Yeah it’s really old and famous and all but simple hygiene is evidently forgotten here.
Lemak Laksa @ Laksa Balik Pulau, Kafe Chuan Heong
Dec 24th
Balik Pulau is famous for two things: durian and laksa. Here, two types of laksa are widely available: assam laksa and lemak laksa, where the latter is also known as Thai/Siam laksa. I seldom venture into Balik Pulau because the drive is quite strenous due to the long, windy road. But for personal satisfaction sake to explore Penang entirely, I took a trip to visit the small, quiet town that is currently experiencing much deserved developments. You will find Balik Pulau still as laid back but at least not that ‘ulu’ as being peddled around in the past.
Assam laksa is a love or hate it to death thing. If you happen to loathe it then you might want to give the lemak version a try. The gravy is prepared with coconut milk giving it the creamy and slightly sweet taste instead of being sourish. Ingredients wise it is similar to assam laksa, still the same ikan kembung, cucumber, pineapple, cili padi etc and still topped with prawn paste (optional) I actually prefer the lemak version, am not a fan of sourish food.
Mantis Prawn Char Koay Teow @ Sin Guat Keong, Kimberley Street
Oct 29th
The Char Koay Teow stall outside Kedai Kopi Sin Guat Keong is one of the oldest in Penang that has been around for more than half a century. Currently manned by Ah Sean, the stall was actually started by his father, which was later passed on to him. Besides being the pioneer to include mantis prawns in their noodles, they are also one of the four ‘Kings’ (King of Seafood) I mentioned before at Sky Emperor Chicken Feet Koay Teow Soup post.
Here, a plate of ‘keh liao’ Char Koay Teow is RM5 and above, depending on how much additional toppings requested. Compared to the other Char Koay Teow in Penang, this one tasted a bit moist and had a strong, sweet seafood flavor. One plate is always not enough for me. But if you like your noodles drier you should notify him when ordering.
Sky Emperor Chicken Feet Koay Teow Soup @ Kimberley Street
Oct 6th
Kimberly Street (Lebuh Kimberly) is one of the best spots in Penang to enjoy hawker food in the evening. In this street alone there are four ‘Kings’ of food, a title given to the hawkers by some TV show. The Four Heavenly Kings (yeah, same title as that 4 singers in Hong Kong in the 90s) are: Char Koay Teow stall in front of Sin Guat Keong Coffee Shop, Sky Emperor Koay Teow Soup, Koay Chap and the Chinese Dessert shop.
This round, Sky Emperor Koay Teow Soup stall is the one being featured. The nicely stacked braised whole chicken thighs and wings would definitely catch your attention when you walk pass this stall, something that you won’t see in other Koay Teow Soup stalls. It’s pretty obvious these are also their specialties, much better than their Koay Teow, which I find to be above average at best.
Any given person would give these scrumptious drumsticks another look.
