Ooook, so when it comes to the best Char Koay Teow in Penang I am sure Ah Leng Char Koay Teow at Jalan Dato Keramat is one of them. Just consider the size of the prawns being used alone, they are so huge it would be shocking for first time eaters. The distinctive sweet prawn flavor and the thick and crunchy prawns are exactly what Ah Leng is famous for.
I got lots of response when I showed this photo to people who haven’t seen or tried Ah Leng Char Koay Teow before. Most of them are very skeptical about this special plate of Char Koay Teow that costs RM10. Some say I have been cheated lol. And some even commented that the plate used is actually a dim sum plate to make the prawns feel huge. Most Penangites were able to identify it at first sigh though, no surprise there.
Well, believe it or not the prawns are really that huge. So huge 4 of them are enough to cover almost the whole portion of koay teow from sight.
Ah Leng was open on the 4th day of Chinese New Year and there were already a huge crowd of customers. The queue was so long it wasn’t even funny. Since I had anticipated this especially during CNY, the one hour waiting time was still *quite* bearable lol.
The RM10 version of koay teow not only has 4 thick and unbelievably crunchy sea-fresh prawns, it also has extra ‘liao’, which is mantis prawns. Anyway, the deluxe version was ordered purely because I have never tried it before. In my previous visit I was less adventurous and more ‘kiam siap’ lol.
Although the addition of mantis prawns injected even much more flavor into the koay teow, it might not necessary be a good thing – depending on how you like your koay teow lah. For me, I felt it was an overkill. Plus, the mantis prawns’ texture was a little dry and distractive. So only the normal version for me in future because it is good enough already.
If I were to compare Ah Leng and the famous Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow (neh, the notorious one where the cook sports a red-beret and packs an attitude), in all honesty I feel the latter is better simply for being more skillful and able to infuse more wok hei in her koay teow. Complete with comparable sized fresh prawns too.
But when it comes to customer service, of course Ah Leng is better. You won’t have to queue in line for your plate under the hot sun, you are certain to find an empty table, you can make specific orders, and most importantly you will not be asked to leave if you cannot afford to wait.
What do you think?
Kafe Khoon Hiang (opposite ex Federal Cinema)
Jalan Dato Keramat
GPS Coordinates: N5 24.779 E100 19.171
The plate does looks really nice and makes me drooling with saliva. The only thing that I saw on the picture was looked Ah Leng would cooked a whole bunch of peoples’ order together rather than plate by plate. Something not so common in my opinion.
I’ve banned Lorong Selamat CKT…. They are RUDE, no customer service curteous at all…. I wonder why people are still going to them for CKT.
funny, i blog about ah leng today, and you blog it yesterday pulak…haha
i went on the 5th day of CNY too :S
i love ah leng more towards the lrg selamat one, but yea, the one at lrg selamat able to induce more wok hei, but i still like ah leng more :D
btw vkeong, now at lrg selamat, you dont need to queue under the hot sun already
every since the aunty move to a shop herself (whole shop only 1 stall which is hers but you can order food from other place to there), you dont need to queue already, all you need to do is order from the assistant and sit and wait
BTW, if you guys dont want to wait 1 hour for your CKT, either at ah leng or lorong selamat, go EARLY!
at ah leng, go before 10.30am
at lorong selamat, go before 12pm
then the waiting time is like less than 30mins only
I just went to lorong selamat last saturday at 11.30am, waiting time is 5minutes! The aunty is still in good mood :D
my family prefers ah leng to the lorong selamat one. and i’ll usually order the normal version cos while the ‘premium’ one is good especially for guests and first timers, i do feel it is a bit of an overkill. nevertheless, one of the better CKTs around :)
(and if you go during lunch hr on weekends, the wait is abt 45mins average)
Looks really yummy.. have not been to Penang for few years.
Your photos look great too :D
I prefer simple (cheap? haha ~) normal CKT is enough for me :)
Good grief, those are huge prawns! But they look QQ and you are making my mouth water. I didn’t have good ckt when we were in Penang for CNY.
Ah Leng is good, no doubt. But take way the huge prawns I can honestly say they lack the ‘wow’ factor in the taste.
Definitely Ah Leng char kuey teow!! Beat all the others hands DOWN – I never liked nor had the so-called famous ones @ Lorong Selamat at all.. I was there during CNY too, saliva dripping already just thinking about the CKT :P
i tried before ah leng rm10 CKT when i went to penang traveling….i went there bcos i read someone’s blog saying it’s nice….but other than the big prawn and mantis prawn which are tasteless….the CKT is also lack of taste to me….and also there wasn’t alot of people when i went there…i was actually quite dissapointed….
lorong selamat ckt shud b blacklisted for the really bad attitude and overpriced ckt… there r others option in penang.. definitely not lorong selamat ckt.. mayb u shud try walk to kimberly street at night some of the ckt pretty nice.. still using charcoal as their fire to cook :D
Is the stall open at night?
hi HM, I don’t think it opens at night. Only to late noon only
Thanks! Can you give me clearer directions? Like another landmark near the place? Cos I am not using the GPS…
It’s along Jalan Dato Keramat. You can refer my old post for the direction:
http://www.vkeong.com/2007/food-drink/ah-leng-char-koay-teow/
[…] Char Koay Teow is no doubt the most iconic food in Penang. For tourists, if you left Penang without tasting a plate of this popular fried flat rice noodles then your trip is definitely in vain. Because of its immense popularity some hawkers had to have something special in order to stand out from the stiff competition and win more customers. Nowadays having the option to top up extra ‘liao’ (ingredients, usually prawns) in your Char Koay Teow to make a premium plate is no longer a new thing. Cheaper ‘premium’ ones cost at least RM5 and the most expensive one I had so far is RM10 at Ah Leng. […]
Wowza prices for Char Koay Teow has soar to new heights.
Read newspaper today about boycott campaign launch again Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow.
All I can say is finally somebody done something about that shop. I heard a rumour that the prawns were soaked with harmful preservatives to give the delicious & crunchy taste? Any truth in this? Maybe somebody from government agency should test it?
hi, can I copy your Ah Leng Char Koey Teow photos and add into my blog? just for my own record and sharing with my frienda. wish you dun mind. thanks
http://gordonykk.blogspot.com/
Hi,
This seems like solid plagiarism
http://watermulut.blogspot.com/2013/05/char-keoy-teow.html
https://m.facebook.com/penangahlengcharkaoyteow
AH Leng char kaoy teow have moved to RETORAN TONG HOOI (opposite KAFE KHOON Hiang)