One of the oldest hawker stall in Penang that is still operating can be found at Kedai Kopi Seng Thor @ Lebuh Carnavon. Seng Thor is particularly famous its Lor Mee but I feel the Lor Bak here deserves a better mention. The uncle has been selling his home-made lor bak daily without fail for over 55 years since he was 12. Talk about dedication.
For the uninitiated, Lor Bak is basically a meat roll wrapped with bean curd sheet and flavored with five spice powder. Because of this, it is also known as Ngor Hiang in some other places like KL and Singapore. It is usually accompanied by prawn fritters, “tau kua” (fried bean curd”), Chinese sausage or any other fried seafood. Two dipping sauces are usually there for dipping, one being the gluey and starchy dark soya sauce and the other spicy and sweet chili sauce.
Penang is definitely the place to go for the best Lor Bak on earth, fact. If you think otherwise, well you are wrong lol.
Anyway, a customized platter for one person’s portion at Seng Thor was RM10 that included uncle’s signature lor bak, chinese sausage, prawn fritters and “tau kua” – very traditional and basic.
Among the things I ordered, I think uncle’s self-made lor bak is the specialty here. Not only it was much more delicious than the rest, the ingredient is somewhat different from the normal lor bak too. Instead of the normal minced meat, a strip of “bak tao” (loosely translated to “meat head”, it is a very lean but tender strip of meat) is used.
So the lor bak here does not have the standard ‘rolls’ appearance but meaty looking instead. And they certainly taste better too! Having a meaty and tender texture, the lor bak’s biting sensation is more enjoyable if compared to those made of minced meat.
Kheng Pin Cafe at Sri Bahari road remains my top choice for an all-around good lor bak because they have more choices and the fried seafood and prawn crackers taste fresher. Just so you know, the squids and prawn crackers at Kheng Pin are prepared and fried on the spot while at Seng Thor these are pre-cooked then re-fried so there is a vast difference in the taste. But if I were to compare just the lor bak alone, I will have to say Seng Thor actually holds the upper hand.
Lor Bak stall outside Kedai Kopi Seng ThorSeng Thor Coffeeshop,
160, Lebuh Carnarvon,
10100 Georgetown, Penang
GPS coordinates: N5 24.923 E100 20.082
Open daily 7.30am to 12pm (Sunday 7.30am to 1.30pm)
**NOT HALAL**
The fried oyster omelette inside the coffee shop is top rate
So I heard, I am planning to give it a try soon!
I used to eat lor bak a lot last time.. But don’t know since when I did not eat this anymore.. Actually, is I don’t have the time to eat this.. I feel so nostalgic seeing lor bak..
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I can’t agree with Bushido though on this one.
The or chien is very oily and not as tasty as I expected. Though I still prefer Kheng Pin’s lor bak to Seng Thor’s.
.-= J2Kfm´s last blog ..Attack of the Killer Durians =-.
Agreed. Kheng Pin is my favorite at the moment too. But I have heard bad things about the uncle being arrogant and such.. strangely enough I have always been greeted warmly when I go to Kheng Pin
The sausages is Taiwan sausages or something like lap cheong?
.-= Blaze_TzeHau´s last blog ..unexpected I am going to watch Wonder Girls LIVE in Malaysia! =-.
It’s definitely not lap cheong. Is more like Taiwanese sausages
Hmm… how about the sauce?
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I prefer the lor bak at Kafe Ping Hooi, the junction of Carnavon Street and Lebuh Melayu. Love the sam chan bak and the fish :) I tried the one from this stall before but didn’t quite like it. Costed my family and I RM18, not very cheap considering I can get the same amount for around RM12 over at Ping Hooi.
.-= Ree Nee´s last blog ..Free tickets & Caught in the Middle =-.
i used to dine there when i was a kid~ i think i should go back there again. . .
.-= taufulou´s last blog ..Food Escapade @ Garden Lifestyle Store & Cafe- The Curve =-.
Kheng Pin Cafe is a very nice one.I like to eat in that place only during i went Malaysia.I see the description about the food item all are nice.Thank you giving such a nice it blog…
malay
oooo… I love lor bak with Tau Kua…
.-= modo´s last blog ..Dim Sum @ Maxim Dim Sum Restaurant- Penang =-.