When it comes to Penang Food, my mom will start salivating....
That's because she spent the first quarter of her life there, and I used to get to enjoy an annual treat when we visited my grandmother.
However, all has come to a halt due to work, hospitals, and lack of leave to take, to embark a 6 hour drive just to have a bowl of prawn me, a plate of Char Kuey Teow or a plate of prawn paste Chee Cheong Fun
Yes, I DID mention prawn / shrimp paste
It is a special delicacy of Malaysia, and especially Penang, where the fragrance of pungent prawn aroma spreads across every evening when the factories busy producing, is missing....
(I never found out why they always do it at night. Probably after all the shrimp drying during the day)
We were hoping the homesick will come to an end when there was a viral TikTok advertisement where Authentic Penang Street Food can be found within a 6 mile radius.
Of course, because of the TikTok advertisement from KL foodie, it has gotten people as far as 30 miles (more than 40 KM) just to give it a try; but by the grace of God, by the time we are done with church service and was there at 2pm, we only needed to wait for 20 minutes, while larger crowds had to wait for 45 minutes just for a bigger table.
The Verdict
We called 3 most common street food or the locals of Penang would go for their meal and this is what we called:
Char Kuey Teow 3.5 ⭐️
Flat rice noodles and yellow noodles with mung bean sprouts (taugeh), prawn, pork jerky sausage, dried lard, egg, chives (韭菜), fried in high heat, creating the aroma of a well cooked meal.
The way it was cooked would make Uncle Roger (famous stand up comedian) proud, but the taste is still lacking the balance of sweet and salty. I guess the generous portion of sweet jerky sausage has thrown off a little, but to vote the dish cooked under pressure of high traffic, it is actually pretty decent.
Penang Hokkien Mee 4 ⭐️
Apologies for the blurry image. It was a little dark
This dish compared to what I had more than a decade ago, which I didn't quite like it (hence I remembered the taste), is actually fairly decent. My dad would have complained that the portion is smaller than he has expected for the price, it is still decent compared to the actual Penang version. That, I would give a thumbs up for.
Nothing fancy, just yellow noodles with caramelised dark sauce, some greens, fried onions garnish and some portion of pork and meatballs. It won't feed a hungry grandpa immediately, but enough to curb hunger pangs.
Sometimes I think my dad eat too much! Beyond doctor's recommendation; but maybe because of age he isn't absorbing enough from the food he eats.
Penang Chee Cheong Fun 2.5 ⭐️
This is actually my most anticipated, but disappointed dish. Though the flat rice noodle is bouncy (tan-chang-tan-chang in Korean / QQ in Taiwanese or Chinese), one of the most major ingredient that the famous Burmah Road stall, which I believe no longer there because the uncle would have been over 100 years old by then, used to produce.
The prawn paste was definitely the Penang version because it has a specific fragrant that the rest of the States (like Perak or Melacca) have, yet, the famous Northern Peninsular Red Sweet Sauce (thim jeong in Cantonese 红甜酱) is greatly missing in the mix.
To some, it can be overpoweringly sweet like a desert, but the underlying hint of fermented salty taste on the sweet sauce is where it makes a difference.
Other than the generous prawn paste that I greatly appreciate, it isn't anything too special.
I would have given 3 ⭐️ if the portion is slightly bigger. This is sorely small. I think my dad (or any man) can finish it in 2 mouthfuls.
Overall it was still a great experience from the restaurant as the owner is friendly, but for someone who isn't tech savvy they will have a bit of trouble ordering food without their smart phones and the ability to surf.
Anyone who are more on the less tech savvy side should not visit this restaurant during peak hours / weekends. So that the friendly owner can serve you with more time and less strain.
Would I go back again?
Maybe. Because we still yet to try the signature dish, the wantan noodles, which was running out fast. Maybe I will have it without my parents because the strain for them to climb stairs to the restaurant is a little daunting until they hit the gym's stationary bicycle more often.
I am not saying this shop is bad though, it is actually pretty decent. Just don't go during peak hours, even though they do stand the test of cook under pressure pretty well, just to avoid waiting for too long
Until Then
Stay healthy, stay curious and learn new things, and stay happy!
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All photos are taken with my Samsung A23
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