Good food
Where to eat
Ah Boon Ko's Guide
7th edition
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Good food
Where to eat |
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Like cheese lovers, those who dream of
Penang food want to find their favourite unchanged since the time when they
first tasted their particular favourite. From this, some conclude that
taste is a matter of generation likes and dislikes and the memory of it.
But is that correct? We are of the view that the "traditional" must
date from pre-war i.e. before the Japanese conquered British Malaya. The
1930s saw an accelerated growth of hawkers. Penang was beginning to go out
for early morning breakfast and afternoon snacks outside the home. The more
fortunate had hawkers coming right down their street, even in the evenings,
as Lim Teong Beng described in The Penang File.(Hawkers Down Our Road by
Lim Teong Beng Issue 27). It was the golden age when two rivals produced
excellent murtabak containing mutton floating in oil and served with generous
handfuls of pickled onion; and the hawkers "Next to Queen's" set high standards
for koay tiau t'ng, ch'ar kuay tiau, and Mama poh p niah; when
the Penang Free School Mama mee was tops; when Kek Seng in Penang Road was
packed and Mrs Kiar Joo's laksa and nyonya koay, hawked along Northam Road,
delighted those "taking the air". that established Penang as the gourmet
centre for what is now Malaya. That is, except for hair mee (called Hokkien
mee in Penang) and hokkien mee (called Hokkien ch'ar in Penang) for which
Singapore was the unchallenged leader with the best in Hokkien Street, Albert
Street and the Queen's Road market.
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Hawkers 
ch'ar kuay tiau . The first thing outstation people think of
when they come to Penang is ch'ar kuay tiau. The
traditional i.e. genuine stuff is to be found at Lau
Hio Hnui (Lengkok Burma) where the stall is located
among others catering for office workers. The kuay tiau
is fried slowly over a charcoal fire fanned by the man's wife. The oil used
is first class and not too much diluted by vegetable oil. One thing that
I did not like was the Cantonese intrusion, little pieces of lap
cheong. But the absence of burnt spots of kuay tiau was
a delight. Duck eggs are available. Demerit points: absence of koo
ch'ai and pork crackers.There is another favourite stall of mine at Carnarvon Street. "Lau Hor Ch'ar Koay Tiau" was started by grandfather Lau Hor and is the best of the "blow torch" fire breed. The fierce fire is kept strictly under control and the cooks (grandson fries whenever the son is away) are not compelled to use frequent doses of water to prevent a disaster. Here the vegetable oil does not dominate and the taste is not ruined. Duck eggs are available. Demerits: absence of koo ch'ai and prawn crackers. ch n'air hoo . And vegetarians will be pleased to know that Dato Kramat football field is the place where you get the best chn'air hoo , the Penang version of Mama passambul. It is a joy just to watch the man at work. The speed of his cutting and chopping is breathtaking. Wandering about in Pulau Tikus is a stall on wheels which serves Indian Muslim passambul with almost the original taste curry mee. Two stalls sell curry mee at the night stalls at the Pulau Tikus market. They are not too bad being not too lemak for my taste. They both serve the required tau pok and blood. This dish is also to be found at the Public coffee shop along North Beach lunch time. The cook produces a a mixture with an Ipoh flavour, which is very welcome to those who want a change. An added attraction at his coffee shop is that lor bar and rojak are available for those with larger appetites. Another stall I found satisfying is at Lau Hio Hnui, near the ch'ar koay tiau stall. If you try the dish elsewhere make sure that it does have a powdery taste, the tell tale sign that curry powder is used. I am not too fond of the lemak type which came into fashion after the 50's owing to the Thai influence and the demands of Singapore tourists. Those from KL who are used to calling this dish cury laksa please remember to ask for "curry mee" to save embarassment. The in Kuching is sui juris and superb though they, like the KL people, call theirs curry laksa . |
Hokkien mee When Penangites say Hokkien Mee they mean Hair Mee (prawn mee). Elsewhere Hokkein Mee identifies the fried variety which is peversely called here Hokkien Ch'ar. Hokkien Mee could either mean prawn mee or bar koot mee. We have never beengood at hair mee but our bar koot mee is excellent . Examples are at Hong Kong Street. lor bar . Next to Lau Hor is a lor bar stall which is reasonably good. It is the only hawker of its kind to offer the tradional preserved ch'ai t'au. lark sar . And if you are crazy about lark sar (laksa) you will find an excellent stall next to a ch'ar koay tiau stall along Burmah Rod opposite Bangkok Lane. . Others k'ong t'ng The best k'ong t'ng in Penang is always to be found weekends at the Pulau Tikus market. And, need we add, the t'or tau t'ng too is excellent. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you will see maker actually in the process of hammering at the groundnut paste before shaping it, hence the Thai term , "tock tock". see kak pniar Those who are nostalgic about their biscuits should go to SImpang Ampat where they make very crunchy "simply metls in your mouth" tau foo far There are to stalls which use black sugar One is along North Beach after 4 p.m. and the other is itenerant and to be foiund at odd hours along Pulau Tikus near the Malayan Banking. iu char koay excellent iu char koay will be found near the Pulau Tikus market Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Those who wake up late will get the same at most afternoons at the Batu Lanchang market Restaurants and coffee shops Nyonya The newly opened "Hitam Manis" along Burmah Road is very welcome because it is that rare establishment that is genuinely Nyonya. The ch'oon p niar, curry tumee, jiu hoo ch'ar are particularly recommended. But phone up if you insist on the traditional pair chn'ioh in your curry toomee. The restaurant is closed on Wednesdays. Phone No: 226 7326 Thai If you are fond of Thai food go to "Foong Kim Cheong" at Paya Terobong. Their kensom is superb. Other delights are fish cake, kerabu mango, white tomyam, poo chim (baked crab), and chicken wings, green curry (ask for roast duck green curry, if available), chicken wings, and lap nger (for which you have to give notice). They close Tuesdays. Phone No . 825 5643 Mama rice (nowadays impertinently called by the KL imported name of nasi kandar. Owing to present ohjections to the use of the term "mama" by bumiputera Indian Muslims we shall avoid using the term though it is a respectful and historical form of address used by the Baba) It is difficult to find the genuine stuff because of the mama (Tamill for Uncle) habit of going back to India without teaching anybody his cooking secrets. But there is a place at Kong Bee Lee Coffee Shop opposite Bangkok Lane with flavours nearest to the original. The present owner inherited the business from his father and continues the tradition Chief cook Ah Boon Ko |
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A worthy cause
Little Sisters of the Poor
at Batu Lanchang,
Penang
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| ______ INDEX Point to the article that you want to read, and CLICK Index page The Baling meeting Book review Food guide The god in the garden Grandma's garden Letter from Pulau Tikus Malay words from Chinese The mistress of ceremonies |
| _____________________ The Penang File Issue 39 |