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.
Keep in mind, however, that you can come across inconsistencies. Some cooks for some inexplicable reason lose their taste and produce atrocious imitations of their masterpieces. So be up to date with your imformation. |
| Hawkers bar koot mee: Those who are disappointed with hair mee (called "Hokkien mee" in Penang) may find that the bar koot mee in Hong Kong Street more attractive. The stall has been there for years and is still popular with the locals1 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 over 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 passembul. It is a joy just to watch the man at work. The speed of his cutting and chopping is breathtaking. curry mee. At Pulau Tikus, along Burma Road are stalls at coffee shops with reasonable curry mee which are not too lemak. Available night time are two stalls at the Pulau Tikus market. They both serve the required tau pok and blood, though I have to add that nowadays it's chicken blood. This dish is also to be found at the Public coffee shop along North Beach, lunch time. The cook produces a mixture with an Ipoh flavour, which is very welcome to those who want a change. An added attraction at this 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 kuay tiau stall. If you try the dish elsewhere make sure that it does not 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
curry laksa. Please remember to ask for "curry mee" to
save embarassment. The dish in Kuching is sui
juris and superb though they, like the KL people, call
theirs curry laksa 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". 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) the stall opposite the Pulau Tikus Police station is gradually earning a reputation. Fresh fish is used instead of sardine and the hair ko of good quality. The bor (pasta) is better than most. . passembul. We were delighted to come across a passembul hawker on wheels roaming the streets in Pualu Tikus. He gave us a dish which recalled the original taste of the real stuff which died with the passing of the older generation. But tell him to go slow with the niau ch'oo chnee, which he tends to overload because of modern day demands for stomach filling starch. Ask for more vegetables. 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) 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. Nutmeg It's bad news for those who love their preserved nutmeg with kam ch'o (licorice). Ong Kok Leong of Ayer Itam, the well-known and meticulous maker of this delightful fruit has discontinued this line of his business because, he says, he can no longer find the golden kam ch'o; what is available nowadays, he complains, is coloured a dirty brown, which is off-putting. Nutmeg lovers, I'm afraid, will have to be reconciled with buying just the plain, unadorned preserved fruit. The Balik Pulau market offers a variety including papaya and mango, and the taste is superior to what you can get in town. It's worth the drive.# Chief cook Ah Boon Ko 1. KSE and TLS comment that these are indigenous dishes. Also that the mee in China is sun dried and not pleasant to bite on. |
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The Penang File Issue 37 |