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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 (Kampong
Sireh, 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 pork oil used is home made and fresh and not too much diluted
by vegetable oil. One thing that I did not like was the Cantonese intrusion,
little pieces of lap ch'eong. But the absence of burnt specks of kuay tiau was a
delight. Duck eggs, a traditional must, are available, though supplies from Thailand are
uncertain owing to a suspicion of bird flu. Demerit points: absence of pork crackling. In some places if you ask for them,
the hawkers are generous.
There is another favourite stall of mine at Carnarvon Street: "Lau Hor Ch'ar Kuay
Tiau." It was started by grandfather Lau
Hor (Tiger) and is the best of the "blow
torch" fire breed. The fierce flames are kept firmly under control and
the cook (grandson fries whenever the son is away) is not compelled to use
frequent doses of water to prevent a disaster. Here the vegetable oil does
not dominate and the taste is, therefore, not ruined. Duck eggs are
available. Demerits: absence of koo ch'ai and pork crackling. "Lau Hor" is now also operating at Prima Tanjong, Fettes Road, which
astonishingly, has a dance floor, well patronised Fridays to Sundays..
Where Macalister Road
meets Perak Road in a small coffee shop, once famous for its curry
mee, is a man who not only produces decent ch'ar koay tiau but is also a skilled cook. If you are lucky and
prawns are available ask him for hair kian.
It's excellent though not of the class produced by the canteen at the Cove..
At Hillside there is a stall along Jalan Sungei Kelian which serves very satisfying ch'ar
koay tiau. The man is
extraordinarily energetic, scouring the roads that cling to the hills, with
his cry of "ch'ar koay
tiaaaaauuuuuuuu", taking orders, frying, then
back to deliver. He reminds me of Ipoh's
Spider, a . Penang man, who was a legend in Green Town,
Ipoh, where
he would ride up on his tricycle after four,
when the government servants returned from work.
Ready cooked food is available at the coffee shop
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at which he is. The cook has a
supply of rare pair chn'ior, fried the old fashioned way.
lor bar '
Next to Lau Hor is a lor
bar stall which is reasonably good. It is the one of the rare ones to
offer the traditional preserved ch'ai t'au (lopak). The traditional fish is sometime available. The
other one is at Bayan Baru
operated by the former owner of this stall.
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 was a joy just to watch the man at
work. The speed of his cutting and chopping was breathtaking. He's not there
any more but his successors have maintained
quality. But notice the vegetable part is much reduced. This is probably
because of the increase in the price of cucumbers and other veges that make up the
dish. But that is no reason for the drastic reduction. The balance should be
maintained and the overall size reduced.
While still at Dato
Kramat try the yong
tau foo. It's still good.
If you are in Beach Street
try the chn'air hoo
at Sri Weld Food Court.
It is reasonably good if you don't mind sweating in the steamy furnace of the
place.
Wandering about in Pulau Tikus
is a stall on wheels which serves Mama ' passambul
with almost the original taste but we have discovered one even better along Fettes Road.
His prawn crackers are really good to chew but he hasn't learnt to
smile.
curry mee.
I find
the curry mee at Fettes Road
very much to my taste, nearer to the curry type without the lemak added. Two night
stalls at the Pulau Tikus
market offer the lemak variety, but not too lemak for me to condemn them. 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. All these stalls
serve the required tau pok and blood cubes.
This dish is also to be found at the Public Cafe 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 here is lor
bar and rojak, for those with
larger appetites. There is a new stall on Hong Kong Street (now renamed Cheong Fatt Tse - because the old
Cheong Fatt Tse road had
been swallowed up by KOMTAR and the signboard
moved to Hong Kong Street).
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. And make sure
you get the right mee, the soft Hokkien mee and not the
hard Cantonese variety. Those from KL, who are prone to distorting Penangese and call this dish curry larksar, please
remember to ask for "curry mee"
to save yourselves embarrassment.
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If you are in Kuching, Sarawak,
you must not miss their curry mee which they
call curry larksar. It has a character all
its own and is superb.
goo bar kuay tiau
Those who love beef soup and despaired at the
disappearance of favourites at the Victoria
Street bus stop and at Acheen Street
need worry no more. They will find that the stall opposite the Bomba at Beach
Street provides excellent goo bar kuay tiau; in fact, the
meat is better cooked. The coffee shop which houses this stall is unique
because those who run it are English educated, a very rare phenomenon. You
will be surprised that this coffee shop also offers an English
breakfast.
There is a stall at Perak Road
which also serves good goo bar koay tiau, near the Francis Light
School
Hokkien mee
When Penangites say Hokkien
Mee they mean Hair Mee
(prawn mee). Elsewhere the term identifies the
fried variety, which is perversely called here, Hokkien
Ch'ar. So, in Penang,
Hokkien Mee could either
mean prawn mee or bar koot
mee. We have never been good at hair mee since the late 70s Ah Kow
at Coast Road where Song River Cafe now is, was a serious challenge to
Singapore's Hokkien Street save that he did not
serve the pig tail, which was a must. After Ah Kow ceased business there was a man at Rangoon Road offering very good "Hokkien mee" (tiger prawns
only) from whom an Ipoh friend would buy some 16 packets
for friends back home but he faded out after a few years.
Now the so-called "Hokkien mee"
served is rather diluted and contains only a few miserable slices of shrimps.
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ou chian
A friend of mine was an addict and made
sure I brought a packet with me whenever I went down to KL. But he lost
interest when they turned to vegetable oil (it's
harder work when you have to cook and manufacture the pork oil yourself) and
Sunday newspaper readers, scared of "cholesterol," compelled a
dryer , less tasteful, plate of fried oysters.
jiu hoo eng ch'ai
The
stall at Song River Cafe is improving and is about the best in town. They
have a branch at the newly opened hawkers place at
the Island
Plaza traffic
lights which is also very good. I liked the Thai stall where you
can get genuine Thai food at fairly cheap prices. What is annoying is
that the shed is so designed that the smoke is trapped and at popular hours
this is a nuisance.
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chicken wings
Also at Song River Cafe is a first class chicken wing cook. He is about the
best in Penang. For the more adventurous, he
serves bishop's nose and chicken feet as well.
kuay tiau t'ng
It is very difficult nowadays to find a good kuay tiau t'ng hawker. The fish balls at most stalls are
unreliable. One sighs for those great days at "Next to
Queen's." But there is one at Armenian Street which offers first
quality fish balls. The present generation are
squeamish about eating blood and miss this essential ingredient of koay tiau t'ng .
lark sar
And if you are
crazy about lark sar (laksa)
you will find an excellent version next to a ch'ar
koay tiau stall along
Burmah
Road, opposite Bangkok Lane. After your first bowl,
try the lemak version and, for a third bowl,
have the two versions mixed. You will love it.
There is a dish called lark sar to be found
in Johore. It is neither Penang
nor Thai in taste but it is something
superb and unforgettable.
larm mee
Since Ah Kee's excellent larm mee along Burmah Road stopped business
we despaired of getting good larm mee. Someone introduced us to the stall at the Tanjung Bungah market which we
found to be a satisfying compensation for the loss.
bair t'ay sor
The
Penang-made biscuits deserve their popularity because they are excellent but
if you pass through Ipoh try the Gunong Rapat variety and tell me what you think.
see kak pniar
Those who are nostalgic about this type of biscuit should go to Simpang Ampat where they make
very crunchy "simply melts in your mouth" biscuits
ch'i k'au sor
Ghee Hiang is to be congratulated for reviving this
once popular almond biscuit which was in danger of being forgotten, like egg
tarts in Hong Kong. The Cantonese call it harp t'oe
so and have never stopped its production in Ipoh.
tau foo far
There are two stalls which use black sugar. One is along North Beach
after 4 p.m. and the other is itinerant and to be found at odd hours along Pulau Tikus, near the Malayan
Banking office. I see that the stall at the Pulau Tikus Market now offers black sugar too.
iu char kuay
Excellent iu char kuay 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, and at Leandros Lane.
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Best of all, try the
Cecil Street Market.
goreng pisang
The stall along Tanjung Bungah
Road is continuing to be popular but try the one at Fettes
Road which serves a variety which includes koay
kodo'.
Nyonya koay
There are two stalls that attract: one is at Moulmein Road and the
other at the back of Island Plaza
Restaurants and coffee shops
Nyonya
It is sad to report
that Hitam Manis has
closed down. This truly genuine Nyonya food
restaurant gave pleasure to thousands during its short existence; its gulai toomee and jiu hoo ch'ar and tau iu bar'
especially pleased. Now we are happy to report that Siang Pin at Tanjung Bungah serves execellent gulai toomee; the traditional pair chn'ior
is always available. Next door, the coffee shop also serves cooked
meals. It is the only one I have seen with a "Monday closed" sign
instead of " XX close" and it boasts a few
posters advertising Thai massage. Hai Wei, located
in an apartment block, is worth visiting for its ch'oon
pniar, and pair
chn,ior gulai toomee. I dare
say their pair chn'ior is always
fresh because they are right next to a group of Hokkien
fishermen.. But bear in mind that their ch'oon pniar is pork free.
Hakka
In the New World -Bawasah Road area a newly
opened Hakka restaurant offers excellent Hakka mee and too k'ar ch'or of superb quality.
Thai
"Prontip"
along Peel Avenue
offers genuine Thai cooking at reasonable prices. Its kensom will blow your head off. Other Thai place
worthy of patronage is "Sebai Sebai" along Lintang Batu, Green Lane. Genuine Thai, that's
what they are..
Mama' rice
Nowadays impertinently called by the KL imported name of nasi
kandar. My view is that Mama'
("Uncle") is a respectful and historical form of address used by
the Baba and should continue to be used.
It is difficult to find the genuine stuff because of the Mama' habit of going
back to India
without teaching anybody their 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.
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A stall at Batu Lanchang
market also serves food which has the flavour and taste of the original.
It is no use looking for Mama '
fried mee or mee
rebus. The secrets have not been passed on and
visitors will be disappointed.
The nearest to the original flavours is
the stall at Armenian Street which has a hint of past glories but the
high price of sotong restrains the essential
flavours. But the man knows how to fry his mee, not
too dry and burnt.
Afternoons
The Batu Lanchang makan place, next to the market, a market that
operates in the afternoons, is an excellent place to visit if you sleep late.
The iu char kuay,
ch'ar kuay tiau (RM2.20
plain, 2.70 with egg and 3.00 with duck egg - how prices have
doubled the last ten years!). chn'air
hoo (Chinese passambul)
and po pnia
should please you. But be warned. Typically this place has no public
facilities
You will have to go to the back of the market next door which is awash
with water and stinks. You will also catch one or two sarong clad serfs of
the money pinching stall holder washing his slaughtered chicken in the wash
basin - the water is free, you see.
Norman,
which serves what they call Malay food but
which is really Malay fusion food, serves excellent and unforgettable sambal. Their krabu
taugair and kachang
botol are excellent. So also is their fish,
which is always fresh. The fried fish reminds me of what we used to have along
Tg Tokong and Tg Bungah, just the right
frying to enable one to chew up all the bones. The popular cooks along
the road opposite the Mar Vista complex have been ousted by blocks of flats
for tsunami victims but it's business as usual for them where they are now
located, on the Mar Vista side of the road.
In Bandar Baru there
is a coffee shop along Jalan Angsana
which offers excellent Indian rice and curry (non-beef), excellent sio bar and good ch'ar
kuay tiau. If
you are in that area you will be very satisfied with your lunch.
We also found a coffee shop along Fettes Road with ready cooked food which is cheap and good. And
it was service with a smile. This road serves ready cooked food morning, noon
and night, something to keep in mind.
Night time
New Lane
is about the best place at night for hawkers' food. The variety is very wide.
It is here that you will find heng jin tair done the Hokkien way without the flavour that the Cantonese like.
If you are a vegetarian your needs will be met by 6 or even 8 different
dishes
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At North
Beach the Song River Cafe has very good jiu
hoo eng ch'ai and
chicken wings. And if you can wait long enough the grilled prawns
that come about 10 pm are a delight.
The night stalls at the Pulau Tikus
market are second to those at New Lane and
also have a variety to offer. Their present site is a disgrace.
And there is at Tanjong
Tokong a newly opened hawkers complex next to Island Plaza offers good food if you are in that area.
Seah Boay
The historical and lively seah boay market was destroyed in
the interests of the Manhattan Project - the dream of Penang's
rulers to conjure George Town into a little New York. With it went
the special rice and moi stalls where you
perched high on
bangku (stools) standing on long benches and had
excellent and cheap food like preserved crab, lopak-egg
omelettes, groundnuts and salted eggs. The bangku
style of eating has not quite disappeared and you can squat and eat to your
hearts delight at Magazine Road.
Tanjong Bungah
Tanjong Bungah
market
Tanjong Bungah deserves a
special mention. This is because here you step into an older world of
infinite courtesy, a thrilling experience which starkly contrasts with the
nonchalant, sometimes even rude service that affronts one in George Town. It is close to the frisson of
delight that lifts the weary traveller reaching Taiping
from sour puss Singapore.
Among the attractions of this area are the excellent
chicken rice along the Vale of Tempe with
first class crackling pork at request and a pet cockerel that crows
unexpectedly, standing on a chair, while you are eating. The t'au kair so
tells me that he has adopted her shop and comes in before closing time to
spend his nights there. His hen, she says. was
killed by a dog only recently. But those who missed the fun will find that it
no longer performs. It has been given away to the farmer across the
road. A stall along Jalan Sungai Klian has just been set up which has very good wild boar
meat curry, served with "bengali" roti when available. Curry connoisseurs claim that curry
tastes better with "bengali" roti. The young cook also serves
pork ribs which taste good marinated by his very own method.
Hutton
Lane
The hawkers Centre at the former New
World Park
at Hutton lane is a welcome innovation. The stalls at Swatow Lane, including the excellent Mama po
pnia chnee
with the right chilly sauce, have come into the centre. They pay RM1000 for
well designed cubicles where cooking facilities are provided and there is
central washing done. We liked the attractively designed stalls on wheels
placed in the centre. It's nice to leave the old street where cars and
motorcycles, shrieking horns, dust and the scorching sun were a
torture.
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Ambience
For those who
would demand a better ambience, three restored buildings offer
attractive restaurants in different parts of the town: Edelweiss and Spice
& Rice. Jaipur Court, located in a
1920s building is sadly no more.
Those who like to sit by the sea should enjoy an evening out at North Beach
Cafe (next to Kedah House) which offers a view of glittering North Beach on
one side and the lonely, winking darkness of Province Wellesley on the
other.
For travellers
When in Ipoh
don't forget the koay tiau
t'ng along Leech Street. The stall is third
generation old and still good.
If you ever get to Kluang there is a unique coffee
shop which calls itself the Cake and Coffee Shop otherwise Honeyland. It is in fact a house
of confectioneries and provides a wide variety of cakes, buns, curry puffs, popnia chnee,
ch'ai koay,
cream puffs and many other delights. The
confectionery hides the special role of the coffee house in providing
a frivolous cover for serious contractual negotiations between hard headed
businessmen.
Someone has asked why we haven’t mentioned murtabak.
The reason simply is that it has disappeared. What passes for murtabak nowadays is something resembling an omlette. The heavy oil and the one inch thick of mutton
are to be seen no more.
Medicinal - lay hoo moi
(yee chook)
Someone afflicted with an arthritic knee was looking for fresh water fish
food recommended by the American Arthritic Association. I recommended
the stalls at the General
Hospital and the Lam Wah Hospital
for it is believed that wounds heal faster after an operation with the help
of ikan haruan broth. My
friend made a fruitless search. Itt seems the
scarcity of the fish has wiped the business. Fortunately I was able to direct
her to lau heo hnui where the famous Pulau
Tikus yee chook
is still in business, #
Chief cook Ah Boon Ko
Note: chee cheong
fun has been recognised as a national heritage thing. What about curry
chee cheong fun, does
it not qualify too?
Hong Kong Street - now Cheong Fatt Tse
North Beach
- otherwise Coast Road,
now called Gurney Drive
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