Macalister Road, the Heaven of Penang Street Food

When I told my friend that we're going to Penang for holiday, friend's reaction was, “Wah so nice ah, can eat a lot of nice food loh....”. Yes, it's indeed the main purpose of the trip. Penang is always linked to our famous Malaysian hawker stall food like Char Koay Teow, Penang Prawn Mee, Asam Laksa and etc, therefore "Penang = Food Heaven". ;-)

BIL was delighted that we chose to stay at Sunway Hotel Gerogetown, various hawker food stalls lined at the side of the New Lane (Lorong Baru) in front of Sin Yin Nam Cafe after dark, this area is undoubtedly a paradise for glutton and I bet BIL won't mind to come here for dinner every night! ;-)
Char Koay Teow could be found almost at every hawker center here in Penang and I know Penangites are particular about it. The Char Koay Teow we ordered was served on a piece of banana leave and it comprised prawns, cockles, egg and heaps of bean sprouts. The waiting time was approximately 45 min. See the white bits on top? Those are crab meat.

Grilled chicken wings were fantastic.....I need at least a PAIR.Come to this beef noodle, it was a true surprise! The broth was light yet went well with the tangy fragrance of cress and fried garlic. It was so good that prompted me to go back for supper the following night.....Kangkong sotong (water spinach with cuttlefish) is also a very popular street food in Penang, the cuttlefish was bountiful and very crunchy.......Yong Tao Fu stuffed with fish paste was so-so only but don't know why it took forever to arrive.... Sister spotted this fried intestine when our car passed by the lane led to Sunway Hotel, she ordered the porridge with fried intestine, century egg and liver. I thought the intestine was rather stinky but she said it was good.The only thing that we concluded as "NO GOOD" was the fried oyster omelet, coz it was way too starchy and none of us volunteered to finish it. The curry noodle on the tray looked tempting too.

So many good food yet our stomach has got so little space*sigh*, no way, not this time, next time!!!

Sin Yin Nam Cafe

New Lane (Off Macalister Road), Georgetown, 10400 Penang, Malaysia

Kedai Kopi Kong Heng 光兴茶室

We decided to stop by Ipoh for lunch while on the way to Penang….....

There are only few main streets in Ipoh, called a Ipoh Mari friend to get advice and he recommended Kong Heng.

Since we were getting late, in order not to waste time, we asked an uncle working at the patrol station for direction. After some detailed briefing, uncle gave us a tip. He said the shop next to Kong Heng serves the best Hor Fun in town.

It’s already 2pm when we arrived. Both Kong Heng and the shop next to it were full. In Ipoh, this is rather common phenomena, as long as famous it’s always packed throughout the whole business hours.

This Ipoh Chee Cheong Fun (RM2.50 per plate) reminds me an ex-uni mate from Ipoh. His family runs the Chee Cheong Fun ( flat rice noodle)'s business. During one of the semester break, someone hand-carried some Chee Cheong Fun back from his hometown. He was so generous to treat us a Chee Cheong Fun Feast in the dorm and until now, I still think that is the best Chee Cheong Fun I had ever eaten, exactly the same red and dark sauce, pickled chili , fried shallots and sesame, so nostalgic when I gotta relish this silky Chee Cheong Fun again. Ipoh's Hor Fun (flat rice noodle) is famous, we wanted to try the best one next door but the boss rejected to send it over ( uncle from patrol station said we could actually request to do so but obviously they do not provide such service during peak hours). The one selling sliced chicken Hor Fun at Kong Heng seemed not so busy, our Hor Fun soup was sent to us pretty fast. The broth was not bad though not many Hor Fun given. The price is RM3.50 per bowl if I'm not mistaken. Rojak (local fruit salad) served here is way different from what I used to have. Instead of mixing with the fruit, dressing was served as separate dip in a small bowl. Beside peanut, I believe the dip contents sesame which makes it pretty aromatic. The presentation of kangkung sotong (water spinach aka water morning glory and cuttelfish) is quite unique as well, the gravy looks more like a satay dip !? RM6 per small plate. By the time we left Kong Heng, had a peep at the shop next door which claimed to be the best Ipoh Hor Fun seller, it was still cramped with diners waiting for seats......According to The Star, it's best in the country....So, next time you go to Ipoh, you should know where to look for the best sliced chicken Ipoh Hor Fun soup by now. ;-)

Address : Jalan Sultan Yusuf, Ipoh, Perak.

Restoran Meng Shiang@Taman Yulek 茗香茶餐室

It’s not about love at 1st sight…..

Oh, am talking about my encounter with the char siew wantan mee (RM4.00)of Restoran Meng Shiang @ Taman Yulek . ;-)

The dry and lean appearance was not enticing at all......Not until I put one in my mouth did it subdue my taste bud utterly, with its subtle scent of barbeque and the invisible tenderness that lies beneath the surface.

Never say I don't warn, you need a lot, ahemm...I mean A LOT of patience to wait for your order to be served, probably by the time you finish your 2nd drinks!?They do serve roast pork (siu yok), spare ribs and whatsoever.

I would say, FOCUS on the char siew and just forget the rest. ;-).Restoran Meng Shiang
1 & 3, Jalan Kas Kas 2
Taman Cheras (Taman Yulek)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia