Penang Food Trail 1: Penang Char Kway Teow - Round One goes to Penang
Contestant #1: Kedai Kopi Sin Hua
RM 3.50, RM 4 with duck egg
We wasted no time to get to our first food stall. I had skipped breakfast and the inflight meal, so when we touched down in Penang we headed straight for some Penang Char Kway Teow.
Our first photostop was the Temple of the Reclining Buddha and our Tour Guide told us that just around the corner there was a famous Char Kway Teow Stall. So, while the others were busy photographing at the temple grounds, Wahcow and I met up with Penang Blogger, CK Lam and headed for the Char Kway Teow stall.
Duck Egg
Now, among all the different Penang hawker dishes, I must say that Penang Char Kway Teow was the one that I really wanted to try. Firstly, because there are not many really good Char Kway Teow in Singapore and secondly, it is one of those dishes that almost everyone says is much better in Penang.
So I was really excited to be sitting in this old Kedai Kopi (coffeeshop) experiencing Penang CKT for the very first time. (I was last in Penang 28 years ago) I have to say that I wasn't too impressed with the frying technique from the outset because the man frying the CKT looked like he needed a cup of Kopi.
Sure enough, when we finally got our plate of CKT, it really was a real anti-climax. The Kway Teow was dry and limp and really wasn't what I had expected Penang Char Kway Teow to be. CK only told me later on that in fact, the stall was really good in the past, but the original lady had left and the guy frying the CKT was actually her helper! 3.5/5
Alright, at least for those people who say that "CKT from any stall in Penang is any time better than Singapore", well it's not true.
Kedai Kopi Sin Hua
329 Burma Road Opp Pulau Tikus Polis Station
Just 5 mins from Temple of the Reclining Buddha
Open for lunch
Contestant #2: Heng Huat Coffee Shop (Aka Goggle Lady)
Big Prawn Char Kway Teow RM9
Right after the photoshoot at the Reclining Buddha Temple, the whole group headed for lunch at one of Penang's top two Char Kway Teows. I was told that the usual waiting time is around 45 mins for a plate. Perhaps this can help salvage my impression of Penang Char Kway Teow.
When I first saw how this lady was enthusiastically attacking the wok, I just knew that this was going to be a different plate of Char Kway Teow from that first one. The communist red beret and those goggles only added to the initial excitement as did the sparks flying off the burning charcoal.
Another thing that really got me excited was the size and quality of the prawns that they used. They were super fresh and wonderfully sweet. The lady tells me that she gets them fresh from the local kelong there. Now, huge prawns like these are not part of the standard Penang Char Kway Teow. But since we came all the way from Singapore, we ordered their most expensive option which costs RM 9. Still quite a bargain compared to what we pay in Singapore.
The end product is a Char Kway Teow that was lively, smooth and infused with the umami flavour of the prawns. The Kway Teow also has that elusive Wok Hei and savoury flavour which is often missing in Singapore. Now at least I understand why people often say that Penang Char Kway Teow is better than Singapore's. 4.5/5
OK, this aunty has won back my confidence with Penang Char Kway Teow. It is a far cry from the anaemic one that we had at Sin Hua and definitely worth the calories!
Two Sister's Char Kway Teow
Kafe Heng Huat
Lor Selamat (off MacAlister Road)
Open for lunch
Contestant #3: Ah Leng Char Koay Teow
For our final Char Kway Teow, we headed for Ah Leng's which is widely regarded as the best in Penang. One interesting fact is that Ah Leng had actually moved to Singapore around 7 years ago and was frying his Penang Style Char Kway Teow at around the Holiday Inn area for 2 years before he went back to Penang because of some taxation issues. Can anyone here confirm if this is true?
Anyway, Ah Leng's Char Kway Teow is different from Two Sister's because he uses Mantis Shrimp as well as the normal Sea Prawns in his dish. His plate of Char Kway Teow now costs RM 9.50 and is the most expensive around. But Penangites, I was told, do not mind spending more on food as long as it is good.
And it is no wonder that Ah Leng can sell his Char Kway Teow to at this price! This is the best plate of Char Kway Teow I have ever eaten. The Kway Teow had completely absorbed the flavour of the Sea Prawns and Mantis Shrimp so that every mouthful was like eating super umami Keropok flavoured Kway Teow. Ah Leng also uses Duck Egg in his Char Kway Teow which also adds to the richness of the dish. The complexity of flavours in each mouthful was something that I spent a good amount of time analyzing. 4.8/5
Conclusion
If Ah Leng's Char Kway Teow and Hillstreet Char Kway Teow were ever side by side, I have to say that I would choose to eat Ah Leng's Char Kway Teow!
Having said that, I don't think that it is very fair to compare Singapore Char Kway Teow to Penang Char Kway Teow because they are really quite different. So as they say, you are not really comparing apples to apples. First of all, Penang CKT does not have the sweet black sauce. Secondly, it does not include the yellow noodles and thirdly, a lot of the taste is derived from the prawns that they fry together with the CKT. There is a final difference which is not consistently found in all CKT stalls and that is the option of using Duck egg rather than chicken.
So ok, that's my take on Penang Char Kway Teow, do let us know what you think.
Ah Leng Char Kway Teow
Datuk Keramat Road
Closed on Thursdays
8.30am to 2pm
31 comments:
ooooo....2 days enough to follow your trail? :)
*faints*
The two sisters' version looked more enticing than Ah Leng~
I moved to Penang half a year ago and I still don't know where all the hot spots are. Thanks, Leslie! I've been waiting for this series for a long time!
Duck egg instead of chick egg for CKT? Was it too salty? Was the duck egg yolk in lumps or dispersed? Would appreciate your feedback.Thanks for a good write-up on CKT! And with humour (communist red cap)! Hahaha! xD
Well, yes, duck egg does seem more clumpy and the colour of the yolk is quite an intense orange. It tastes more gamey than chicken egg, more savoury and heavier. I liked it but Wahcow still preferred chicken egg. Ah Leng's addition of duck egg and mantis shrimp in his CKT definitely beats the rest hands down.
2 days is enough...if you did it like us.....8-10 difference stops on the last day from 8am to 3pm !!!
actually, both 2 sisters and ah leng already very good. i will be happy to eat both. Whats the biggest difference with Spore Char kway teow ? its in the prawns man....
btw...you should see how excited and happy ieat was......moohahahhah
Yes, 2 full days of uninterupted eating should be enough. Start at 7am and go non stop till 2am. Hahaha, have to pace!
Wah, 4.8 rating is like the highest ever! I'll be heading to Penang then.
Agree Ah Leng is one of the best. Did you manage to try the Lorong Selamat one? I am torn between Ah Leng and Lorong Selamat...though the Sisters is also quite good.
The CKT look yummy. Feel like going for a makan trip to Penang. Nice pics, ieat.
hmmm..the 2 sisters were at lorong selamat actually..they use to man a roadside stall there.. they were so good that they bought a building and set up shop !
was told that on lorong selamat that there were 2 char kway teowsss... 2 sisters and another guy. we saw him just a few stalls away from 2 sisters but didnt have time to try. The penange food experts also say he used to be better.....hmmmm ? anyone ?
Hmmm a bit confused because I read in another blog that Two sisters were different from Lorong Selamat CKT. Anyway gonna go visit red beret lady and Ah leng.
CKT Iron Chefs? Perhaps ieat can get in touch with MediaCorp to get them to organise a programme between Singapore and Penang Food Hawker Food Challenge!
Duck egg, not salted duck egg right? Anyway if they use duck egg, they better do it fully cooked! Otherwise you might get lao sai.
there are 2 CKTs in Lorong Selamat. One of them is very good...I don't remember the name. The cook is a lady...a bit food nazi type...big prawns. Lorong Selamat is not Sisters, which is in McAlister Road. The same coffee shop where Sisters are at also have power yam cake and very good kopi. But last time I was in Penang (though I grew up there) was 3 years ago...so if the hawkers moved recently...maybe confusion.
anomymous: duck egg is fresh duck egg. I once asked the CKT uncle at Margaret Drive why not use duck egg...he said he thinks it smells...but IMHO, it works well in Penang.
I still agree that "CKT from any stall in Penang is any time better than Singapore" lol, CKT in Singapore is sweet like a dessert =)
Ah...mystery solved...somewhat...Apparently there are more than one store called Sisters.
The one ieat went to is indeed in Lorong Selamat...this used to be a roadside store...nobody remembers the name, and I certainly don't remember it to be known as Two Sisters...but it is one of the best in Penang.
The other, which is also one of the best is Sisters at McAlister...the one I knew growing up. Featured here:
http://www.vkeong.com/2008/food-drink/sisters-char-koay-teow-lam-heng-cafe-mcalister-road/
There is another famous one in Kimberly Street...operating only in the evenings, I think, which my sister prefers.
In one of the trips I was in Penang, I made a degustation of CKTs...starting with Ah Leng, then Sisters, then Lorong Selamat. Fond memories of the taste...my heart is still suffering from the cholesterol...:-)
ciao.
My hubby is a Penangite and whenever we go back to Penang, we will head straight to the stall in Pulau Tikus market at night which is situation right behind Kedai Kopi (Sin Hua Coffee Shop). The guy cooking the CKT is actually the son of the lady from Sin Hua. He added sotong on top of the normal ingredients in his CKT.
P.S. Hubby say you might want to try his Fried Bee Hoon as well. (Trust him as he grow up opposite Sin Hua)
P. Chong is right, the famous two sisters are located at MacAlister Road. The auntie at Kafe Heng Huat is better known as the Goggle Lady. She used to operate a stall just a few shops away. Now a man has taken over her old stall and even copied her trade mark goggles. His CKT is different but is almost as good.
Thanks for the clarificationi. We shall call her Goggle lady then, because I certainly did not see two sisters there and often wonder why they call them so.
wow, ieat comes to malaysia, nice photos, i love the google lady's char kuey tiaw, missing all the good food in penang already
Hi,
I'm off to Penang for the first time,can anyone please suggest some good places to eat Names and addresses please.Reply to fishman@aapt.net.au Thanks.
Fishman, what you want to know is found in our forum plus all the blog posts on Penang food.
http://ieatishootipost.proboards50.com/index.cgi?board=foodtalk&action=display&thread=1054
perhaps i should have my say here....the ckt in sin hwa is actually way above the taste as compared to the ones in lorong selamat n ah leng...too bad...your problem is just that u went there at the wrong time....if i m not mistaken u were like the first few customer of the day....as usual....the first few plates of ckt is always not really up to the original standard....just ask anybody who fries ckt...not much people will have it on the first few plates...that is bcos the wok is not hot yet...so...explain to me how to have the 'wok hei'? next time...if there is a next time...try going in the evening...u will have the different taste...for penangites...having lavishly large prawns for ckt is not a must as it is too costly...n since u tourists are looking for lavishly large prawns to accompany ur ckt then u might as well just ask them to fry the 'liau' for u instead of ckt..this is just my opinion....
one more thing...PLEASE tell your fren that the person now frying ckt in sin hua is not...i repeat NOT the helper of the lady...he is actually the son of the original ckt fryer... the man who started the ckt business in this kopitiam...the lady...she is only the sister to that man....try getting to knoe some info better before u say something about other people...it is indeed an insult to that guy who is frying the ckt now...
RM9 per plate is very expensive for people living in penang...with the RM9...a lot of penangites can have their 3 meals for the day...mayb u were right...RM9 is equivalent to a plate of ckt in singapore...hehe..
to at least let u change your mind....two food courts in singapore under the genting casino project has approach this guy...they are asking him to go there and fry...furthermore...2 interviewers from the Discovery Channel Asia has approach him for an interview...mayb...this could change your impression...
thanks...n i have no means to offend u people here....this is just my peosonal opinion...
Ah, thanks for that info. I hope our Penang Blogger, CK Lam can also get to the bottom of this and set the records straight.
ah....good info jaslyn.....do you know if the old man is still frying ? or he has handed over everything to his son ?
this is abit off topic here, but all this talk about penang ckt has got my tummy desperate for a plate. any idea where in Singapore can we get a good plate of penang ckt?
I am Singaporean and have lived in Penang for 10+ years. Forget about looking for good Penang ckt in Singapore. Doesn't exist. And after eating the ckt here in Penang, I would never touch SIN ckt again. The sweet sauce is just awful. There is another ckt stall at a kopi tiam next to Lorong Pulau Tikus. Open only evenings. I think that one is pretty good too. And normal prices instead of the really exorbitant RM9 (by Penang standards).
Penang CKT is superb. Honestly prefer the version in penang then in Singapore.
The Sister's Char Koay Teow is at 185 Macalister Road. They have a huge banner in front of the coffee shop that states "The only one in Georgetown "No Branches"".
In the same coffee shop, there is a stall selling otak too. The otaks are not like what we have here. My KL friends love them and tapao a lot back to KL.
The Lor Selamat CKT stall has no stall name. They just have two signs -"Char Koay Teow" above and "Kafe Keng Huat" below. I like the CKT here the most out of the 3 I tried. The other two being Ah Leng (a very close 2nd) and New Lane.
Have you tried the CKT at L'Asia coffeeshop, near the roundabout to Penang Hill, Air Itam. very good too
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