Penang Food Trail 5: Penang Vs Singapore Part 2

OK, the current score is Singapore 2, Penang 1. We are going to compare three more dishes in this post. The first one is the Char Siew and Sio Bak. When it comes to Char Siew, there is one undisputed champion of Char Siew and Sio Bak in Penang and that is the one at Sky restaurant. I was told by our resident food blogger, CK Lam that they start selling their Char Siew at around 11.30am and it gets sold out by around 2pm.

The thing about Malaysia is that the people aren't as health conscious as Singaporeans, so they don't bat an eye about eating strips of belly pork that has been BBQed to a crisp with lots of charred bits. If you are expecting juicy Char Siew then you will be dissappointed because eating the Char Siew here is like eating Bak Kwa. It's really very tasty but I think I still prefer a Char Siew which is juicy and tender on the inside. But if you are in Penang, this is definitely one of the stalls to visit. 4.25/5



The Sio Bak on the other hand is very similar to Singapore and is very good. As good as my current favourite which is Fatty Cheong's at ABC brickworks. 4.5/5


Sky Restaurant along Chulia Street

Ok, I think this one has got to be a draw, so it's Penang 2, Singapore 3.



You know how they always have the Penang Hawkers fair at York Hotel every year where Hawkers from Penang and flown to Singapore to demonstrate their skills? Well, this particular hawker that operates this Lor Bak stall is one of those who make the pilgrimage every year. In case you don't know, Lor Bak is what the Penangites call our Ngoh Hiang and refers to a variety of deep fried items which are eaten with a chilli and sweet sauce dip.



I don't think that the Penangites have commercialized their Lor Bak manufacturing just yet, so many of the the hawkers here still make their own items. I might be wrong since we only went to eat at the most famous stalls. Once again, all their items which feature their prawns are really good. Their prawns are really tasty and when fried together in a fritter, it just tastes like Keropok! 4.5/5

I think their Lor Bak wins our Ngor Hiang so its Penang 3, Singapore 3.



The last item on our list is the Chicken Rice. This Chicken Rice Stall just happens to be in the same coffeeshop as the Loh Bak stall, so it is one coffeeshop that you might like to visit in Penang. The Chicken Rice here is very well known around Penang.



The Chicken here definitely beats the ones we have in Singapore. I think somehow they have better supply of free range chicken, so the chicken really has that extra chickeny flavour. However the rice here was rather dissappointing. I think Singaporeans are spoilt by having quality Jasmine Rice in most of our dishes. Over in Penang, they still use rice which is very light and lacks a good gummy bite. So overall, their Chicken is better than ours, but our rice is better than theirs. 4.25/5


Penang Lorbak & Hainan Chicken Rice at Kheng Pin Coffee Shop along
Penang /Sri Bahari Road - near to Cititel Hotel

Conclusion

OK, so the final score is Penang 4, Singapore 4.

You might have guess that I purposely chose these stalls so that I can make it a draw between Penang and Singapore and you are absolutely right. I could have easily "Kelonged" it so that one side wins.

But the point I am making is this. Many people might say that Penang food beats Singapore's hands down, others might say that Penang food is overrated. Both are correct depending on what they managed to try. So the conclusion is this: Penang is a food paradize and so is Singapore. Isn't it wonderful that there is so much great stuff just waiting for you to try?

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Update on Lao Zhong Zhong

Just a quick update on Lao Zhong Zhong's new location.

I was there last week. Maybe it is just psychological, but I felt that it wasn't as awesome as when they were back in the old place. I think psychologically I am programmed to think that food served from an old coffeeshop tend to taste nicer then food from a modern food court.

Anyway the Ngor Hiang was still quite good and definitely better than the commonly available factory manufactured variety. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Even though not as awesome, they still remain in my list of places to visit for my Ngor Hiang fix.

Link to previous article

Lao Zhong Zhong
Lao Zhong Zhong Eating House
Cnr Tai Thong Crescent and Siang Kuang Ave
11.30am to 11.30pm
Closed Alternate Mondays

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93 Wu Xiang: Handmade Teochew Wu Xiang

With smart and bashful hunter


It is increasingly hard to find people making their own Ngor Hiang nowadays. With the advent of the commercially available Ngor Hiang, most stallowners have opted to be Ngor Hiang Traders rather than Ngor Hiang Chefs. So when I find passionate hawkers who still endeavor to make their own Ngor Hiang, I usually like to give them a try and blog them so that their efforts are recognized. (Of course, the Ngor Hiang has to be nice as well!)

If it is hard to find handmade Ngor Hiang, it is harder to find handmade Teochew Ngor Hiang! Even the commercial ones are Hokkien Style.



The thing that struck me about the Ngor Hiang is that it is not as spiced up as the usual Ngor Hiang. So for me, it did not have the kick of a spicy full flavoured Pork Ngor Hiang roll, but both of my kakis liked it because they like the freshness of the taste. 4/5 There were a couple of items that you don't find elsewhere ie the chef's own inventions. One that is worth mentioning is the tofu egg fritters (pic above). It was refreshing to have a Ngoh Hiang that was silky soft on the inside, something quite novel for me. 4/5

Conclusion

Handmade Teochew Ngor Hiang is not that common so it's well worth a try.

Update:  18 Sep 2008

The Hawker Centre is closed for renovation which will take around 1 year.  Thanks to Lorenz for the update.

93 Wu Xiang Xia Bin
Blk 93 Toa Payoh Lor 4 Food Centre
#01-202
12pm to 9pm daily
Closed on Thursdays

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Freshly Made Chee Cheong Fun: The Secret Weapon for Finicky Kids!

Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun $2 each

My five year old daughter is really picky about food and often would take an hour just to finish a meal (if she even finishes it!). But when she took her first bite of this Chee Cheong Fun, she couldn't stop eating it and I had to go back to buy an extra one just for her! Are there any parents out there who are reading this?

The reason she likes it so much is that the Chee Cheong Fun is really soft, smooth and slippery. That's because it is made on the spot. The sauce that goes with the Chee Cheong Fun is the type that you get when you go for Dim Sum. Ok, belay that, the Chee Cheong Fun IS the type that you get at Dim Sum Restaurants -- only better. It doesn't get fresher than having your face steamed by the very steam that steamed your Chee Cheong Fun.



Ok, I admit it. I had to buy my daughter some more Chee Cheong Fun because Daddy liked it so much that Daddy had finished it before she had enough. I am so enamored with freshly made Chee Cheong Fun that I don't think I would ever be satisfied with the usual pre-made ones anymore! Aside from the superly duperly soft-as-silk Chee Cheong Fun, I also found the Char Siew to be very good. Gimme two Char Siew Cheong and I am a very happy man! (Oh and two more for my little girl....and two more for my boy) 4.5/5


Hae Chor and Sui Gao $4

Besides the Chee Cheong Fun, the other item that you should try is the Hae Chor. It's handmade and contains lots of crunchy water chestnuts and they are freshly friend to order. Bit on the small side but it packs quite a crunch! 4.25/5

Conclusion

Definitely one of the best Char Siew Cheong Fun and great value for money too! From my daughter's point of view it would probably have rated close to a 5!


Freshly Made Chee Cheong Fun
Old Airport Road Food Centre
#01-155
8am to 10pm daily

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Hup Kee Ngor Hiang Homemade Hokkien Style NH Maxwell Food Centre Part 7 of 8

With smart, SurprisePocket, jezzz and iwatch_ueat


Nowadays I am getting real spoilt. After having tasted homemade Ngor Hiang, I refuse to waste any more of my precious calories on factory made ones. Hey Ngor Hiang is made of pork fat, liver, eggs, msg, salt and all the other good stuff which can, unfortunately, clog your arteries. Surely, you don't want to clog your arteries with lousy Ngor Hiang, right?



Now this is one special Ngor Hiang. First time I have seen one that is red in color on the inside. Really tasty but a tad small. 4/5 The pink sausages were also hand made and they taste much better then the normal factory ones. The soft pink stuff was really tasty and the pork was shiok, one of the best I've tasted. 4.5/5



I don't usually go for liver, but this one was highly recommended by the forummers. It was actually quite good! The liver did not have too strong a livery taste and there was nice Koo Chai in it. 4/5

We also tried the egg slice which was decent but nothing to rave about. 3.5/5

Conclusion

A very good Hokkien type Ngor Hiang with a serious chilli sauce to boot.

Hup Kee Wu Siang Guan Chang
AKA China Sreet Ngor Hiang
Maxwell Food Centre
Stall 97 (Facing the road)
12pm to 8pm
Closed Mondays






Update 26 Nov 2006: Went there with my family to try again. This time round I wasn't quite impressed with the Ngor Hiang and found the sweet sauce a bit bland! So I have revised the ratings downwards from 4.5 to 4 for the Ngor Hiang.

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Lao Zhong Zhong Ngo Hiang - Classic Teochew Style Prawn Fritters - Jackson Centre Part 1 of 4

Discovering Lao Zhong Zhong is almost like opening your "O" level results slip and finding out your got straight A's when you only got 3 A's in your prelims!! Those of you who don't like to hear me rave better stop reading because this is one place you MUST visit if you call yourself a true foodie!

OK, so I am a Teochew Sua Gu from Swatow (Teochew Ignoramus from Swatow Province in China). This Teochew Ngo Hiang stall has been in existence since the current owner was only 11 years old. (He's almost 60 now) Started by Mr Tan's father, this stall IS already very famous! I mean, they got a newspaper cutting dating back to 1986 by Margaret Chan already declaring them to be the best Teochew Ngo Hiang in town! What have my parents been depriving me all these years?



After the dissappointing Ngo Hiang at Lavender FC where all the stuff was bought from the supplier, I was really elated to find some Teochew Ah Chiks and Ah Sohs (Uncles and Aunties) busily wrapping Ngo Hiang at Lao Zhong Zhong. Now there are times when being Hou Lian (Proud) and Ngerng (Stubborn) can be an asset and this is definitely one of those times. All the Teochew eateries that I have sampled so far have revealed a common personality trait among the famous Teochew food sellers. They are all Hou Lian and Ngerng when it comes to their food. They just feel that it is their God given duty to produce quality food for their customers. Click here to read about the other Teochew eateries.

One of the reasons that that Mr Tan has refused to buy from suppliers is, aside from the poorer quality, the fact that most of the Ngo Hiang that you eat is the Hokkien style Ngo Hiang.(No proper Teochew Ah Chik would want to sell Hokkien Ngo Hiang, OK?) "What's the difference?" I hear you ask. Plenty. First we Teochews tend to use lots of waterchestnuts in our cooking. So they add liberal quantities of waterchestnuts in their prawn rolls and waterchestnut slices. We Teochews also love Yam (Or Nee is Teochew) so they add yam into their Pork Rolls. (The last time I had yam laden pork rolls was in Bangkok where there is a huge Teochew community) The chilli is not overly spicy and is made of sweet plum sauce, sesame oil, black vinegar and peanuts. I don't usually like the chilli, preferring the sweet sauce. BUT this one is really Phwaaa Sayah! (Unexpressibly delicious)



Of the 10 odd items, only the Tau Hoo is bought from the supplier. They even make their own Pork Sausages from pork thigh meat. The crispy prawn fritter is so light and crispy that it just melts in your mouth after the first bite! Dipped into the sweet, spicy and tangy chilli.....



This Heh Chor (Prawn Roll) is definitely the World's 2nd Best (World best dunno where). Full of crunchy and sweet waterchestnuts, if you are feeling a little depressed, just eat 2 of these and guarantee you feel better. The Ngo Hiang (Meat Roll) is pork mixed with yam and has that subtle sweet flavour mixed in with the savoury pork and five spices. Phwaa Say! They are also famous for their Lo Mei Squid, though I did not know how to appreciate them.


Another item you just have to save up calories for is this Waterchestnut slice. It is made of egg, flour, waterchestnut and pork lard. Not for those with cholesterol problems (Maybe you should take some Xenical with this meal yah?) But one bite of this and all your troubles seem so far away! MUST TRY! This statement concerning Xenical is meant for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. You should consult your own family doctor before taking any medications. Please read the disclaimer on the side of the blog.



Conclusion

What are you waiting for? The Jackson Centre will be closed in June 2007 and demolished to make way for a new tunnel so you better be quick or you'll miss out on real Teochew style Ngo Hiang.

4.75/5 No need to say anymore.

Lao Zhong Zhong Five Spice Stall
Jackson Centre Kopitiam (Corner facing the PIE flyover)
Opened 11.30am to 11.30pm
Closed alternate Mondays

PS: I have already given them instructions to inform me when they confirm their new stall location. So please check back next year for updates.

Update 9 Mar 2008

The stall has moved to occupy the coffeeshop opposite Hoe Nam Prawn Noodles.

Lao Zhong Zhong
Lao Zhong Zhong Eating House
Cnr Tai Thong Crescent and Siang Kiang Ave
11.30am to 11.30pm
Closed Alternate Mondays

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Song Huat Prawn Cracker - Lavender FC

What is so special about this Ngo Hiang? That's what I asked the man at the stall. "Nothing" He said. "What's the most special item here?" I asked. "Pei Dan" (Century Egg), he answered. How can century egg be special? You just buy it cut it up and serve it. So why did the makankakis at the forum recommend this store?



Well, the short answer is, they didn't!! I made a mistake! It was the Ngo Hiang Stall at the Jackson Food Centre that was famous. Only found out when I got back. Anyway, I asked him, "You make any of the Ngo Hiang?", "No, we buy it from supplier" he said. Haiyah, as you read the rest of my visit to Lavender FC, you will realise that most of the hawkers nowadays are more like traders. Very few actually make their own stuff anymore!



So what can I rave about? Well, the sweet sauce is quite nice. It is very different from the other sweet sauces I have tasted. Made from eggs, crystal sugar, and BRIGHT PINK colouring, this one has a strong pandan flavour, giving it a nice flowery fragrance. Actually the Ngo Hiam wasn't bad. Freshly deep fried, it was actually quite standard. Combined with this BRIGHT PINK sauce it was actually quite commendable!





Conclusion

Good Ngo Hiang, as good as most other Ngo Hiang in other FC (all from the same supplier what), but I do like the sweet sauce here which they make themselves. The chilli sauce is hot hot, so it should appeal to those with leather tongues.

3.5/5

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