Ah Hor Koay Teow Th'ng @ Carnavon Street 阿虎粿條湯

粿條湯 or Koay Teow Soup - one of the most under stated hawker food of Penang which is often over-shadowed by other more popular dish such as Char Koay Teow or Asam Laksa. This dish provides an alternative to those who can't take spicy food. It is equally delicious in its own way.

It's at Carnavon Street again but this time it's about Koay Teow soup which is so famous in this part of town that at least 2 stalls are selling the same dish. Now that is competition!

We tried the one facing the main street as we could see many people lined up just to get a table. I thought it must be real good to command such a crowd. Again parking is a headache but somehow it was my lucky day that there was one spot not so far away from the stall. Finding a parking space in Penang is like hunting, you got to be quick before your prey gets away!

  

The name of this modest stall is called 阿虎粿條湯 and I guess 阿虎 must be the name of the boss/chef behind the stall. His Indonesian helper stood next to him could speak fluent Hokkien and that really impressed me.

We were told to take a seat first and she would come and take our orders when she was available. Soon we had our orders taken, waited not too long fortunately as it was around 10am when most people were working in the office.

The picture above was what we ordered, a simple Koay Teow Th'ng with pork livers, fish balls, shredded duck and garnished with spring onion. The soup was sparkling with droplets of oil that made it looked ever more appetizing. RM4.00 per bowl and I believe it is value for money, no complain.

Oh Chien at Carnavon Street

Fried Oyster Omelette (Oh Chien) @ Seng Thor Kopitiam

Wanton Mee @ Seng Thor Kopitiam

When I posted these two pictures on Facebook recently, my friend instantly commented that they are from Carnavon Street. He recognized mainly because of the first picture which is the fried oyster omelette or Oh Chien which this place is renowned for.

We were trying our luck that day due to difficulties finding a parking spot right in the heart of George Town but to our delight we managed to find one right in front of the coffee shop. We parked where we could see our car just in case the 'Mata' came and gave us lottery ticket as our spot was not actually a parking lot.

Anyway, we went in and ordered the Wanton Mee first as I have had it before many years ago and knew that it was good. With the mixture of steamed and deep fried wanton, this dish did not disappoint me and I soon found myself polished the entire plate with my tongue instantly. 

Those who are no stranger to Penang hawker food know that the dish comes in small portion. I was looking at the Oh Chien stall while having my noodle just then and was reluctant to make my order due to the seemingly long queue. I soon couldn't resist the temptation of the famous Oh Chien and ordered one plate after all. Have to wait a while due to its popularity but it came eventually.

The oyster and egg fused together to create this beautiful golden mixture which would made one drools just by staring at it. I gently picked up one piece and slowly moved it into my mouth and my god, it tasted heavenly! The combination of crispiness of the batter with the juiciness of the oyster was simply irresistible. 

These two dishes can summarize what Penang is all about: simple, delicious and money well spent. The downside was I got sore throat after the Oh Chien and have to suffer for the next three days miserably without any hawker food indulgence.

Seng Thor Kopitiam is located at the corner of Carnavon and Kimberley Street, Penang.

CF Foodcourt - 7th Day of Chinese New Year

One of the scene that I can never experience in Perth is the vibrancy of the city after sunset. So I always try to take in this atmosphere as much as I could whenever I am back in Penang.

Penang comes to life after dark where some of the streets in the city will be converted into makeshift hawker centres the locals would go to have a snack or two. We went to CF Foodcourt at Weld Quay on the 7th day of Chinese New Year 2015 (年初七) for dinner because I knew that it is going to be full of people and lots of delicious food to choose from. You could taste great food and feel the energy of the city at the same time. And to my surprise there was a live performance on that day which made the whole evening even more meaningful.

The crowd was impressive at CF Foodcourt.

Live performance - a bonus.

Hawker centres and foodcourts are the kind of place where people from all walks of life would unwind and gather in the evening either with families or friends. It is our public place to socialize with others. It is a place with no restriction to race, social status, gender or age. How much more democratic could it be? And it is definitely very affordable to most people. You don't have to fork out a fortune to have an enjoyable evening. I guess that is the most unique and attractive aspect of dining out in Penang.

Dry Fish Head Bee Hoon

Fish Head Bee Hoon Soup

Tom Yam Bee Hoon

This is the stall where we ordered from - check them out!

Despite the exodus of talents out of the country in recent years due to our current volatile political situation, Penang somehow still manages to retain its charm and it has never been more obvious than during the Chinese New Year period when the entire state is in celebration mood. In fact we could also say that it is because of so many people are now living outside the country and the one thing that they look forward to every year is to be able to go back to their hometown to be with their family. That is why the population of Penang balloons up multiple times during Chinese New Year because of people coming back from all corners of the world. There is nothing more wonderful than being able to hear Penang Hokkien spoken by everyone around me whenever I'm back.

It is the simplistic and easy going lifestyle of Penang which has continuously attracting people from all over the world to now stay long term on this magnificent island. I'll always be proud that Penang is my home.