Authentic Penang Koay Teow Soup @ Old Town, Petaling Jaya

Born and raised in Penang, I grew up eating and loving certain quintessential Penang hawker food. Koay teow th'ng (soup) is one of them. When I was growing up, the best koay teow th'ng was found at the Kuantan Road market. But the stall has since ceased to operate, and there isn't any other stalls in Penang or KL that could match its quality. Until a friend recommended the koay teow th'ng at Old Town, Petaling Jaya, that is.

What's so special about the Kuantan Road koay teow th'ng, or, the one at Old Town, PJ, for that matter?


For one, the soup is made from duck meat. Others used only chicken, and the taste isn't quite the same. This stall hires a lot of workers, as they are very busy. We've been there a few times since I got to know this place a few weeks ago, and almost every table would order at least one bowl of the noodles. Some tables saw 5 or 6 people slurping away at this delicious noodles.


Besides the koay teow soup, I've tried the popiah and prawn mee (on different occasions). Hubby and I would order a bowl of koay teow th'ng each, and shared another bowl of something else.

The popiah was not bad, but the koay teow th'ng was the star. On the occasion when I ordered the prawn mee, I did not have my camera with me, so no pics. That said, the best prawn mee is still in Taman Tun. (Best for me is defined as being comparable to the best ones in Penang.)

The coffeshop is located at the road facing KK Mart. It is usually very crowded, and to find a parking space at Old Town is like looking for a needle in a haystack. So be prepared to park very far and walk, or waste half an hour or more circling the block waiting for someone to leave so you could take over the vacated bay. Yes, it's a hassle, but it's worth it.

Mee Bakso & Assam Laksa @ Temerloh R&R

Normally, food at highway rest stops are barely edible, and we eat only enough to prevent extreme hunger before we reach our destination.


It was, therefore, a pleasant surprise to find some decent noodles at the Temerloh rest stop, on the KL to Kuantan side of the highway.


Hubby ordered mee bakso, a beef noodle dish with origins from Indonesia and slurped it all up. He said it's one of the better mee bakso he has had.

I ordered the assam laksa with some trepidation. I hate those with the thick broth and can't handle the ones that are sour, but although I was hungry, I didn't feel much like eating that morning....due to lack of sleep the previous night, I think. Anyway, it was a good choice. The soup is neither sour nor thick, and it perked me up for the rest of the journey.

The stall at Temerloh R&R

Penang Food

It has been said that the best food is found in Penang. As a person who was born in Penang, and who has tasted all types of food in almost all the different states in Malaysia, I feel qualified to say that the claim is a bit exaggerated. It would be more accurate to say that the best Penang hawker food is found in Penang, followed closely behind by Taiping.


That said, Penang remains one of my favourite local holiday destinations. (Will return to the subject of food later.) It is the ideal place to go to for a relaxing holiday. We always choose to stay at Tanjung Bungah hotels that have a beach-front and the route is serviced by Rapid Penang buses. 

Bus no. 101 is very frequent, once every 5 to 10 minutes while bus no. 103 is rather erratic. We took bus no. 101 to Batu Feringhi and Pulau Tikus, and bus no 103 to Kelawei Road, where we then walked to Gurney Drive. Depending on where we boarded the bus and our destination, the bus fare ranges from RM1.40 to RM2.00 per person, one way. 


Now, back to the subject of the post --- FOOD, what else?! 


Like anyone, I have my favourite haunts, and below are places that I like to go to again and again whenever I'm in Penang. And one of them is "Long Beach", the food court at Batu Ferringhi. Many Mat Sallehs eat here.

The lamb Calzone at the Northern Indian stall at Batu Ferringhi Food Court. It is really good, and is a must-try if you like lamb and mint sauce. Price: RM15. 

The  Ee Fu Mee at Batu Ferringhi Food Court used to be good, but on this trip, the quality has deteriorated. Price: RM5

This home-made fried spring roll is worth the long wait. It comes with a Worcestershire sauce mix. Price: RM3


We had our brunch at Kedai Kopi Swee Kong, opposite Pulau Tikus Balai Polis.

Hubby likes the fried koay teow whereas I prefer the Indian Mee Goreng.

Oyster Omelette at Sin Yin Nam Cafe, New Lane. The oysters are big and juicy, while the omelette is done just right, neither overcooked nor dry. It's not starchy, either. This shop has one of the better prawn mee and curry mee, but unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures. 

My favourite!! Real otak-otak, juicy, squishy, this type of fish mousse is available only in Penang. The Taman Tun Dr Ismail market in KL has an almost similar type of otak-otak, but it ranks a bit low compared to the ones in Penang. We always get one each from Song River Cafe, Gurney Drive.

Top Hat and Spring Roll from Gurney Drive. It looks better than it tastes. Not recommended.


We also discovered a new English cafe, Yorkshire Cafe, at Tanjung Bungah, near the Tanjung Bungah market, and along the same row of shoplots as Maxim and CIMB Bank. The cafe, owned by a Brit from Yorkshire (where else?!) just recently opened its doors for business two weeks before. 

It serves traditional English pub grub although the waitress didn't know that. She was telling us that some customers asked why they don't have soup, and she told them that soup is a Western dish and the English does not take soup. I had to tell her that her boss is dishing out pub food, though I don't know if she believed me.


The menu has all the traditional dishes like Ploughman's Lunch, Banger and Mash, Steak & Kidney Pie, Shepherd's Pie, Baked Beans on Toast, Apple Crumble and Trifle. It only serves Steak with Yorkshire Pudding on special festivals. They also didn't have Toad in the Hole, either, another traditional pub grub.

The Shepherd's Pie was a little burnt and dry, but the gravy more than made up for it.

Banger and Mash. The banger is a pork sausage. The onion gravy was authentically English. Yummy! However, according to hubby, the mashed potato is not as smooth as the ones I made at home. Well, I guess that's probably because I boiled the potatoes longer, or perhaps it's due to the butter and fresh milk I dumped in while mashing the potatoes up.


Another place that I always go to for breakfast is a corner coffee shop along the same row of shoplots as Yorkshire Cafe. It used to serve amazing dry wantan mee, but this trip, the quality has deteriorated. The man is no longer helped by his wife, and the sauce tasted different. The curry mee was still as good as ever, though.


There are more food that we ate than photos taken (it was quite hard to remember to fish the camera out before we stuffed the food into our big gap), and the result is.....we've put on weight, err, I mean, there's more of us to love. My resolution was to return to the gym every day to make it worth the monthly management fee we pay.....I've been back four days now, and have yet to go downstairs to the gym.....

Otak-Otak Place

If you don't already know, otak-otak is a Malaysian dish, a kind of fish mousse, made from fish meat and can be eaten on its own or with rice as an accompaniment. 


In Penang, the otak-otak is wrapped in pandan (screw pine  or pandanus) leaf and served steamed. In Muar and KL, it is wrapped in banana leaf and barbecued over a fire, like how satay is prepared.


That said, I've never come across an air-conditioned eatery that makes otak-otak its specialty. That is, until Otak-otak Place. I'm not sure how long they've been around, but they already have 5 outlets, and this is the first time I'm trying their food, at their first outlet in 1-Utama. It seems they are opened for franchise opportunities.


Their menu is extensive, with items like Fried Rice with Otak-otak, Fried Koay Teow with Otak-otak, Nasi Lemak Otak-otak, Otak-otak Burger....the list goes on. But when we took a closer look at the pictures and description on the menu, the fried rice, koay teow and nasi lemak had only a few slices of otak-otak on the side. They're not fried in otak-otak. At least, that's not the impression they gave.


Anyway, the reason I insisted that we tried Otak-otak Place was its Roti Jala Curry Chicken. The photo on the menu made me drool. Hubby said Roti Jala Curry Chicken is ordinary, something which we can eat everywhere. Well, I haven't been able to eat it everywhere since I haven't seen it everywhere, and I can't remember when was the last time I ate one. Years or decades ago? So good hubby acquiesced.

The 'ordinary' roti jala curry chicken that tastes.....well, ordinary. The curry is not that great, but I liked the roti jala. This dish was pre-prepared, and was served warmed. Price: RM7.90

The otak-otak roll. It's wrapped in popiah skin, and the otak-otak paste is mixed with shredded turnips, carrots and green pepper. It tastes wonderful dipped in the accompanying chilli sauce. I loved it! Price: 5.50

The Mee Rojak Mamak that hubby ordered for himself. He enjoyed it, giving two thumbs up for the dish. He said the ingredients were fresh, unlike some mee rojak mamak in Cyberjaya. Price: RM5.90

I had the Red Bean with Tong Yuen (rice flour balls). The tong yuen had ground peanuts and sesame seed paste fillings, one each. Nothing out of the ordinary. I like the tong yuen at Hong Kong Dessert better. Price: RM4.90 


Hubby ordered teh tarik, which came with a crunchy biscuit. I forgot to take a photo before it disappeared into hubby's belly, or is it bladder? Where do liquid go to? Sorry, I never paid much attention in biology class!  :D  The teh tarik was RM2.70.


Overall, I'd say it was not a bad experience for RM28.25. Would we go again? I'm not sure. Perhaps for the Otak-otak Roll......


P/s: Otak-otak is not plural for otak, even though that's how Malay grammar works (double the words for plural). Otak means brain in Malay. I'm not sure what brain and the fish mousse has in common....perhaps its soft and squishy texture? If anyone knows where the word is derived from, feel free to enlighten us.


Address:
Lot LG-311B
One Utama Shopping Mall
Tel: (03) 7727 4181

A Diary Entry of A Trip To Penang

Dear friends and readers,


The post below is meant as a diary entry for myself, to serve as a reference on where to stay, where and what to eat in Penang as I don't trust myself to remember these details when I next make a trip to the island again. And I do so want to go to those same places and eat those same things again.


As such, I have not taken care with the sentence structure, nor attempt to make it interesting. So, if you find it dull and boring to read, my sincerest apologies. This is merely a diary entry, and well, a diary entry is never terribly interesting to anyone else but its writer, is it?  :)


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Penang - 16th to 18th February 2010


We went to Penang on the third day of Chinese New Year.  The road was smooth from KL to Penang, but not so on the other side. Traffic was at a standstill jam for those travelling from the North to KL.


We stayed at Flamingo By The Beach, formerly known as Crown Prince. It's next to Sandy Bay Paradise at Tanjung Bungah. For those who love the beach and water sports, Flamingo is highly recommended. 


The water sports available there are:


1) Water jet ski - RM60 for 15 minutes
2) Paragliding - RM120 for 5 minutes


And the hotel facilities include a jacuzzi & spa besides the regular swimming pool. 

Hotel entrance at night

Hotel lobby

Hotel room with a balcony that looks out to the sea and hill

The pool 

The jacuzzi and pool bar

RapidTransit bus #101 stops right in front of the hotel, at 10 to 15 minutes' interval. It travels between Teluk Bahang and Jetty. A ride from the hotel to Batu Ferringhi is RM1.40 per pax. The last bus back to the hotel leaves at 11:15pm from Teluk Bahang.


Batu Ferringhi Food Court
We enjoyed the hokkien mee (Penang Prawn Mee), Ee Fu Mee, grilled fish and home-made spring rolls (it's served fried with a dipping sauce). Opens at night.


Song River, Gurney Drive
Not to be missed is the otak-otak, fried oysters and chee cheong fun. The fried koay teow is not too bad either. Opens at night.


A coffee shop @ Pulau Tikus (directly opposite the police station, next to Kedai Kopi Kwai Lock)
The mee goreng and fried koay teow is excellent. Hubby ordered the assam laksa which he enjoyed as it was not too sour. And the coffee, in hubby's opinion, is excellent. I ordered some strange drink which I don't remember its name or its taste. I called it "The Forgettable Drink". Opens for breakfast & lunch.


Another coffee shop @ Pulau Tikus (behind Kedai Kopi Kwai Lock)
The curry mee here is one of the best I've ever tasted. The mee goreng is horrid, one of the worst I've ever had. Opens for breakfast & lunch.


Coffee shop @ Tanjung Bungah (behind CIMB Bank & Maxim's, next to the market)
We've never failed to return to this nondescript little coffee shop each time we're in Penang for its wantan mee (dry version) and curry mee. It's probably one of the few remaining places in Penang where a plate or bowl of noodles is RM2.50.


What we'd like to try, but never succeeded, is their hokkien mee. It's always sold out when we're there. I'm sure it must be very good, as people just queue up to order it. Opens only for breakfast.

Ipoh Hor Fun At Jalan Tong Shin Is Relocating

The Ipoh Hor Fun (Koay Teow Soup Ipoh style) at the corner of Jalan Tong Shin - Tingkat Tong Shin junction will be relocating to Restaurant Pau Kee, No. 10, Jalan Utara, off Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur end of June.

Last Sunday, we went to this shop for lunch. Despite the myriad of Ipoh Hor Fun stalls sprouting up all over KL, this shop remains our favourite and serves the most authentic Ipoh Hor Fun, complete with a bit of red chilli oil in the soup. 

According to the proprietor, the coffee shop will be turned into a travel agency in July. They will be moving to Imbi, behind the Honda Showroom, come end of next month. 

View Ipoh Hor Fun in a larger map

I hope the new location will have better parking facilities.