Al Fresco Hawker Area @ Lengkok Burma, Penang

Dad described this Lengkok Burma hawker area as "eating under the coconut tree". Intrigued, we had to go check it out.

It was indeed, al fresco dining, hawker style. Protected by big shady trees as well as a mini coconut grove, we soon got down to business.


From this elderly couple, we ordered char koey teow.

Hubby said it was the most complete char koey teow (RM3.00) we have had in Penang so far, in terms of ingredients. I would have preferred it to be more salty and "wok hei", but overall, it was pretty good, replete with all the stuff you would expect in a balanced char koey teow...chives, bean sprouts, cockles, large prawns, lots of eggs.

I had to have the Penang chee cheong fun, of course (RM1.60 small, RM2.40 large). Could have used more sauce! I love the "smelly" shrimp paste sauce.


3-bams for the morning al fresco dining in cool surroundings.

New World Park Hawker Centre, Swatow Lane, Penang

Dad, hubby and I went to Swatow Lane to feast. With its large array of stalls, this is absolutely the best place to try a melange of Penang cuisine.

Hubby had to try the yam cake (RM2.00) which teemed with dried prawns and deep fried onion bits.

My eternal favourite, the "smelly", sticky, sweet Penang chee cheong fun (RM1.80 for small) swimming in shrimp sauce. Lovely stuff, which hubby totally avoids.


Lor bak (RM6.50) which is more suited to hubby's palate. I personally liked the deep fried tofu.


Dad had to have his fix of crispy cucur udang (RM3.00) which came with a big bowl of peanut sauce. Dad was really into this dish.

Nyonya food always attracts me, so we had to try the otak otak (RM2.00) which was spicy and piquant with daun gado leaves. Thumbs up!

O'chien (RM5.00) aka oyster omelette, another obsession of mine. The big juicy oysters made this dish worth every penny.

Fried koey teow (RM3.50), another perennial favourite of hubby and me. Good stuff!

Dad ordered this fruit named Lok Lok Thor (RM2.00) which he said can be found only in Penang. Its texture is somewhat similar to pink jambu, but its taste is really unique. Biting into it, I tasted an infusion of juices with a jasmine fragrance. Almost like eating fruit sprayed with jasmine-scented perfume. Really refreshing, and a first for me.

Dad had this huge bowl of ice kacang with fruits, topped with a dollop of ice cream (RM3.80).

I had ice kacang with generous slices of sweet, sunny mangoes (RM3.00). Excellent!

We love Swatow Lane!

Here's a map to this hawker centre.

A high 4-bam.

Sin Yin Nam Cafe, New Lane, off McAllister Road, Georgetown, Penang

Our first post on New Lane can be found here.

Back to our favourite hawker place in Penang, this char koey teow topped with bits of crab meat (RM5.00) was excellent....smoky and really tasty.

This is hubby's brother's favourite stall, chee cheong chuk (pork intestine porridge), with crispy deep fried intestines hanging in all their glory.

The porridge itself (RM 5.00) had bits of crispy salty intestines bits which hubby and his bro seemed to rave over....for me, it tasted ok, sort of like dried squid, but I guess eating intestines is a psychological barrier I have yet to cross completely.

A 3-bams!

Char Koey Teow @ Restoran Hans, Greenlane, Penang

Duck egg fried koey teow (RM4.00), this place was recommended by our late Uncle CM to hubby's mom a while back. We've been there a couple of times, and the dish is pretty good, if a tad oily.

Hans Restaurant is located along Batu Lanchang road in Greenlane., on the same row as the RHB bank and slightly opposite from the Lam Wah Ee hospital.

I'd say 3-bams.

Koey Teow Ganja @ Jalan Mahsuri, Bayan Baru, Penang

Hubby's bro has been talking about this place and we finally checked it out.

Located at the intersection of Jalan Mahsuri and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, the stall (with no name) is located behind some flats, facing the main highway.

The cooks were a grouchy serious bunch, army men, methinks.

Luckily, there was a friendly cat to lighten the atmosphere.

They had big tubs of pickled green chillies on each table.

The koey teow ganja (I think it was RM3.50) was essentially a wet version of char koey teow. Servings were small, but they were generous with the prawns. It was pretty tasty, spicy and good, though I wouldn't quite call it addictive, just yet.

Location: Jalan Mahsuri, Bayan Baru, Penang.

Sunshine Square is 100 metres in front of you on the left, the stall is on your right, in front of some flats. It's at the intersection of Jalan Mahsuri and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah.

I'd say a 3-bam.

Hawker Food @ New Lane, off McAllister Road, Georgetown, Penang

New Lane is a usual haunt for us, when in Penang. I've got fond memories of New Lane; when I was young, my grandma and I used to walk here to grab a bite. She stayed a few blocks away from this place, on Irving Road, and I was the naughty toddler who tagged along everywhere she went. She's gone now, but visiting this place always reminds me of her.

It was Chinese New Year season and it seemed like everyone from all over the country had decided to meet in Penang. We ordered char koey teow from this stall.

It came (RM4.00) and while it looked good, it tasted rather bland. In fact, it didn't taste at all like the char koey teow we know. Disappointing.

Another must-have while we are here is the "oh chien" or fried oyster omelette. (Prices are RM8.00, RM10.00, RM13.00, RM16.00 depending on serving size).

Large, succulent oysters abound, and the egg mixture wasn't too starchy (RM8.00). Just right!

The BBQ chicken wings were good, but we've had better in Jalan Alor. Forgot to note down the price.

The apom man busy at work.
At RM2.00 for 5 pieces, I ordered the original (white) ones with bananas in them. You can also choose apom made with a green-coloured pandan batter. Grandma used to treat me with apoms, hence it's another firm childhood favourite.

New Lane is a food heaven, and definitely rates a 4-bam in my list of favourite places to eat in Penang.

Kedai Kopi Sin Hwa, Jalan Burmah, Pulau Tikus, Penang

Kedai Kopi Sin Hwa has got to be my favourite duck egg char koey teow place in Penang (so far).

They've even got 2 persons frying concurrently to meet the high demand.

It was Chinese New Year and of course, the prices went up. All four of us ordered char koey teow with duck egg (RM4.50/plate).

Ok it looks plain but it was super "wok hei", burnt around the edges and tasting really fried and yet not overly dry. The duck egg just tied everything together, perfect to the last bite!
There is also a stall in Sin Hwa that sells laksa asam and laksa lemak (normal RM3.00, large RM4.00).

We ordered a bowl of laksa lemak (RM3.00). It was good, not spectacular, but definitely good. Could have been a tad creamier, but it does have the essential Siamese laksa taste.





Kedai Kopi Sin Hwa (opposite the Pulau Tikus Police Station)
329, Jalan Burmah,
10350 Pulau Tikus, Penang.
Business hours: 10.30am-5.00pm (closed on Thursdays)



The char koey teow here is a 4-bam, no doubt about it!

Ah Leng Char Koey Teow @ Kimberley Street, Georgetown, Penang

We had a late lunch on our first day in Penang last Chinese New Year.

It had to be char koey teow, of course. We drove around and found Ah Leng Char Koey Teow stall still opened for business in a food court in Kimberly Street.

We had a plate each, and since it was the festive season, Ah Leng (apologetically) charged a cool RM5.00/plate. It came without any chives, but it was super tasty nonetheless.



I'd give this char koey teow a high 3-bams++.

Char Koey Teow @ Peace Hotel, Taiping, Perak

So I've been bugging hubby about eating at Peace Hotel (Restaurant), they serve really great roast duck & fried pork here. We did go, but it was late in the afternoon, and the duck rice stall had closed by then. And so, we settled for char koey teow.

The old uncle who does the cooking.

We ordered a fried koey teow-bihun combo (I think it cost RM2-something). Cheap! It was done in the Taiping style which was wetter than the Penang style. Still good, though nothing really compares to Penang Char Koey Teow.


Peace Hotel (Restaurant)
34000 Taiping, Perak.
Tel: 05-8082171




A 3-bam!

Lai Foong Restaurant, Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, Kuala Lumpur

Hubby's mom and dad used to patronise this shop long ago, when they were courting. So we took her and bro-in-law back here the other day, to try the beef noodle soup that her hubby used to eat.

They all had the beef noodles soup (RM4.50), complete with stomach and beef balls. The beef fillets were tender and the beefy taste was masked by a strong peppery taste. The broth was rich, yet not overpowering. This rates as one of the better beef noodle soup in town.



I had the fried kuey teow-mee (RM4.50), which was excellent. It came with plenty of cockles and lap cheong, it was dry (as opposed to soggy) and tasty, pretty close to what you would get in Penang.

Lai Foong is a corner shoplot located between Central Market and Kotaraya, which is also conveniently near Petaling Street.

Lai Foong Restaurant

138, Jalan Tun HS Lee,

Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03 2072 8123

The food here is good value for money, 3-bams!