Food: Italian Cuisine
Type: Non-Halal
Price: depends on what you order
Shop Name: Ecco Cafe
Chef Owner: LAW Soo HockContact: 012 445 9700 / 04 262 3178
Address: 402, Chulia Street 10200 Penang
Shop Operation: 1130 - 1430, 1830 - 2230 (except closed Monday lunch and all day Sunday)
Parking convenience: Fair
Hygiene: Good
Direction:
If you come from Cintra Street, try best to look for parking space. At the end of Cintra Street junction with Chulia Street. Check out 10-o-clock direction when you stand at exactly Sin Kwan Hwa Coffee Shop in my previous post.
If you come from Jetty area, take Chulia Street direction. After you pass by 7-Eleven convenient store on your right, about 100m, you will see the Famous Goh Thew Chik Hainan Chicken Rice on your right. Another 30-50m distant, when you notice Sin Kwan Hwa Coffee Shop on your left, look for parking space nearby. Ecco Cafe is at 2-o-clock when you stop by in front of.
Norah Jones's fanI visited twice for this shop, first time didn't bring camera. Psss... wife didn't allow :-P Second time, hunted alone at late lunch. Twice I visited, I heard Norah Jones's Don't Know Why. What I can link to this song - Don't know why I come - probably because of the Chicken Pot Pie! :-)
When modern meets old
Without coffee, I feel terrible - lazy afternoon... *yawning* (pass you some zzzZZZzzz :-P)
Very Simple Menu - you imagine your order please!
The waiter is a bit lansi cool when I intend to further capture photo of kitchen's interior design. Probably I overstep the borderline - thus not allowed to capture.
Fresh Ground Coffee that hold my tongue
"Knock! Knock! Wake up," Coffee said.
After took my order, fresh ground coffee served in a very short while (RM5). Even via machine brew, the coffee fragrant smell already made me high and awake. While waiting, I captured the items surrounded and finished the coffee before even served with Chicken Pot Pie.
Chicken Pot Pie (RM16)
It does serve smaller portion than I expected but taste really good. I'm drooled to think about its creamy sauce with chicken cubes, carrots, peas and potatoes. The pie-crust cover taste like our local roti canai. Comes with side salad and 2 pieces of bread sticks.
Chicken Pot Pie in naked style
Be careful of your tongue when you take the creamy sauce. It's very hot after baked from oven. I took the bread stick to rinse in the creamy sauce (though not much like soup) for 3 seconds, then bite and taste... full of sensation to taste the half-crispy bread stick with creamy sauce!
My favourite side salad
While having half way to clear your chicken pot pie, don't finish up your side salad too early. At least, the salad acts as a refresher to your taste buds after the heavy taste of creamy sauce :-)
I will revisit to hunt for thin crush handmade pizza soon!
Type: Halal
Location: If you read my previous post on Pantai Jerjak pancake - it's further down the road only
Price: RM2.20 | with egg - RM2.70 | Add "sotong" - RM3.50
Contact: Mr. Backer - 016 482 1800
Stall Operation: 0830 - 1830
Parking convenience: Fair (before banking hour)
Hygiene: Fair
Direction:
If you come from Sungai Nibong bus station via Sg Dua (bus station should be on your left), at the cross junction traffic light, go straight. Along the road, you will pass by residential area and you will see a Thai restaurant on your right. Then you will see another terrace of shop lots on your left with open field, check out the Public Bank and get ready to turn left before the bridge. Turn left again - pass by Public Bank (on your right now). Go further down and look for Backer's stall on your left.
Not from MU
His name is Mr. Backer, not Mr. Beckham. He is from Malaysia, not UK, nor MU team. Don't day-dream please! He is an Indian muslim. When I show doubtful eyes - he immediately show his Identification Card (IC) - not making joke - his name is Backer printed there.
Ingredients
Stock
18 years of selling experiences, his mee goreng is unique in his way. Frankly - first time when my wife packed from his stall - the taste experience was bad! When I decided to hunt this down - I give another chance to myself, not him! The taste experience is totally different. I hardly conclude subjectively - you must agree with me.
Dry plus wet
Normally if I order fried noodles, I highlight to fried more dry, of course not until the noodles over-fried until without springy bite. Having mee goreng without chilly just like walking down the street nakedly, strictly to my point of view only. If you don't think in that way - don't argue please. Accept as if you wish to read on :-)
(Before)
(After)
The special thing about this mee goreng - Mr. Backer will check with you whether you wish to add little bit of Pasembur's sauce or not. Take note - this is not mee rebus sauce. Totally different sauce at all. Mr. Backer suggested to put the sauce in another half of the noodles, then you will find the sensation of dry and wet.
The mee goreng mixes with spicy sauce and pasembur sauce generate another unique taste sensation. I like that. Try to add in the pasembur "keropok udang" (fried shrimp cake), beside your head "tink-tink" with sensation - your teeth is actually having happy moment with crispy biting sensation!
Type: Non-Halal
Location: Sri Nibong Cafe (理旺茶室)
Price: Depends on what you order based on the menu list
Contact: Mr Soo Nam Fong - 012 539 2802
Stall Operation: 0930 - Late Afternoon
Parking convenience: Fair Hygiene: Fair
Direction:
If you come from Bayan Lepas area, heads toward Sri Nibong bus station direction. Keep right. You will see the coffee shop exactly opposite from Sg Nibong police station. Remember to keep right. From traffic light, make a U-turn then keep left after you passed by the Malay school. Turn left and search for any available space. Hallo! not parking at roadside but park in legal space! :-P
Unique One
"12 years selling experience, started in year 1998. Original from Seberang Perai. Friends encouraged to come over to Penang island to sell. 7 years in Sg Pinang. Move to Sri Nibong about 2 years plus," Recalled Mr. Soo. The only one stall that sell unique toast bread.
When you encounter toast bread, first impression - you expect half boil egg. Wrong, you can't find half boil egg here but fried egg :-) The only stall that sell a wide variety of choices.
Heavy Weight order
Of course, I didn't order all listed options. My favourite one still the heavy-weight version: egg, cheese and ham. My order is quite pricey. One for RM3.20, I took two! Damn heavy weight... can settle both meals - breakfast and lunch :-P
If you think about your diet plan - don't look at this capture. Oh blame me!
Love the melted cheese - I'm dying for it. Throw away your diet plan if you wish to indulge into cheesy feeling.The fried ham is cooked with excellent timing. Outer part is crispy and you still able to taste the soft feeling of meat when you bite. The egg taste neutralise the salty taste of ham and cheese which brings a more balance feeling. If you wish to blow yourself, you can consider add chilly sauce in between, then the sweet and spicy sensation will penetrate your taste bud!
Char Siew (minced version) - if he doesn't let me know - I thought this is salted & minced soya bean - 豆酱 - me too imaginative indeed!
Sambal (minced dried prawn) - look at it may make me sweat!
Mayo Tuna - no surprise :-)
There are other options that Mr Soo recommend - Taiwanese sausage (during that moment - no more stock), "Char Siew" (minced version - first time I saw this), "sambal" (minced dried prawn), mayonnaise tuna and more. I can't conclude personally on other options good enough. I have my own preference. Probably you can try out those stated here or not stated here. Leave me a comment to share for other option you try out. Thanks.
Type: Non-Halal
Location: Lip Sin Garden (opposite old market)
Price: Small - RM1.10 | Big - RM1.30
Contact: Ms Ooi Shaw Yin - 016 444 3724
Stall Operation: 0600 - 1100 (7 days a week; Bi-weekly off but not fix on which day)
Parking convenience: Very Bad (You can consider to park at Lebuh Nipah 1 and walk)Hygiene: Fair
Direction:
Ask anyone who stay at Lip Sin Garden - where is the old market. They can show you the way.
Or you can check out the Google Map - look for Lebuh Nipah 1. It's located inside the Medan Mutiara Apartment, just opposite the Old Market. Check out the Kedai Kopi Sin Kek Seng (新格成茶室).
Suggestion - You can park your car about 100m from the coffee shop, otherwise during morning time, you hardly find any available space to fill in.
Simple Breakfast for Everyone
First impression - the environment is very noisy. If you are looking for quiet place to eat - I'm sorry - you are entering incorrect location to enjoy.
All age level customers - everybody loves to eat :-)
"Since 1986, parents started this business here" recalled Shaw Yin. There are only noodles, bee hoon and kuey teow selling here. No additional like sausage or fried egg to add on. Probably this makes everyone able to have simple breakfast without going through multiple level of decision making.
If you happen to get up early morning - I meant about 0600. Visit this stall please. Later you will find out a long queue of working people to buy from them before work. Don't let unexpected long queue to scare you :-)
Laugh All The Way
Shy all the way - I only capture her background - in Chinese - 她的倩影 :-P I hope she won't whack me after published :-)
Ms Ooi's mum is camera-shy, thus I only able to show her "kung-fu" stance to prepare the noodles. I did realize everytime I take out my camera to start the capturing - a lot of surrounded people will false-assume I'm a reporter from newspaper. I did clarify each time - I just a hobbyist who interested to write about foods and capturing the moments. I doubt they really believe me :-P
In fact, through humourous jokes - I find it's easier to open people heart when capturing the moments. I appreciate the trust of Ms Ooi passing me her contact and her humourous aunty never stop making me laugh during moment captured.
From this capture - I don't think they are camera shy - they just don't get used with my "big-potato" camera appearance :-P I like this capture the most in particular - their expression look like finding a gold mine - Don't whack me next time they see me. I still wish to eat the char been hoon :-)
Taste and Chillies
Not too heavy taste on bee hoon, noodles and kuey teow. Especially the noodles is very springy. For me, I love to have a mixture of noodles and bee hoon at the same time.
Occasionally I will have kuey teow. Naturally - kuey teow is more oily than noodles.
When you eat - check out the green pickle chillies which rinse in sweet vinegar. Their green chilly is tasty, a mixture of sweet, sour and of course spicy :-) If you wish to challenge your ear comes out smoke - try the sambal. Don't under-estimate the garlic chilly as well. This is my most favourite chilly every time I visit them. Feeling like smoke come out from ears and sweat uncontrollable. The sweet sauce is optional to add upon request. All depend on your personal preference.
If you wish to have a good noisy environment time - go for it during morning. You will enjoy the real market environment. You will enjoy the familiar greeting - hello good morning. Trust me - sometimes having a simple breakfast and a cup of coffee to observe people kick-start their days - pretty enjoyable. Of course do this when you are either off or clearing leave :-P Have great days then!
Type: Non-Halal
Location: Air Itam
Price: Small - RM2.50 | Big - RM3.00
Contact: Mrs Ong - 012 408 8152 / Miss Ong - 012 407 3152
Stall Operation: 0800 - 1200 (7 days a week)
Parking convenience: Very Bad (You better park at Kek Lok Si's nearby car park and walk)Hygiene: Fair
Direction:
Comes from Chung Ling High School direction, take Kek Lok Si route to head on. When it comes to a T-junction that leads you to Kek Lok Si, turn right to Market Road (Jalan Pasar). Look for parking space. Once you park your car, WALK (not drive, ok) against the traffic along Market Road back to the T-junction.
Turn right and go opposite to follow the traffic. Once pass by the small bridge, you see another small road on your left. Turn left and check out the aunties who sell curry mee sitting on small bench.
* Would like to special thank to DC and Jessica who brought me to this hunt :-)
Really OLD Style
The first sight when I look at the stall, there is NO stall. Out of my expectation, the stall owners (should be co-owners), mostly age 60 and above, sitting on single person bench. The noodles and "bihun", bean-sprout and the soup-base container all "sitting" on the floor. Beside the container, I can see a plastic bag of black-woody-stuff, yeah lar... it's charcoal, bro.
Preparation
Team Work
Wah lao eh (Hokkien dialect verbal expression for surprise, just in case you are not from Penang)! People from West shouts - My God - over here, we only call for dad. Enough side-tracking topic.
Charcoal smell when I stepped in and sat down. This reminded me my childhood smell vividly. Sat beside the aunties, behind me still have another 3 charcoal stoves. You can imagine the free sauna environment I indeed "enjoy" much during that moment.
Same Old Taste
Soup
Self Service
It's pretty hard to find a real old taste to describe. I may not guarantee when I say good taste, the rest of readers who following this blog will raise their legs to fully agree. It's still based on personal preference.
What I meant same old taste - when the noodles plus soup enter your mouth, the taste that stimulate your taste bud will quickly transmit its nerve signal to your brain AND most important thing, that nerve signal suddenly "open" your hidden old memory which reside in your memory database. Again, enough grandma story.
Soup-based is consists of coconut milk mixture with other ingredients. Reasonably sweet but not artificial type. Surprisingly, I didn't see any mint leave when served. The chilli, for me, not so spicy until I able to sniff. One thing I can be sure - the chilli is not over stir-fried. Probably this is the difference from other curry mee stall I'm interested.
The Inheritors
Friendly and talkative aunties (we normally respect lady who is in age forty and above, we won't call old lady, because I'm old biscuit too!) were laughing out loud, when I brought out my camera to capture them. Luckily they didn't have much time to stop and do some make-up :-P 60 plus years time just flew swiftly... "I remembered when we started this curry mee selling, the tree beside us was small and short" said one of the aunty. Get two guys to hug the tree, you can imagine how big is the tree.
I'm quite happy to notice there are two youngsters helped out during the selling. This means traditional old food won't just "extinct" like that.
© 2011 Hong CN
All photos and writings published here are copyrighted. If you would like to re-post the photos or any part of the writing, you can send your email to hongchianien@yahoo.com to seek for permission and link back to the original source.
There is no commission nor any special discount on the foods I tried or visited. The main purpose of this food blog is to promote traditional food to retain their uniqueness and cultures in regards of races or nationality.
