Penang - Beach Street - Hokkien Mee

Food: Hokkien Mee / Prawn Noodles
Type: Non-Halal
Location: Beach Street
Price: Depends on what you order

Stall Name: 桥头福建面 (Bridge Head Hokkien Mee)
Owner: Mr. Lau
Stall Operation: 0700 - 1700 (Rest on Monday; Suggested time to visit early morning; they may close earlier about 1300 or 1400 if the soup is finished)
Address: 533 Lebuh Pantai 10300 Penang

Parking Convenience: Bad
Hygiene: Fair

Direction: -
(Google Map is not updated thus need words description)
Suggest you to take Jelutong Expressway if you are from Bayan Lepas area or Free Industry Zone (FIZ). Go straight (no left turn or right turn). Just follow the road sign to Georgetown direction. Right after you pass-by E-Gate Business Building, you will see the Tenaga National Berhad (TNB) Factory on your left, still go straight.

Go all the way straight without any turning. When you go down-slope road, you will see there are two cross-road traffic lights (within your sight definitely, distant is about 100 meters in between). Start to keep left lane, you will see both road sign boards also can lead you to Komtar. Take the 2nd traffic light to turn left. Before turn left, you will see there is a Chinese temple and the low-cost flat on your left. After left-turn, keep right. You will see a large compound on your right. Another 50 meters will have a cross-road traffic light. Make a small U-turn when it is green light, you will park your car in the compound. You see the Travel Agent, the stall is there.

*Notes: Sorry about the big drain description. I justified wrongly.



It was my 3rd attempt to hunt down after my Hokkien Mee SiFu recommended this old taste Hokkien Mee to test. First attempt, didn't check properly on their rest day; 2nd attempt due to stall owner had urgent issue to settle.

Migration



According to Mr. Lau, they already moved 3 times as well. This is the 3rd location they fixed their selling location. They didn't move far. If you check out the space that you park your car beside the big drain, you will notice a big long empty field there before reach the stall. There was their home before. Old type of house in town area before WW2 normall very lengthy one. Due to the urbanization, they moved slightly further beside the big tree, the Aunty told me. Then they moved to this shop and rented it. The selling actually started in 1963, Mr. Lau is 2nd generation to retain the Hokkien Mee business.

Inventory


Double Roles
Mr. Lau used to be manufactured soya sauce. The lengthy old house gave advantage to put the container to produce soya sauce. You can find out another old style soya sauce factory in Penang in my personal blog - Sunset Industry - Soya Sauce factory in Penang. Mr. Lau no longer mass produce soya sauce due to high cost and limited land space to allow. He only produces little to cater his Hokkien Mee business and small volume for his business friends.

Empty space that used to have lots of soya sauce containers


Old Taste
Well, you may wonder why keep on pressing old taste. Hokkien Mee has two different kind of taste and fragrant. The moment I tested out to cook myself, my SiFu pointed out this very clearly. Old taste normally comes with strong prawn taste. There is no new taste - it is just a mixed taste. Old taste stress more on the prawn and cooking process on soup base. Mixed taste actually have other part of pork to add in. This depends on individual preference. Different people, different feedback.

Standard order


Boiling Process on Noodles
Beside soup base, the short boiling process on noodles is extremely important to ensure the noodles is springy when you bite it.



Added Ingredient


Still resist yourself? Don't torture yourself please :-)

Penang - Cintra Street - Sun Yoon Kee Seafood Restaurant & Sin Sun Vood Kopitiam

Food: Chinese Cuisine Course & Home Style Cooking
Type: Non-Halal
Location: Cintra Street
Price: Depends on what you order

Shop Name: Sun Yoon Kee Seafood Restaurant
Owner: Mr. Gan Choon Chong (016 401 3133 | 04 261 3987)
Shop Operation: 1100 - 2130

Parking Convenience: Fair
Hygiene: Fair

Direction: -
Follow Campbell Street (just like my previous post on Roti Bakar), go straight until you see cross junction. You will see your upper left is Rolex Specialised Shop, take left turn and look for parking space. This shop is about 5-10 meters distant on your right.


************** Part 1: Sun Yoon Kee Seafood Restaurant **************



Old Shop

Mr. Gan taking order


"I rented this shop before 1983. Only on 1983, when the first owner decided to sell off, then I took over it," Says Mr. Gan proudly.

Check out the cash machine! I did frequently eat their Char Siew & Siu Yoke rice since 80s! Hey, don't guess my age. I'm using time-specific description to state how long they are. Please focus :-P Said Mr. Gan proudly, "the Cash Machine is almost 50 years old. You can imagine how long already." It's NCR! (not ATM machine). The old machine just like threw you back to 1960s. From outside, you may think this is the normal Char Siew & Siu Yoke shop but you never expect they also prepare for Chinese Cuisine Course and Home Cooking style.



I like to have meal at town area and this restaurant (no commission will be given to me to promote). You may wonder why? In town area, most of the people will speak in Cantonese which gives me more comfortable. The only problem is my Cantonese speaking still lousy enough, I don't know why.

There are ground level and up 1 floor to sit. If you go there, try best to sit at ground floor to observe the environment. The kitchen looks similar... I know what you are thinking. Nope, they don't sell Dim Sum :-P They do serve Chinese tea or my favourite Chrysanthemum tea.

Tea Counter at Ground Floor


My Appertizer
Every time I visit this restaurant, the appertizer is definitely Siu Yoke (Roasted Pork). Very crispy and taste good. Request the lean meat if you are seriously on diet, otherwise you will get the mixed version. Mixed version has different crunch-feeling in your mouth, I concluded.

Roasted Pork


Well, this is not appertizer (picture below) and you won't want it :-P Ta-da~ The Trio!


Old menu
Sorry, there is no menu to refer. Normally Mr. Gan or his employees will list out verbally on what you wish to order. Older cooking like Sweet & Sour Pork Rib, Golden Money Tofu and etc. My family loves their Sweet & Sour Pork Rib very much.

Sweet & Sour sauce is not simply using tomato sauce plus plum sauce. It's a combination of vinegar and sugar to cook it. Typical old Chinese cooking that stimulate your taste bud definitely. I prefer to let photo describe and you visualise yourself is going to have this course :-)



I also like particular on the fried fish stomach dish. No fish smell as you may expect. The taste is good. The home made Golden Money Tofu taste uniquely. It's not Japanese Tofu, it's actually a mixture of local tofu, shrimp and eggs. You can try these old dishes.

Deep Fried Fish Stomach


Golden Money Home-Made Tofu (with egg sauce)


Mixed Varities Veges


Perfect cooked chicken will definitely make your mouth watering.


If you love the spicy-belachan "Kangkung", try this. I bet you will get stimulated.


Another home-made Fried Tofu, personally I prefer this version :-) Very crispy.


Deep fried fish stomach with fried ginger. Taste unique!



************** Part 2: Sin Sun Vood Kopitiam **************

Coffee Shop: Drinks
Type: Halal
Location: Cintra Street
Price: Depends on what you order

Shop Name: Sin Sun Vood Kopitiam
Owner: Ah Pin 亚宾 (017 473 6801)
Shop Operation: 1200 - 2300

Sin Sun Vood is exactly translated from Cantonese - it means New Life.



Before World War 2 (WW2)
If you think the above owner owns the shop old enough, let's talk about this real old Kopitiam. Kopitiam is coffee shop in Hokkien dialect. How old is this shop, you may ask.

Cool enough?


Kopitiam owner, Ah Pin narrated the history calmly - this shop started in 1934! In 1943, when Japanese conquered Penang Island, Ah Pin's father removed the "Sin" (means New) due to Japanese culture. After 1946, his father used back the original name after Japanese was defeated in WW2 and left Penang Island. In conclusion... please do your math. You are absolutely correct - 70 years of history.

Ah Pin is 2nd generation to manage this shop, guess what? 40+ years of shop management! You may wonder why I also include this shop in. It is located beside the Sun Yoon Kee restaurant. I can have both pleasures - Chinese cuisine and this Kopitiam coffee :-)

Original Setting
You entered this very old shop just like entering muzium. You can find the old wood door track, of course no longer applicable in modern time. "It was very memorable to me when you have to remove one-by-one piece of wood doors. The door was opened at all time except sleeping time," Ah Pin focused on the door track just like he turns back the clock. The wood door no longer there, replaced by metal gate door to ensure security.



Check out the mosaic floor, kinda missing this in different colours? Still recall anyone old house still have this? :-)


My Favourite Special Drink


Enough history topic - what's so special for this Kopitiam? Kopi-Ping-tarik! Ice coffee with milk. Make sure you try best not to order Instant Coffee or Nescafe, he does not serve this! Of course other drinks still available, especially I recommend the fruit drinks such as orange, apple and etc.

Remember when you visit, don't order Nescafe-ping. If you do so, you are insulting Ah Pin's expert Kopi-Tarik!~ I warn you second time :-)

Penang - Bukit Jambul - Roti Jala | Nasi Lemak | Roti Bakar

Food: Roti Jala | Roti Bakar | Nasi Lemak
Type: Halal
Location: Bukit Jambul
Price: 1 set of bread (2 slices plain) - RM1.20 | Add RM0.30 (Jam, Peanut Butter, Kaya)| 2 half-boiled eggs - RM1.20

Shop Name: FIH Catering
Shop Owner: Djodzamir Kasim aka Abang Joe - 012 554 7127 | 04 643 2717
Stall Operation: 0700 - 1000 (Sunday CLOSED)

Parking Convenience: Fair
Hygiene: Fair

Direction: -
If you comes from Penang Airport, go straight until the Penang biggest roundabout, take 9-o-clock turn (means turn left lar). Keep right lane after turn. Go until traffic, ready to turn right. Now you will see Marvest building in 2-o-clock your direction. Once turn right, keep left and turn left when you see small junction. Go straight until you see a Malay restaurant on your left. Now you can look for parking.

VSS Hero
It wasn't accident for Abang Joe to start catering business. He took a brave step to accept VSS to challenge himself for life changing style - FIH Catering business. His vast experiences on logistic, F&B field and networking helped to make a solid foundation on his kick-start business. His wife and mother-in-law helped him much on learning fast in catering. Salute him from bottom of my heart.

Abang Joe


** I would like to special thank Abang Joe for inviting and introducing me his unique traditional foods. **

This restaurant covers breakfast, lunch and dinner - handled by Abang Joe's family members. In this hunt, we will focus mainly on breakfast session.

Part (1): Roti Jala
Roti Jala is not available at everytime you visit. I suggest you either give a ring to Abang Joe to confirm if you really wish to eat Roti Jala rather than reach there with disappointment.



Roti Jala directly translate into English is Net Bread. This traditional Malay snack is very unique on its taste, process-making and its appearance. If you ever think of the normal bread, please throw away the old impression. It looks like net in round shape. Probably you may argue as thin pancake :-P



According to Abang Joe - old style Roti Jala making used bare hand with fingers to make it like net (jala). But the raw material liquid is more dillute for convenient purposes. First time I heard about this. Now in modern days - they use a special made container to prepare Roti Jala, of course no longer dillute - oppositely it is more thicker in raw material liquid.

Cooking & Organizing


Folding


Storage


Low Cholestrol & Low Fat Snack
It is prepared with the composition ratio of 1kg of flour, 1 egg and couple of spoonful butter. It is a healthy food. Why healthy? No palm oil and no coconut milk were added. The purpose of butter added is to avoid Roti Jala becomes sticky on fried pan. According to Abang Joe, palm oil only serves two purposes to make Roti Jalar looks more presentable (shiny) and non-sticky on pan. I personally found the Roti Jala is not shiny at all with what I had seen in other stalls or restaurants. Check the below picture for self-explanatory.

Gravy - Sauce That Probably Rock You
Roti Jala tastes little salty in original. Normally eats with chicken or beef curry. During my lucky visit, there was no chicken or beef curry. Abang Joe introduced me to test eat Roti Jala with two gravy - sweetener condensed milk and ikan bilis spicy gravy. He also excited to highlight - there is another special gravy to eat with Roti Jala. It is sweet gravy, made of durian paste! I'm not a fan of durian but I'm interested to try. Will try and share it here if I'm lucky :-)



If eats with sweetener condensed milk, a combination of salty and sweet tastes penetrate your taste bud. You have to try it out yourself. Hardly inexpressible in more detailed description. If you able to tolerate ikan bilis spicy gravy, then it is also a good choice to go for this. This ikan bilis is actually for nasi lemak gravy.

Part (2): Nasi Lemak
If you think you have tried enough nasi lemak taste, try here.



The Nasi Lemak itself is already special with coconut fragant. Here - you will find another fragant that recall me of old village taste! This fragant reminds me exactly Nasi Dagang I had in Dungun (Terengganu state). I was over-joyed by the taste discovery. (ok, I'm hunting for Terengganu taste Nasi Dagang in Penang, leave this topic first until I able to hunt it down, so you know what to do - have information, please share!)

The secret ingredient is a kind of oldest spice named "Halba". It is a must ingredient to cook Terengganu Nasi Dagang. The fragant melted me long time ago during my childhood :-) For those "rice-tong", I can guarantee you will finish 3 bowls of nasi lemak.




There are several gravy available - ikan bilis, prawn and so on. Fried egg or full-boiled egg is available. If you look for peanut, check with Abang Joe. Sometimes the peanut finish fast.

Part (3): Roti Bakar



The toasted bread here is totally different from my previous post. No "cotton-bread" supplied here (otherwise I won't write this out). They used a type of roti I frequently pronounced it wrongly. Correct pronounciation is - "Pangkali Roti", not "Benggali". Please take note.

This bread is thick and hard type. NO BBQ here using charcoal like old Hainanese style. They used the same pan to grill for less than 30 seconds. A thin later of butter wiped on the bread surface to make it more cripsy and tasty after grill.



They will put the half-boiled eggs on top of the bread. Served like western style in big plate. So, don't look for cup that contain half-boiled eggs :-P Soya sauce and pepper added based on your personal preference.

Enough complain on me and my photos? Now go and try yourself, don't gulp your saliva over here please :-)

Thanks goes to Meng who silently spyshot the video without my alert :-)
http://www.facebook.com/v/1032098217820

Penang - Campbell Street - Roti Bakar (re-visit)

Food: Roti Bakar (Toasted Bread)
Type: Halal
Location: Campbell Street
Price: 1 set of bread (2 slices) - RM1.60 | 2 half-boiled eggs - RM1.20

Shop Name: Toh Soon Cafe - Ooi (016 496 4586)
Stall Operation: 0800 - 1800

Parking Convenience: Fair
Hygiene: Fair

Direction: -
You only have one way to enter Campbell Street from Penang Road to reach this shop. Just about 5-10 meters distant, you can see a backlane in between shop lots, Toh Soon Cafe is located there. You hardly miss this shop as you will see crowds over there.


Re-visit this place with my new partner on food hunting, DC.


Humourous Lady Boss - Madam Sexy

Had a wonderful session to eat and enjoy small chat with lady boss. She took order to list out what we able to order in swift tone. Both DC and I stunned to order. She took further decision to place us with one peanut set and one roti kahwin. 2 set of 2 eggs and 2 glasses of Kopi-peng. We felt released by the ordering stress.


Please do not let her know I spyshot her Sexy wear. :-) Otherwise, I will definitely become Kung Fu Panda, I meant my eyes.

Peanut Toasted Bread
Tried out the peanut toasted bread. Though I love peanut butter, I still prefer the home made kaya to mix with butter. Probably traditional taste and habit that conquer my preference.

Old Machine Noise



It's good to hear the old ice blender noise. It attracted my desire to shoot it down. Younger age - I hate this noise... Now I kinda miss this very much. In earlier age, I could hear this noise in opposite of shoplot which is 30 meters away, opposite side road. Imagine that :-)

The Space Ship



Workspace

Penang - Campbell Street - Roti Bakar

Food: Roti Bakar (Toasted Bread)
Type: Halal
Location: Campbell Street
Price: 1 set of bread (2 slices) - RM1.60 | 2 half-boiled eggs - RM1.20

Shop Name: Toh Soon Cafe - Ooi (016 496 4586)
Stall Operation: 0800 - 1800

Parking Convenience: Fair
Hygiene: Fair

Direction: -
You only have one way to enter Campbell Street from Penang Road to reach this shop. Just about 5-10 meters distant, you can see a backlane in between shop lots, Toh Soon Cafe is located there. You hardly miss this shop as you will see crowds over there.



Turn Back The Clock
Lots of food bloggers wrote about this shop. Lots of reporters come here for tea time. In despite of shop location and narrow environment at backlane, loyalty customers still enjoy their breakfast and tea times at this shop.

Crowded



I targetted this shop mainly because of the variety choices of breads. "Roti bakar" is local Malay term. I'm attracted by their old way of "BBQ" the bread. You can imagine almost 50 years of operation, they still retain the real old way to prepare all these. Fully manual to take care of toast timing. Once wrong timing, the bread over-toast, this requires skill :-) Nope, you won't see any toast machine we normally use at home. Here - you can see they use charcoal to boil water, looks like space ship (I'm too imaginative). Lower compartment - the space for toasting the bread.



The Attraction
For normal stall or shop doing Roti Bakar - they normally use "cotton bread". Why I name this weird term? When you put the bread into your mouth, you feel like eating cotton. In addition, you hardly feel filled-up at all. If I take "cotton bread", I can easily take more than 6 slices - now you fully understand what is meant by cotton :-) This old shop serves like-home-made bread. Personally I prefer solid bread.



Well, the owner has own bakery factory, thus it is not surprisingly to see they able to choices of bread, namely choco, normal (toasted or steam), wholemeal and Hainanese bread (I probably forgot what shape it was) - You can't expect me to take 4 different sets eating alone, can you?



You can select whether you prefer Kaya with butter, kaya alone, butter without sugar, butter with sugar OR just peanut butter. Yes, sounds dizzy? Make it simple. Just order "Roti Kahwin" - Kaya dances with Butter.



Half-boiled eggs need timing too. Depends on luck. If too crowded, the timing may drag longer, then your eggs (please, not your ball!) will be more solid. Have understanding on this! The moment I visited this round with my shift partner, CS. There were too crowded.

My shift partner, CS



Kopi-peng, anyone?


For drink, normally I prefer "kopi-peng" (Ice coffee with condensed milk, not sweetener) - this is the perfect combination.

Nasi Lemak that able to melt you!


Don't under-estimate the "Nasi Lemak" as well. Very tasty indeed. I don't think they prepare the "Nasi Lemak", should be outsourced one :-P

In conclusion, I prefer morning period to visit this shop though probably crowded environment. This is Penang and this is exactly old local shop. What'ya thinking? Buy me a "kopi-peng" please :-)