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 :-)