Penang - Bayan Baru - Chinese Cuisine

*Update (11 Dec 2009): Owner informed he no longer interested to continue this business.

Food: Chinese Cuisine
Type: Non-Halal
Location: Bayan Baru - Medan Mayang Pasir
Price: Depends on your dish order

Shop Name: 骏发饭店 (Chun Fat Restaurant)
Owner: 冯明心 (Mr. Fong Meng Sim)
Contact: 016 490 4822 | 04 643 3400 | 04 643 2284 (Suggestion: Please call to check before visit)
Address: 109, Bayan Baru Flats, 77 Medan Mayang Pasir, 11950 Penang
Shop Operation: 1000 - 2100

Parking convenience: Fair (check out the available parking space around the flats)
Hygiene: Good

Direction:

It is very difficult to talk about direction. Refers to the map attached to ease on explaining. Check out the Sunshine Square and get the direction from there.











All About Hardworking




Mr. Fong

Mr. Fong started restaurant business since year 1979. He became like triathlete man to travel in between Alor Setar, Seberang Perai (Chai Leng Park) and Penang Island during 1982-83. He managed totally 3 restaurants mainly. He must be the superman to just manage 3 restaurants at one day.



"It was exhausting indeed to travel like this and difficult to manage, thus I decided to fully concentrate this restaurant in Penang Island after 1983," said Mr. Fong, staring on me with firm-belief eyes.

Freshness Is The Key for Colouring, Fragant & Taste


Preparing the cooking seriously.

Mr. Fong is expert in Cantonese cuisine and he stresses strictly on freshness. Only receives order, then he cooks on the spot. There is no so-called cook and stock in freezer. Not his practice nor his style. Every single raw cooking materials is fresh! There are three (3) factors that bring out a tasty dish - colouring, fragant and taste. Simple formula: -

Freshness = Colouring + Fragant + Taste

Customized and Recommended Dishes
It was correct timing when my brother-in-law treated family with Mr. Fong's recommended and customized dishes. Words unable to describe in details. I prefer to let the photos speak precisely. Hope this does not making you hungry then. Sounds evil huh? :-) Please forgive me on the English translated name (Mr. Fong gave me the beautiful dishes names in Chinese).

奶油红狮鱼 (Fried Fish with Butter)



白云蒸鲜虾 (Steam Prawn with Eggs)


上汤咸排骨 (Salty Pork Ribs)


一品锅 - 蚝士，花胶，干贝，津白，冬菇，吊片，海参 (Mixed Varieties of Rare Seafoods)



竹生烩豆腐 (Tofu with Bean Skin)


香酥鸭脯 (Fried Duck)


七仙姑下凡 (Mixed Varities of Vegetables including lotus)

Penang - Chulia Street - Hainan Chicken Rice

Food: Famous Goh Thew Chik Hainan Chicken Rice / 伍秀泽驰名海南鸡饭
Type: Non-Halal
Location: Chulia Street / 牛干冬街
Price: RM3.40 | RM4.00 | RM5.00

Shop Name: 伍秀泽茶室 (Goh Thew Chik Cafe)
Contact: 04 261 8650
Address: 338-A, Chulia Street 10200 Penang
Shop Operation: 1100 - 1800 (Wed - 1100 - 1500), 7 days a week

Parking convenience: Fair
Hygiene: Good

Direction:
If you come from Cintra Street, turn right. Try to look for the Goh Thow Chik's board on your left. Opposite this shop is Fujifilm shop (green building).



Original From Hainan

About 65 years ago, the late Mr. Goh Thow Chik came from Hainan, set his base in Penang island. Founded the current Goh Thow Chik cafe, where during that years, only one of the very few dining location that able to serve good and healthy food.

Mixed roasted & cooked chicken




3 successors continue on this famous Hainan Chicken rice, namely Goh See Yong, Goh See Wah and Goh See Foo.

Mr. Goh See Wah


When you have meal there, not to forget to order O-gao (Kopi-O). Hainanese black coffee is unique in taste and aroma. Too bad, during that moment, my caffeine intake already exceeded quota, thus no coffee.



If you wish to eat there, be there earlier than usual lunch hour, otherwise you will see the whole restaurant crowded and filled up.

Penang - Chowrasta Market - Pok Chang

Food: Pok Chang 薄撑
Type: Non-Halal
Location: Chowrasta Market (吉靈萬山巴剎)
Price: RM0.60 / per piece

Owner: Madam Loke
Stall Operation: 0700 - 1100 (Only Saturday - if raining, sorry - they rest)

Parking Convenience: Bad
Hygiene: Fair

Direction: -
Park your car either along Campbell Street or other streets to have some walking distant. During early morning time, you hardly get a nearby space except counting on your luck.

My Lucky Hunt
I heard this old lady will only open stall once in a weekend, only Saturday. Thus when I scouted around Chowrasta market, I didn't place high hope.

When I see this Mdm Loke, I was stunned there for 3 seconds. Mdm Loke told me - her daughter-in-law was on holiday during Tuesday, thus they opened stall. What a lucky hunt to me to drive 15km from Bayan Lepas!

Madam Loke asked me what did I shoot? I answered - "Leng Lui" (beautiful lady in Cantonese), she burst into laugh then.


It's all about team work.


Old Cantonese Dim Sum
It was difficult to find this old Cantonese Dim Sum nowadays in Penang island. I firmly believe quite a lot of people forgotten this traditional old food. I called it Pok-Chang (薄撑), following the Cantonese prounonciation. This old Dim Sum is using sticky rice powder to make the outer skin in order to wrap. Inside the ingredient is the mixture of hand-made-blended coconut meat, white sugar and crushed groundnuts.

Old Tool


Tool Application


Remember to voice out if you wish to have less sugar


Displayed Name
There's a small name tag displayed - Ketayap. I checked from Internet recipe. Actually Ketayap is not the accurate name for this old Cantonese Dim Sum. Ketayap, Malay name of "kuih gulung" - the wrapping skin is made of wheat flour (plus Pandan colouring in light green) while this Cantonese Dim Sum is not. The internal ingredient for both are almost the same. Outcome? Both also like "bolster". Have no idea how come the name tag mixed with the "kuih gulung", probably if anyone knows further on this, please share.

Hand-Made Mixer


Mixing


Balancing


Adding ingredients


Wrapping


Final Outcome


Patience - Key of Waiting
40 years plus of selling this, Mdm Loke unable to tell you how long duration exactly you need to wait for the Dim Sum. There are only two small wok. If you wish to eat this, patience is the key.

Happy to wait? Check out the customer's expression


Her daughter-in-law (DIL) inherited Mdm Loke's "kung fu" to continue the business. At all time, most of the customers will surround the whole stalls just like viewing show.

Happy Transaction


In conclusion - I like to eat the Dim Sum because you can feel happiness from both Mdm Loke and her DIL to prepare the Dim Sum. Finally someone inherits this cooking so we can still able to enjoy Pok Chang.