Friday 17 June 2005

Food favourites - Part 1

My favourite Penang food (may not be the best to others but its the best to me):
Best Wantan Mee - behind Penang Plaza.
It was so good that everytime I ordered this, I had its special: 3 bor mee (3 portions of noodles instead of the normal 1). I can never tire of eating their noodles. Sadly the family who operated the business decided to quit when they lost the home they were staying in due to the Quit Rent issue (They operated from their home, in the alleyway behind their house). So I'm afraid you can't taste this glorious dish of noodles anymore... :(

Best Mee Goreng/Rebus - formerly Edgecumbe Road, now at MPPP foodcourt, Gurney Drive.
Another one that I don't mind eating everyday. My usual orders: 1 mee goreng, 1 mee rebus, Add vinegar provided, as you like it, to the mee rebus, finish the noodles and pour the leftover gravy into the mee goreng, making it mee basah. Glorious! The best mee goreng/rebus stall, in my humble opinion that is. Most would differ, preferring the one at Bangkok Lane.

Best Bak Kut Teh - Air Itam Road, after the Farlim junction towards Air Itam, before Indian temple.
I forgot the name of this one (Mike Ng finally helped me with this one: Beng Heang. Thanks Mike!), nice... a little pricer than the rest but they have all the ingredients I like and the soup is perfect.

Best Hokkien Mee - Chiu Jang Ka (Under the Trees), Off Burmah Road.
My current favourite. It a stall among an unorganised group of hawkers selling their stuff under a cluster of trees, hence its name. The soup is exquisite, the bee hoon and bean sprouts are not cooked too long and soggy and if you order the rm2.50 version, you'll get a very big bowl for size (both literally and in terms of serving).

Best Char Hor Fun - coffee shop at the corner of the famous Sar Tiau Lor (3rd Street) food stalls.
The noodles are fried just nice, with a nice hint of smoky fragrance. Portions are abit small but it costs only rm2 so I'm not complaining.

Best Roti Canai - Ibrahim's, Pulau Tikus, same row as the police station, next to the newsstand.
This classic hang out of ISCA youths of old has the best roti canai. Not the cleanest though, many a strong stomach (such as myself yao hua, willie and joel) has succumb to the runs after consuming copious amounts of the roti.. So be warned. Only for the strong stomached.

Best Banana Leaf Rice - Vaiduri, Penang CBD.
One of the cheapest around, no frills but they have spruced up the place in view of the competition around. Food also good, again no frilss but healthy portions. This is one food that they should intro to impoverished Malaysian Uni students all over the world. Why? Cos its rice, curry, vege and papadam refills are absolutely FREE!!!

Best Malay Rice - Opposite Ratu Mutiara apartments, Tanjong Bunga.
2 stalls there, I order from both. Vegetables from the middle stall and the rest, especially the fried chicken and the kuah, from the one on the right. Bears all the Penang hallmark (big, cheap and good!). Enough said.

Best Nasi Lemak - Catholic sisters, Tanjong Bunga Market.
Not your typical malay nasi lemak, this one is sold by 2 Chinese sisters of the Catholic faith. Very nice, especially its ikan bilis sambal (my favourite) and chicken curry (Willie's favourite).

Best Laksa - Coffee shop next to the Balik Pulau market.
2 stalls famous in Balik Pulau. Go to the one operated by an old lady. It serves both Penang assam laksa and also Siam laksa lemak, Best if ask for a mix of both... nice.

Best Chendol: Sidelane off Penang Road, between Kimberley Street and Prangin Road.
2 stalls here, go to the one on the right, next to the coffee shop (which btw, also serves good char koey teow and laksa, though, in my opinion, not the best), as you enter the one way street. Still the best by far.

Best ABC: Swatow Lane.
Go to the one at the roadside, that's the original one. You can top the ABC up with ice cream or fruits or both! Price is not too bad and plenty of other good food around.

Best Beef Noodles/Rice: Junction of Beach Street and Chulia Street.
Run by young 2 ladies, it serves the best "Gu Bak" noodles and rice (Personally I like rice better). The soup is thick, flavourful and sweet and you get all different parts of the cow (if you like that) in it too.

Best Penang-style Chee Cheong Fun: Genting Coffee Shop, Island Glades, opposite SM Hamid Khan.
They mix peanut butter with the prawn paste, really creamy and tasty. The cheong fun is also soft and smooth.

Oklah, that's all for now. Wait for part 2. :)

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