( NH ) Midnight queue- Air Itam Duck Rice

Update 16th August : 
this is why Penangites are reluctant to recommend their favourite haunts to outsiders. There are too many customers now. It makes the traders head grow very big. Quality is compromised. Standards have dropped. The other night I was here, the pork was not fresh, the meat very salty, I got a hard boiled egg that already went bad, plus the rice was too soggy.

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And so, I finally went and did it. Joined the queue for the famous midnight duck rice in Air Itam, that is.

Look carefully at the picture and try to spot the 3 boys in pyjamas. Nothing unusual except for the fact that they're full grown Teenagers !

Have always been very fond of Air Itam because of all it's quirky familiarness but this stall certainly takes the cake.

There are just so many patient people , united in the still of the night , awaiting their turn like a congregation of confessioners at a chapel of food.

Spent around 10 minutes shuffling before I could finally place my order for this simple feast.

Young, old, fat, thin, you can tell that they're all hooked.

Don't you go telling these people that they shouldn't be eating after 7pm. No one will give a damn.

Face to face with the busy owner ...a hale, hearty and strong fellow, with pinkish cheeks and pouch much like a butcher's.

Braised duck and stewed pork yield under his Missus's hands.

The alluring smell wafts and tempts the diner. The air at the foothill is like that. Cool, still, makes any food taste better.

Was it worth queueing up for ?

You betcha, but only if you consider this as comfort food.

What the Chinese diaspora treasure as a precious reminder of their hard beginnings in this region . Something that tastes very home made and uses only super fresh ingredients from the belly fat right down to the daun sup. The spice mix is to a minimum unlike other places. Doesn't overpower. Just right. A ladle of sticky sauce that forces the rice to rise like a smokescreen, appeals to the oriental in us downright , bringing forth memories of loved ones slaving over hot stoves crackling with firewood and charcoal embers .Ah yes, a simple dish like this makes us remember, strengthens our resolve to do better in life and appreciate our ancestors and all of their struggles .

The duck may not have had me raving, but that's because I much prefer it tender. As I bit closer to the skin, I understood, that this is a taste one can get nowhere else . Still, the tripe( sam charn) gets my thumbs up. And the sauce is fantabulous over piping hot rice.

The prices as you can see are reasonable but it's the quite gathering in the night amongst likeminded people that stays in my mind and makes this place just amazing and simply unforgettable.

Location : opposite the Air Itam market