Tuesday 26 April 2016

Best Porridge - new chu cha place in town



From the shop name , we thought we'd come across a new Teochew Moi place where a big variety of dishes to go with plain boiled rice porridge , are the order of the day .

So there we are looking at the food on display in the glass case when 2 ladies coax us into entering by showing us the chu cha menu .





I glance through the price list as she gave me suggestions .




Newly opened , there is air- conditioning and in this part of town , this corner of Penang , here is where everyone can speak Cantonese fluently .
Some things seem to look up as I eye what seems to be the boss , those eyes , those eyebags , they show the promise of an experienced chef , so I'm really keeping my fingers crossed as it is and hoping for the best .




Deep fried tofu with salted fish .
While I find it mouthwatering , I just could not help but notice that although I got no hint of salted fish ,this recipe would probably rank better  than a lot of Chinese restaurants that will charge you way more .



Kangkung belacan .
So much better than all the chu cha places today .
Bear in mind that the belacan is not as overwhelmingly stinky as you would like it .
Greens still retain their colour , slight crunch retained , LOTSA good quality Malaysian har mai ( dried shrimps ) .
A lot of vendors have replaced Malaysian har mai with Thai ones and that just does not sit well with me ....so this is by far ( in light of deteriorating standards these days ) the better one.




Black pomfret.
The lady promised me a small one this size would cost just MYR 10 and yes , they really did charge me MYR 10 for this. 
However , I need to add that the freshness of this fish is KL standard fresh and not Penang standard fresh . Still, one cannot simply complain because it is impossible to get a fish fried on the spot , for MYR  10 even at an economy rice stall these days !
Maybe , I'll try another meat another day , but this is forgivable when you take into account how hard the women try to serve you ( and they're mostly well padded , it is sort of telling how good the chef is because anywhere you see round people in Penang , means there is good food to be found , I kid you not ! )




We also had a double boiled watercress soup and the reason why I did not snap a pic is because , while it is really thick , rich and hearty , and took me on a high , it will not look appetising in a photo but I can assure you that their soups are so darned good , you'd think your grandma boiled it herself for 3 hours over the charcoal stove .
Doesn't look nor taste as sophisticated as most Cantonese soups , I'd say this is more Hokkien and very hearty with nothing spared !
Must have ok ? Especially if you love thick , sticky , rich soups .

Opening hours : 11 am to 11pm
Prices : Very , very reasonable
Presentation : they try . Can't find fault with them for trying can you ? 
Location : Kampung Malabar ( between Hon Kei and Gou Lou kopitiam )



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